I have as I am sure most people on here have tried to be as prepared for an emergency as we possibly can. However something happened to me yesterday that made me look at being PREPARED in a whole new light:
I woke up late for work and as I am sure most of us have done , was running thru the house with one leg in my pants and the toothbrush in my mouth saying SH#@ more times than I can count. No time for even my first cup of coffee before I am out the door. I get to work and because of an incident on the previous shift we had to hit the gate running. No time for coffee and a roll with co-workers before we were neck deep in playing catch up. No big deal I thought lunch is only a few hours away. I have gone without breakfast many times. well lunch came and went.... no time to eat.. "ok I will just chow down at dinner" and slammed a 16oz bottle of water before we were back to the grinding wheel. After my shift I was on my way home and got caught in traffic because of an accident . Sitting in traffic I tried to keep my mind off of how hungry I was so I played out a scenario in my mind.( bug out,emergency evac...take your pick) I am great shape I thought to myself. I have a psk in each of the front doors of my truck, I have a robust psk & fsk in my camelbak in the backseat which has 100oz of water in it. I have a extensive emergency kit under the back seat. And the truck has over 3/4 of a tank of gas. "Hell I am good to go" I thought. Then it struck me.. WOW you bonehead! If this was real.. and because you havent eaten anything ALL day and only very minimal water, your body is already 14 or 16 hours into the crisis and the real crisis where you are going to have to be at the top of your game is only 30 seconds old.. just an eye opener for myself that I thought I would share... Having a couple good meals in me would sure have been helpful!

I had a metabolically opposite crisis when I delayed "going to the restroom" one day thinking of saving time and rushing here and there. The minute I was almost bursting and really really had to go, my boss came in with a client and asked me to take him around and discuss things with him.

I think I said the S word a million times before being able to go.

A word for you (and me too), mtnlvr68, dont punish your body like that. Its the only thing that has to be with you in a survival situation. You may not have a psk or BOB, but your body will be there. Should be in best condition at all times.

Another timely post! I am another that thought I was prepared utilizing the same "equipment" that was just listed by the first poster,. BOB's, PSK's, etc. in the vehicles. Well I just returned today from a stay in the hospital that got me there by a rescue unit. Totally, and I mean totally unprepared, for the experience. My wife and I were immediately thrust into an emergency situation that created absolutely no time to "prepare". I got sick and the symptons worsened within a very short time span and emergency services were called. My wife called rescue and then a family member to come get our son (fortunately the family member lives a mile from our location). The family member arrived about the same time the rescue unit and fire engine rolled up. Off I went out the door with nothing but bare minimum clothes, cell phone, wallet and reading glasses ( I'm surprised I remembered those items considering the condition I was in). My wife brought nothing to the emergency room but her purse. Of course I was admitted and found myself with no clothes of any type or personal items. What an ODD feeling it was. Due to circumstances, it was another 24 hours before my wife was able to bring me some "necessary" items. I suppose I now need to plan another small "go" bag for such emergencies for all my family members. Needless to say, very Interesting experience! I am recovering at home now with thoughts of "now just what will I need next time".


ONE DAY CLOSER

boy that's the truth! how many times have I had the need to go to the bathroom and jumped in the car to head home from work instead of taking the few extra minutes to take care of business. Just assuming the 30 minute ride will be hassle free and traffic free [second shift, going home close to midnight]. And I have been caught on the freeway more than once with kidney's about to burst and nothing to do but sit in the jam and wait. I still have to mentally force myself to take that extra time, even after supposedly learning that life lesson. Guess we have to learn over and over.

That's why there's the...

...Travel John!

http://www.traveljohn.com/

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I would say that while we SHOULD be prepared for something like a hospital stay, there's no shame in not being prepared. For in my experience (and I have a LOT unfortunately), very few are.

That's where loyal go-fers like me come in, having rummaged (after the fact) through countless relatives' underwear drawers to make sure they have the essential item during an unexpected extended hospital stay..! <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />