1st aid kits on bikes are so useful!

[Helene2013]

Today we decided to ride and it was a beautiful ride, even with my incident.

Husband was trying out his new Crux (mine will be ready around June 10th for pick-up). He loves it.

We had 25km done in heavy winds, good gustings! A bit too hot to my taste but if you want to ride, you have to do it when we have no rain as too much of it lately...and to come.

And since I'm good at injuring myself, it had to happen again. Deuh!

So for the 2nd time in 2 years, I managed to cut the inside of my calf with my cog. I can see at least 5 of the teeth that digged into my leg and one of them is pretty deep (I guess the first one that caught in) and you can see all the gooey stuff inside. I guess I will truly be tatooed for life on that leg. haha

It is a stupid accident too. We had stopped to get an iced coffee and the partking where we were is small and the entrance is a small hill. We're ready to go and I'm standing (foot on the ground) and analyzing what my next move would be since 2 cars were "unstable" - like not knowing what they would d, I had to see if others were coming and going at the bottom of that tiny hill. So while doing this, I'm not holding on the breaks and my bike decides to move forward a bit (due to hill) and I'm not quick enough to realize what is going on. So my right leg is in front of my derailleur and this is when the cog teeth got into the leg. And that cog is super sharp. Very.

In my mind, I'll look and just move on. Not the end of the world. It does not hurt anyway. But I look down and I see the blood dripping heavily in my short sock, into my shoe too. ARggg. No choice but to get back to the side of restaurant and clean and bandage this. This is when I'm sooooo happy to have a good 1st aid kit with me.

Hubby went inside to get some napkins and we flushed the wounds (5 holes) with water and then I had antiseptic tissus. I put plasters all over and was good to go.

Once home I flushed with running water, I used peroxyde, then rinsed, apply polysporin and a Steri Strip to that "bad" cut and now all is bandaged. I will look at it tomorrow morning and watch closely for infection (I did not get a titanos shot in ages).

But lesson learned...even though my 1st aid kit is good and you can carry so much on a road bike, I added a few more things (like Steri Strips) and SelfGrip Self-Adhering First Aid Tape. This would have been handy instead of using so many plasters.

So lesson learned...if you are stopped and standing over your bike...keep at least one of the 2 break handles "on".

[Crankin]

Hope it heals well, Helene.
I carry a first aid kit, mostly for when I lead rides. I've used it a few times, but mostly I've used the Neosporin I keep in my bag.

[Helene2013]

I hope too.

Someone just mentioned to me that there is a guard that exist to protect you from cuts. Will call my LBS to order those for this bike and my Crux. I am prone to this as I often break like the Flintstones too....with my feet when I'm not fully stopped yet! Deuh!

[Helene2013]

Called my local bike shop and spoke to owner. He's not sure it can be done but will check out the links I flipped him in an email.

http://www.amazon.com/Gobike88-Drive.../dp/B00FCQZOBM

Love the pink one...
Wrote to them to see how much it would cost to get to Canada. hihi
http://www.driveline.com.tw/_en/prod...hp?gid=6&id=80

Once installed, it would look like this
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_FGuPufDS...0/IMAG0602.jpg

[Helene2013]

Think of the unthinkable that can happen to me....and it will happen. haha

When I see my doctor on next visit, I will ask for that shot. I'm just to clutzy too... at least I can laugh about it, even when an injury is serious. It is just too stupid and my own fault! dah! In the meantime, I'm watching the wounds closely. This morning, as soon as I removed the protective gauze, it started to bleed again. Enough that I had to hurry to apply the polysporin and re-apply new gauze to it. The steri-trip was fine but all remains fragile.

If it still bleeds tomorrow, I may go to the walk-in clinic in my office building just for the "in-case". I generally heal very well and I'm not sure the bleeding on 3 of the 5 teeth marks is good.The one with Steri-strip I can understand. But 2 others...hummm. The gauze on is fine and no blood comes through. It's when I removed it that the bleeding started just like yesterday. But no pain, no redness, no swelling...so far.

[OakLeaf]

Ow! Heal up fast!

I don't bother with a "first aid kit." If I (or a riding buddy) gets hurt, it's either bruises, cuts and scrapes that can wait until I get home, or it's something that I'm going to need help from an EMT or at best a ride home. My only exception is my Mylar blanket - even if it's a mechanical and not an injury at all at the outset, hypothermia can set in fast when you're sweaty and dressed for exertion rather than standing around. In the short term, if I should need to slow profuse bleeding before the squad gets there, I can always use my jersey to put pressure and/or my spare tube as a tourniquet. CPR doesn't take any equipment, especially if you're doing it hands-only as it's mostly taught nowadays. I can't think of anything else that a few minutes would make that much difference.

If I did back country touring I'd carry sutures, splints, tourniquet, styptic, antibiotic ointment and ice packs, and get training in how to use them. And a SPOT beacon as well. I do know people who've needed that stuff. But I don't ride *that* far from civilization.


(If it makes you feel any better, I'm still healing a deep gouge in my leg from a couple of weeks ago when I was planting my garden and knelt on my hand cultivator. D'oh!!)

[Crankin]

I agree with Oak. Really, my first aid kit is nothing more than a couple of band aids in a zip lock, a tube of Neosporin, and a spritz from my water bottle! These 3 things alone have helped people on my rides, as well as myself.

[Helene2013]

If it was just a tiny scrape, I would not worry about it.

There was no way yesterday I could have kept going (still had over an hour to home) without quite a few plasters or something more than neo and water. It was not a case of calling the ambulance either....and it would have been a waste of time waiting for them, etc. And I did not need the attention of people passing by... hihi But the blood coming out of the 2 bigger cuts needed to be wrapped properly as the dripping was a good flow, not a slow "leak". Especially as we rode in some dirt. I could not risk having dust/dirt inside, especially the big hole left by one the teeth on cog.

I'm more the type of person to carry more than less too. So yep... I've added a bit more things to each of our 4 bags so no matter what is needed, we are covered! hihi

It does not take a lot of room in a bag as everything is in small packets and fits into a snack size ziplock, except for the tube of self-stick roll that I flatten up to make it fit. My own bag is all done and it takes no room at all. It would have been great yesterday if I had that tape. Just this, the polysporin and small square gauze would have been easier and faster to use than opening 6 plasters, etc.

You have not seen my 1st aid kit for home/motorhome! Ishhhhh It has all the possible pills, liquids (allergies, vomiting, tick tool, name it!) for the pets as well as us humans. Ridiculous... but I like to be ready for almost anything. Hate to be caught off guard. Maybe that is why I rarely panick under such emergencies as I have all I need on-hand before heading to hospital, vet, etc. I think if I could carry all on this on a bike I would. hahaha

[rebeccaC]

Hoping it heals quickly and without any complications!!! Maybe get a small bike cog tattoo over the scar.

I have a small REI first aid kit in a nylon case. It has strip, knuckle and fingertip bandages, butterfly closures, a gauze roll, pads and medical tape, antiseptic towelettes and antibiotic ointment, ibuprofen tablets, bandage scissors and a splinter removal tool that also is good for removing small embedded things in a tire. I think it cost me around $10 on sale. Thankfully i haven't needed to use any of it.

eta....they seem to still have it but it's $13.50 now. in my front bag it takes up 2 inches of space on its edge.

[Helene2013]

I will order something from rei for tiny packs. Better than a tube of polysporin. I'll check at our drugstores to see if they have some boxes of items and I could get enough for the 4 bikes.

My calf is so much better tonight. I am able to remove the gauze/taping to let it dry some. But still need to keep the steri strip there for that one hole.

I must have good system to hesl so quickly.

Here's a pic of after bath. Its the calf but sideways...sorry if pic is flipped. Don't know how to flip on tablet.



Just looking at pic on internet and it looks worst than in real life.

[Helene2013]

I was able to remove the steri stip yesterday. But it is very fragile and it still bleed just a tiny bit so a plaster is back on that only hole. I don't see any infection (yippee) so far but all but 2 of the holes are sore when I press on them. It will take time to heal and it will certainly leave a scar. Not the end of the world...If I go missing one day, they will be looking for a right leg with such scars from a road bike. haha

I wonder when I could start applying Vitamin E on it to help the scar feel/seem less visible.

Anyway, I did order that cog chain protector today from Taiwan. So expect to see it home in a month. Of course I ordered something pinkish to match my wheels. Worth the 14$US if it is going to save my legs from more tattooing. haha

[ny biker]

I should get that first aid kit from REI. Currently I just keep some band-aids in a zip-loc bag.

Helene, I'm glad it's healing and that it is not as bad as it looks in the photo.