A Graze, a Gash and a bit of Gore

I've had my fair share of cuts and bruises. Growing up I was determined to do everything that my brother did, whether it was climbing trees or riding motorbikes. Not only was I determined to be a part of the action, but I often wanted to be better than him. (It's no wonder my boys are so competitive with each other!) On special occasions when Mum and Dad took us out for dinner we would often have post meal sprint races. Out the front of the restaurant on the footpaths we'd keep ourselves entertained. I remember the infamous night I was nearly beaten, that was the night that I decided I was too mature for these types of silly childish antics. He never did beat me and surprisingly over the years I have never broken a bone (touch wood!).

My body, however, does have a few scars with some very interesting tales to go with them. When we are injured our first instinct in seeing blood is to put pressure on the wound. You don't need to do a first aid course to know to do that. I often say in my courses that a lot of first aid is just that ...  common sense. Three things you do need to know when dealing with wounds are:

Pressure + Elevation + Immobilisation

A graze in general is a scrape of the skin that causes little or no bleeding. These can be cleaned up with some saline solution or just some clean running water. No blood a 'kiss it better' approach often does wonders. A little blood and a bandaid may be required. My little ones love the coloured variety and super heroes at the moment.

A gash is usually a bit bigger and can be along the lines of a long, deep slash or cut. In this case you need to put pressure on the wound asap. If possible clean the wound. If not then ideally put a sterile dressing or pad on the site and then bandage securely with a crepe or some type of wound dressing. Elevate the body part and try to not move it unecessary. Seek medical assistance as soon as possible.

Couple of extra tips:
- Consider the use of disposable gloves, they should be on the top of your first aid kit
- A little TLC goes a long way, slowing the heart rate and therefore reducing the blood loss
- If bleeding continues through the dressing then apply another on top of the one already there

Some people are not so great with the sight of blood. My Dad for instance will faint with the first sign of his own blood. Although, he is the first to help and get in there to put pressure on someone elses' wound. In an emergency situation he is the man you want to have nearby and ready to deal with any situation.

As a Mum I've had a few of the 'you're the parent now' moments. A couple of years ago I was riding my bike with number one son sitting in a seat on the back. We went over some pretty hairy terrain and well, we ended up toppling over. I had a split second where I lay on the ground waiting for my Dad, or anyone, to help me up and deal with my wounds. Realisation hit and I had to quickly suck it up, laugh it off and say wow that was fun before my son lost it. Of course there are no secrets in our house and the little man (who was not injured by the way) couldn't wait to tell his Dad how we had a spill. I dealt with my own wounds as soon as I could and then my bruised ego sometime later. In hindsight I'm quite happy no one was there to see it.

~ V ~