Medications, What do you carry for emergencies?

On one of our 50 mile canoe trips down the Klamath River, Lori was attacked by a German Shorthair Pointer. She immediately got an infection from the dog bite on her arm. We had some antibiotics and got her down stream to the emergency. It took so long though it was touch and go for a while.

I just had my regular doctors visit and told my doctor I was going to do some extended RV traveling. I asked him what I should have in case of emergencies.

He said he always takes antibiotics with him when he travels to South America fishing. He gave me a prescription to carry as a backup.

Besides your regular medications, what do you carry?
Do you have a plan?

I have a regular first aid kit, and for meds for myself, I always carry an asthma inhaler, a pain killer, either OTC or prescription, Vallarian tabs as a muscle relaxer, Glucosamine, and vitamin C and echinacea. I SHOULD carry antibiotics. (I will put that on the list)

When I forget these things, I always need them, when I don't... I don't

I always have the kind of medicine that goes well in hot coffee on a cold day

The Pups get antihistamines for an emergency bee sting or "rooting" accident. (Beagles.. nose in ground.. all the ime) and doggie aspirin. They can share many of my drugs, but check with your vet first. I was surprised to find out my glucosamine was helpful for my old girls arthritis too!

The human first aid kit works for them as well.

I've been skulking around this site for sometime now and finally became a member yesterday. I know this topic is little old but I thought I could add something to it.

If your going to pack any first aid supplies include hand soap, alcohol swabs and q-tips to clean wounds, polysporin triple ointment and bandages to apply to a wound once it's cleaned, hydrocortisone cream for itching caused by poison ivy or sunburn (in the U.S. you can buy 1% OTC, in Canada only 0.5% is available OTC), ibuprofen/Advil to reduce swelling and for fever or headaches, and for those occasions where you think you ate something questionable some dimenhydrinate/Gravol and Peptobismol (in diarrhea do not take loperamide/Immodium unless you're 100% sure it's caused by a viral illness). I've seen Peptobismol in tablet form and I know the hydrocortisone cream and polysporin come in small tubes so all of this should fit in a relatively small pack. It would probably be a good idea if your going out alone to keep emergency contact information, the name of your doctor, and list any medication your taking on a slip of paper in the same pack.

I think that's everything I would bring anyway

Adele

Thanks for the feed back.

I carry:

- Bandaids - 1/2 dozen sizes and shapes
- Tape - several types self sticking/adhesive backed
- Iodine
- Neosporin
- Hydrogen Peroxide - good to pour over wound to kill germs such as a dog bite like Lori got.
- Alcohol
- Alcohol pads
- Aspirin
- Aspirin w/coedine that I got while traveling through Canada
- Motorin
- Sudafed
- Benydril - tablets and cream
- Maalox - tablets & liquid
- Cough syrup
- Cortizone 10
- Q-tips
- Cotton Balls
- Sports Cream
- Sports wrap
- Poison oak wash & cream
- Fels Naptha soap - good for anti-poison oak wash or lather on after getting it.

I think that's it and it sounds like a lot but I don't carry whole bottles. I pare down into small containers. These are just in case things. Most of which I've never had the occasion to use. I think I've helped out others more than used myself. Maybe an occasional bandaid or aspirin. I'm glad this topic came up as I need to look at my stash and see if it's all in good condition.



Lily's kit:

- Heartworm
- Capstar in case of fleas
- Tick collar
- Maalox
- Baby aspirin
- Alcohol pads
- Q-tips
- Self adhesive tape
- 2x2 pads
- eye dropper
- Septiderm skin care
- Bitter apple - excessive chewing
- Prescription for diarrhea
- Shampoos - regular, anti-itch & flea

I keep one of these in the trailer:
Johnson & Johnson First Aid Kit

We just keep a good bottle of Bourbon and a sharp knife...

LOL Greg!

We carry a basic first aid kit in every vehicle. My take along list looks quite a bit like Joy's.

We have been very fortunate that no one has been severely hurt or very ill while camping. Lots of scrapes, blisters, and bruises, a few upset tummies and onset of colds we have always been able to handle.

Carrying antibiotics if one is going into the back country is a good idea, which one is the question? Keflex, augmentin...good ol' amoxi?

Just a reminder. ALWAYS carry a few chewable baby aspirin. At the first sign of a heart attack, chew 3.
Nurse Christine

Yes Christine,

Since Lily's kit has Baby Aspirin I've often thought I could steal a couple from her if necessary.

To counter one of the most annoying things that can happen, always carry a good magnifying glass*, a needle, and a tweezers.

*Actually a loupe works best as it keeps both your hands free.

http://hand-tools.hardwarestore.com/21-399...aign=googlebase

I stuck an axe in my foot while in alaska a few years back. make sure your partner can do all the take down, hitching, backing up and driving duties alone. also a roll of paper towel designated purely for the first aid kit is handy...especially when you lose a pint of blood from your foot while driving back to canada to see a doctor.... easiest border crossing i ever had...
"hello there folks how are we doing to - HOLY ![at]$%*! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU???
( my wife) " we had an axe accident."
"You folks canadian?"
"yes, sir"
" WELL YOU BETTER GET GOING THEN!"

Easier border crossing, eh? Would that work if I had one of those Steve Martin style arrow through the head setups?

"Officer, my husband had a terrible accident, I'm sure it missed anything he uses"

maybe not. it was a low point in my life, as soon as we realized the magnitude of what had just transpired, we were awfully embarrassed. here we were, in another country, without travel insurance, and a really inadequate first aid kit. plus, i hurt myself with an axe - I was a Timberjack with a firewood company for 3 years. we went to the local hospital in skagway, ak, and they said that they could do x-rays and stitch me up, but we were looking at about $3000 best case scenario. it was only about 2 hours to the nearest canadian hospital, so we packed up. good thing too, I needed much more than just a stitch-up.

now we have cross border health insurance up to a million if needed, it's really not that expensive, and once all set in place, you just make a call before you leave and your covered. we also have 3 first aid kits that get emptied and inventoried and re-supplied before we leave. we keep one large one, about the size of a breifcase under the seat in the tug, a medium size one in the trailer, and also a soft sided hiking kit that can be worn on a belt. the two larger ones also have burn treatments, something that often goes overlooked. once bitten, twice shy.

I also now carry pre-split firewood, prescription safety glasses, and a pair of slip on steel-toed mocs - the wife jokes that i pack more shoes than she does.

but ultimately, I have my coffee before i split firewood at 5 a.m.

Wow, that's an experience I hope we never have. We never think about accidents when we go out, we don't really plan for those. Maybe your lesson learned is going to inspire others to think about what more they should be thinking about packing in their kits, safety at the campsite, supplemental health insurance.....

How many times have we seen someone splitting wood in sandals? Pack some steel toed footwear people.

How about fire safety? How many campers out there carry a fully charged fire extinguisher in their trailer?

I do! I've had to put out several vehicle fires while one the road. . . other people's fires, of course. Not to be too grouchy, but it would be nice, though, if for once they offered to replace your fire extinguisher after you saved their vehicle. That reminds me, I forgot to put a new fire extinguisher in my car after the last rescue. An extinguished fire extinguisher will not do anybody any good!

Back to the antibiotics. Guess I'll have to rely on the ER because there are so many antibiotics for different uses.

We did get an Rx today for Doxycycline to carry with us. Fred works out in the grass and woods and has had tick fever. I can just see us three days from home after he has been out and getting hit with tick fever.

But Doxycycline has very limited use. Fred can get bit by ticks, not dogs.

Nancy

To Joy A's list,
we add,
tongue depressors (finger splint), and self adhesive guaze wrap
thermometer
sports wrap/elastic bandage
Liquid squirt spoon benadryl plus tablets
scissors & knife
Gel burn pads
In freezer, cold pads for burn/sprain/pain
Self-heating wrap/self-adhesive pads for back pain, shoulder, etc.
Butterfly bandages
Eye wash/ and singe-use eye drops.
Tweezers/ and tick remover
Cell phone

Check your first aid kit at the beginning of the season to make sure everything is still in date, clean, and decent.
We don't ordinarily carry antibiotics, but if I were going on a long-range camping trip, hours from civilization, I'd ask my doctor for a broad-spectrum antibiotic to get me to the next town. A few day's worth could make a huge difference.

I carry one first aid kit in the truck, one in the trailer.

Okay, I want to chime in with something that I think is important to have in a first aid kit. It is a Sam Splint. It weighs 4 oz and can be stored flat or rolled. It can be cut for a foot, toe or finger brace, or used as a neck brace, arm or leg. It has strength in a curve and can be xrayed through for a broken bone. We carry one any time we hike, cave or are anywhere we might break or tear something. It can be washed and used again. Here is the website.

http://www.sammedical.com/sam_splint.html