EMERGENCY RISK REDUCTION

A while back, my shoulder began aching. Although it seemed to come out of nowhere, maybe it was a pulled muscle or ligament from tackling all the chores on a fruit and berry farm. I discounted this as soreness, but the pain kept worsening. Maybe it’s yet another invasion of the ‘A-word’ (i.e. arthritis), that seems to be unrelentingly hitting at me, now in my mid-sixties, with a grocery list of past injuries and trying to keep up with two teenagers. I seldom have pain that keeps me awake but this was in that category.  It is a deep pain. Today I’ve decided to rest it, by putting it in a sling.

I went to my trusty, dusty emergency kit, to find a sling. I had to rummage thru and finally located it. Then the realization hit. What a mess my Emergency Kit is! Actually it’s not one kit. I have four. A small, medium, large and then one for the car. All I was looking for was a simple sling for an aching shoulder. Imagine if it was for a real emergency.

No issue with having more than one kit. But why aren’t they labeled, with contents listed? Basically it’s laziness on my part.  I won’t go into the contents of every kit on this blog, since these lists are available on mine and other websites. My big kit clearly has some ‘specialty’ items, while the small one is only basic first aid stuff. But taking time to list the contents of any and all kits will help in a rushed emergency.

When I finally found this shoulder sling, it was too small. It is simply a piece of cloth that ties around the shoulder.  So I had to make one anyway, out of an old torn cotton bedsheet.  Something I’ve been wanting to do for a while, but never get around to it, is having pieces of cloth in every kit. They are so versatile. Having in each kit a couple of, for example, 4 foot squares can go a long way to wrapping a wound, setting a splint, making a sling…you name it.

Today was also a reminder to look thru my kits for any item that needs replenishing or rotating due to expiry dates. And labeling contents.  Let’s all take time for this, say every 6 months. Yes, this is a hassle, but still worth the trouble when the moment of need  — an urgent need — may arise.  My goal is to get around to this task in the next few months. I appreciated you keeping me accountable!

A Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Monty