Human Medical Emergencies on the LSB

How many of you are prepared for medical emergencies of the human kind ??

For the first time in my 50 plus years I required an emergency ambulance ride last weekend. It made me wonder just how prepared are all of you??? Lucky for me I have a husband who was cool calm and collected. All turned out well despite a second emergency visit the following day (not by ambulance this time - once was enough to keep the neighbours entertained.Lol).

But having had it happen Im now very aware of just how far away we are from help with the ambulance taking just over 15 mins to get to us then nearly an hour to get to the hospital. A big Thank You to Wellington Free Ambulance and the staff at Masterton A & E.

Lucky as an ex vet nurse Im pretty practical in that sort of situation with other people but being on the recieving end of things wasnt fun.

A timely reminder how important first aid skills are.

Fifteen minutes? Blimey, that's like living in the city!

No, if anything really dreadful happens, we'll probably just die. We put in place as many safeties as we can, then hope.

You're alright?

Where I grew up it was not worth calling the ambulance for most things (unless the specialist equipment they carry was required). The ambulance station is on the other side of the city so by the time they got through the traffic to our side of the city then began the rural journey to our place we could be at the hospital (conveniently located on our side of the city).

yeah Ruth it is a bit like city arrival times. My Mother has always hated my living here as I was born with problems and have a complicated medical issues but even she was forced to admit after this weekend it would take 15 mins for an ambulance to get to her if she needed it. Lol. But she is right that she would get to the hospital faster.

Im fine thanks - I was given strong pain medication back in June and was ok on them. Took them for the first time since june and had a major allergic reaction. What was really funny was the hospital changed me to a different but related drug after I recovered. I took it as instructed the following day and had another severe allergic reaction and ended up back at A& E. It seems I just dont tolerate that family of drugs now Im sensitised to them. I scared the crap out of my husband who found me unconsious the first time.

i am with Ruth.. we are so far out, if something of the 'might bleed to death' happened, i think we would need a hearse rather than an ambulance by the time help arrived..mind you one of the neighbours had a bad fall from horse.. out came the helicoptor
i am the practical one, Oh is hopeless and would just hop from foot to foot..,

one reason I raised the issue is I have just been tidying up some animal stuff and realised just about every first aid item we have in the house is for the animals! Yeah some of the stuff can be used on humans but the only proper human first aid kit is a small one out in the car.

Every LSb should at least have antihistamines for humans - I was able to swallow one when I had the second reaction the following day and while it didnt save me another trip to hospital it did reduce the severity of the reaction although I still went into shock.

Since Stephan ended up under the firewood trailer, we've carried our PLB with us when out on the farm and if I'm here alone, I put it on my camera belt. I know that if Stephan goes away for a couple of days and I crash off the bike, or fall under a cow or some silly thing, I would be there until he came home unless I was able to raise the alarm myself. I could probably die in that time, which would be a bit sad for him and my cows.

I am so accident prone I always have a comprehensive first aid kit in the house and the car and also first aid trained.

i know how you feel Ruth.. my OH would travel alot and i was training horses.. i sometimes would wonder if anyone would find me if i had a fall..

all good to have the first aid kit in the car or house, but what happens if you are injured down the back blocks?.. its a long haul back to the house.. i have done it once with a concussion after a fall .. dragged myself half draped over the horse.. got to the phone, called the neighbour and passed out..
no mobile coverage either, so no use having that with me...

ok now i have scared myself out of ever leaving the house

I always try to remember to take my phone with me on the block but only remember about 50% of the time. I am on my own so I would be found until I didn't turn up for work - big help if I was incapacitated on a Friday arvo down the back paddocks away from anyones view. It's scary so I don't dwell on it too much.

That's where a PLB is a fabulous little safety thing. I figure if I have time to set it off before collapsing, a helicopter and a whole lot of people will come and find me and I'll wake up in a hospital, wondering how on earth I got there. Hopefully we never need to use it, but it makes me feel a great deal safer than hoping I'll be in cellphone coverage if I hurt myself.

ccrk9;438090 wrote: as an ex vet nurse

Completely OT but why do you say ex vet nurse? My sister always said she USED TO BE a teacher, a work mate says she WAS a nurse now you say EX vet nurse yet doctors, laywers, vets, mechanics, electricians, plumbers etc are rarely USED TO BE's WAS's or EX's, I wonder why the difference:confused:

Just one of those quirly things that hops into my head each time I see something like this referred to

A recommendation from the St John rep who took a first aid course I did, was to make sure you need the ambulance between about 2 and 4am, as that is when they and the traffic are least busy...
My first aid kit and training have only really been used on others, usually on the road at accidents we have come across. We have a fairly comprehensive big kit from camping days. Luckily, at one of the worst accidents, there was an off duty ambulance officer going past, so I ended up mainly helping him. But my recommendation based on various experiences is you can never have enough gloves and large dressings, and bandages!

kai;438106 wrote: I am so accident prone I always have a comprehensive first aid kit in the house and the car and also first aid trained.

LOL. No, wait, shouldn't laugh at that, too close to home! I'm not 'trained' other than what I've had to learn on the spot, though. After way too many injuries to myself, we have all sorts of first aid gear in the house.

Why is it you're so clumsy, kai? I don't have an answer for myself. I can trip on a grain of sand. [xx(] I am a walking bruise most days.

Apart from the first aid things, do y'all have written instructions of what animals you have and what they are fed in an obvious place?
When my OH was carted off to the hospital I seemed to spend far too much time frantically writing out instructions, including how to turn the water on for the troughs. It occurred to me then that if we'd both been in a car accident my animals were in danger of dying despite lots of people willing to help.