For space concerns, not sure your budget or time frame, but you can buy compressed gauze rolls. or, if you have access to a Food Saver, potentially vacuum wrap the gauze and gauze rolls. That might buy you some space.
The gauze rolls have a compartment just for them. Compressing the rolls will not save space. The gauze pads can be compressed if I had access to a food saver; how much space am I saving if I did?
I'd ditch all the packets of antibiotic ointment and just throw a tube of neosporin or bacitracin in, and call it good. If needed, it can be applied with a clean rag, bandage, finger, etc, and rubbed onto the wound. Plus it'll probably have more applications per unit size.
Ditch the burn cream. Nothing bacitracin or neosporin doesn't cover. If the burn is bad enough, cover with a dry bandage and evac.
There are compartments just for cream/ointment packets. Removing packets and replacing them with a tube would not save space, it would reduce space. The only purpose I see in removing burn cream packets is to make room for more antibiotic ointment packets.
I tend to agree with some others on skipping Imodium/loperamide. If you're holding in the GI bug causing diarrhea, you potentially worsen the disease process. As long as a person can keep up with hydration, diarrhea isn't usually life threatening. Just really inconvenient.
What about Diotame (Bismuth Subsalicytate)? Does it stay or go? If it stays, how many packets do I include in relation to other packets of medication?
Ditch the alcohol pads. 1, you're not giving shots, and 2, they're not anything that soap and water won't do.
There are only twenty-one antiseptic towelettes. Thirty-six alcohol pads fit into two compartments. Those two compartments can be used to hold ten more packets of medication if I go that direction. Are there situations in which alcohol pads can be used in place of antiseptic towelettes to stretch out the limited supply of towelettes?
Consider ditching the sting relief pads. Not sure what's their active ingredient, but a tube of After Bite should work for most folks (available at most grocery stores). I think it's essentially vinegar.
The only purpose in removing the sting relief pads is to make room for five more packets of medication.
Why medicine packets, instead of a bottle? a 50-pack of benadryl in a small bottle doesn't take much room, versus 25 2-packs of benadryl. Ditto other meds.
There are compartments which only hold medication packets, alcohol pads or sting relief pads. Antiseptic towelettes are too big for these compartments. Therefore, removing packets and replacing them with a bottle would not save space, it would reduce space.
As for bleeding control, quick clot, TQ's, etc. If there's a bad bleed, you can never have enough gauze. A few 4x4's, 2 gauze rolls, and 1 or 2 5x9's will be gone in a heartbeat. It may be worthwhile to have a small trauma kit set aside, but again, may be budget prohibitive.
What is a TQ? What would you suggest with space and budget in mind? If I do not add the thermometer as you have suggested, I will save $4.51. That $4.51 can be applied to trauma supplies.
Jeanette Isabelle
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