My Homestead First Aid Kit

BarredBuff

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After many months of thinking and pondering I finally decided to put together a comprehensive homestead medical kit today. I have wanted to for quite a while, but just never got around to do it. I don't have pictures right now because the kit is being used a different place tonight and tomorrow for out Youth Group campout. I can't imagine being out in the boone docks without a comprehensive kit.

My kit is fairly large, and I don't consider it nearly complete yet. I have a large rubbermaid container to hold all the supplies in. Then I have two narrow snap container about 3 inches deep, and two square containers about 4 inches deep. It order for it to be effective it must be well-organized.

I purchased most of the things are generic brands because they have to work the same in order to even be marketed. It is a lot cheaper, and can be rotated easier too. Tablet medicines will hold shelf life longer than liquids. I'm not an expert on shelf life, but it seems to hold up fairly well. I bought almost all of this for $150 dollars at the Dollar General.

It contains the following:

Tools
*Scissors
*Tweezers
*Safety Pins
*Finger nail clippers
*Thermometer
*Straight pins
*Q-Tips
*Cotton Balls

Antiseptics
*Peroxide
*Rubbing alcohol
*Alcohol in spray bottle
*Antibacterial Soap
*Baby Wipes
*Hand Sanitizers

Allergy/Cold/Flu
*One bottle of Antihistamine (Benadryl)
*Nasal Decongestant
*Sinus Relief
*Flu & Cold Medicine
*Nyquil
*Throat Lozenges
*Throat Spray
*Vick's Vaporub
*Cough Drops
*Sinus Nasal Spray
*Aspirin
*Acetaminophen
*Ibuprofen

Stomach
*Pepto Bismol (liquid and tablet)
*Antacid tablets
*Laxative tablets

Bandage
*Miscellaneous sizes of band-aids
*25 gauze pads (for cleaning and bandaging)
*Ace bandages
*Cloth tape
*Clear tape
*Athletic tape
*Gauze wrapping

I feel like I came back with more than that though.

Ointments and Creams
*Neosporin
*Calamine Lotion
*Anti Itch Cream
*Generic Aspercreme
*Burn Ointment
*Blistex
*Muscle Cream
*Petroleum Jelly
*Poison Ivy and Oak Wash

Miscellaneous
*Hot/Cold Clay Pack
*Knee Brace
*Wrist Brace
*Finger Splint
*Eye Wash
*Eye Drops
*Snake Bite Kit
*Swimmer's Ear Drops

I don't believe this kit is complete, however. I am missing a few different things.

THIS KIT SHOULD ALSO INCLUDE:

*One pint of whiskey
*One pint of honey
*Herbal teas
*Peppermint Candy
*Aloe Vera Gel
*Radiation tablets
*Paper towels
*Garbage bags
*Face masks
*Minor Surgery Kit
*An abundance of gauze and bandages
*Dental first aid supplies
*Instant cold compress
*Suturing kit
*Prescription Medicines that you need
*Stethoscope to monitor vital signs
*Antifungal medicines
*Syringes and needles
*Injectable epinephrine
*Injectable antibiotics
*Injectable antihistamine
*Home Remedy Book
*Ear ache drops
*Electrolytes
*First Aid Manual plus a binder compiled of how to's
*You should also stock plenty of this in your homestead storage.

I plan to try to take a few first aid classes including CPR. The things the kit needs also requires more basic medical experience. However, I imagine it should be able to take care of most major problems when it is completed.
 

WendyJ

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That's a big list, I know sometimes it is hard to compromise between size/portability and including everything you might need. 2 things you might want to add (sorry if you listed them, I'm beyond tired), disposable gloves, and a small flashlight. I only thought of them because those are the 2 things I keep on the top of my kit so I can access them quickly
 

sumi

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Minor surgery kit? Goodness, you make my "emergency" kit look woefully inadequate! It's a great idea to have all these things handy just in case. Especially when you live out in the sticks and don't have any medical supplies/care available most of the time, like we do.
 

FarmerJamie

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Latex gloves are must. If you have a flashlight, don't forget batteries. I think this was great effort. From my own first aid/CPR training, a barrier device is available for mouth-to-mouth breathing (although the Red Cross has moved away from mouth-to-mouth and now going with chest compression only). Also consider some sort of thermal blanket thing - there are the foil-like sheets for warmth in battling shock and hypothermia.

How many of those things are what I would call "convenience" supplies versus "must have" first aid supplies. Not being critical, just thinking out loud. A lot of those supplies have limited shelf life, and if you are rotating them out based on normal use, you might be just throwing them out after a while. I help manage the med kit for our volunteer group and we routinely throw/rotate out stuff (thankfully we don't need to use stuff much!)

For a kit this size, you may want to consider storing the perishable and non-perishable goods for easier inventory management. Looking over the list, I see some overlap in uses with the various items. Again, from experience, you may want to break some of this down into an emergency "first response" kit, with the bulk of the supplies stored separately. The store bought first aid kits might give you an idea of what that first response kit would look like.

I offer this up from my experience of having to lug the whole single med kit quite a ways just to treat a splinter in a foot. LOL As you get older, my young grasshopper friend, you start weighing function versus convenience (how heavy is the dang kit). :D
 

Denim Deb

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BB, something you might want to consider is a pen or pencil and a small notepad. Then, test things for every person in the family like normal heart rate, normal respiration, normal body temp, etc. Have those written down. Then in an emergency, test what you need to, and write them down on your pad. That way, if you need to talk to a doctor, or aren't sure if this is normal for that person, you'd have something to compare it to.
 

FarmerJamie

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BB, something you might want to consider is a pen or pencil and a small notepad. Then, test things for every person in the family like normal heart rate, normal respiration, normal body temp, etc. Have those written down. Then in an emergency, test what you need to, and write them down on your pad. That way, if you need to talk to a doctor, or aren't sure if this is normal for that person, you'd have something to compare it to.

Excellent point, Deb! Perfect for a kit designed around your family. If you use a standard pencil, don't forget a sharpener.

I also just thought of one of those all-in-one fishing tools type things. Like a swiss army knife thing. Yes, folks may have one on their person, but experience shows if you have one in the kit, you never have to worry that someone doesn't have theirs with them.
 

BarredBuff

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Excellent points everyone. I do have latex gloves in the kit, I forgot to mention them. I plan on getting a flashlight for the kit, but I want to buy a new LED one so DG couldn't handle that one.

This kit is intended as a homestead medical kit that remains stationary for the most part. I do not consider this as first response kit to pack. I am going to work on a secondary kit that will fit into a back pack to use on hiking trips, and away-from-home situations.

FarmerJamie, I have a swiss army knife in there as well!
 

Britesea

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I didn't see anything for constipation in there... and possibly oral antibiotics as well? I picked up 2 different fish antibiotics on Ebay in dosages appropriate for our family. It has been pretty well established that they are identical to the ones you pick up at your pharmacy.

Research has shown that nearly all drugs, both OTC and prescription, remain safe and effective for many years past their official expiration dates except for a small handful; most notably tetracycline and its family, which can turn toxic with age. When they get out past 10 years or so you may see a lessening of effectiveness, but they are still safe. Another item with a fairly short shelf life is hydrogen peroxide- and there doesn't seem to be an easy or safe way to make it yourself. If we ever have a SHTF situation where industry and transportation are compromised, we might have to come up with an alternative product.
 

BarredBuff

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Finally some photographs from the medical kit. Like I said it is not complete yet and still has some work to go on it. Any good web resources for SHTF medical treatment? Not pictured I have a swiss army knife and latex gloves.

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Bandaging materials.

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Tablet medication.

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Ointments and creams.

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Adhesive bandages.

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Braces, finger splints, and hot/cold pack.

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Cleaning and antiseptic material.

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Tools and such.

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Miscellaneous supplies.

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Packed neatly into the tote.
 

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WendyJ

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Diapers or sanitary pads make good wound covers for larger wounds (and the cheaper dollar store ones work better than the more expensive ones), having a package or two might be helpful?
 

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