Flagging, direct pressure, and move your a$$ to the hospital are the best things to do when you've been cut badly. If you can, elevate it above the heart. Don't use tourniquets. They do more damage than good unless you have an arterial cut, which we hardly ever know and it's not worth losing the limb, unless you're in the back country and can't get out. I can typically get a truck to within 1000' of the crew, most of the time these days. In days gone by, it may be miles back to the truck.
EA,
You have a real knack for story telling (pun intended.) Hope we inspire some more memories down the line!
Kris Morgan, post: 392438, member: 29 wrote: Flagging, direct pressure, and move your a$$ to the hospital are the best things to do when you've been cut badly. If you can, elevate it above the heart. Don't use tourniquets .....
Pretty good advise if you are a long way from emergency services.
But if you are in an urban area with 911 service call and wait for help to come rather than trying to drive yourself, or a victim, to the hospital. Keep the victim calm and warm to reduce the chance of shock, apply pressure and elevate. Professional help should be there in a few minutes.
Mark Mayer, post: 392756, member: 424 wrote: Professional help should be there in a few minutes.
I stopped working EMS because if my partner made a mistake, I was guilty too, (even if I was up front driving). And there were getting to be too many times where I was having to call down the newer hands on watching what they were doing. I am not saying there are not professionals out there, I'm just saying it has been my displeasure to have met the unprofessional ones, and if I get hurt, I will be pretty vocal about not wanting to get into an ambulance (or go to the hospital, for that matter) I'll get better or die, same as if the medical system gets hold of me.
I have had some nasty cuts while surveying.
1. Sharpening a bank blade, and tightening the nuts with the handle pointing away. The wrench slipped and I bumped a newly sharpened blade with all four fingers of my right hand. Deep cuts on the fingertips.
2. Swinging a newly sharpened machete. I did a backhand uppercut on a vine and went through it pretty quick. The momentum of the blade carried it around and I cut the back of my left arm.
3. Holding a green limb and cutting the small limbs off by running the newly sharpened blade toward the back of the limb. Bank blades have TWO edges on them, and I cut a left index finger pretty deep on a backstroke.
4. Chainsaw blade trench across my left knee. 16 stitches to close that one. Once, while reselling the tale around a campfire, four of the six guys raised their left pant leg to show a similar scar.
5. Too numerous times to count: nicked by self while sharpening blades.
6-?. Many times, too numerous to count, of not-so-bad bleeding episodes.
My scout training says to stop the bleeding by applying direct pressure. I wash it out with clean water and apply first aid anti-bacterial cream, and bandage it up.. Many a time I have come home with a digit or part of my body wrapped in a handkercheif or blue paper shop towel and held in place with surveyor's flagging.
I have learned, and had to re-learn, that a newly sharpened blade is really sharp, and will cut me unmercifully.
Y'all be careful out there. It was 98å¡ Saturday, and very hot.
