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Quick rule of thumb (lemmy.dbzer0.com)
submitted 10 months ago by to c/whitepeopletwitter@sh.itjust.works
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[–] 31 points 10 months ago (18 children)

In her defence, I have no idea when I should go to the ER. I am pretty clumsy and do a lot of cooking, so am forever stabbing myself.

I often wonder to myself at what point I would need assistance.

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  • [–] 31 points 10 months ago (10 children)

    Ah, the US. Can't teach wound care, csnt afford stitches.

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  • [–] 21 points 10 months ago (9 children)

    I'm not in the US, but I'm also not sure when in my life I should have been taught when to seek help.

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  • [–] 6 points 10 months ago (6 children)

    I'm in Europe, I once was in a pretty bad state and with a high fever, so I called 112 or something like that, because in other country they decide if you should go to hospital immediately and deliver you. Here they questioned me and told me ‘yeah, you should go to ER’, and the conversation was over. I took a taxi there, not sure what would I do if I passed out before getting to the taxi, as I already passed out that evening and it was why I called and didn't just go in the first place.

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  • [+] 2 points 10 months ago (5 children)
    [deleted]
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  • [–] 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (4 children)

    In Celsius? You’re cooked!

    Edit: 112 is a common emergency services # in the EU, akin to 911, for any Americans wondering

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  • [+] 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (3 children)
    [deleted]
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  • [–] 13 points 10 months ago* (2 children)

    The best thing you can do for yourself and those around you is take a first aid course. They are usually cheap or free through your local community college or community education programs, you can get a certification, and it will teach you when you need to seek assistance, and when you can handle it yourself. It’ll also teach you what’s worth keeping in a first aid kit, like butterfly sutures, and what isn’t (those pre-made kits are junk).

    Everyone should take a first aid course. It should be done every 5 years ideally, if only because you’ll hardly ever use it, and recommendations do change.

    So, if you can find somewhere, give everyone you know the gift of lifesaving knowledge! (As in arrange for them all to take the course with you, you all get the info and a nice bonding exercise. Make all the jokes about when it’ll be needed on you because you are a klutz)

    Who knows, you or one of your friends/family may save a life someday!

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  • [–] 7 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    I've done multiple first aid courses over my life. I've learnt CPR, abdominal thrusts, and even did an outdoor first aid course where they taught us how to keep people alive when help was 24 hours away. I've been taught how to dress wounds, but the assumption for all of these was that someone is in imminent need of help. There was nothing (that I remember) about how deep of a cut requires a visit to the emergency room.

    Though you raise a good point, the last course I did was 15 years ago, I should probably do a refresher.

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  • [–] 6 points 10 months ago

    I think for cuts there's general rules for location, depth, and length to qualify as an emergency. Deep punctures/stab wounds should always be treated as emergencies, do not remove the object, but stabilize it so it doesn't cause more damage. An amount of blood equivalent to a can of soda is life threatening.

    I've stayed current on first aid certifications for about a decade and grew up with a parent in the medical field. I still suck at knowing when something requires an er visit, quite possibly because family, friends, and neighbors would come over and get stitches on our kitchen counter rather than go to the hospital. The best I can say is, if you are questioning whether something requires a hospital visit, then it probably does. Better to be safe than sorry.

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  • [–] 12 points 10 months ago

    I recently had what might have been a heart attack and laid down in bed instead of going to the ER. (I'm pretty sure it wasn't, but maybe.) Everyone to whom I've mentioned it has gotten upset with me. My doctor was especially expressive about it.

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  • [–] 4 points 10 months ago (2 children)

    If you apply what is close to a tourniquet and it still bleeds through, that's a pretty strong indicator that you might want to get someone to look at it.

    But I shouldn't complain, I'm the same in that sense. I had a scratch wound from a fall (tripped drunk on the stairs when a friend was over) and constantly itched my leg and scratched off the scab. Got a nasty infection. At first it started to hurt in the evening, I went to bed and it was okay the morning. Then it wasn't okay next morning, but manageable. I finally went to the ER when it got so bad that I had to lie on the couch the whole day and would almost black out from pain when getting up to go to the toilet. I've never gotten an official diagnosis, but from the pictures, I strongly lean towards strep infection. 3 weeks of penicillin and a stern lecture from the doc and I was right as rain, albeit the skin on my leg looks a bit different now lol

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  • [–] 3 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    Oh I've never got close to needing a tourniquet, but it seems like there is a line somewhere in the middle that looks like it's probably ok but should actually be seen by a professional.

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  • [–] 3 points 10 months ago*

    If it bleeds longer than 10 minutes, if it hurts periodically or constantly or if something persists without getting better for more than 3 days, go to a doctor. If it's really bad, go earlier (tooth pain for example can get debilitating quickly).

    If you are at cancer risk (40+), get periodic check ups.

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