By: Lisa Schofield / s/v Lady Galadriel

Lisa Schofield / s/v Lady Galadriel — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:24:01 +0000

We, too, were very fortunate that our primary physician is well acquainted with travelers. As long as we had a meeting/exam with him once a year, he was willing to keep our first aid/med kit well stocked. In addition to several antibiotics, pain meds, seasickness medicine, allergy meds, we also had silvadene crème and other specific needs meds. He was willing to have us contact him by phone or email for advice.

We had several books, medical guides, PDR, hazardous marine life books, a large first aid kit, and superglue, as an alternative to stitches in heavy seas. We were both DAN certified O2 providers, and carried oxygen with a positive demand regulator.

I would strongly recommend that cruisers look into DAN (Diver’s Alert Network) insurance. It offers Air Assist in case evacuation is needed, and is very reasonably price.

By: Harriet

Harriet — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:23:23 +0000

Great article! Access to medical care is something we always worry about when cruising in the Bahamas. This past winter my husband got an infection from a cut on his hand. Luckily, we were still in the US. It took almost 4 months before he was fully cured. The hand surgeon in Savannah was a boater so I asked him what we should have on board for emergencies. He gave us a prescription for Epi pens and also said we should have a product called Medihoney. It’s an over-the-counter product used to help heal wounds faster. It turned out that the infection was a weird marine kind that only responds to certain antibiotics. Lesson learned was to never ignore a cut that doesn’t heal normally!

Comments on: First Aid Afloat

By: Lisa Schofield / s/v Lady Galadriel

By: Harriet