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teachingmyown
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| Posted: May 25 2007 at 10:05pm | IP Logged
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I just posted a prayer request for a toddler who was badly burned yesterday. I don't know how it happened. But it has gotten me thinking about how rusty my first aid skills and knowledge are.
Would you know what to do if your child dumped scalding water on herself, or if she were choking, or she cut herself severely? Or, as happened here, fell on a fork and cut his eye?
My husband always teases me because I tend to panic at little things. I worry, though, about the big things,especially things that if you do the wrong thing you could make it worse.
I am determined to familiarize myself and older children with basic first aid, maybe get the kids in a first aid class. I have taken plenty as a nurse, but I have forgotten so much. Maybe I should post some sort of chart for emergencies when I might panic.
How do you all deal with this? Or have you given it thought? I have been extremely fortunate that in almost 16 years of parenting we have had very few injuries. Even more fortunate for me, is that my dh or mom have been around for each one! 
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In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
Remembering Today
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: May 25 2007 at 10:31pm | IP Logged
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Once upon a time I was trained (though never worked) as an emt.. and my dh is current as a first responder.
the eye thing I might be rather at a loss as to exactly what to do.. but the others I'd pretty much know..
I carry a fairly major first aid kit (someone asked for camping lists and my first aid is posted there)
I've held a 23mo old while he got 7 stitches in his thumb.. and dealt with various cuts scrapes and bumps bruises (including head ones)  minor burns, bug bites, bee stings, warts, blisters, and hives  
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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Angie Mc
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| Posted: May 25 2007 at 11:21pm | IP Logged
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I've had this First Aid Flip-Guide on my refrigerator for years...has made it through lots of moves.
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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PDyer
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| Posted: May 26 2007 at 9:18am | IP Logged
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teachingmyown wrote:
| Would you know what to do if your child dumped scalding water on herself, or if she were choking, or she cut herself severely? Or, as happened here, fell on a fork and cut his eye? |
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I know what to do with everything but forks in the eye. In that case, I'm not sure and therefore I'd probably leave it alone (keep it still) and call 911 if we didn't have two adults here.
teachingmyown wrote:
| My husband always teases me because I tend to panic at little things. I worry, though, about the big things,especially things that if you do the wrong thing you could make it worse. |
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I tend to overreact to small health things, such that I ask for assistance when we really don't need it.
I am not by nature a even-keeled person. We've had a couple of big problems over the years with my two. I have found I am more clear-headed (I won't say calm) when I have a child in real danger than when they have say, a high fever. In those instances the falling-apart-time came later. God took care of the kids.
teachingmyown wrote:
| I have taken plenty as a nurse, but I have forgotten so much. |
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My mother is a nurse and what I know I've learned from reading her books.
I think having a chart on the frig would be a great idea, and I may buy one for myself...but I think if one of the kids had an accident, you would rise to the occasion and you'd remember more of your training than you think. 
Editing to add...in one of our major problems I had to reach back to the lifeguard training I received as a teenager. That knowledge was really old , but God showed it to me when I needed it.
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Patty
Mom of ds (7/96) and dd (9/01) and two angels (8/95 and 6/08)
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CAgirl4God
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| Posted: May 26 2007 at 12:52pm | IP Logged
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yes I know what to do. I am also CPR First Aide certified. I try to stay current.
my dad was a firefighter and I was in the Coast Guard. dh still is. so I can 'see' the importance of knowing how to save a life.
I have also saved two children from choking by the Hiemleck (sp?) thingy.... that came in handy, lol.
oh and my ds is in scouts (bridging over in a couple of weeks to Boy Scouts) and he know first aide too.
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Home is where the Coast Guard sends us
Jamie, married to John
JC, Nugget, Christina & Judy
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chicken lady
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| Posted: May 26 2007 at 3:25pm | IP Logged
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Molly thanks for posting this, I have been thinking about this ever since our grease fire last month. Thank God dh was home, I realized I had know idea what to do  I realize that I am VERY bad in emergency, this worries me a great deal. My way of handling an emergency is to start screaming my dh name Right now for example (though not an emergency) my ds age 5 has a tick on his head, I just came in from finding it, tried to call dh on his cell, and now I am debating taking him to the hospital , or simply looking online to learn how to get it off. I am mildly panicking because I cannot reach my dh, and I feel so inadequate To make my point I NEED some kind of class too
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mairejam5
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| Posted: May 27 2007 at 12:49am | IP Logged
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I really don't know as much as I should. My greatest gift is that I do tend to stay calm in an emergency and can think through things ok -- maybe not GREAT, but well enough so far... of course once it's all over, I break down completey and sob, but that's when it's all over. :)
But there is one thing I do know about that I just have to tell you all.... CALENDULA!!!
I DID pour HOT, BOILING, STRAIGHT FROM THE STOVE water all over my right forearm (I was really sick and trying to make myself some tea). I immediately slathered it in Boiron's Calendula gel and wrapped it in a clean cloth. I repeated that every fifteen to twenty minutes for about an hour (just for pain relief because as long as the calendula was on and cool, it helped, and once it had soaked in or gotten soaked up and my burn was dry it would start hurting again). After that, I don't remember quite how often I did it... here and there when I could depending on what else needed to be done... for a day or two. I definitely covered all of the top of my hand and arm, which were the places that got the worst of it. Apparently there were a few places on the opposite part of my arm that had gotten a trickle or splashes or something, and I didn't realize they were there so I didn't put any calendula on them. These were places that were not nearly as badly burnt, yet without they calendula, they blistered up pretty badly. However, everywhere I had put the calendula healed up BEAUTIFULLY. By the end of the day it looked like nothing worse than a bad sunburn. Eventually a very thin layer of the top skin did peel here and there, but otherwise you would never have known that I had poured literally boiling water all over my arm! No blisters, no scars, no nothing. And pretty painless after that initial day, too.
So, CALENDULA!!!
And the next thing I have to sing the praises of is ARNICA! I use Boiron's gel of this also. It's for bumps and bruises. I use it sooo often with my little ones. And whenever I run out I am reminded very quickly of its efficacy as I watch the bumps and bruises fade so slowly that otherwise would be gone almost immediately. Just to give you one illustration...
My son ran head first into the corner of my mil's very hard coffee table. In the time it took me to run to the closet and get the arnica, his forehead had already developed a deep purple egg-shape, and half the size of an egg as well. AS i applied the arnica using an extremely light touch (a process of about 10 - 20 seconds) I felt the egg reduce in size. Not less than a minute afterwards it was nothing more than a very light purplish-bluish bruise on a small part of his forehead -- no "egg" or any raised skin at all. If this were a one-time happening I'd figure it was just a freak incident. However, i've seen it work this way so often that I do not doubt it is the Arnica.
Maire
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Do you know what to do?
