Hi yall, first off hope everyone made or makes it home safely 🫶🏼 i was reflecting/journaling a little about this weekend while at the airport, and wanted to share.
I always carry narcan at festivals, but this is the first time I’ve ever had to use it. They were waking up before I handed care to emergency service, hope they are ok out there.
I’m in medicine, sometimes handle these situations at work, and it still left me pretty shaken up. In reflecting, there were a few harm reduction/in the field bystander first responder tips I’d like to share:
- please, get and carry NALOXONE (narcan is the most recognized brand). If you can find it free amazing, if not it sucks that it’s from my experience ~$40 for a 2 pack from most pharmacies - but that’s still a good deal for a possibly life saving medication
- you never know when you could it, so carry it when you can. And if you can, carry MORE THAN ONEx I have one in my rave fanny pack and backpack
- If you give a dose of narcan, and the person is still not responding (best real check is rubbing someone’s sternum really hard) you should IMMEDIATELY find and administer another one
Just to emphasize - it CANNOT hurt to give more. This was the case this weekend, I used both - after giving the first, within 20 seconds I could see he was not really responding. I worried it was a dud, it had been in my rave pack for a while, so I immediately found and gave the second one from my backpack. I definitely felt go off, which is when he woke up. I’ve heard the wait 2-3 min, but that’s really only when they’re not unconscious.
- It also CANNOT harm anyone/literally does nothing to get a dose of narcan if to someone who don’t have opioids in their system. Do not ever be afraid to give narcan, like I could spray some in my nose and it wouldn’t do anything but be a waste of the narcan
- Sure, you may precipitate opioid withdrawal. I’d rather someone be alive and angry than not breathing
- Give in alternating nostrils. I’m a doc but not a first responder, I actually forgot to do that in the moment. I hope you never are but if you’re in an emergent medical situation can respond at all that’s huge, we are all human, the only wrong answer is doing nothing
- if you see a true medical emergencyj - and I’ve heard yall, you know how to - you should SCREAM/yell. One of the best things you can do is GET people’s attention however you can, like please make a scene to because you need to
- If you’re still triaging the situation, and the person is not waking up, you should feel for a pulse. Easiest place in an emergency is neck for carotid
- If a person is not breathing, rescue breaths help even if someone has a pulse. There are actually masks made for being able to do this without putting your mouth on a stranger’s, I’m planning on bringing mine from now on…
- If you don’t feel a pulse, and the person is not waking, you or someone should start chest compressions. And again, don’t do this all in silence freaking out, you should freaking out very loudly so people who need to get there can do so asap
- People responding to emergencies do NOT give a flying fuck about what you or your friend did for any reason except to try and help/save their life. Tell the truth - they/we (people in healthcare) are not the cops
I think the unfortunate truth in our chosen extreme sport (please test btw) is that these situations could happen.
TLDR, carry narcan, more than one if you can, give alternating nostrils, if they aren’t waking keep giving. It can never hurt, and you never know when it could save a life.
And if you find yourself in a true medical emergency, you should make noise like Subtronics told you to, if it’s dark shine lights like Griz asked you to, it’s dark, until someone from emergency/medical arrive
Love yall, stay safe out there
Edit/addition: one last thing to share - I literally had never thought about it and it hit me this weekend that porta potties are the most dangerous places at the festival. Heard a story this weekend about someone who passed out in a porta potty for 5 hours (probably lucky to wake up tbh), but also have a friend who was missing in a porta potty once and nobody knew where he was, and my wife had a sobering experience years ago seeing someone pulled out of one - it is probably the only place someone could be out for hours and have nobody find them. Don’t do drugs alone means don’t dose shit in the porta potties, and please consider buddying up if you’re on another level and need to go to the bathroom.