Dr. Donald Blake & Thor Odinson (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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fandomhigh2024-06-09 09:38 pm
ifwebeworthy) wrote in fandomhigh2024-06-09 09:38 pm
Entry tags:
First Aid, Monday, Fifth Period
"This week we're going to talk about nature, because at least one of you went to the top of Mount Everest last week and nature wants what? That's right: to kill you. Extreme environments much, much, much more so.
"Now, I'm not going to tell you how to be safe in nature. That's another class, and one I'm not qualified to teach. I like hiking," yes, despite the limp, "but the last time I went out unprepared and alone I ended up running away from some aliens and getting trapped in a cave." True story. "We're going to talk about how to help someone who has had a little too much nature.
"There are so many possible dangers in the world that I could spend an entire semester on them, which isn't to say you shouldn't go out and have adventures. I could also do an entire semester on things that could kill you around your house. But when you're somewhere remote, help may be far away, so you need to know what to do until it arrives or you can get to it. Let's start with..." Don flipped a coin, slapped it onto the back of his hand, and looked at it. "Heat.
"Now, the first thing with heat is, if you're tending to someone who's gone down from it, you're probably in it, too, so: drink water, keep out of direct sunlight as much as you can, you know the drill. Mind your salt; that's an important one. You lose salt when you sweat, so you'll need to replenish that at some point, whether it's through a sports drink or potato chips. The next thing is, know the signs of heat stroke and heat exhaustion and the difference between the two. Heat exhaustion is a major concern that needs to be addressed ASAP. Heat stroke is a medical emergency. Someone who has heat exhaustion may be dizzy or weak, they may have a headache or nausea. They may pass out or throw up. They may be sweating heavily. You need to cool them down. Get them out of the heat if possible, and remove any unnecessary clothing. Give them cool water if you have it, or basically any cool liquid that's not alcoholic, because alcohol will dehydrate you. Caffeine isn't ideal, either, but if all you've got is a Coke then that's all you've got. Put cool compresses on them, or have them wash their face, neck, and hands with cold water. The blood is running close to the surface in the neck and hands, so it will help cool them as it recirculates. They should absolutely see a doctor. Calling 911 would be the correct choice if taking them to a clinic or ER yourself is not an option.
"If your patient has stopped sweating, their body temperature is very high--they feel hot to the touch, if you don't have a thermometer--if they're confused, maybe slurring their speech, maybe they pass out and don't wake up or they have a seizure: it's heat stroke. Do not stop, do not pass go, call 911. You have to cool them down as fast as possible, by whatever means are necessary. If that means soaking them with the garden hose or dunking them in an ice bath, that's what you've got to do. Don't give them anything to drink, though, because...remember what I said about seizures? Could be bad.
"That's heat, so now let's cover cold, by which I mean hypothermia and frostbite. Hypothermia happens when you're simply...too cold. Your patient may be shivering, or, in the more advanced stages, they may have stopped shivering--remember: that's bad. They may appear generally sort of out of it: a sort of glassy look in the eyes, confusion, seeming apathetic or making weird and poor decisions. They may be unconscious. This may sound like 'duh' common sense, but: you need to warm them up and, if they're wet, get them dry. Get them out of any wet clothes, wrap them in blankets, use heat packs or hot water bottles if you've got them. Don't just dunk them in a hot bath; that could cause shock. Hypothermia is the reverse of hyperthermia and the reverse holds true for treatment, as well: you want to warm the core of the body first and let that heat spread out to the extremities, because too much heat too fast could be very bad if they have our next condition, which is frostbite.
"Frostbite is what happens when part of your body--usually extremities like fingers or toes, sometimes parts of your face that were exposed, like the tip of your nose or your ears--freezes, and you need to handle it very carefully, because ice crystals are extremely damaging to the tissue. The signs of frostbite are numbness or lack of feeling in the affected area, and skin that appears waxy or cold to the touch and-slash-or discolored. It may be flushed red, or it might be white or bluish, or even grey or kinda yellow. Handle the affected area gently; never rub it, because that will move those ice crystals around and cause more damage. You can warm the area by soaking it in warm, not hot water. Err on the side of caution here. Then loosely bandage it, being careful not to break any blisters, and if you're dealing with fingers or toes, bandage them separately so that nothing, uh, sticks together. And then, of course, seek professional medical care as soon as possible.
"I can hear you wondering: 'But Dr. Blake, you mentioned Mount Everest. What about altitude sickness?' and that's a great question. There is less oxygen available at higher altitudes, and at extreme altitudes like Everest you pretty much need supplemental oxygen or you're going to die, but given time, most people can adjust in most environments. But some people do get sick, and two of the three forms of altitude sickness are medical emergencies, because they involve edema--that's fluid and swelling--in the lungs or brain. Those are less common. Please don't stay off mountains because I scared you. Just use common sense. If you're at altitude and you start getting a headache, you're nauseated, fatigued and dizzy, you need to see a doctor, and you need to not ascend any further until you've acclimated, and possibly descend if you don't improve. If you're trying to climb Everest and those aren't options, then you need to use supplemental oxygen, and if they still don't improve, or you experience vision changes, maybe you're getting clumsy, then you need to give up your adventure and descend straight to a medical professional." In the case of Mount Everest, unless you wanted to end up one of those bodies they used as trail markers.
"For the most part, this is common sense, right? If someone's hot, cool them down. If they're cold, warm them up. But there are some things in there that aren't so much. Chafing your hands together to warm them up is the most natural thing in the world, but never do it to someone with frostbite. That's why training is so important. So." Don leaned against his desk. "Now that I've hit you with a ton of information, are there any questions?" As he waited for them, he remembered, "Oh, and if someone's bitten by a poisonous snake don't use a tourniquet and for the love of the Allfather, don't suck out the venom. That's Hollywood lies. Don't listen to them." Now he would take questions.
"Now, I'm not going to tell you how to be safe in nature. That's another class, and one I'm not qualified to teach. I like hiking," yes, despite the limp, "but the last time I went out unprepared and alone I ended up running away from some aliens and getting trapped in a cave." True story. "We're going to talk about how to help someone who has had a little too much nature.
"There are so many possible dangers in the world that I could spend an entire semester on them, which isn't to say you shouldn't go out and have adventures. I could also do an entire semester on things that could kill you around your house. But when you're somewhere remote, help may be far away, so you need to know what to do until it arrives or you can get to it. Let's start with..." Don flipped a coin, slapped it onto the back of his hand, and looked at it. "Heat.
"Now, the first thing with heat is, if you're tending to someone who's gone down from it, you're probably in it, too, so: drink water, keep out of direct sunlight as much as you can, you know the drill. Mind your salt; that's an important one. You lose salt when you sweat, so you'll need to replenish that at some point, whether it's through a sports drink or potato chips. The next thing is, know the signs of heat stroke and heat exhaustion and the difference between the two. Heat exhaustion is a major concern that needs to be addressed ASAP. Heat stroke is a medical emergency. Someone who has heat exhaustion may be dizzy or weak, they may have a headache or nausea. They may pass out or throw up. They may be sweating heavily. You need to cool them down. Get them out of the heat if possible, and remove any unnecessary clothing. Give them cool water if you have it, or basically any cool liquid that's not alcoholic, because alcohol will dehydrate you. Caffeine isn't ideal, either, but if all you've got is a Coke then that's all you've got. Put cool compresses on them, or have them wash their face, neck, and hands with cold water. The blood is running close to the surface in the neck and hands, so it will help cool them as it recirculates. They should absolutely see a doctor. Calling 911 would be the correct choice if taking them to a clinic or ER yourself is not an option.
"If your patient has stopped sweating, their body temperature is very high--they feel hot to the touch, if you don't have a thermometer--if they're confused, maybe slurring their speech, maybe they pass out and don't wake up or they have a seizure: it's heat stroke. Do not stop, do not pass go, call 911. You have to cool them down as fast as possible, by whatever means are necessary. If that means soaking them with the garden hose or dunking them in an ice bath, that's what you've got to do. Don't give them anything to drink, though, because...remember what I said about seizures? Could be bad.
"That's heat, so now let's cover cold, by which I mean hypothermia and frostbite. Hypothermia happens when you're simply...too cold. Your patient may be shivering, or, in the more advanced stages, they may have stopped shivering--remember: that's bad. They may appear generally sort of out of it: a sort of glassy look in the eyes, confusion, seeming apathetic or making weird and poor decisions. They may be unconscious. This may sound like 'duh' common sense, but: you need to warm them up and, if they're wet, get them dry. Get them out of any wet clothes, wrap them in blankets, use heat packs or hot water bottles if you've got them. Don't just dunk them in a hot bath; that could cause shock. Hypothermia is the reverse of hyperthermia and the reverse holds true for treatment, as well: you want to warm the core of the body first and let that heat spread out to the extremities, because too much heat too fast could be very bad if they have our next condition, which is frostbite.
"Frostbite is what happens when part of your body--usually extremities like fingers or toes, sometimes parts of your face that were exposed, like the tip of your nose or your ears--freezes, and you need to handle it very carefully, because ice crystals are extremely damaging to the tissue. The signs of frostbite are numbness or lack of feeling in the affected area, and skin that appears waxy or cold to the touch and-slash-or discolored. It may be flushed red, or it might be white or bluish, or even grey or kinda yellow. Handle the affected area gently; never rub it, because that will move those ice crystals around and cause more damage. You can warm the area by soaking it in warm, not hot water. Err on the side of caution here. Then loosely bandage it, being careful not to break any blisters, and if you're dealing with fingers or toes, bandage them separately so that nothing, uh, sticks together. And then, of course, seek professional medical care as soon as possible.
"I can hear you wondering: 'But Dr. Blake, you mentioned Mount Everest. What about altitude sickness?' and that's a great question. There is less oxygen available at higher altitudes, and at extreme altitudes like Everest you pretty much need supplemental oxygen or you're going to die, but given time, most people can adjust in most environments. But some people do get sick, and two of the three forms of altitude sickness are medical emergencies, because they involve edema--that's fluid and swelling--in the lungs or brain. Those are less common. Please don't stay off mountains because I scared you. Just use common sense. If you're at altitude and you start getting a headache, you're nauseated, fatigued and dizzy, you need to see a doctor, and you need to not ascend any further until you've acclimated, and possibly descend if you don't improve. If you're trying to climb Everest and those aren't options, then you need to use supplemental oxygen, and if they still don't improve, or you experience vision changes, maybe you're getting clumsy, then you need to give up your adventure and descend straight to a medical professional." In the case of Mount Everest, unless you wanted to end up one of those bodies they used as trail markers.
"For the most part, this is common sense, right? If someone's hot, cool them down. If they're cold, warm them up. But there are some things in there that aren't so much. Chafing your hands together to warm them up is the most natural thing in the world, but never do it to someone with frostbite. That's why training is so important. So." Don leaned against his desk. "Now that I've hit you with a ton of information, are there any questions?" As he waited for them, he remembered, "Oh, and if someone's bitten by a poisonous snake don't use a tourniquet and for the love of the Allfather, don't suck out the venom. That's Hollywood lies. Don't listen to them." Now he would take questions.
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During the Lecture
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Or, uh, whoever it was. That'd been on Everest. You know, the mystery person.
Questions Time!
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His son had lived a life, Don.
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Talk to Don
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