Stay safe out there chaps!

[imnotrucknut]

Well here I am, 3rd hospital in 2 days!
Waiting to see someone in plastic surgery trauma clinic.
Thank you for all your kind words and offers of help - it's good to know there's such a supportive community out there!
However, I do hasten to add that it wasn't to garner sympathy that I started the thread, but more to serve as a bit of a wake-up call to remind everyone how quickly and easily things can go wrong in this walk of life, with the added risk factor of being alone and often in remote and inaccessible places when it all goes tits up.

I notice that it's been assumed that I was carrying out a gralloch at the time, but that's not the case.
On my stalk I came across a dead deer (fallow buck fawn) hanging from a woodland boundary fence. It wasn't until I came right up to it that I realised that it was, in fact, still alive, but only just. Had I noticed any signs of life when I was still 20 yards away I'd have put a bullet into it, but on close-up assessment I decided that it wasn't worth wasting a round on an animal that was clearly so close to death, and besides I didn't really want to disturb the countryside with a loud bang and spoil the rest of my morning stalk (famous last words!). Simple enough matter for me to hop over into the wood, finish off the deer with a quick stab to the atlas joint, and then be on my way.
First I opened rifle bolt and left the gun safe, leaning against a tree, together with my sticks and backpack (containing basic first aid equipment). Climbed over an old gate into the wood (to get to the same side of the fence as the deer), and also had to negotiate another old broken down fence (hold down barbed wire and step over).
Placed foot on neck of deer, but with its head craned back I couldn't quite access the vital spot, so grasped it's ear with my left hand to pull its head round.
And then, somehow, my knife failed to find the right place. Why, I don't know. At this point I was already planning ahead the next stage of my stalk, and not really paying attention to what I was doing. The blade slipped sideways (towards me) off the back of the neck, and with all the force intended to plunge my knife through its hide and between its vertebrae I instead stabbed the hand that was holding its ear.
No pain, just a blow to the hand and a vast amount of blood (which it this stage I didn't appreciate was all from me and not partly from the deer), and as I was wearing gloves I couldn't tell quite what I'd done. Peeling back the glove resulted in a serious outpouring of blood which I tried to staunch but couldn't.
First thought was to finish off the deer, which I did with a simple throat cut, and then try and get back over the fence and gate, which took a while. Was getting dizzy by this stage, and worried about blacking out. Tried to make a phonecall, but either no reception or no answer, I forget which.
Nothing in the first aid kit that was up to the job of stopping the flow, but had half a roll of toilet paper in my bag so a I wodged a big pad of that tight over the wound and held it in place by pressing against my thigh, leaving my right hand free to try (unsuccessfully) to unload my rifle and to get my backpack onto one shoulder. Then, using my right hand to try to grip the left tight enough to stop the bleeding I walked the half mile or so back to the yard where I'd left my vehicle. Luckily there were people there. Managed to get rifle unloaded with help, and someone bound up my hand tightly in blue roll and fed me on chocolate. Got a lift to the small local hospital, covered in blood and mud, leaving rifle in car (keys hidden nearby) and taking bolt, ammo and knife.
They couldn't deal with it, so had to transfer to another hospital a few miles away. But I'd left my wallet in the pickup, so no cash for taxi or bus.
A quick call to my long-suffering mate @pendle, who has stalking nearby, soon got me arranged with a lift from another local stalker.
Meanwhile, my son collected my wife from home and drove her the 60 miles to where the pickup was parked, and she then drove it over to join me at the hospital. This meant that she was technically "in possession" of my rifle for a while, but needs must sometimes. And besides, I had the bolt and ammo.
Eventually, the 2nd hospital decided it was beyond their capabilities, hence why I'm now in a third. And I'll be back here again in a day or two for an operation on my hand.

A couple of humorous anecdotes from my experience over the past 2 days:

Shortly after arriving at the first hospital, looking pretty worse for wear, an aged nurse who looked like she should have been pensioned off years ago, came over to ask me if I'd come to give blood! I told her no, but that if she cared to wring out my sodden trousers she could have quite a lot.

In the second hospital, there was some discussion about whether I would go home overnight or not. I explained that I really ought to go to take my rifle home and lock it away, at which one of the nurses said "couldn't you just bring it in here and clear this waiting room for us?".

I did tell her that, joking aside, I could quite legally bring it in with me if that became essential for its safe custody. I pointed out that, being in a hard case, everyone would just assume it was a clarinet. She looked at me, covered in mud, bloodsoaked clothing, and said "you don't look much like a clarinet player".

Lucky escape there buddy.could have quite easily passed out.
I always finish off any twitching deer just in case.
Heard too many horror stories of mates getting injured by semi conscious deer.
Speedy recovery.

Regards Gary

 

[User00056]

is that supposed to be funny????, some people just do not get it

Bet you're fun at a party

 

[Camelfarm]

Celox has a declared 5 year life from manufacture, but anecdotal evidence suggests longer efficacy.

What cost losing your life? A typical cost of £40ish per Celox Z-fold dressing means it costs circa £8 per annum. That sounds like very good value.

CELOX Medical FAQ North America

CELOX Medical FAQ North America

www.celoxmedical.com

Absolutely my view as well - I always have it in my little belt-worn FAK. The cost is nothing when you consider the alternatives.

When the last one expired (as you say 5 years from the date of manufacture, which is on the packet) I did a little experiment on a shot fox, obviously dead, but I packed out the exit wound with a 3m Celox Z fold and it really was quite impressive - basically it plugged the gap and very obviously clotted the blood - very fast. I now understand how effective it'd be on a live human, if used correctly.

The advice I have been given is to use it immediately rather than trying cheaper stuff first and also to bandage over it as soon as bleeding is stopped, weaving the empty wrapper into the bandage so any medical interventions afterwards when you may not be conscious know what has taken place.

Since this thread began I wonder how many FAKs have been checked and replenished?

 

[Point17]

Can I have your boots.

I'm guessing you are ex matelot?

 

[Ratel]

So many easy mistakes when dealing humanely with injured deer. Always told number 2 wife "Never grab a Roe buck by his antlers when doing the necessary". What does she do with a wounded buck, you've got it, slips into the burn astride him and grabs an antler. Puts the knife in the Atlas joint ok but her left hand is torn by the pearling really badly by his movements before that. As is said in Fennemore Cooper's book, "Do not try to understand women, they are a breed apart".

 

[Point17]

is that supposed to be funny????, some people just do not get it

Ex forces humour. If you know, you know

 

[bullet chucker]

All the ifs and may bee's, I thought a bullet in the beast at the off, would have been a beast in the larder, with the possibility of another later. Aint hind site a wonderful thing.

BC.

 

[Dickie]

I'm guessing you are ex matelot?

No he'd have wanted his cigarettes first then boots and anything else not nailed down.

 

[MarinePMI]

I’ve not done celox but while tourniquets certainly look unpleasant, self applications happened frequently in Iraq and Afghanistan. Bear in mind they would have mostly been done by 18-22 year old infantrymen rather than SAS type super soldiers.

I see this as a positive that it is perfectly possible with a bit of grit.

The treatments (at least in the US) have also gotten a lot better for oxygen deprived tissue. Here the common practice is "If in doubt, get a tourniquet on it." The hospital can usually save the limb these days, due to the new drugs being used on tied off wounds (one of the silver linings of the last 20yrs worth of conflict; medical treatment of limbs deprived of oxygen for long periods of time has gotten extremely good.

 

[MarinePMI]

Here the practice of approaching a wounded, or near dead animal that you think is harmless, is to take a long branch or twitch and (from the side) touch the eyeball. If it doesn't move, you're safe. If it is in any way still able to fight/flight, touching the eyeball will trigger it. It's lizard brain physiology.

YMMV...

ETA: VSS and I rarely agree on anything, but I do wish him a speedy recovery and regret he had to go through all this.

 

[Long drag]

I'm guessing you are ex matelot?

Maybe

 

[Point17]

Maybe

Same here. Civvies just don't understand!

 

[Cass3224]

sorry to hear this, speedy recovery

 

[MarinePMI]

The treatments (at least in the US) have also gotten a lot better for oxygen deprived tissue. Here the common practice is "If in doubt, get a tourniquet on it." The hospital can usually save the limb these days, due to the new drugs being used on tied off wounds (one of the silver linings of the last 20yrs worth of conflict; medical treatment of limbs deprived of oxygen for long periods of time has gotten extremely good.

I'll add a little personal experience in this.

We had a shooter at the range take a pistol ricochet (just a small piece of the jacket) in the left upper thigh. As fate would have it, it nicked the femoral artery (the guy lifted up his hand and blood was spurting out everywhere), and they couldn't get it to stop bleeding. A local ER nurse happened to be at the range that day, and she immediately slapped a tourniquet on the leg until they could get him to hospital. Nurse commented something to the effect of "He could survive another two hours with that tourniquet on without the threat of losing the leg with today's meds and treatments, so better to be safe than sorry."

 

[63]

The treatments (at least in the US) have also gotten a lot better for oxygen deprived tissue. Here the common practice is "If in doubt, get a tourniquet on it." The hospital can usually save the limb these days, due to the new drugs being used on tied off wounds (one of the silver linings of the last 20yrs worth of conflict; medical treatment of limbs deprived of oxygen for long periods of time has gotten extremely good.

I understand it is the same here - at least in major trauma centres. We did the same learning alongside your guys in the GWOT when it came to major trauma treatment.

It perhaps hasn't caught on in the same way in first aid training and general practice though - as per this thread still lots of 'tourniquets make your leg fall off' type commentary from people who are a decade or two out of date, and, indeed, have never used one.

 

[Trickyd66]

I understand it is the same here - at least in major trauma centres. We did the same learning alongside your guys in the GWOT when it came to major trauma treatment.

It perhaps hasn't caught on in the same way in first aid training and general practice though - as per this thread still lots of 'tourniquets make your leg fall off' type commentary from people who are a decade or two out of date, and, indeed, have never used one.

It seems to be in the A&S force area. Normally located with AEDs. From the map not as many elsewhere in the country, but think it stems from a stabbing in Bristol.

 

[MarinePMI]

It seems to be in the A&S force area. Normally located with AEDs. From the map not as many elsewhere in the country, but think it stems from a stabbing in Bristol.

LOL! If you don't have an AED in your home, you're way behind the times. Heck, you can get them for $1500 these days. Just have to replace the pads every 2 years, and the batteries every 4. And you can buy them here under your FSA/HSA medical savings account (so tax free dollars).

https://www.amazon.com/Philips-Hear...-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

It's kinda crazy more people don't own them. Cheap insurance for cardiac events. We keep one in the kitchen pantry.

(Yeah, yeah, yeah, someone's going to call me a prep'er again. )

 

[Mike L]

Bet you're fun at a party

Civvy

 

[User00056]

Civvy

Undoubtedly

 

[Greenmist]

I am surprised tampons are not mentioned.

Urban myth, while fine for rollerblading, skydiving and bobsleigh, not so good for wound dressing