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When / How did you use your FAK

Discussion in 'First Aid Station' started by keeper, Jan 8, 2013.

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    • +4 Supporter
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    keeper Uber Prepared

    Looked around on here didn't see this thread, at least recently. So tell us how you used your FAK. Here is my story:

    So last night I went to a belated holiday party. The guests at the party were all people who work at the hospital, and their spouses who don't work at the hospital. The hostess cut her finger, while taking something out of the oven. The cut wasn't long, but was deep, and wide, slightly jagged. It was bleeding more then what could be contained with a bandaid or two. Her home FAK consisted of a few bandaids in a kitchen drawer and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. My wife, (yes the same wife who looks over the top of her glasses and shakes her head, when I talk about my EDC) came out to the living room to get me. I first took out my pocket EDC and handed her the 2 bandaids I carry in there. She said," no it is worse then that". So I went out to the car and got the "slightly bigger then a boo boo kit" that I carry in my work bag. After I helped bandage the cut, people started asking, where I got that kit, and do I always have it with me? So now my wife still looks over the top of her glasses, and still shakes her head, but now she does it with just a little look of pride.
    keeper, Jan 8, 2013
    #1
    TarHeelBrit, BravoOscarFoxtrotHotel, aldo_vic_t and 3 others like this.
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    mooshi Uber Prepared

    In most cases, my Tin o' Stuff or wallet carry FAK works fine (just bandages, antiseptic wipes, and ibuprofen or aspirin). The Tin o' Stuff has a couple of gauze pads, a needle, a couple of safety pins (among other things) that will help with like splinters and stuff. My keys are always on me, which has got tweezers...

    Most of the time, that's good enough for everyday bumps and scratches. :) When I'm out I'll have a "larger than a boo boo kit" with rolled gauze and all that good stuff. It helped when I uhm... fell off my skateboard. My friends knew where I kept my FAK and helped control the bleeding until the paramedics came. :)
    mooshi, Jan 8, 2013
    #2
    Mighty Max and keeper like this.

    cdenniston Loaded Pockets

    No major tales of horror for me. I do use the first aid kit often though. In my studio courses other students are always cutting themselves with x-acto knifes and things like that. I probably gave out ~five bandaids last semester. I also had to use a few on myself throughout the last few months. My EDC FAK is very basic but so far it has been all I need. I keep some basic meds in their also which I consistently use.
    cdenniston, Jan 8, 2013
    #3
    keeper likes this.

    Mires Loaded Pockets

    No exciting stories here (which is how I would like to keep it). With that being said, I do use it on almost a daily basis. Mostly just for little cuts and scrapes though. Gotta love hands-on jobs :D
    Mires, Jan 8, 2013
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    keeper likes this.
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    keeper Uber Prepared

    I think if the truth were known, bandaids are used far more then any other item in most people's FAK
    keeper, Jan 8, 2013
    #5
    Oaklington and sungame like this.

    Mires Loaded Pockets

    Agreed!
    Mires, Jan 8, 2013
    #6
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    J_C Uber Prepared

    Band-aids and alcohol wipes are the only things I've ever needed to restock. I've only needed the kit a few times, all for minor cuts on myself.

    The biggest one was a scratch a couple of inches long on my forearm from a metal support bracket under some raised flooring. That was just after I had built my little FAK in an Altoids tin thanks to the inspiration gained here at the EDCForum, and luckily I had alcohol wipes, a tube of Neosporin, and a large bandaid big enough to cover it.

    Since that time there have been a couple of cuts or knuckle scrapes, but happily nothing really significant.
    J_C, Jan 8, 2013
    #7
    Oaklington and keeper like this.
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    CatherineM Uber Prepared

    Used the ambesol today. Got a kid with wisdom teeth coming in.


    Sent by Owl Post
    CatherineM, Jan 8, 2013
    #8
    keeper likes this.

    smellypaddler Loaded Pockets

    OK, it's kind of for work but at this different location to normal I always take my own kit. I was called for a patient with no further details. The place I was working has a lot (5000) elderly people on site so I assumed it would be for an elderly patient. When I got to the patient it turned out she had an accident with a knife (a 6inch serrated blading paring knife) that she had managed to put through her hand. It entered through the palm and exited just before the wrist. Fortunately there was only venous bleeding, easily controlled with some combine dressings and a bandage. It is normally run of the mill kind of work for me but as I used my personal first aid kit I figured it would count for this post.
    smellypaddler, Jan 9, 2013
    #9
    keeper and sungame like this.
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    sungame Uber Prepared

    As keeper mentions, band aids are probably the most frequently used items in most FAKs. They are certainly the ones I use the most, along with painkillers.

    I have also had to use some rolled gauze to bandage a knife cut on a finger (not mine) that was bleeding a bit to much for a bandaid, and on a couple of occasions, I've used a thick, elastic bandage to apply compression/support to sprained ankles (both mine and other people's).

    As a martial artist and former rock climber, I also use sports tape a lot, both for it's intended use, and for improvised repairs of all sorts. I guess neither blister prevention, taping up small cuts and nicks nor fixing a broken ski pole actually counts as first aid, but, hey, I have used the tape in my FAK for all of these tasks.
    sungame, Jan 9, 2013
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    keeper likes this.
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    keeper Uber Prepared

    WOW, yeah that counts!!!
    keeper, Jan 9, 2013
    #11

    teakwood Loaded Pockets

    Carry a condor FAK in my bag everyday everywhere. Surprisingly bandaids are probably the least used... Just recently I used a waterjel for a 2nd degree deep fat fryer burn on a lower arm (dont ask). most common things used roller gauze, pain killers and telfa.
    teakwood, Jan 9, 2013
    #12
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    keeper Uber Prepared

    Does anyone use 2X2 or 4X4 gauze pads held in place with coban, instead of gauze rolls? I find this works just as good, and takes up less space in my kit. I wrap the coban around an old gift card, so it lays flat
    keeper, Jan 9, 2013
    #13

    plumberroy Loaded Pockets

    Other than the bandages, last summer an elderly lady who lives in the nieghborhood she walks her dog daily she tripped or something and hit her head on the side walk . I used 4x4 gauze and gloves to hold pressure untill E.M.T.'s got there
    Roy
    plumberroy, Jan 9, 2013
    #14
    TarHeelBrit and keeper like this.

    teakwood Loaded Pockets

    didnt read your whole question though I use 2x2 and 4x4s frequently but normally they are telfa and wrapped with coban if I have it. I always have roller gauze tho

    Yeah I have but normally I wrap things with roller guaze, but I might be say that because ive just been dealing with burns lately... didnt read your whole question though
    teakwood, Jan 9, 2013
    #15
    keeper likes this.

    blt2drg Loaded Pockets

    I use bandaids, ibuprofen, and Pepto Bismol chewables quite often, but thats about it.
    blt2drg, Jan 9, 2013
    #16
    keeper likes this.
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    ModrnDayMcGyver Loaded Pockets

    About a year ago I started carrying a larger FAK in my Jeep. While at a motocross and ATV park, a young girl(probably ten), rolled her ATV. The brake lever punctured her leg on the inside of her leg, about 6-8 inches from her groin. No arterial bleeding, but it was bleeding pretty good to say the least. A couple of abdominal pads and a military field dressing later, the bleeding stopped. Paramedics arrived and took her to the hospital. Now I carry a huge FAK in the unlikely event that I come across a similar accident.
    ModrnDayMcGyver, Jan 9, 2013
    #17
    aldo_vic_t, sungame, BravoOscarFoxtrotHotel and 1 other person like this.
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    keeper Uber Prepared

    yeah that certainly counts as using your FAK
    keeper, Jan 9, 2013
    #18

    BravoOscarFoxtrotHotel Loaded Pockets

    Used my kit three times recently.

    Once when hot water landed on my hand, chest and stomach. Tried to pour it out of a kettle, holding a tea pot in the other hand. Some spilled, burned my hand, I pulled back both hands in reflex, landing more boiling water on me. Then I threw the whole bunch of things into the sink, raced off to the bathroom and but myself under a cold shower, shirt removed. Used lots of WaterJel to keep it cool. After that I put on a new layer of Water Jel, some petroleum jelly-soaked gauze pads and some Flexifix film (http://www.smith-nephew.com/us/professional/products/all-products/opsite-flexifix/).

    After some weeks now the only thing left is a dime-sized dark spot on my stomach.

    The other instance was after a small (and very stupid) climbing accident. I was actually almost on the ground again when one of the grips on the climbing wall gave way. Not much, only a fraction of an inch. It was enough, though, to lose my footing and go down. Mind you, it may have been 7 feet or so that I fell, but I landed on my (left *phew* ) wrist, bending it back very hard. I was handed a cool pack right away and it seemed to help. At home it began to hurt like hell - Pulled one of my own cool packs out, used a SAM Splint to immobilize the wrist and wrapped an ace bandage around it.

    Went to the doctor's the next morning because it still hurt like hell. He x-rayed my wrist and told me I had come within millimeters of busting my scaphoid. That way it was a sprain (a pretty bad one) and after a few days rest all was okay again.

    Oh, and tampons (carry those in my FAK aswell) are very very useful to stop severe nose bleeding. And look very very stupid. :D

    Those incedents took place less than 3 months back, the last was abot a week ago.


    Edit: oops, that post came out longer than I had expected...sorry
    BravoOscarFoxtrotHotel, Jan 10, 2013
    #19
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    sungame Uber Prepared

    Excuse my ignorance, but what is coban?

    I do keep gauze pads in all my FAKs, but I prefer rolled gauze or field dressings because I find them quicker and easier to use.

    Alas, my smallest FAKs don't have room for rolled gauze, so I keep gauze pads and a small roll of medical tape in them instead. It certainly won't be ideal in the case of a major bleeding, but hopefully, it will take care of larger cuts and wounds than regular band aids.
    sungame, Jan 10, 2013
    #20
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