When we relax over the holiday period, our natural guard is often down. Emergencies usually happen when we expect it the least, therefore the emergency bag should be the first to be packed.
The following situations can be treated easily and even save a life:
Allergies
- Make sure that your EpiPen hasn’t expired if you are highly allergic.
- Wear your allergy bracelet.
- Tend to any allergic reaction immediately: Pack anti-histamine tablets/suspension as well as an anti-histamine ointment (e.g. Allergex ointment). Ask your GP to script a few prednisone tablets/Aspelone suspension – especially when travelling where there are no medical facilities. This can save a life!
Burns
- Run cool tap water over the area for 20 minutes.
- Give pain medication. Pack tablets and suspension (e.g. Ibuprofen/Paracetamol combination: Ibumol).
- Apply something like Burn Shield to skin that is not broken (put this in the fridge as soon as you arrive at your destination) or Silbecor (an over-the-counter anti-bacterial for burn wounds) to broken skin, followed by a Jelonet dressing and bandage to prevent infection.
- Sunburn: prevention is easy – don’t let this one slip through. Make sure to pack Voltaren gel to apply to burnt areas. It works like a bomb!
CPR
- Someone in the house should be trained in CPR!
- Have an emergency number on the fridge.
- Make sure children that stay at home with helpers are swim safe and if you are visiting where there is an open pool – invest in a water alarm armband for your toddler. They slip out of your sight when you least expect it.
Injuries
- Pack an antiseptic ointment to apply to open wounds after rinsing thoroughly, as well as a range of plasters and bandages. Always put pressure on bleeding wounds to stop the bleeding and do not remove any foreign bodies that are lodged deep into the skin – get to an emergency centre ASAP.
- Pack neutral eye drops (e.g. Systane) lubricant drops to soothe sensitive eyes. If you are going to a tropical destination, ask your GP for antibiotic eye drops (e.g. Tobrex) to take with, as patients often pick up “pink eye” (a bacterial infection of the conjunctiva, common in warm, humid locations).
- Also pack ice packs for sprains.
Chronic medication
- Do not forget to pack your regular medication. Keep it in the original packaging to make it easy to identify in case of an emergency.
- Carry a script with you.
- Make sure that you have enough repeats on your current script.
Prevention is better than cure! Take care and make sure that your emergency bag is up to date and that nothing has expired. You might not need it yourself, but you could save the person next door’s life!
By Dr Desere Ferreira.