While I’m working on whittling down my Bug out Bag (BoB) inventory (as time permits) to reduce weight and size, one area where I’ll probably add a few ounces is medical supplies.
Bugging out by vehicle in an emergency situation – local disaster or TEOTWAWKI – might make it slightly less important to have a well stocked medical kit due to less chance of mishap, but if you end up on foot for days, weeks, or more, a little prevention goes a long way. There are two primary areas and one related area that I’m focusing on
The semi-related (to medical supplies) is sanitation. Bugging out could mean less access to soap and water for cleaning, which could be a problem with food handling, and minor cuts could become infected. My solution here it to bring plenty of water for hand washing in the Bug out Vehicle (BoV), or at least plan on it, and, if on foot, plenty of moist hand towels/wipes and hand sanitizer. The goal is prevention.
The first primary area to focus on for the medical kit is a good supply of basic over the counter (OTC) medications. This might seem like a no-brainer but there might be some areas to put on a checklist. Item number uno is a bunch of anti-diarrhea medication (e.g. Imodium AD) – it’s gonna happen sooner or later.
Some of the items in my inventory may seem frivolous considering tight weight restraints (anti-fungal and anti-itch creams, insect repellent, large amounts of cold meds, etc.), but I have a different take. If you’re on foot you’ll need to get good rest. Preventing insect bites, stopping the itch from them (or athletes foot) will help you/others get sleep and recharge. Same thing with all the OTC cold medications. The last thing you want is a hacking cough preventing you/others from sleeping and getting enough rest.
Some items I don’t have listed but will be adding are Anbesol (for tooth aches, teething, canker sores, etc.) and Delsym to prevent coughing (or anything with Dextromethorphan). I will also be adding more Ibuprofen – prescription Motrin is just 800 mg of Ibuprofen, so stock up.
Some context; a guy a work recently cracked a tooth badly and had to wait several days to get it pulled (you don’t want this to happen post-TSHTF). Motrin kept the pain to a manageable level, but he got several canker sores after the tooth was extracted. Anbesol helped there. I personally just got over a cold where I was coughing a lot. Prescription cough medication with codeine didn’t help (will still make you feel good!), but an OTC product with Dextromethorphan did. Know what works for you/family and have it in your BoB.
The second area of focus for medical supplies are antibiotics. For most there is no easy answer here, but I suggest you do what you can to build up at least a course per person who would bug out with you. If you’re going on a long hiking trip/traveling to a third world country, some docs will give you a prescription for antibiotics, just in case. Another option is fish antibiotics – I’m looking into this but can’t recommend for/against it, yet.
The bottom line is, if you think you’ll need to bug out on foot for more than a few days, I think it’s worth it to go a little overboard on your medical kit at the expense of other items in your BoB. Preventing infection and getting enough rest could make the difference.
Medical But Out Bag Roundtable Discussion
‘O-yeah, have to have the imodium and the athletes foot cream.
Did you know that human urine is a potential antidote to athlete’s foot? 🙂 .
It’s a very good idea to be prepared for medical emergencies, and I think you have some good advice, but ….
I’m more about taking herbs, personally. For colds, most fir trees are good remedies, and we already use white pine and hemlock as teas, especially during the winter. They are high in Vitamin C (which helps boost immunity) and have strong astringent properties, which help with colds, but also a whole host of other ailments. The best part is that pine trees grow all over the US, and I wouldn’t have to carry anything extra to have my remedy whenever I needed it 🙂 .
When it comes to diarrhea, I’d be very concerned about using an OTC, and even now, when we have access to doctors, I won’t use them, because diarrhea is usually a symptom, not a disease in itself and getting to the bottom (ha!) of the issue, for me, would be a bigger concern. Of course, when it comes to diarrhea, the real problem is dehydration, and for that reason, alone, I’d use a tea as a remedy, instead of OTCs. Regular old tea is familiar to most of us, it’s tasty (with a bit of honey or sugar), and it’s good for a lot of what ails us. Plus, drinking tea rehydrates us, which is, ultimately, what will help us survive.
One of the most common sources of illness in the wilderness is contaminated water, and if you’re boiling water – every time – so that you can have tea, you’re actually killing the two proverbial birds with one stone – you’re sterilizing your water AND you’re brewing your tea 😉 .
Anyway, that’s my long way of saying that my BOB has a fireproof container for holding water, a bunch of tea bags for all different sorts of tea, containers of honey and sugar, some waterproof matches, and several candles so that I can make a kind of bunsen burner to boil water for tea (in the event that I can’t have a fire 😉 .
Thanks for the comments. I also normally don’t prefer to take a lot of medication, and in the long-term natural/herbal is the way to go.
But in a no-kidding bug out situation, I will go with the most powerful meds I have to take care of the situation ASAP, even if that’s just kicking the real problem down the road a bit (hopefully at the retreat and safety). My main goal is to get there as fast as possible, hopefully driving in ~ 2-4 days, depending on traffic jams, etc. Could turn into a week or more with detours, roadblocks, and son on. If on foot my timeline goes to about a year, chances of survival go way down, and speedy meds mostly become moot.
Once out of bug out mode, it’s back to minimum meds…
I like your list; I would add lots of Zyrtec or Benadryl for me, due to respiratory allergy or poison ivy. Definitely need to travel in as much comfort as possible.
I recently made many of the additions to my first aid kit that you mention for my BoB. Seems we are also on the same page with scaling it down the BoB for weight issues too… Also, for hygiene, I have added no rinse soap to my BoB as well. You can get it on Amazon. I used it camping and it works very well…
Wendy couldn’t be more wrong when it comes to diarrhea. Diarrhea will kill ya quick from dehydration. Absolutely take some Imodium. Also, tea contains caffeine which is a diuretic and also dehydrates you. Dead in no time with that approach.
The Number One cause of death IN THE WORLD -Possibly in the Universe-is diarrhea The number one cause of death in the U.S. Civil War was not bullets, it was Diarrhea!
(Clean) sugar water and salt will usually stop it. But you need both, and the dosage is variable. Store lots of both and CLEAN water.
Sugar and salt are my favorite cures, but S.S. is correct in suggesting Imodium in otc pill form. It can be taken quickly, and requires no preparation
Sugar is also good for hiccups. place a spoonful under your tongue and hold it there. A chemical reaction will take place to displace the excess air in your stomach, so you don’t have to expel it one gulp at a time.
Sugar, Makes a decent blood stopper for cuts too. You need to have a lot of sugar for TEOTWAWKI
Salt, if you have not thought about it, is indispensible. Most of us get all the salt we need from prepared or canned food. But you can’t live without Salt. Salt is what regulates our bodily fluids. It’s in your blood, spit, tears, and urine. and Diarrhea. Go without it and no first aid kit will help you. Just because you have a shaker on your stove top doesn’t mean it will always be easy to obtain. Something we never think of anymore is Goiter. Iodized Salt prevents Goiter too. Stock UP-while you can
The last person, I know of, to be shot, for Salt smuggling was only in 1938. It is still used for food preservation in some 3rd world countries. Lewis and Clark ran out on their epic journey to map the USA. Ever eat wild game without salt? They sent (I think 8 guys?) to the Pacific Coast to make it from dehydrated Sea Water. Over the course of several months these guys only managed to make a few bushels.
How/where, are you going to get yours? Salt can be gargled to kill bacteria in your mouth, or, remember the old pirate movies? When someone was whipped they would have Salt thrown on the wounds to heal them. Warning This Burns!
Meat and poultry sold in the United States is widely contaminated with drug-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria that can cause serious illnesses in humans, a new study contends.
The types of health problems linked to S. aureus range from mild skin infections to life-threatening diseases, such as pneumonia, sepsis and heart infection.
In the new nationwide study, researchers analyzed 136 samples of 80 brands of beef, chicken, pork and turkey purchased at 26 retail stores in five cities: Chicago; Flagstaff, Ariz.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Los Angeles; and Washington, D.C.
Taking Imodium AD is a bad idea. If you have diarrhea, it’s because your body is trying to flush out harmful bacteria from your digestive tract. If you take Imodium, you’re preventing your body from doing that. All Imodium does is stop water from being sent to your intestines to fight the infection. You’ll get sicker and your body will still have to flush out the bacteria later (which will only get more numerous while able to stay in your gut). Take Cipro or another antibiotic if you have them, but don’t take Imodium; let your body get rid of the bugs.
You should take it only if you have to go on a long bus ride and won’t be able to go to the bathroom, which is not very likely in a disaster/emergency situation anyway.