Monkeypox & More in 2022

s m h 

When I started this blog just over a decade ago, things were considerably tame. What were we fussing about back in 2010?

Often encountered in West Africa, it is now  detected in over 20 countries including Spain, Portual, the United Kingdom, and now its new world host Argentina. 

Full article on The Guardian on the WHO's updates can be found here. 

Google sez: 

The symptoms of monkeypox are similar to those of smallpox. But monkeypox symptoms are typically milder.
...
The early symptoms include:

• fever, which is commonly the first symptom.
• headache.
• muscle aches.
• back ache.
• fatigue.
• chills.
• swollen lymph nodes, also known as lymphadenopathy.

"Treated like smallpox as they are the same class of virus... vaccine cross immunity is possible"

There are no approved or proven treatments according to the CDC but "most people survive without intervention". 

Yay. 

***** 

Meanwhile...

Kyiv stands. Ukraine resists!

Corina virus cases are still rising in Taiwan. 

Significant geopolitical shifts are rapidly taking place across the globe. Keep an eye for it over here in Asia for that matter. 

******

Updates: 

We are buying our first pistol caliber carbine really soon. 9mm is a great round to stockpile. 

I've upgraded to a CZ Shadow 2 with a Holosun ACSS green reticle. I'm shooting Production Optics now!

We've got smoke grenades too! Many other functions...

The venerable Sideout camping backpack has stood up pretty well over the years. 

I've upgraded my 3 day assault pack to a Vanquest Ibex 26. Got it at 40% from Forged Philippines, by Grabthar's Hammer what a savings.  

The modularity and slim profile works wonders for my requirements. I gave my older LA Police Gear 3 Day pack to my cousin. It holds 50L, I'm sure it will serve him well. 

Medical preps are just as important as anything. Make sure to get First Aid training. Every responsible adult should have that. At the very least, teach every family member how to use a tourniquet. 

If the last two years of COVID-19 has taught me anything, its that keeping your hands clean is often more important than a facemask. The mask matters indoors. My family never got the virus. Perhaps the Moderna really did work. Horaay for science. 

This year is going to get a lot busier with our IPSC/USPSA training. Ill be at the shooting range a lot more often. 

Hope you are doing well, dear reader. 

Stay vigilant!

The Trauma Kit

"Stop holes, plug holes, make holes..."

- Garand Thumb

"... All men are made of water, do you know this? If you pierce them, the water leaks, and they die."

- Syrio Forel

"May this be of no use"

- Aradesh to the Vault Dweller (Fallout 1)

"You can never have too many tourniquets"

- "D", US Army Ranger

Medical gear was one of the top things on our list when we began this journey. I'm preparing for the unlikely event that we may need urgent medical care. It can happen anytime before or during SHTF. Not only should your home have them, they're a must-have for your emergency bags.

We shall focus on 4 Kinds of Trauma Kits. All of these were designed to address massive bleeding and airway management.

I. Condor Rip-Away EMT Pouch

I first saw it on a video by Ultimate Survival Tips back in 2016. That video was about his 25 pound combat survival loadout. Another cool guy who uses this is Skinny Medic.

Tell you honestly its huge. Look how my hand barely grasps the whole thing. I won't put it on my chest rig because of the sheer size.

The good thing however is that you can tear if off any bag that uses MOLLE panels for quick access. This big fat pouch serves as our trauma and all-around medical supply bag for the family bug out bag.

Contents:
4x 6-inch Israeli Bandages
2x nasopharyngeal airway
2x Quick Clot
2x CAT Tourniquets
4x HYFIN Chest Seals
2x Celox Hemostat Gauze
lots of sterile gauze
trauma shears
small flashlight
Sharpie pen
2x pair of gloves
+general boo-boo kit like band-aids, ibuprofen, diatabs, moleskin tapes, etc.


II. Condor Rip-Away EMT Lite




This is attached to my personal 3-Day Assault Pack. If I need to go somewhere and do something important and dangerous for a few days, this is the backpack that I take with me.

The Lite has the perfect balance of size and carrying capacity. I highly recommend this kind of pouch as it can fit even on your EDC bag. There is no reason why you should not have one of these on you.

Despite the Gucci crowd's disdain for anything Condor, I stand by this product.






Contents:
1 CAT Tourniquet
1x 4-inch Israeli Bandage
1x Z-Pack Dressing
2x Hyfin Chest Seals (compact)
1x nasopharyngeal airway
1x Celox Hemostat Gauze
1 pair of gloves


III. Blue Force Gear Trauma Kit NOW! Micro

Living at the center of my battle belt is the highest-speed & lowest-drag item in my collection. I needed to put the smallest possible trauma kit to keep the belt as light as possible. Its only downsize is that its too small to hold a CAT Tourniquet so I have a separate pouch dedicated to that one TQ on my belt. I have two more on my plate carrier and a pair of trauma shears.

Its so small and well-built, I love it.

Contents:
1x 4-inch Israeli Bandage
1x Hyfin Chest Seal (it actually contains a pair for entry and exit)
1x nasopharyngeal airway
1x Celox Hemostat Gauze
1x pair of gloves

IV. 5.11 Tactical 3.6 Med Kit Pouch

This was my very first medical pouch. When it was new, naysayers criticized it for being too small to contain what people thought was needed for an IFAK.

What people didn't get was this particular pouch was intended for severe trauma. In our case, bullet holes and massive bleeding.

With my setup, it can basically carry what the EMT Lite can PLUS an additional Israeli Bandage. Its an underrated product and the build quality is the usual top notch from this brand. The TQ is also INSIDE the pouch, something that the Blue Force Gear offering cannot do. 

V. Summary

Your medkits should serve a specific purpose, and size is one of the biggest factors on how they will be used. Check out this photo for size and content comparison. Over the years I've had enough opportunities to bring them around and we have settled on the most useful contents for each.

Tactical Combat Casualty Care and the IFAK has come a long way. Today's standards are now mission-specific and minimalist. The contents have also evolved to fit smaller and lighter kits.

That's good news for family-oriented survivalists like you and me. I've tailored our gear according to each member's level of training and we do practice with them on a regular basis.

Make sure to have duplicates that are within reach like putting them in EDC bags, your car, or at your workplace. Anything could happen.


Stay vigilant!

That '70s Nurse!

I never really cared much about medical stuff until I became a family man. My mom was a '70s nurse and we had it good. We always had a well-stocked medicine cabinet at home. She never panicked if we had to deal with something a little worse than the usual boo-boo. 

We saved on countless trips to the hospital for sure!

From time to time I'd show her this little blog, and she'd be amused. She's also my #1 source of medical expertise. Head Nurse is a formidable qualification anywhere in the world, be it the battlefield or at home. 

Like most 80's kids, owning a BMX and a nearby village park meant that mom dealt with all this normal stuff:

• road rashes
• cuts
• lacerations
• at least 3 burns from a bonfire
• firecrackers
• rusty nails
• dog bites
• eye injury
• slingshot hits
• bee stings
• a black eye
• minor infections

Throw in the mumps, diarrhea, chicken pox, measels, and other fun things that children would catch at least once in their lives back then. 

It was a different time.

Mom's not always the nurturing type and we'd get yelled at from time to time if we had some injury that needed her help. 

Trust me, us kids were asking for it most of the time. We were after all Steve-O's generation of fools acting like Delta Commandos in the back yard. 

Crashing our bikes wasn't unusual, it was fairly commonplace. That meant we had to clean & dress our own scrapes so she won't get mad on a weekly basis. 

All this exposure to her expertise also meant we knew how to take care of ourselves and not get freaked out over "a little blood".

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And so here I am, all grown up with my own wife and kid to look after. Back when this blog was new I spent most of my time obsessing over food supplies, weapons, and fighting skills. I got my First Responder certificate and gained more skills over the years. Thankfully, my mom likes the newfangled trauma kits we have today. 

There were no chest seals and CAT tourniquets back then. She does know how to deal with tension pneumothorax from the gunshot wounds, massive bleeding, and stabbings from her days at the ER. "Skills over equipment" as some experts like to say, and they're not interchangeable!

                                                                            *****

I just wanted to share this parenting stuff 'coz my boomer folks are the best. They've got the skills we gen X-ers, millenials, and the Yeet generation need to survive WTSHTF.

Stay vigilant!