Stitching Wounds: How To Suture

Because the hospitals will be closed in a SHTF situation, you should learn to stitch a wound yourself. "Stitching" a wound is synonymous with "suturing" a wound. My top suggestion for you on how to suture wounds is to participate in a training course and getting hands-on training in stitching wounds. There are courses available that will train you on how to stitch a wound using different types of suture material, different types of sutures, and proper suture techniques.

You should also purchase a good suture kit. A good suture kit will have the needed materials for wound closure, including , probes, forceps, scalpels (handles and blades), hemostats (needle holder), suture (both absorbable and non-absorbable), syringes, operating scissors, sterilization material, suture needles (often attached to the suture material), and medical gloves.

Here is a beginner's guide on how to suture a wound:

1. Sterilize the equipment you are going to be using. Most suture kits will come with sterilization material (rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, etc...). First, wash the equipment thoroughly with water and soap. Then soak it in rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide for 20 to 30 seconds. After that, let it dry on a clean paper towel or cloth. Alternatively, you can sterilize equipment with an open flame. However, make sure you hold the equipment to the side of the flame so that soot doesn't accumulate on the equipment. Wash your hands thoroughly and wear surgical gloves if you have them.

2. If you have a local anesthetic or pain relief medicine you should use it, depending on the person's pain tolerance and the location and severity of the wound.

3. Clean and Irrigate the wound. Before you close the wound, it is essential that you clean out foreign debris, wash with disinfectant, and prepare the sides of the wound to make a complete and effective suture. Use a syringe to irrigate the wound with saline or other antibacterial fluid. If there is debris that does not come out with the irrigation method, use the scalpel to work it out.

4. Prepare the edges. Stitching together jagged and damaged flesh is difficult and can lead to infection. Use the scalpel and/or surgical scissors to cautiously cut away loose or jagged flesh. Do this only as much as is necessary to prepare the edges of the wound for a a clean suture.

5. Stitch wound. When stitching a wound, use the hemostat to hold the suture needle. I believe that it is hard to really visualize how to suture a wound just by reading it. That is why I have included this video:


For more information, check out my blog post on How To Suture

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Growing Food to Supplement Your Food Storage Supply

It is wise to learn how to garden and grow your own food to supplement your food storage in a survival situation.  Growing food is ideal because it will make you healthier and it will balance your survival diet with fresh vegiies.  Additionally, growing your own food will give you a consistent and a renewable supply of food.  Your food storage will also last for a longer period of time.  Learning how to grow a garden is enjoyable and can also give you something to do to stage off boredom (no electricity/internet/TV).

What to grow and what time of year to plant depends on the climate you live in.  The best case scenario is that you are living in a rural area far away from major cities.  If that is the case, you probably have space to grow vegetables.  If you are looking to buy some land for a retreat, consider setting up in a place where the soil is fertile and there is a good amount of rainfall. garden is a place with fertile soil and ample rainfall.  Washington state and other places in the Northwest of the U.S. are great places for this. However, if that is not an option for you, don't worry, you can still grow a decent garden anywhere.
The first step is to research which vegetables grow the best in the climate where you live or where you have your retreat.  Get a good variety. When you have a dozen or more, get a good vegetable planting guide for each of those vegetables.  Learn as much as you can about planting these specific vegetables.  It is a good idea to start now and practice your gardening skills.  This is not only fun, it is also healthy.  Here are a few bits of advice for growing your own garden no matter which vegetables you decide to grow:
1) Surround your garden with chicken wire to fence off the area you will be gardening.  This will protect your crop from rodents and wild animals.
2) If there is a body of water nearby, plant your garden close to the body of water and try to utilize an irrigation system to make watering your garden easier.
3) If you get heavy rainfall, make sure that your garden is on high enough ground to prevent flooding.
Here are some of the most common and easiest vegetables to grow:

• Zucchini
• Tomatoes
• Onions
• Potatoes
• Peas
• Lettuce
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Beans
• Spinach
• Beets
• Radishes

You should be able to get seeds for these veggies at any garden store near you.  They should also be pretty cheap.  The great thing is that you only need to buy seeds once a season because you can get seeds from the crops that you harvest.  Save all of your seeds so that you have a renewable garden.
For more information on this topic, visit my blog post How to grow food

You can read more topics like this one on my blog How To Survive Stuff

The First Necessity For Survival: Water Purification

Water is the absolute most essential requirement for survival. Your body cannot go more than a couple of days without it. In the event of a disaster or social unrest, water that is safe for human consumption will be scarce. The water that you get from the faucet in your kitchen is either not going to be available, or it will be contaminated and unsafe.
When it comes to meeting your water consumption needs, there are two main considerations: 1) Access to Water and 2) Water purification.
1) Access to Water: Most likely, if you live in a city, in a disaster scenario you will not have running water. This is because the water utilities that pump the water to homes will most likely be out of operation. These utilities require electricity to operate. If the power goes out, so will the water. If you live in a rural area, you probably get your water from a nearby well and, in that case, you will probably still have access to running water in your house. If you are in the city, you should consider how you would get water for your needs. You should have some water storage barrels that you can fill up and have available to last you a few weeks. For more long term solutions, consider locating the nearest lake or river. Also, consider rain collection methods such as rain water barrels and rain collection tanks.
2) Water Purification: There are a number of different ways to purify water. Here are the most prevalent suggestions with some pros and cons as well as some videos to help you visualize how each works:
Water Purification Tablets: These are tablets that you drop into the water you want to purify. They dissolve in the water and kill harmful bacteria so that the water is safe for human consumption. You have to use 1 to 2 tablets per liter of water. The downside to using tablets is that eventually you will run out if you are in a long-term survival situation. Also, it can take over a half-hour to purify water using this method.
Boiling Water to purify: Boiling water will kill almost everything in the water that is dangerous for humans to consume. How long you have to boil water depends on what altitude you are at. To be safe, you should let it boil for ten minutes. It is wise to combine this method with another filtration method. The downside to this method is that boiling water can use up precious other resources like fuel or firewood. I suggest you leave this as a last option where the other methods are not available.
UV Radiation Water Purification Devices: This is my number one favorite solution for water purification. It is incredibly quick, simple and safe. These devices utilize UV radiation to kill harmful bacteria and sterilize the water. As with every suggested piece of survival gear, you should have two or three of them in case it breaks or gets stolen.
In conclusions, you should assess these methods for obtaining and purifying water and then take steps to make sure you are prepared to supply yourself and your loved ones with the most basic element of survival.
Learn More by reading my blog post on Water Purification Methods

You can read more topics like this one on my blog How To Survive Stuff 

Survival Knives: Top Considerations

Having a good survival knife is essential in any type of survival scenario. There are many practical uses of a survival knife, including:

• Hunting, skinning, and preparing food.
• Self defense against wild animals (or other people in which case your survival knife doubles as a combat knife).
• Wood cutting for constructing shelter or slicing kindling for starting a fire.
• Slicing rope or cords for storage or shelter construction.
• Making tools such as a spear or stakes to peg stuff to the ground.
• Cutting a path (bush-wacking).
• Digging.
• Opening cans and other containers.
• Hammering (with the handle).
• Surgery and other types of first aid.
• Signaling using the reflective properties of the blade metal.
• Trimming clothing or other loose material.

Here are some things to consider when looking at the features of different knives.

• The Metal - Stainless steel vs. carbon.
• Tang - This refers to how far down inside the handle the metal of the blade extends.
• Handle - You want a handle that is comfortable with a nice grip.
• Blade Type - Straight vs. serrated.
• Length - For a survival knife, you want something with a blade anywhere from 5 to 8 inches.
• Blade Thickness - The thicker the blade the more durable and stable.

For more information, see my blog post on Survival Knives

You can read more topics like this one on my blog How To Survive Stuff

Food Storage: Stockpiling Food For An Economic Collapse

What you include in your food storage is entirely up to you. Store things that you will actually eat and try to include a variety so you don't get sick of what you have. You should think of food that has a long shelf life and is non-perishable. Here are some of my best suggestions:
1) Grains - Think rice, wheat, flour, pasta, oatmeal, etc....
2) Fats - Think peanut butter, shortening, mayonnaise, and oils.
3) Legumes - Think beans, lentils, peas, etc...
4) Spices and Cooking Essentials
5) Comfort foods - candy, drink mixes, etc...these last a long time and can also help you be relatively comfortable.
6) Dried Milk - You will want non-fat dried milk because other kinds that have milk fat will not keep long.
7) Dried Fruit
8) Canned Foods - Vegetables, fruit, meat (tuna, salmon, etc...), and pretty much anything that is canned will have a long shelf life.
Knowing what kind of food to store is the first step. Knowing how to store food is the next. Dry pack canning and food safe barrels are ideal for storing the items listed above. Consider building or buying some food storage shelves in your garage or shed to make room for your supply and to make rotation and access easier. Make sure that you date and rotate everything.
Don't forget, food (especially when it exists in fungible quantities) can be used for barter as well.
For more information, see my blog post on How To Store Food

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Stockpiling: Medical Supplies You Should Have In Abundance

Stockpiling medical supplies and medicine is important for two reasons: 1) To take care of your medical needs and the needs of your loved ones and 2) To barter with other people as a form of currency.
Here are the medical supplies that I suggest you start building up at least a two to five year supply of:
1) The Basics - Bandages, bandaids, disinfectant, gauze, etc...
2) OTC Medicines For Common Illnesses and Inconveniences - Think cold and fever medicine, pain reliever, allergy medicines, throat sprays and lozenges, Medicine for Diarreah relief and other digestion issues. Also, chap stick, sun screen, lotion for dry skin, eye drops, and nasal spray.
3) Prescription Medicines You Require - This is a little tricky because they are more expensive and by definition, you need a prescription to get them. Depending on the medicine, your ability to acquire the medicine will vary. Just do your best.
4) Surgery Equipment and Sterilization Supplies - Stitching/suturing, setting broken bones, cauterizing and even amputating. You will want to have medical gloves, forceps, medical stitching material, medical needles for stitching, slings and braces, scalpels, tourniquet material, sterilization equipment, local anesthetics and injection needles for these medical procedures.
5) I.V. Equipment and Fluids - I.V. Bags with saline solution, pumps, needles, tubing, etc...
6) Vaccines
For more information, see my blog post on Stockpiling Medical Supplies

You can read more topics like this one on my blog How To Survive Stuff 

How To Survive A Flash Flood

A flash flood can occur in an incredibly short amount of time (hence the name "flash" flood). It is important for you to know the facts about floods. Causes of flash floods include heavy rainfall or dam/levee failure. Floods are the leading cause of weather related deaths in the U.S. with about 200 deaths per year.
Here are some important tips that you should keep in mind should you ever be at risk of experiencing a flash flood:

• Be aware of weather warnings.
• Be aware of surroundings.
• Don't try to cross floodwaters.
• Abandon your vehicle if it is stuck.
• If you do get caught in a flood in your vehicle, Get out of the vehicle ASAP.
• If you do get caught in a flood outside of a vehicle, position your feet so that they point downstream and navigate your way over obstacles.
• If you are stranded on a building or high ground, stay where you are and wait for someone to come and rescue you.
• Be prepared for a flood evacuation with dry bags for supplies and flotation. You can find these supplies at any camping or wilderness gear store.

To learn more, visit my blog post on How To Survive A Flash Flood

You can read more topics like this one on my blog How To Survive Stuff