Burn Awareness Week

By Nurse Diane

June 1st:

Just moved to Texas!

Now this is a state that knows how to live!!

Beautiful sunny days and warm balmy evenings.

What a place!

It is beautiful.

I've finally found my home.

I love it here.

June 14th:

Really heating up.

Got to 100 degrees today. Not a problem.

Live in an air-conditioned home, drive an air- conditioned car.

What a pleasure to see the sun everyday like this.

I'm turning into a sun worshipper.

June 30th:

Had the backyard landscaped with western plants today.

Lots of cactus and rocks.

What a breeze to maintain.

No more mowing the lawn for me.

Another scorcher today, but I love it here.

July 10th:

The temperature hasn't been below 100 all week.

How do people get used to this kind of heat?

At least it's kind of windy though. But getting used to the heat is taking longer than I expected.

July 15th:

Fell asleep by the community pool.

Got 3rd degree burns over 60% of my body.

Missed 3 days of work.

What a dumb thing to do.

I learned my lesson though.

Got to respect the ol' sun in a climate like this.

July 20th:

I missed my cat, Lomita, sneaking into the car when I left this morning.

By the time I got to the hot car at noon, Lomita had died and swollen up to the size of a shopping bag, then popped like a water balloon.

The car now smells like Kibbles and Shits.

I learned my lesson though.

No more pets in this heat.

Good ol' Mr. Sun strikes again..

July 25th:

The wind sucks.

It feels like a giant freaking blow dryer!!

And it's hot as hell.

The home air-conditioner is on the fritz and the AC repairman charged $200 just to drive by and tell me he needed to order parts.

July 30th:

Been sleeping outside on the patio for 3 nights now.

$225,000 house and I can't even go inside.

Lomita is the lucky one.

Why did I ever come here?

August 1st:

It's 105 degrees.

Finally got the air-conditioner fixed today.

It cost $500 and gets the temperature down to 85.

I hate this stupid state.

August 3rd:

If another wise guy cracks, 'Hot enough for you today?'

I'm going to strangle him...Damn heat.

By the time I get to work, the radiator is boiling over, my clothes are soaking wet, and I smell like baked cat!!

August 5th:

Tried to run some errands after work. Wore shorts,

When I sat on the seats in the car, I thought my butt was on fire.

My skin melted to the seat.

I lost 2 layers of flesh and all the hair on the back of my legs and butt.

Now my car smells like burnt hair, fried butt and baked cat.

Aug 6th:

The weather report might as well be a damn recording.

Hot and sunny...Hot and sunny...Hot and sunny...

And the weatherman says it might really warm up next week.

Doesn't it ever rain in this damn state?

Water rationing has been on the last six weeks.

My $1,700 worth of cactus might just dry up and blow over.

Even the cactus can't live in this damn heat.

August 8th:

Welcome to HELL!

Temperature got to 110 today. Cactus are dead.

Forgot to crack the window and blew the damn windshield out of the car.

The installer came to fix it and guess what he asked me???

"Hot enough for you today?"

August 10th

My sister had to spend $1,500 to bail me out of jail.

Freaking Texas...

What kind of a sick demented idiot would want to live here??

Will write later to let you know how the trial goes...

~ Author Unknown

Summer is a great time to be outside, There are many fun activities that you can't do during the summer months.  The family picnic and BBQ, campfires, celebration fireworks and just laying out under the sun.   These activities can also cause some serious burns, not to mention the regular routine home activities.

While most adults are aware of the temperatures associated with cooking and heaters, young children are not.  They are curious, and want to explore new and different things in their surroundings. It is important to remember that children, especially those ages 4 and under, may not perceive danger, have less control of their environment, may lack the ability to escape a life-threatening burn situation and may not be able to tolerate the physical stress of a burn injury.

According to safekids.org, Please keep a careful watch on small children especially around the BBQ or campfire, make sure they are a safe distance away, and there is no gas nearby.

Every day, 352 children ages 19 and under are injured as a result of a fire or burn-related cause.

Among children under 5 years of age, scalds or contact burns are responsible for 90 percent of burn injuries.

Children have thinner skin than adults, which can result in a more severe, burn.

The most common places children experience scalds are in the kitchen or dining rooms and in the bathrooms.

The maximum recommended residential water temperature is 120˚F (48˚C).

Their site lists some safety tips for you to follow in the kitchen and bathroom.  They include:

KITCHEN AND HOT FOOD

Keep children at least 3 feet from hot appliances, pots, pans or food.

Use spill-resistant mugs when drinking hot liquids around children.

Avoid using tablecloths or anything a child can pull on and cause hot food to spill.

When cooking, use back burners and keep pot handles turned towards the back of the stove.

Always tuck cords from appliances where children cannot reach them.

Never hold a child when cooking something hot.

Test and stir all food before serving children to make sure it is cool enough to eat.

Supervise children closely when they are in or near the kitchen.

BATHROOM

Always test the bath water with your hand before bathing children.

When children are in or near the bath, watch them closely checking the water temperature frequently.

If you are unable to control the temperature that comes out of your faucet, install special tub spouts or shower heads that can shut off the flow of water when it gets too hot.

Sunscreen is also a must have for the summer months!   Make sure you limit your time outside to only a few hours, use plenty of sunscreen, check the SPF level, the higher the better and wear hats or long sleeves if possible.  Stay in the shade as much as you can, and drink plenty of liquids!

This week, and every week, keep these tips in mind to prevent any accidental burns or scalding, and keep yourself and family safe.