Ah. Here we are finally reaching that point in the year where the weather has warmed for most of the nation to actually say that summer is here. The majority of kids are out of school, or at least close, and the camping season is in full swing. The once muddy trails have become alluring to those wanderers and hikers who quite simply just enjoy the time out of doors. And with this time of year come a new host of critters being born and the brigades of creep crawly things that many people dread each year. One of those that seem to have a repulsive reaction is the woodtick. Yes, that blood-sucking little demon that lives merely to feast on blood whether from human or animal and relishes in the action of gorging itself until it's nearly ready to explode. Man, you just have to love summer!
One of the main fears of the woodtick isn't actually the idea of having this nuisance crawling on you. Well, there are those folks that completely go spastic when they see a tick but that's a different breed altogether. It's the disease that can be attributed to the connection. Lyme disease is a very real possibility in some areas that have higher than average numbers of cases reported. So just what is Lyme disease?
As I looked down at the young man lying on the forest floor, I could see the pain in his dark eyes. His skin color was pale, his words were mixture of fear and anxiety, and his breathing was rapid. I quickly looked around the area and determined his injury, a possible fracture of the right leg, was the result of falling from a ledge approximately six feet above us. I knew, from the symptoms, he was suffering from shock. Shock is a condition that results when the circulation of blood is inadequate for the oxygen needs of the body's tissues. What this means in a nutshell is a lack of oxygen to cells, which may result in cell death, and eventually it could lead to the death of the casualty.
Knowing the importance of reassuring the victim, I kneeled and spoke in a firm but kind voice to him. I kept talking to him as I determined his right leg appeared to be broken. I joked with him a little as I started treating his injury. I assured him that help was on the way, asked him about his pain, and eventually got him to talking about his new child. My goals of take charge, assess, and assure, had been met. Three days later I past him in the building we worked in. He had survived.
Ah. Here we are finally reaching that point in the year where the weather has warmed for most of the nation to actually say that summer is here. The majority of kids are out of school, or at least close, and the camping season is in full swing. The once muddy trails have become alluring to those wanderers and hikers who quite simply just enjoy the time out of doors. And with this time of year come a new host of critters being born and the brigades of creep crawly things that many people dread each year. One of those that seem to have a repulsive reaction is the woodtick. Yes, that blood-sucking little demon that lives merely to feast on blood whether from human or animal and relishes in the action of gorging itself until it's nearly ready to explode. Man, you just have to love summer!
As I looked down at the young man lying on the forest floor, I could see the pain in his dark eyes. His skin color was pale, his words were mixture of fear and anxiety, and his breathing was rapid. I quickly looked around the area and determined his injury, a possible fracture of the right leg, was the result of falling from a ledge approximately six feet above us. I knew, from the symptoms, he was suffering from shock. Shock is a condition that results when the circulation of blood is inadequate for the oxygen needs of the body's tissues. What this means in a nutshell is a lack of oxygen to cells, which may result in cell death, and eventually it could lead to the death of the casualty.