So I sat down to start working on this week’s blog posts, but I opened my blogging planner but realized that I had had a brilliant idea for a short blog post series that I hadn’t written in my planner. Seriously, I mean it was brilliant. I remembered sitting at the desk in my bedroom the other day and I jotted down several notes on what topics I would cover. But as I sat down in my great room tonight to start writing it, I couldn’t remember my brilliant idea.
Have you ever felt that way? You KNOW that you had an AMAZING idea and you can’t remember it to save your life? It’s the same way with prepping. Sometimes, no matter how many awesome things we have in our prep stash, there are other things that either you knew were astonishingly good that you wanted to prep and you’ve forgotten, or there are things that you just didn’t think of yet.
I’m going to cover categories and items specific to those categories each Wednesday this month. So what is the first category that people tend to miss specific items from?
Medical
Yep. I hear you now. Hey, I have band-aids, Tylenol, and even fish antibiotics. I’ve got my medical well stocked!
Well, let me start by saying if you indeed to have first aid supplies, basic OTCs and Fish Antibiotics, I highly applaud you! You’re doing better than most, but I’m betting that you’ve forgotten some of these items below.
(1) 2×2 and 4×4 bandages
You may have band-aids, but what about areas that are hard to keep band-aids on like elbows and knees? What happens if someone cuts themselves badly and needs stitches. Keeping the wound clean using 2×2 or 4×4 bandages is a wonderful way to go
(2) Ace Wraps
But how do you keep 2×2 and 4×4 bandages in place? You could use medical tape, but I’ve found a better way to go. I love using ace wraps. Do you have both single-use and reusable ace wraps? Single-use ace wraps are perfect for keeping 2×2 and 4×4 bandages in place as well as to support joints which have been injured. Reusable ace wraps are awesome because you can ………..obviously reuse them. Which is awesome. I just find the single-use more helpful in many situations.
(3) Braces
Do you keep knee braces, wrist braces – (make sure you get both right and left), and elbow braces? My kids have already used EVERY ONE that I purchased. I need to buy more, but if in good times, my kids have already gone through all of them, then how much more will we need them if things are more difficult?
(4) Crutches
How often do you have sprained ankles or knees in your family? Having a pair of crutches that can be used in 
emergency situations is a must! The great news is that you can find them for great prices at thrift stores.
(5) Quick Clot
Two times in my life, I’ve had a situation where one of my children has had a bloody trauma. I’ve used essential oils, and they do help, but having clotting sponges or Quick Clot on hand would also be very helpful.
(6) Compression Bandages / tourniquets
I keep one of these in my kit. This Israeli compression bandage works as a tourniquet when used properly. If someone at your house or in your group has a large scale injury, this could save their life.
(7) Activated Charcoal
This can literally save someone’s life. If someone ingests a poison, taking activated charcoal mixed with water can mitigate the effects of the poison. Even if someone doesn’t ingest a poison, but they have an upset stomach and are throwing up, this can be mixed with water and ingested and it will almost often quell the upset stomach.
I’ve used activated charcoal earlier this year by making a poultice. Earlier this year, I got two spider bites on my left forearm. I mixed activated charcoal with a little bit of water to make a paste. The paste was applied this to my spider bite and wrapped it in saran wrap. I left this on overnight. The next morning, it had eaten away the two spots the spider bites. From there the spots started better. It was the activated charcoal paste that did it.
(8) Epsom Salts
Epsom salts not only relieve sore and tired muscles, but they do so much more. Epsom salts can be used to combat constipation, skin infections, and to detox your body. They are believed to prevent the hardening of arteries. It’s also believed that Epsom salts increase insulin resistance and prevent or decrease the severity of diabetes.
(9) Emergen-C
We go through so much Emergen-C during cold and flu season for a family of seven having enough on hand to care for your family during rough times is so important. We stopped taking it in March of this year, and we ALL get sick when we had prevented several rounds of illnesses all winter. Make sure you are well stocked on Emergen-C!
(10) Grapefruit Seed Extract
Research suggests that Grapefruit Seed Extract helps combat candida. It is also a strong antimicrobial agent. Studies also point to the fact that GSE (Grapefruit Seed Extract) can take care of UTI’s – even antibiotic resistant ones. GSE has also been shown to lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
Honorable mention:
Aspirin – Aspirin has been shown to prevent a second heart attack in people who have already had a heart attack. It acts as a blood thinner.
Benedryl – Benedryl can help if someone is having an allergic reaction. It won’t replace an epi pen, but it will help less severe allergic reactions.
Oscillococcinum – This is a homeopathic remedy for the flu. If you or someone in your family does get the flu, this will help lessen the length and severity of the symptoms.
What About You?
Do you stock any of these items? Did any of them surprise you? Are there any items that you would add? I’d love to hear. Leave a comment below.
Remember, knowledge isn’t just knowing something. It’s living it!
There are links in this post. Some of the links may be affiliate links. Some of the links may not be. My promise to you is that I will only recommend the most economical version of the best quality of items to serve you. These are the items that I have bought for my own family. You can feel free to use my affiliate links, of which I will get a small amount in compensation, or you can choose to search out your products on your own.
We also stock Pet bandages- we got a sample pack a while ago. Also arm slings, I have 2 and both have been used multiple times. Washable bed wetting pads, smelling salts, mineral oil (my family member got some DAP expanding foam on their hands. At the ER they used mineral oil to remove it.) Dead Sea salts, my youngest sons suffer from severe eczema and the only thing that helps is a warm Dead Sea Salt soak.
Yes. There are a lot of medical preps that are never really thought of… until you need them! When our little boy cut off the tip of his finger in a door (no bone, just flesh), we were taught by the hospital how to properly clean and bandage an open wound. It was an open wound to keep from having infection get trapped inside. The finger healed beautifully and even has a full fingernail! With that wound, though, we learned that there were some very useful bandages out there that we’d never noticed. We picked up a few extra immediately. =) Now, I also know how to use those bandages, not just have them stocked. One was an 1-in. gauze strip bandage and the other, to go on top of the gauze, was an 1-in. self-adhesive strip bandage. Also, learn how to wrap a fingertip so the wound is covered and the bandage doesn’t fall off; it’s kind of tricky!
Another thing we keep around are old socks that are hole-y or too thin to wear. You can use them as a bandage, or put them over other bandages or ointments at night to keep from having the bandage or ointment come off in bed. I used it over our son’s finger bandage at bedtime. I also used a large sock to cover the eczema/ psoriasis on my arm that I’d slathered with ointment. Worked like a charm! =)
I see some things on your list that I need to look into. I’ve seen crutches at the thrift store… Never really thought too much about them. Thanks for the reminder!
And you can’t just keep your medical preps all in one spot. I’ve turned to the first aid kits I keep in our cars more times than I can count when we’ve been out and about. I also keep one with our camping gear in the garage and I made a mini kit for my purse which I’ve turned to a surprising number of times. I’m going to be making one for our workshop/tool area which is in our basement so there will be no time wasted running upstairs for supplies if there’s a workshop injury.