Give the gift of preparedness (holiday gift ideas from some of our partners and affiliates)

Do you sometimes struggle to find a holiday gift for some people … or maybe you’d like to show family and friends how much you care about their safety? Consider giving the gift of preparedness!

The past two years have reinforced the need for people to always have some basic supplies on hand in case of an emergency or empty shelves. And there various things available that could help your loved ones when there is no power or water for a short or extended period of time.  

Preparedness is a mindset so the more you can introduce these types of tools and thought processes into conversations with family and friends, hopefully the more they will think about the “what if” scenarios that may happen where they live.

Below are some prep tools we use / like and we’d love to hear your suggestions or feedback on preferred items via email or on our Facebook page.

Please note, some links are with affiliates meaning Fedhealth may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you, but proceeds benefit the U.S. First Responders Association.

The U. S. First Responders Association’s custom Family Preparedness and First Aid ebook can help you get prepared for, respond to, and recover from most types of emergencies and disasters including floods, infectious diseases, wildfires, winter storms, active shooter scenarios and more. The 286-pg PDF ebook is only $5.00 (~ 70% off) and proceeds benefit USFRA and their programs supporting Fire/EMS, Law Enforcement, 911/Dispatch, K9s and veterans. Learn more on USFRA.org

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A low cost and fun option is to fill little baskets, stockings, gift boxes, tubs or small backpacks with some practical items from a dollar store with items like flashlights, batteries, pocket sized ponchos or emergency blankets, hand warmers, light sticks, mini first aid kits, keychain with light or tool, mittens or gloves, socks, snacks, candy, stuffed toy, games or playing cards, first aid items and more. It’s a great way to get the conversation about preparedness started and hopefully encourages people to make full kits.

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4Patriots carries a very cool Patriot Power Cell that can keep your devices ON when your lights go out. This pocket-sized “power plant” can be used every day or while camping or even during a blackout. It has a built-in solar panel, 2 USB ports so you can charge two devices at once and the ruggedized design repels water and protects against drops. Built-in flashlight to help you see your way at night and more for under $30 – or get 4 for $99 and free freight! Learn more about Patriot Power cell here … and find other power and solar products here plus RV and camping stuff, water purification, Survival Food, tools, seeds and more on 4patriots.com

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If you or a loved one has sleep apnea, you understand the importance of using a CPAP. But CPAP machines require electricity which can be a problem if you lose power during a storm or you like to camp outdoors. One option is a portable battery to power your machine, and they can run about $300 to $700+. Another CPAP backup solution is a portable battery power station that is quiet and safe enough to use indoors for under $200. MAXOAK has several clean power solutions including power stations, solar panels and more at maxoak.net

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Poo-Pourri – We love the crap outta this stuff! RVers (and others) swear by this deodorizing toilet spray and once we tried it, we were totally hooked – esp. in our 300+ sf motorhome. Poo-Pourri has really expanded their products and scent options since we first started using it many years ago, and we have only used the Original Citrus since it works fine for us and is the most popular.

All Poo~Pourri Before-You-Go Toilet Spray products are comprised of essential oils and other natural compounds that are scientifically formulated to trap bathroom odors before they ever begin. Spritz the Bowl Before You Go and No One Else Will Ever Know! Check out their line of festive holiday scents like Apple Cider, Pumpkin Spice, Seasons Seatings, Berry Bum Bum, Oh Spritzmas Tree and all their other toilet sprays, new home sprays, gift sets and more at Poopourri.com

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VetCare’s QuickDERM, a product that has been on the market and widely available to veterinarians for over 11 years, provides a moisture-retaining protective barrier that impacts inflammation and promotes rapid healing for ALL animals that have slight to severe wounds and skin conditions. The technology behind QuickDerm was first introduced for human health applications for hard-to-heal wounds, including burns, skin irritations, abrasions and cuts. (We personally used it after I got bit twice on my face by a black widow while sleeping 2 years ago.) Learn more about QuickDERM for your pets and livestock at https://vetcare.us/

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The Survival Mom’s 2022 Prepping Calendar is now available and chock-full of over 180 prepping tips and To Do tasks so you’ll know what to stock up on and how to save money on preps. TSM’s Book of the Month includes some titles that teach a survival mindset in entertaining, fictional formats. Lisa’s 2022 Prepping Calendar is available in print and/or digital format on thesurvivalmom.com. Also visit The Survival Mom’s Thrive Life store to find tasty, healthy, convenient freeze dried food that doesn’t go bad long term at www.thrivelife.com/survivalmom

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Some other great companies that provide a wide variety of preparedness kits, water purification, food, tools, gear and more include…

American Family Safety offers Preparedness and Survival Kits, Safety and Sanitation kits and more at AmericanFamilySafety.com

Gluten Free Mall offers hundreds of brands and items to choose from including baking mixes, frozen meals, snacks, cereals – they even carry select vitamins, personal care items, and household cleaners. Best of all, it’s all guaranteed gluten free! Visit Glutenfreemall.com

Legacy Food Storage provides families and individuals with high quality, freeze-dried foods that have up a 25 year- long shelf life, along with various types of survival gear at Legacyfoodstorage.com

Practical Preppers carries many preparedness and off-grid items including Big Berkey and other water purification options , long term storage foods, sanitation, medical, cooking and other products at PracticalPreppers.com 

Survival Frog has the handy Lifestraw and other water purification tools , Backup power and radios, food, gear and much more at SurvivalFrog.com

Consider giving the gift of preparedness this holiday season and year round with our preparedness and basic first aid book or ebook – learn more at www.fedhealth.net

Subconjunctival hemorrhage (it looks worse than it is … plus first aid tips for other eye injuries)

Last Tuesday when I woke up I lightly rubbed my eye a bit since it felt like there was something in it, then when I looked in mirror I saw this red blob in the corner of my eye.

Needless to say we were a tiny bit freaked but, after Bill and I did a quick search, we learned it’s called a subconjunctival hemorrhage (sub-kun-JUNK-tih-vul HEM-uh-ruj).

According to the Mayo Clinic, a subconjunctival hemorrhage occurs when a tiny blood vessel breaks just underneath the clear surface of your eye (conjunctiva). It’s like having a bruise on your skin, but the conjunctiva can’t absorb blood very quickly, so the blood gets trapped.

Mayo goes on to say… despite its appearance, the eye bleed looks worse than it is and should cause no change in your vision, discharge or pain. The only discomfort may be a scratchy feeling on the surface of the eye.

I didn’t have any pain or swelling and the blood was only in the white part of my eye that first morning. Since then blood has spread across most of my eye. We also noticed a tiny bump by my outer eye a few days later so it’s possible it was a bug bite, but no issues or pain.

But I sure look weird – esp. with makeup on one eye and the other looks … just gross. Too bad it didn’t happen a few weeks ago since it would’ve been cool for Halloween.

Cedars-sinai.org says most people will not need any treatment and the subconjunctival hemorrhage will go away in a few weeks. It will turn from red to brown then to yellow.  

(Adding below photo on Day 14 since initial bleed – mine went from red to yellow.)

Now … since we’re on the topic of eyes, we also wanted to share some first aid tips about Eye Injuries in general from our preparedness and first aid manual.

Things to watch for…

Severe or constant pain or burning

Object stuck in the eye (like a piece of metal or glass)

Redness and swelling

Blurry vision, trouble keeping eye open, light sensitive

Vapors or fumes in the air

What to do…

• Avoid rubbing eye since this can cause more damage.

• Have victim sit down with their head tilted backwards.

• Wash hands before touching eye area.

• If injury is from a chemical, make a note of the name for Poison Control if possible.

If the injury is a loose foreign object:

• Gently separate eyelids to see if you can locate a foreign object – can try removing it by wiping gently with damp tissue.

• Ask victim if he/she wears contact lenses, and if so, ask him or her to remove them.

• Have victim lean over sink or lie on back, hold eye open, and gently flush eye with lukewarm water or a saline solution.

• Get medical help if you are not successful.

If there is an object sticking out of the eye:

• Put thick soft pads around the object that is sticking out.

• DO NOT try to remove or press on the object!

• Carefully wrap with a roller bandage to hold thick pads around the object.

• Get medical attention immediately!

If injury is from a blow to the eye:

• Apply an icepack to reduce pain and swelling.

• Seek medical attention if damage to eye or blurred vision.

If the injury is from a chemical:

• Call your local Poison Control Center (or 1-800-222-1222 in the U.S.) and have name of chemical handy, if possible.

• If victim is wearing contact lenses, ask Poison Control if they should be removed and whether to keep or dispose of them! If okay and able to take out, ask victim to remove lenses.

• Have victim lean over sink, lie down, or get in shower – hold eye(s) open, and gently flush with lukewarm water for at least 15 minutes. (If only one eye has chemical in it, make sure head is turned so it doesn’t pour into the other eye.)

• Tell victim to roll eyeball(s) around while flushing to wash entire eye.

• DO NOT press or rub the eyes!

• May want to cover eyes with clean dressing & bandages but ask Poison Control or check label on bottle. For example, if chemical is mustard gas (sulfur mustard) you should not cover eyes … but wear shades to protect them.

• Get medical attention immediately!

Things you should NOT do…

• DO NOT try to remove an object that is stuck into the eye!

• DO NOT try to remove their contacts (if any)… let the victim do it!

• DO NOT try to move the eyeball if it comes out of the socket!

Things you SHOULD do…

• Protect your eyes with safety glasses or goggles when playing sports or working with tools or chemicals … and wear shades during the day (to help reduce UV exposure).

• When an eye injury occurs, have an ophthalmologist (an eye physician and surgeon) examine it as soon as possible. You may not be realize how serious an injury is at first.

Find more first aid and preparedness tips in USFRA’s Family Preparedness and First Aid ebook (288-page PDF only $5) and download a free 68-pg portion of it at www.usfra.org/fedhealth (Proceeds benefit the U.S. First Responders Association and our nation’s heroes.)

Stay safe ~ j & B