First Aid Kit
Haluska Ed (edh@MAILS.IMED.COM)
Wed, 29 Jun 1994 09:05:31 CST
I had a troop meeting last night (I am the ASM). To do a "reality
check" against what we adults have been discussing with respect to over
the counter medication (OTC), I decided to see what my boys thought
about this subject. First, I asked them to list what they thougth were
the most common minor first aid situations in camp. To the list that I
posted yesterday, they also added headaches and allergies. Since I am
plagued with allergies myself, I don't know how I missed that one.
Next we went over what to use for each of the problems they had listed.
Internal OTC medications were suggested for headaches, allergies, and a
couple of others. Then I told them about the Scouts-L thread on this
subject that I have been following, and said that several adults
thought that it was a bad idea allow Scouts to have asprin and such in
their personal first aid kits.
There was much hooting from the Scouts. They thought that this was one
of the silliest things that they had heard. But then I presented the
"Scout hits head, Scout has concussion, Scout takes asprin and does not
tell SM..." arguement. They realized that this (or other variations of
the same theme) could be a real problem. After some debate among
themselves (I really tried to stay neutral and not direct the outcome)
they decided that self-medication with OTC is OK, but TELL AN ADULT
LEADER why you are taking it and how much you are taking (this rule
should apply to adults also).
Next I challenged them with the problem of drug side effects. To
emphasize the issue, I told them that ibprofen could cause diarhea, not
a fun thing to have on a long hike. They again debated this subject,
and came up with what I think is a VERY GOOD IDEA! Simply, carry and
take only what you take at home. If you take acetominophen at home,
don't borrow some ibprofen on the trail (and discover that it give you
diarehea). Same for OTC allergy medication.
I feel that if your troop knows and follows these two rules, OTC
medication should be acceptable in personal first aid kits. (Note I
said troop, which in BSA, implies older boys. Cubs are a different
story.)
_____________________________________________________________________
| | |
| Edward A. Haluska | To make fine, hard steel, first the smith |
| 6105 Deer Run | heats the metal red hot, then he pounds |
| Angleton, Texas 77515 | on it with a heavy hammer. |
| U.S.A. | God doesn't make any junk, but sometimes, |
| edh@mails.imed.com | He needs to make some fine, hard steel. |
|________________________|____________________________________________|
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
