What to Bring: First Aid

Feel like playing doctor? Well, be careful what you wish for because you may get your chance on your trip.

Medical treatment is not the same world-wide… so instead of having to rely on the local services, sometimes it’s better to D.I.Y.

Should this be the case, here are a few things which could make your job easier…

Prescription Drugs

Bring anything you take on a regular basis back home with you… your asthma-inhaler, your epi-pen, brain pills, whatever.

And be sure to bring enough of it! You don’t want to have an allergic reaction to shellfish in the middle of nowhere and go “whoops – I guess I’m gonna die now”.

As well, bring anything you may need specifically for your trip – malaria pills, antibiotics for traveler’s diarrhea, etc.

Speaking of traveler’s diarrhea… talk to your doctor about getting a small prescription of antibiotics to bring with you – levofloxacin or ciprofloxacin are good to have. It can help with any gastro-intestinal ailments you may develop, as well as other situations… an infected coral-gash, etc.

Medical Information

See “What to Bring – Necessities”.

Non-Prescription Drugs

Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, anti-histamines, Pepto Bismal, etc.

Chances are you’ll be able to find most of your over-the-counter favourites, or at least a suitable replacement, at the pharmacy / chemist / apothecary / corner store, but sometimes it’s just comforting to know you have 100% real, non-imitation Immodium handy before you embark on a 12-hour bus ride.

Bugspray

Get one with “deet”.

I know long-term exposure to deet isn’t good for you, but neither is malaria or yellow fever… citronella-based bugsprays will do jacksh*t against the mosquitoes you’ll meet along the way.

I believe Mountain Equipment Co-op and EuropeBound sell the same kind of bugspray used by the US Navy SEALS, which is totally badass.

www.mec.ca

www.europebound.com

Afterbite

Comes in handy once you’ve discovered that the citronella-based bugspray you brought did jacksh*t against the mosquitoes you met along the way.

First Aid Kit

Once again, Mountain Equipment Co-op and Europebound sell ready-made First Aid kits for people with active lifestyles… they come in various shapes & sizes and are quite handy.

The only problem with these is you do pay for the convenience of having them pre-made.

As well, these First Aid kits only carry a limited amount of each item, so it’s good to supplement yours with extras of all the items you may use repeatedly – bandages, gauze pads, alcohol wipes, Q-Tips, etc.

Thermometer

Sometimes food poisoning is just food poisoning and a cold is just a cold.

But sometimes it’s far worse.

So one of the easiest ways to determine whether or not this is “some time” or whether it’s something more serious is by monitoring one’s temperature.

As a bonus, you can also use it to make sure your glass of Cabernet Sauvignon is at exactly room-temperature.

Magnifying Glass

To make sure you get all of that tick, leech or bee bite out of you.

Pocket Mirror

The same as above when it’s on your forehead.

First Aid Surgery Kit

Some things you buy in the hope you’ll never have to use it.

This is one of these “things”.

It’s a small package containing sterile gloves, sutures, syringes, needles, an IV catheter and alcohol wipes. If you’re ever in need of emergency surgery – knock on wood – and you’re hesitant about the cleanliness of the clinic / hospital / shack you’re in, you can give the kit to the doctor / nurse / in-charge person to use.

Once again, it’s available at MEC and EuropeBound.

Water Purifiers

You should be able to find bottled water wherever you go. But if you plan on doing a multi-day hiking trip, you may not want to lug all of it with you.

Pristine Water drops – available at, surprise, MEC or EuropeBound – are easy to use and kill off 99% of bacteria and viruses in water… only boiling is more effective.

It doesn’t take up much room so you might consider bringing it along… again, it totally depends on what you’re going to be doing on your trip.

www.pristine.ca