No pencil? No pen?

[Neos2]

While I wouldn't be too happy to note someone had signed their log entry in some sort of bodily fluid/matter, I wonder what people who are so upset at this notion would do should they come across a stranger who was bleeding after an accident? Would you help? Or would you just call 911 and not touch anything for fear of contracting a disease?

I would put on the non-latex synthethic gloves I keep in my first aid box or my caching bag and help them.

 

The Red Cross recommends you keep some sort of barrier between you and an open wound on another person while performing first aid--to protect the injured person as well as to protect yourself. Secondary infections after major injuries can cause a lot of unneccesary tissue damage or even death in people who would be otherwise easily treated. Your chances of contracting a blood born disease are much higher when someone is actively bleeding than just coming in contact with partially dried blood.

 

According to the Red Cross: Medical grade gloves and gauze are the first choice to staunch heavy bleeding. A clean cloth is the next best thing to use. My trainer suggested that in a real pinch, you can always place the injured person's unbloodied hand over the wound, while you apply pressure to their hand.

 

And as sad as it sounds, I'd recommend to anyone who would stop to render physical aid that they be familiar with basic first aid and hope they were in a state that had strong Good Samaritan Laws.

[+ThePetersTrio]

Yes - I know all about universal precautions, thank you. I am an RN.

 

And I also carry protective barriers along with me on the job, in my car, even geocaching. But sometimes life has a funny way of throwing instances at you where you aren't always prepared.

 

A few years back, my husband and I were coming home from an anniversary dinner. I was dressed up, didn't have my work stuff with me. He was driving thus my first aid kit was not in his car. We happened upon a MVA vs. pedestrian. The pedestrian was bleeding profusely from a head wound. I applied pressure even though I didn't have gloves on and was exposed to his blood.

 

Was I concerned? You bet. I found out a week later he was negative for HIV and Hepatitis. Would I do it again? In a freakin' heartbeat. Everyone has to decide for themselves, I guess. But I wasn't going to let this guy bleed out before the EMTs arrived.

 

We can't always control everything in life. We can minimize the risks but ultimately none of us are going to be 100 percent safe 100 percent of the time.

[BakuraFam]

I have to admit that I am very entertained by this thread.

 

Out of curiosity, how many of you have frequented a third world country for more than a few months? I am curious how you would deal with "hygiene" there.

[+keatingclan]

So you forgot your pencil and/or pen again. Have you used the quill pen and ink method with ink that your body own body produces in massive amounts that just so happens to have the shade of red? My wife seems to think the idea is insane. What about you? How about a pseudo GC poll...

• Done it.
  
• Thought about it.
  
• Haven't done it or thought of it.
  
• You're a sicko!
  

 

Blood, no. Mud, yes.

[+joranda]

I know a cacher that used pigeon poo.

[+gof1]

I know a cacher that used pigeon poo.

 

Tell 'em to please not find any of my caches thank you.

[+Team Black-Cat]

There has been an occasion or two where I had to sign the log psycically.

[knowschad]

So you forgot your pencil and/or pen again. Have you used the quill pen and ink method with ink that your body own body produces in massive amounts that just so happens to have the shade of red? My wife seems to think the idea is insane. What about you? How about a pseudo GC poll...

• Done it.
  
• Thought about it.
  
• Haven't done it or thought of it.
  
• You're a sicko!
  

 

Polls are not allowed here without permission...

 

... but anyway

 

Sumac berrys boiled together with the root and bark will make a great blue-black ink. "Inkeys" or "Shaggy Mane" mushrooms, put into a jar and allowed to sit for a couple of days will make a fine, although very smelly ink. Walnut bark can be boiled for a yellowish brown ink. But if you want red ink, here in Minnesota, all you need to do is to swat a mosquito.

[+Rattlebars]

Ummm, call me Howard Hughes (or Howie Mandel for that matter) but I ALWAYS have a pen with me. I don't use the pen at the drugstore to sign the waiver, I use my own. How many sick people have stopped by there to get drugs? I also press the keys on ATM's with it, and press the buttons at the checkout DEBIT swiper with it. I really HATE stores (like Target) that force you to use their pen to sign off on credit or even debit. I use my own pen to sign credit slips at the restaurant.

 

I've always got at least one pen with me at all times geocaching or not. Mostly it's a mini G2 Gel pen (4 for $4 at WallyWorld). Short, writes great, clicker so you can push buttons with it retracted, fits in your pocket real nice. But, no, I'm not OCD or anything like that - I ride quads, geocache, canoe, fish - lots of stuff that gets you dirty. My wife gets 2-3 colds a year. I MIGHT get one. I think it works.

 

G2 Mini Gel pens

 

Knuckle Knock it Dawg

Edited May 15, 2008 by Rattlebars

[+Krieg's Bones]

Yes - I know all about universal precautions, thank you. I am an RN.

 

And I also carry protective barriers along with me on the job, in my car, even geocaching. But sometimes life has a funny way of throwing instances at you where you aren't always prepared.

 

A few years back, my husband and I were coming home from an anniversary dinner. I was dressed up, didn't have my work stuff with me. He was driving thus my first aid kit was not in his car. We happened upon a MVA vs. pedestrian. The pedestrian was bleeding profusely from a head wound. I applied pressure even though I didn't have gloves on and was exposed to his blood.

 

Was I concerned? You bet. I found out a week later he was negative for HIV and Hepatitis. Would I do it again? In a freakin' heartbeat. Everyone has to decide for themselves, I guess. But I wasn't going to let this guy bleed out before the EMTs arrived.

 

We can't always control everything in life. We can minimize the risks but ultimately none of us are going to be 100 percent safe 100 percent of the time.

 

Not really my business, but your thought touched a cord in me. While I am glad that you were there to help the unfortunate person and I honestly hope you recieved some sort of recognition for your effort and risk, please do not fail to realise that everyone did not make the personal choice you made to become an RN. We can not control all risk in life but helping a bleeding stranger on the street, in my opinion, is akin to russian roulette. My child deserves more from her Father than that. The cold hard fact is that the stranger you helped was the one with the risk control problem. Everyone has choices.

 

BTW, I would not sign a log signed in blood either.

Edited May 15, 2008 by Krieg's Bones

[+ThePetersTrio]

Yes - I know all about universal precautions, thank you. I am an RN.

 

And I also carry protective barriers along with me on the job, in my car, even geocaching. But sometimes life has a funny way of throwing instances at you where you aren't always prepared.

 

A few years back, my husband and I were coming home from an anniversary dinner. I was dressed up, didn't have my work stuff with me. He was driving thus my first aid kit was not in his car. We happened upon a MVA vs. pedestrian. The pedestrian was bleeding profusely from a head wound. I applied pressure even though I didn't have gloves on and was exposed to his blood.

 

Was I concerned? You bet. I found out a week later he was negative for HIV and Hepatitis. Would I do it again? In a freakin' heartbeat. Everyone has to decide for themselves, I guess. But I wasn't going to let this guy bleed out before the EMTs arrived.

 

We can't always control everything in life. We can minimize the risks but ultimately none of us are going to be 100 percent safe 100 percent of the time.

 

Not really my business, but your thought touched a cord in me. While I am glad that you were there to help the unfortunate person and I honestly hope you recieved some sort of recognition for your effort and risk, please do not fail to realise that everyone did not make the personal choice you made to become an RN. We can not control all risk in life but helping a bleeding stranger on the street, in my opinion, is akin to russian roulette. My child deserves more from her Father than that. The cold hard fact is that the stranger you helped was the one with the risk control problem. Everyone has choices.

 

BTW, I would not sign a log signed in blood either.

 

Yes - and that is exactly why I said that everyone has to decide for themselves.

[+bettsbugs]

A few cachers around this area are notorious for forgetting writing implements. After harassing one team for it, I went through a period of time where I too didn't seem to have anything to sign the log with upon finding the micro/nano. I either used a 'button' to scratch BB into the paper or made a small tear on the log sheet followed by a description on my online log. This verified to the owner that I had indeed found the cache. The funny part about it is that the next cacher would usually fill in my name for me and make a comment that he had to sign for me AGAIN on his online log.

 

The purpose of signing is to verify that you had indeed visited the cache. If you can verify a triangle tear or a pin hole or a charcoal scratch X on the log sheet in your log, then it verifies you were there.

 

It is not necessary to use bodily fluids to do so!

[+Krieg's Bones]

Yes - I know all about universal precautions, thank you. I am an RN.

 

And I also carry protective barriers along with me on the job, in my car, even geocaching. But sometimes life has a funny way of throwing instances at you where you aren't always prepared.

 

A few years back, my husband and I were coming home from an anniversary dinner. I was dressed up, didn't have my work stuff with me. He was driving thus my first aid kit was not in his car. We happened upon a MVA vs. pedestrian. The pedestrian was bleeding profusely from a head wound. I applied pressure even though I didn't have gloves on and was exposed to his blood.

 

Was I concerned? You bet. I found out a week later he was negative for HIV and Hepatitis. Would I do it again? In a freakin' heartbeat. Everyone has to decide for themselves, I guess. But I wasn't going to let this guy bleed out before the EMTs arrived.

 

We can't always control everything in life. We can minimize the risks but ultimately none of us are going to be 100 percent safe 100 percent of the time.

 

Not really my business, but your thought touched a cord in me. While I am glad that you were there to help the unfortunate person and I honestly hope you recieved some sort of recognition for your effort and risk, please do not fail to realise that everyone did not make the personal choice you made to become an RN. We can not control all risk in life but helping a bleeding stranger on the street, in my opinion, is akin to russian roulette. My child deserves more from her Father than that. The cold hard fact is that the stranger you helped was the one with the risk control problem. Everyone has choices.

 

BTW, I would not sign a log signed in blood either.

 

Yes - and that is exactly why I said that everyone has to decide for themselves.

 

Point well made And please do understand that I am glad there are still people, like yourself, in the world with the training and willingness to help.

[+gearhedd]

Well I have used bark , burnt stick, heard of others posting I have left a mark beside so and so's name.

 

But don't tell anyone else this, must if not all cache owners including myself don't go and check to see and compare logbook to cache page. We may check to see if some one has wrote "found the cache lying near GZ but just the pen lid was there" This happened to me, I made a homemade nano out of a flashing magnet and metal pen lid that fit water tite, so they read the cache page, never took a look at the pic of the actual cache. And when they saw a blue pen lid gave up looking. But they logged a find for the cache they never found and never wrote in any logbook. If in fact it was the cache destroyed I would have let them log a find.

 

As a cache owner I have pencils in every cache except nano caches any other cache has room for a pencil.

I have appriecated cachers that repaired caches , replaced leaky caches, remove trash, add a pen/pencil, and I have done the same. You can buy 10-12 pencils for a buck, easy to slip in a cache that has none. Cut one in three to two parts for micros.