Sometimes, the unplanned situation happens, and you need to take immediate action to sabotage the situation or even make the situation not worsen. That is why it is called first aid.
However, many of us fail to learn the basics of these things and end up losing our loved ones that could’ve been saved. I had two cases of severe diarrhoea that would’ve been fatal if not for early intervention. Even though we ended up spending more than we bargained, it was worth it because my beloveds are still alive, hale and hearty and we can chat and laugh about the situation now.
I was at the hospital two weeks ago with a friend who had suffered diarrhoea for 24 hours. He was alone at home even though he stays with his family, but for some reasons, he was the only at home the day the diarrhoea decided to show up.
At first, it was supposed to be something not-so-serious until he visited the men’s countless times until he was almost lifeless. Actually, he got strengthless which was not surprising at all. He has lost too much fluids from his body. The diarrhoea didn’t stop even when he was out of strength, so he had to crawl to use the toilet else, his body would be messed up with poo.
They called a nurse who was supposed to be an expert, and what she administered was an injection that would stop the diarrhoea. I was livid when I heard that because even though I am not in the medical field, I know for sure that the first thing to do for someone that’s out of strength as a result of diarrhoea is to refill the fluids and electrolytes lost in the body, so I insisted we visited the hospital.
When I saw my friend, a well-built man looked so strengthless that to even smile was a challenge for him. On getting to the hospital, we reported the situation and immediately, the nurses swung into action even before the doctor arrived.
They set him up in a ward and started the fluids infusion immediately. When the doctor returned and I explained the situation, he said, the next time this happens, there’s a first aid treatment you should give because the situation could’ve been fatal.
My nephew also suffered the same and when they took him to the hospital, they administered medications when they should first of, return the electrolytes he had lost. I was livid when I learned that he was convulsing and very hot that they had to visit another hospital very far from their home where they swung into action and administered the necessary medications.
According to the doctor who attended to my friend, he said, the ORS medication has the necessary electrolytes to replace the one the individual could’ve lost because of diarrhoea, so the best thing to do is to buy a sachet of the ORS medication, pour it in a 75cl bottle and give it to the diarrhoea infected individual per episode.
According to him, the ORS medication has all that’s needed to stop the diarrhoea and make sure the individual doesn’t lose fluid as much until he gets to the hospital. That way, a life will be saved.
Knowing simple first aid measures like using ORS can save the lives of the people around you including yours. I hope we get to not ignore the need to learn first aid treatments simply because “we are not in the medical line”.
Image was edited on Canva.