Playa First Aid & General Medical questions

BAS · Post by **BAS** » Sat Jul 24, 2004 9:20 am

Am I just passing through one portal to the next or am I just playa dust anyway and shouldn't give a shit?

You are dust in the wind....

robbidobbs · Post by **robbidobbs** » Sat Jul 24, 2004 4:01 pm

Playa-foot prevention: wear clean socks and good shoes. Bring 5 pair of shoes just to be on the safe side. Soak feet in vinegar water, and have a charming lad/lass rub lotion into them.

Dirt-masks: I swear by the ancient way of one yard of unbleached muslin.

Re-hydration detail: drink water tainted with gaterade or Emergen-C. About 2 gallons per day is good.

Boo-boos: keep them clean, soft and covered. The playa dirt is both healing and destructive.

Sunstroke prevention: my favorite is a sleeve from an ordinary t-shirt. Does the job, and breathes well.

Sunburn lotion: Hawaiian Tropic SPF 15. It heals burns faster than anything I've ever tried.

and finally... Wear sunglasses on a granny-chain. You can take them on and off and they will never get lost.

CdnChick · Post by **CdnChick** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 10:43 am

theCryptofishist wrote:I've heard the same advice from an EMT (and 6-year burner). No word on if it's the SAME EMT. Salt pills are also an option. And there's that electrolyte replacement stuff in a foil pouch with a wave on it.

The foil pouch product is called Refresh. I found it at Mountain Equipment Co-op... but I don't think they are in the US.

Try the 'plain' flavour. When diluted, it almost tasteless. Fruity flavours are available too. It has good potassium and sodium content as well.

Hope this helps,
Canadian Chick

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 2:29 pm

Already put this in the wrong spot.

This spot is better than the last so here it goes.

People can use this for making emergency calls:

http://www.skype.com/download.html

Tancorix · Post by **Tancorix** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 8:53 am

Bump!

Dustdevil · Post by **Dustdevil** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 11:51 am

Could someone suggest the best type of goggles to wear. My wifes' eyes are sensitvie to dust. I thought about swimmers goggles, but it seems they might cause sweat to build up on the inside as they do not have breathing holes.

Tancorix · Post by **Tancorix** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 12:00 pm

I ended up with a pair of these:

I've used swimmer's goggles and all kinds of goggles but I wanted something polarized and with UVA/UVB protection, and these serve double duty for skiing. The foam padding is easy on the face and they seem to work around most of the N95 particulate filters I use. Also some shops are clearing out last year's overstock/inventory and I picked up the above pair for $30, vs $90 retail.

Stormy · Post by **Stormy** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 2:49 pm

Tancorix wrote:I ended up with a pair of these:

I've used swimmer's goggles and all kinds of goggles but I wanted something polarized and with UVA/UVB protection, and these serve double duty for skiing. The foam padding is easy on the face and they seem to work around most of the N95 particulate filters I use. Also some shops are clearing out last year's overstock/inventory and I picked up the above pair for $30, vs $90 retail.

These are great. You'll also want to have some clear goggles for nighttime. I can appreciate having sensitive eyes, too.

Piper · Post by **Piper** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 4:32 pm

Hmm, for electrolyte replacement try gookinaide
http://www.gookinaid.com/ I have used this for over a year and it is THE BEST. It is not a thick sweet taste, kinda like very watery kool aide but it puts ALL the electrolytes back not just sodium and it is fast .

hunter42 · Post by **hunter42** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 9:26 pm

Anyone ever hear of Zipfizz? It is almost like Gatorade. It has 41,667% of B12, along with Magnesium 100mg and Potassium 905 mg. We picked some up at Costco. They were mixing it with 20 oz of water but I would mix it with 40oz or more.

Stormy · Post by **Stormy** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 10:39 pm

Did some research on-line and tested this out in the desert this past weekend. For every quart of water add a couple of slices of citrus fruit (squeeze a little into the water first) and 1/4 tsp. salt. Lemons and limes should last the longest on the playa is stored with some thought. This drink has the three biggies: potassium, sodium and chloride. Since it doesn't have added sugar, it will assist with hydration instead of sitting in your stomach. The reason medical folks suggestion watering down Gatoraid is the excessive sugar.

Tancorix · Post by **Tancorix** » Fri Aug 06, 2004 3:27 pm

Bump!

Isotopia · Post by **Isotopia** » Fri Aug 06, 2004 7:15 pm

The reason medical folks suggestion watering down Gatoraid is the excessive sugar.

Jot this down somewhere. It's one of those 'very nice things to know' pieces of advice.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Fri Aug 06, 2004 7:36 pm

I tried stormy's mix. Not bad. A little less salt for me. Lemon is had on the surface of the teeth. Then agine no sugur is a plus.

Stormy · Post by **Stormy** » Fri Aug 06, 2004 7:52 pm

unjonharley wrote:I tried stormy's mix. Not bad. A little less salt for me. Lemon is had on the surface of the teeth. Then agine no sugur is a plus.

Hard on the teeth? Sorry, curious what that means. Good to know how it works for others.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Fri Aug 06, 2004 8:05 pm

Stormy wrote:
unjonharley wrote:I tried stormy's mix. Not bad. A little less salt for me. Lemon is had on the surface of the teeth. Then agine no sugur is a plus.
Hard on the teeth? Sorry, curious what that means. Good to know how it works for others.

/\
I use lemon juice for sore throats. My Dr. warned me that it could damage the enamel on my "few teeth". He may have ment in it's concentrated form. Just a suggestion to think about from me ;€)

Stormy · Post by **Stormy** » Fri Aug 06, 2004 8:14 pm

unjonharley wrote:
Stormy wrote:
unjonharley wrote:I tried stormy's mix. Not bad. A little less salt for me. Lemon is had on the surface of the teeth. Then agine no sugur is a plus.
Hard on the teeth? Sorry, curious what that means. Good to know how it works for others.
/\
I use lemon juice for sore throats. My Dr. warned me that it could damage the enamel on my "few teeth". He may have ment in it's concentrated form. Just a suggestion to think about from me ;€)

Thanks for the explanation.

chiefwagonburner · Post by **chiefwagonburner** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 11:21 am

I've found Emergen-c to work quite well on the playa. It is cheap ($9 for 30) and available at places like trader joes and whole foods. Easy to get over the net as well.

SealBoy · Post by **SealBoy** » Sun Aug 08, 2004 1:32 am

Piper wrote:Hmm, for electrolyte replacement try gookinaide
http://www.gookinaid.com/ I have used this for over a year and it is THE BEST. It is not a thick sweet taste, kinda like very watery kool aide but it puts ALL the electrolytes back not just sodium and it is fast .

Just so everybody knows, when they say "electrolytes", that's just a fancy marketing term for "salt". Granted, there are different kinds of salt, like magnesium, potassium, and even common sodium chloride. Basically, you need some amount of each of these compounds to survive, which are easily obtainable from bananas and grapefruit. Sports drinks supply you with a moderate amount of electrolytes (mostly NaCl, common table salt), claiming to replenish your 'electrolytes', which is true, but pure water is infinitely more valuable. Sugar is also a main ingredient in sports drinks. Gatorade will certainly hydrate you, and it tastes great, but as far as bang for the buck, you just can't beat pure water.

Bottom line: don't pay any attention to that 'electrolyte' bullshit, and drink plenty of water. Piss clear!

-SealBoy

calsur · Post by **calsur** » Sun Aug 08, 2004 3:51 am

A word of advice to anyone thinking about salt tablets. DO NOT chew them. Let them disolve in your mouth with sips of water. Chew them and you will be doing the big spit in about 5 minutes.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Mon Aug 09, 2004 3:54 pm

http://burningman.com/preparation/event ... afety.html
from the main website, complete with links to specific topics (including first aid kit suggestions.)
Look at the Diabetic page as a general starting point for health and disability issues
I wish they had a link to this, but oh well.
http://burningman.com/preparation/event ... chair.html

ellie · Post by **ellie** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 3:42 pm

not sure if this is the right place to ask but does anyone know if the temperature during the day damages birth control pills? mine say "excursions permitted between 59degreesF and 86degreesF" i know that it gets hotter than that on the playa.. any ideas? thanks..

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 6:42 pm

ellie wrote:not sure if this is the right place to ask but does anyone know if the temperature during the day damages birth control pills? mine say "excursions permitted between 59degreesF and 86degreesF" i know that it gets hotter than that on the playa.. any ideas? thanks..

//\

Throw em in the cooler already!

Post by **AntiM** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 3:01 am

I keep a "dry" cooler in the shade for medicines, film, small stuff that needs to be kept dry and cool. Wrap it in a blanket for insulation.

JezebelinHell · Post by **JezebelinHell** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 5:00 am

So...has anyone had any issues dealing with casts on the playa? I've never had a broken limb during Burning Man before, but it looks like I'll be going in this year with my wrist in a cast, and I was wondering if there are any special precautions I should take (besides hiding my pain-meds from the ravers). Thanks.

Blonde Iguana · Post by **Blonde Iguana** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 5:59 am

How about Pedialyte for dehydration/electrolyte replacement? (it's the liquid for babies and children who are deydrating from vomiting and diarrhea).

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 6:58 am

JezebelinHell wrote:So...has anyone had any issues dealing with casts on the playa? I've never had a broken limb during Burning Man before, but it looks like I'll be going in this year with my wrist in a cast, and I was wondering if there are any special precautions I should take (besides hiding my pain-meds from the ravers). Thanks.

/\
Casts itch like hell in the summer heat. Go to the bike repair at cente camp and blow it out with compressed air. JUSTT DOn't stick any thing in to it to scratch!!! You WIll be sorry. A little bag balm along the edges on your skin at night will help.

Zulegoona · Post by **Zulegoona** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 7:14 pm

I asked my doctor about electrolyte replacements and he told me to use Pedialyte. It's not cheep so I have some in my med kit if things get bad but don't plan to use it otherwise.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 7:55 pm

Zulegoona wrote:I asked my doctor about electrolyte replacements and he told me to use Pedialyte. It's not cheep so I have some in my med kit if things get bad but don't plan to use it otherwise.

/\
Good idea, Yesterday I stoped sweating and become very warm. Did some replacement right now. It was only 10Ø°f. Need some shade over the work area. Think i'll get some Pedialyte and put it on ice.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Mon Aug 15, 2005 2:16 pm

Health issues are important.

Playa First Aid & General Medical questions

That foil pouch

Zipfizz

Electrolyte Replacement

The ESD Medical Health and Safety page

birth control pills

Re: birth control pills

Pedialyte?