A more realistic health bar

[liam]

     I have noted that with first aid all you need to do is treat yourself and sometimes get some rest but that is not quite right. Let me give an example: a sprang ankle. With this all you need to do in-game is take a painkiller or get some rest but in real life it can take days or even weeks to heal so two hours of rest would not help and all a painkiller would only stop pain for a few hours.

     Speaking of painkillers if you get hurt with several injures some may need a pain killer to help. But you may have to take more or less for how much you were hurt. This means you may have to take enough to overdose in real life which is totally waste of painkillers in game and is unrealistic because you would only have to take maybe two which would take care of everything painful.

     Also you never have to clean your hands which is an easy way to get an infection in real life if you are handling wounds. There is much more but I don't know enough about first aid to add on. I'm sure I'm not the first person to post something like this but I just want it to change. 

[Patrick Carlson]

1 hour ago, liam said:

     I have noted that with first aid all you need to do is treat yourself and sometimes get some rest but that is not quite right. Let me give an example: a sprang ankle. With this all you need to do in-game is take a painkiller or get some rest but in real life it can take days or even weeks to heal so two hours of rest would not help and all a painkiller would only stop pain for a few hours.

     Speaking of painkillers if you get hurt with several injures some may need a pain killer to help. But you may have to take more or less for how much you were hurt. This means you may have to take enough to overdose in real life which is totally waste of painkillers in game and is unrealistic because you would only have to take maybe two which would take care of everything painful.

     Also you never have to clean your hands which is an easy way to get an infection in real life if you are handling wounds. There is much more but I don't know enough about first aid to add on. I'm sure I'm not the first person to post something like this but I just want it to change. 

Hi Liam, thanks for your feedback. To understand where you're coming from, how do you imagine infections from handling wounds taking place? That when bandaging, there is a chance for a secondary infection? Interesting idea.  

[hauteecolerider]

Actually, infections in wounds typically occur when the wound isn't cleaned first prior to bandaging. 

The worst wound infections are caused by anaerobic bacteria, which thrive in airless environments. That means bandaging a wound without cleaning it first. That is the value of an antiseptic application first.

The best first aid is, of course, cleaning with warm, sterile (read boiled) water. In the absence of it, diluted hydrogen peroxide is also helpful, especially as it introduces oxygen into the depths of the wound and inhibits those anaerobic beasties. However, too much peroxide is damaging to the tissue, as that oxygen is in the form of free radicals. And many of us have heard how bad free radicals are for us! 

Washing hands first before treating wounds is basic first aid as well, since it avoids introducing more bacteria, especially the opportunistic kind that typically dwells on skin (think Staph infections).

In game, though, the first thing is controlling blood loss. Treatment of infection can come later, when one is safe by the fire and has boiled water handy. Then would be a good time to wash one's hands, apply the antiseptic, and change to the old man's beard dressing. I think the way the game handles the potential for infection is pretty close to reality, enough so that I'm happy with it (and I'm a doctor!).

That said, what peeves me is that I have to take two painkillers for a sprained ankle, then take two more for a sprained wrist. What if I have four sprains at once (it did happen to me!)? I'm supposed to take EIGHT of the damn ibuprofen at once?? Oh, my poor kidneys can't take that too much!

Now, for less severe sprains, why can't I just wrap the affected limb in a plain bandage? I mean, the old ACE bandage was (and still is) a standby in my medicine cabinet for those minor twists and turns I used to get all the time working around horses. I would imagine that it would help stabilize the joint until I got home and into bed . . .

I would also like to see the painkillers and the antibiotics (and the medicinal teas, too) have a duration of action, during which it will heal already incurred injuries and cure or at least alleviate new injuries that occur while the drug is still working.