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suitably_heroic2016-03-08 01:57 pm
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101 Ways To Survive In The Field, Tuesday
"When we're talking about heat, the big issue is going to be burns."
No sim this time. Just Atton sitting on his desk, a ton of bandages and gauze laid out next to him. "If you're in a hot environment, sunburn is your main priority. Obviously you can dress to avoid burns as much as possible, but there's always going to be that one time you get caught without a hat or with too-short sleeves or maybe someone rips off a chunk of your shirt, I don't know. At which point burn treatment becomes really important."
He looked at the class. "As most of you probably know, burns come in different degrees. A first degree burn is superficial: your basic 'I was out in the sun for fifteen minutes longer than I should have been' burn. Your skin goes red, it starts swelling, and it hurts. These types of burns are a pain in the ass, but that's about it. You can get 'em by grabbing a hot pan or whatever, too. Run the area under the tap for ten to twenty minutes - lukewarm, not cold, because cold will mess with your nerves - and while it might suck, you'll be fine."
"Then there's second degree burns. This is where it gets trickier. With second degree burns, you get blisters. This goes further down into your skin, though it doesn't really hit your insides yet. You want to rinse this too, at least 15 minutes, and take off anything you've got on your hands so rings and stuff don't get stuck because of the swelling." He picked up a piece of gauze. "Don't break the blisters. If they do break, you're going to need one of these. Just clean the wound, add some antiseptic if you've got it, that's it. Don't use sprays or anything that'll keep air from reaching it."
He pulled open the bandage. "Now, if the blisters do pop, you're gonna need to bandage it up so nothing can sneak in and infect the wound, which is when you're really in trouble. You'll be practicing how to today." He dropped the bandage. "Then there's third degree. Third degree means you're pretty screwed; the burn has gone past your skin and into your actual squishy bits. If you have a burn like that, don't do something stupid like leaping into cold water, that'll just send you into shock. Get anything tight away from you - belts, jewelry, the works. But don't take off your clothes. They'll stick to your skin, and..."
He waved a hand. "Yeah, that'll get nasty. Make sure the burn's above your heart so nothing funky happens with your bloodflow. Clean it. Bandage it. Hope you find somewhere that can give you real medical attention."
Beat. "That's about it. Time for practice."
No sim this time. Just Atton sitting on his desk, a ton of bandages and gauze laid out next to him. "If you're in a hot environment, sunburn is your main priority. Obviously you can dress to avoid burns as much as possible, but there's always going to be that one time you get caught without a hat or with too-short sleeves or maybe someone rips off a chunk of your shirt, I don't know. At which point burn treatment becomes really important."
He looked at the class. "As most of you probably know, burns come in different degrees. A first degree burn is superficial: your basic 'I was out in the sun for fifteen minutes longer than I should have been' burn. Your skin goes red, it starts swelling, and it hurts. These types of burns are a pain in the ass, but that's about it. You can get 'em by grabbing a hot pan or whatever, too. Run the area under the tap for ten to twenty minutes - lukewarm, not cold, because cold will mess with your nerves - and while it might suck, you'll be fine."
"Then there's second degree burns. This is where it gets trickier. With second degree burns, you get blisters. This goes further down into your skin, though it doesn't really hit your insides yet. You want to rinse this too, at least 15 minutes, and take off anything you've got on your hands so rings and stuff don't get stuck because of the swelling." He picked up a piece of gauze. "Don't break the blisters. If they do break, you're going to need one of these. Just clean the wound, add some antiseptic if you've got it, that's it. Don't use sprays or anything that'll keep air from reaching it."
He pulled open the bandage. "Now, if the blisters do pop, you're gonna need to bandage it up so nothing can sneak in and infect the wound, which is when you're really in trouble. You'll be practicing how to today." He dropped the bandage. "Then there's third degree. Third degree means you're pretty screwed; the burn has gone past your skin and into your actual squishy bits. If you have a burn like that, don't do something stupid like leaping into cold water, that'll just send you into shock. Get anything tight away from you - belts, jewelry, the works. But don't take off your clothes. They'll stick to your skin, and..."
He waved a hand. "Yeah, that'll get nasty. Make sure the burn's above your heart so nothing funky happens with your bloodflow. Clean it. Bandage it. Hope you find somewhere that can give you real medical attention."
Beat. "That's about it. Time for practice."