My wife started coughing up blood last week. She had a really unusual event of coughing very hard for about three full minutes, so I figured the coughing had broken a blood vessel in a lung and was causing the hemoptysis (which simply means ‘coughing up blood’. But it’s a fun word.)

Although a little gory, a few milliliters of hemoptysis is not necessarily immediately life threatening… but the underlying cause can be any of over a hundred different things, including cancer and a lot of other deadly and semi-deadly diseases. So we got on the hump and make it in record time to the local hospital, where they did X-rays and a CAT scan and more on that later. In any event, they could not figure it out. So we got Air Evaced to the big hospital about a hundred and fifty miles away. Where we ended up staying for several days. I slept on the floor, which was fine, because I wanted, and in my mind needed, to be with her.

I had about half an hour to get whatever we needed for the journey and stay at the hospital. Home was twenty minutes or more away from the hospital. No way I could get there and get things and get back in time. I would have missed going with her if I’d tried it. (more…)

Before I even start, I have to say that you must talk with your doctor and find out whether your use of any of the products mentioned in this post, or indeed anywhere on this site, is appropriate for you. All statements are only personal opinion, and have not been approved by any authority or agency or anyone else whatsoever. And read our disclaimer statement.

Additionally, some people are allergic to honey. You must never use honey if you are allergic to it, or put it on anyone who is allergic to it. You could initiate an anaphylactic reaction that could be life threatening.

(Read Part One)
(Read Part Two)
(Read Part Three)

I came across a source that talks about using honey for wound care that I think is important to read.

The page is at WorldWideWounds.com and goes deeply into the subject. There is some very good information, presented lucidly and interestingly.

It brings up points I had not thought to mention, including the need to use a ‘low-adherent dressing’, such as Telfa or equivalent non-stick bandage, when using honey with a dressing. I forgot to mention this because I almost never use any kind of dressing that will cause the healing wound to stick to the pad. Kind of defeats the purpose. The exception is in a first aid situation where there’s nothing but cloth from someone’s clothing to make a bandage with. Actually, using honey in this situation is helpful, because it provides some degree of lubrication to the wound, and actually lessens the sticking. But when I change the dressing, I would hope to have a non-stick type available. It’s better.
(more…)

Before I even start, I have to say that you must talk with your doctor and find out whether your use of any of the products mentioned in this post, or indeed anywhere on this site, is appropriate for you. All statements are only personal opinion, and have not been approved by any authority or agency or anyone else whatsoever. And read our disclaimer statement.

Additionally, some people are allergic to honey. You must never use honey if you are allergic to it, or put it on anyone who is allergic to it. You could initiate an anaphylactic reaction that could be life threatening.

(Read Part One)
(Read Part Two)
(Read Addendum)

I’d like to share some of my experiences with using honey for wound care on myself. They are personal, and may not be applicable in any given situation to any other person. But perhaps they will be interesting to read as entertainment. This post is long, but it’s something I cannot break into parts. Please bear with me and read it all the way through, or please do not even start reading it.

First, how effective is honey? A study reported in the Annals of Burns and Fire Disasters
“shows that in burn wounds infected by multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, honey may be useful for controlling infection.” That is a double-tough situation, and to me it is indicative of what honey can do for a wound.
(more…)

Before I even start, I have to say that you must talk with your doctor and find out whether your use of any of the products mentioned in this post, or indeed anywhere on this site, is appropriate for you. All statements are only personal opinion, and have not been approved by any authority or agency or anyone else whatsoever. And read our disclaimer statement.

Additionally, some people are allergic to honey. You must never use honey if you are allergic to it, or put it on anyone who is allergic to it. You could initiate an anaphylactic reaction that could be life threatening.

(Read Part One)
(Read Part Three)
(Read Addendum)

After researching the kind of honey used for treatment of wounds, I found that most sources said that local honey was best. That makes sense to me, because perhaps the more local it is, the better suited it is for the disease-causing organisms of a particular area. We get an organic, raw, unfiltered honey produced within 15 miles of our house, when it is available. When it is not available, I get one made about 50 miles away. I ‘feel’ that the more local honey does better, but I have no solid proof of that. Both of them have been effective when I’ve used them, so maybe there is no difference.
(more…)

Before I even start, I have to say that you must talk with your doctor and find out whether your use of any of the products mentioned in this post, or indeed anywhere on this site, is appropriate for you. All statements are only personal opinion, and have not been approved by any authority or agency or anyone else whatsoever. And read our disclaimer statement.

Additionally, some people are allergic to honey. You must never use honey if you are allergic to it, or put it on anyone who is allergic to it. You could initiate an anaphylactic reaction that could be life threatening.

(Read Part Two)
(Read Part Three)
(Read Addendum)

I’m not allergic to honey. I do not know anyone who is allergic to honey. So I use it on wounds.

If your mouth dropped open just now, you are in good company. Mine did that when I first read about using honey on wounds. I was looking through my copy of the best wilderness emergency first aid book ever written, A Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness & Travel Medicine, by Eric A. Weiss, M.D. when I saw that he recommended honey for first aid treatment of open wounds. Frankly, I didn’t believe it. I said to myself, okay, he gives very wise information on just about everything he writes about, so he’s entitled to one clunker. (more…)

Before I even start, I have to say you must talk with your doctor and find out whether your use of any of the products mentioned in this post, or indeed anywhere on this site, is appropriate for you. All statements are only personal opinion, and have not been approved by any authority or agency or anyone else whatsoever. And read our disclaimer statement.

And truly, a person must also learn the proper technique before using any of the products mentioned, or they may do more harm than good.

That said, I’d like to talk about a very difficult subject. Burns. If you get queasy thinking about medical problems, please stop reading now.

Burns can be life-threatening, even when they affect a relatively small portion of the body. A person can go into shock from any degree of burn. The more severe a burn, the higher the likelihood of shock, and the greater the chance a person can die from it. (more…)

Some time ago, I put together a few first aid materials in a case that could fit into my gym bag. Not much. Just the basics. Some Quik-Clot®, pressure bandage, gauze, other bandages, EMT scissors, glucose tabs, CPR mask, flashlight, gloves, alcohol wipes, trach kit, tourniquet.. a few other things. I wanted to be prepared in case something happened on the road or in the gym.

I’d load the bag into the car every time I used it, and I was getting tired of it. I mean, what are the chances, really, of needing it? That’s what I was asking myself. But I sighed, and threw it into the car anyway. Maybe for the last time. I headed into town.

About halfway there, traffic slowed for an accident. A moped rider had been creamed by a car. He was in the center of the road, bleeding and unconscious.

Amazingly, a friend of mine who is a Fire Dept. EMT had seen the accident happen and was kneeling over the victim. A critical care nurse from the local hospital got out of her car and joined him.

I parked safely, put on my hazard lights, and walked over with my bag. “Need any gear?” I asked.