ONCE AGAIN, FOR THE FOLKS IN THE BACK ROW - TAKE CARE OF MINOR SCRAPES AND CUTS!
We all get them - minor cuts and scrapes while we are out paddling or camping.
Nothing to worry about. Brush it off. Maybe put a bandaid on it, and keep going on your business or trip.
Nothing to worry about.
Happens all the time.
Maybe don't even wash it.
The news once again brought us a story about a man who got a minor burn on his thumb.
Didn't even wash it or put a bandaid on it.
Two days later, his ankles began swelling and be painful.
He was putting antibiotic ointment and bandaging his thumb, but it wasn't healing.
Then his toenails turned purple and he went to the hospital.
A week later his feet had turned black and they amputated both legs below the knees.
The doctors surmise that his infection was from Strep A, which causes MRSA. Which causes sepsis. Which can kill you.
In two weeks it went from a minor burn, to sepsis which required a double leg amputation.
Get serious about treating minor cuts, scrapes and burns.
I've had MRSA. It went from a scrape that didn't heal, to blisters and hives that were popping up almost hourly, and patches of skin falling off. To massive amounts of antibiotics that eventually cured it. Thank goodness. It has changed my metabolism to this day.
Take minor cuts, scrapes and burns SERIOUSLY.
Carry antibiotic cream. And bandaids. And wash any injury.
And find out the name and address of the nearest hospital to any paddling or camping trip you are planning.
Members of the Texas paddling community have had to have amputations from injuries they sustained on a paddle trip.
We love this sport. It has enriched our lives immeasurably. But it can be deadly. Even minor scrapes and cuts. You all know this.
Be careful out there!
See You On The Water!
Harmon
https://people.com/hiker-burn-camping-skillet-sepsis-double-amputation-exclusive-8779198