cautionary tale..

[happy camper]

hello all
just thought i'd post this as a little reminder of something i'm sure you all do but is very easy to forget or just not bother...
If you're using anything sharp like a knife or axe etc.(which i'm sure we all do) and no matter how safe or experienced you think you are, make sure you always have, within easy reach, both the first-aid kit, and knowledge to patch yourself together until you can get some proper medical attention in the event of any mishaps.
I'd also recommend remembering to wear a whistle in case you need to get the attention of other members of your group etc. when your out in the wilds. I know it's obvious stuff but it's suprising how difficult it can be to hear or understand that someone is shouting for assistance if it's even slightly windy or you're near flowing water.
I know i'm probably preaching to the converted but accidents definately do happen and i'd hate for anyone to find themselves up the proverbial brown creek without a paddle ! ( although in the event of you literally being up a creek without a paddle, i'm sure you could fashion one using your knife / axe )

 

[gregorach]

It's suprising just how many of the things everyone is supposed to know about or carry go unknown or uncarried... For example, I still don't carry a whistle, signal mirror or survival bag, even though I know I should and have known for years. I keep promising myself that I will buy these items, but I never seem to get around to it.

I do at least carry a half-decent first-aid kit these days.

 

[mark a.]

Good advice. It's actually quite easy to forget to pick up the first aid kit if you're just nipping off somewhere with the knife - good to get into the habit. I also attached a rescue whistle to my wife's car keys (as we always had them with us when up hills in Scotland), and she hasn't taken it off again, which is probably a good thing.

But where's the cautionary tale in your title? I was looking forward to a story of disaster narrowly averted in good Hollywood style...

 

[bilko]

I have cut myself before and although i don't remember the circumstances i do remember the confusion and sometimes terror when you realise that the sharp wince you just did was in relation to a cut that is opening up and bleeding. A lot!
A good reason to give a blast on a whistle to alert others.
Similarly i have had a frightening choking incident. Funnily enough it was just by tipping the crumbs from a bag of crisps into my mouth. They were so dry that they imediately stuck to my throat and caused a blockage. I remember feeling stupid and embarrased that i was desperately trying to breathe in the cue at Tesco!. Yers my girlfriend was there and Yes it started to go a bit dark!. Not sure a whistle could help there but very scary.
I must remember to stick some safety pins in it.

 

[happy camper]

But where's the cautionary tale in your title? I was looking forward to a story of disaster narrowly averted in good Hollywood style...

guess i..errr..forgot that bit
It's more embarrassing than hollywood, but if anyone else is asking which muppet cut themselves in the middle of nowhere then i'm afraid i'll have to raise my heavily bandaged left hand.
I've just had to cut short a trip up into the hills with a friend of mine and his two young lads. After spending a while getting the camp in order and collecting firewood etc. everyone went off to do there own thing and i sat down to do some carving. I've had knives since i was knee-high to a grasshopper, and haven't cut myself since i was a kid, but i learned pretty quickly that you only need to be a bit tired, complacent or get distracted for a second and, bingo, you're staring at a couple of squirting wounds including an unfortunate looking thumb going in two very different directions (not ideal when you're over an hour by car to the nearest medical attention)
Luckily, i had packed a first aid kit ( but there's many a time i haven't bothered )
and we managed to stop the bleeding. Some valuable time was lost trying to get the attention of my friend, who was only a short distance away, but who couldn't make out what i was shouting over the pretty light wind. Luckily, one of the boys used his whistle and that did the trick (my whistle was safely stashed in my pack, in the pocket marked "probably dont need")
All in all it took over two hours to get to the hospital ,by which time, the semi-detached part of my thumb was looking a bit pale and they weren't sure if it was going to make it.
It seems however, (fingers crossed ) that the basic, sterile dressing that we used to hold my thumb together and stop the bleeding, kept it clean and just about oxygenated enough to be stitched back together and remain whole (if a little uglier!)
The situation was never life threatening but it reminded me of how easily and quickly a situation can change from relaxed to dangerous when you're using something sharp and pointy, and also how easy it is to get complacent when you use something sharp and pointy on a regular basis.

p.s typing with one finger instead of two is making my reply even slower than normal

 

[mark a.]

Wow! Maybe not Hollywood, but certainly good enough for "999" (or whatever the equivalent TV programme is nowadays). Your original post was certainly worthwhile, but that stoey certainly hammers home the point rather successfully.

Certainly sounding rather nasty. Hope your thumb recovers properly soon so your touch-typing days can return!

 

[happy camper]

Wow! Maybe not Hollywood, but certainly good enough for "999" (or whatever the equivalent TV programme is nowadays). Your original post was certainly worthwhile, but that stoey certainly hammers home the point rather successfully.

Certainly sounding rather nasty. Hope your thumb recovers properly soon so your touch-typing days can return!

cheers mate
hope i haven't made it sound more dramatic than it was..i'm more embarassed about my stupidity than anything else (feeling like it would be more suited to an episode of the muppets!)
I had a follow up today to see if the repair to my thumb has "taken" and so far so good ( seems like my secret wish to learn to play the recorder, and then become an internationally successful rock god, may still be a possibility after all )

 

[mark a.]

Ha ha ha!