TOYS, GAMES & GADGETS
BURN KIT
“A burn takes a minute to occur and a lifetime to heal if treated incorrectly”...A few years ago I scalded my leg very badly. I was standing in the kitchen and had just poured boiling water into a cafetière. I can be quite clumsy at times and I managed to catch the top of the pot with my hand and I knocked it over. The boiling coffee sloshed all over my thigh. I still had my PJs on and i had tied quite a tight knot in them. The searing pain from the boiling coffee took hold and it took me quite a few seconds to be able to undo the knot and remove my PJs. I ran outside, grabbed the hose and stated running the cold water over my thigh. I managed to do this for a few minutes but the pain was not subsiding and I was started to feel quite dizzy and was about to pass out so had to go back inside and lie down.
The Husband was rifling through the medicine box trying to find anything that might help and came across some burn gel and a hydrogel burn dressing. We must have had it in a travel kit or something as I don’t recall buying it. Well, this saved me. It was like miracle medicine. The gel was very soothing and the burn dressing is a spongy texture, also soaked in gel which is designed to cool the skin. The gel went on and within a few minutes the pain was subsiding. I managed to tape this dressing round my leg and within an hour the pain was manageable. I went to see the doctor the next day and he gave me some sterile dressings which I had to change every few days. I won’t lie, it was gross, the dressings were sticking to the skin and it all eventually peeled off. However, it did start to heal and by about day 10, I was dressing free.
I have been very lucky, my skin is slightly discoloured in that area but it is not too noticeable and I get the odd twinge but otherwise there is no pain or sensitivity. I put it all down to having that burn dressing to hand.
When I knocked the coffee pot over, The Child was standing right next to me. At the time, his head was at the same height as the worktop. If the coffee had gone 2 inches to the right it would have gone all over his face. This thought still fills me with horror. I ensure now that I always have a burn kit within reach.
We are going camping in a few weeks and I have ordered more gel and dressings to keep in my camping gear. With naked flames, boiling water and barbecues at head height all over the place and scant access to medical services, I feel this is a very important safety precaution.
The burn kit I use is Burnshield – the gel sachets and the 10 x 10 dressings. Burnshield is the brand that is used by St John’s Ambulance. If you have nothing much else in your medicine kit, make sure you have this! Don’t forget bandages, scissors and tape!
Links:
I got my burn kit on Amazon: amzn.to/2HUoj0s
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