SOLO SE Blog

Check out this great video by Pat McDonnell called Every Little Bit! http://medicinebleu.visualsociety.com/2010/04/20/every-little-bits-helps/

The video highlights the work done by MedicForce in Belize. The group renovated and supplied a medical clinic and provided training for the community health workers so they can provide basic medical assistance to people living in this remote area.

Recently, a study showed that Lyme disease increased 82 percent over a five-year period in Indiana. It sounds pretty bad, but that's just 62 cases in 2009 (latest data), up from 34 in 2005.

Unfortunately, ticks are a fact of life for those who love to be outdoors. In just about any wilderness setting, there are thousands of ticks just waiting for a chance to hitch a free ride and make a meal of you. Don't let that stop you from going outdoors, but do take the time to protect yourself.

These simple steps can help you avoid tick bites and tick-borne diseases.

1) Wear protective clothing. Especially important are long pants, which should be tucked into high socks. Ticks generally latch on to a passing critter and crawl up looking for a spot to burrow in and feed. If you wear light colors, it will be easier to spot the ticks. 

2) Use a DEET-based insect repellent around your ankles, wrists and on your neck. Put repellent on your clothing at the entry points, not just on your skin. While there are many excellent non-Deet insect repellents on the market, none (that we have found so far) are particularly effective against ticks. 

3) If you can, when returning from an outdoor adventure, disrobe outside your house or your tent to avoid bringing ticks in with you.

4) Check yourself carefully at the end of any outdoor adventure. Incorporate a tick check into your routine at the end of your activity. It only takes a few minutes and is a small price to pay for preventing Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever or one of the many other tick-borne diseases prevalent in the US.

5) Carefully remove any ticks you find by pulling gently backward away from the bite site with tweezers. Killing ticks can be difficult - they are pretty tough for something so small. It is best to flush them. If you are on a trip where you are likely to be regularly exposed, carry a small bottle with rubbing alcohol in it. Just drop the tick in, put the cover back on, and go about your business. If your prevention methods fail, and a tick attaches to you, don't panic; it takes 24 hours for any disease to be released into you. After removing the tick, draw a circle around the bite with a pen, and monitor it for changes. See your doctor immediately if you develop any disease symptoms like swelling, a rash, etc.

As always, prevention is key. Take time to adequately protect yourself and you are far less likely to ever have to deal with tick bites.

What would you do if you were on a camping trip in the backcountry and you or someone in your group woke up with an object lodged in the ear canal? Strange as it may sound, this can happen to just about anyone in the outdoors. Whether you are sleeping in a tent or just walking through the woods, an insect can fly or crawl into your ear canal, causing pain and distress. What can be done if this happens? Here are a few suggestions for dealing with foreign object lodged in the ear canal.

An inanimate foreign object such as a stone or piece of bark can be left in the ear until an ear specialist can remove it. You will need to make arrangements to get the patient out of the backcountry, which may take a while since they will be in pain and their equilibrium may be affected.

If the patient is very uncomfortable, you may want to try using gravity. Tilt the head or lay the patient on the affected side to see if you can dislodge the object. DO NOT dig around in the ear with a paperclip, stick or Q-tip. This can gouge the external ear and is not recommended. In addition, it could further lodge the object against the highly sensitive eardrum, causing excruciating pain and making the object even more difficult to remove.

If the object is an insect, the primary goal is to get the insect out of the ear canal before it causes damage by either biting or stinging the patient. Ideally, you want to get the insect to leave on its own accord or remove it without causing it to struggle or move around in a way that causes significant pain.

If a live creature such as a bee, ant or spider enters the external ear canal and causes pain that is unendurable, the ear should be filled with 2-4% liquid lidocaine (topical anesthetic), which will slowly numb the ear and drown the insect at the same time. If lidocaine is not available, mineral oil can be used with the caution that it will frequently cause the insect to struggle, which may result in a sting or bite. Once the insect is dead (which may take a few minutes), an attempt can be made to gently remove it with tweezers. If you cannot see part of the bug, do not attempt this, as you may push it farther into the ear canal or even rupture the eardrum.

When in the wilderness, prevention is key! If you are going to be sleeping in an environment where there is a likelihood of insects having access to your ears, you may wish to consider using earplugs, earmuffs or perhaps even tying a bandana around your head in such a way that it covers your ears. 

After completing a SOLO Southeast wilderness medicine program, how do you keep your skills fresh? Not everyone works in the outdoors and so there are not always opportunities to practice. If you feel like challenging yourself and testing your outdoor and wilderness medicine skills, gather together 3 of your friends or co-workers and head to Fort Gordon, GA for the Southeast Medical Wilderness Adventure Race!

The Southeast Medical Wilderness Adventure Race (MedWAR) is a unique adventure race complete with questions and interactive, hands-on scenarios designed to test your academic and practical knowledge of wilderness medicine. The course can be quite challenging, testing competitors' skills in areas such as in orienteering, expedition preparation and planning, flatwater canoeing, mountain biking, hiking, climbing and running in addition to patient care!  Teams consist of any four people with an interest in wilderness medicine, often a combination of healthcare professionals, emergency personnel, students of all varieties, and outdoor enthusiasts. Surely completing the course will be a reward in itself, but winning teams will be awarded prizes.

If you are part of a search and rescue team, a wilderness medical team or just want to challenge yourself, this race is sure to provide a test of your skills and build your strength as a team! If you are a medical professional, CME credits can be earned at the event.  For more information on MedWAR, click here.