WARNING – do not watch this video if you don’t like seeing needles or blood! 

This is real life stitching (Suturing) on a real patient.

Children hear all the time – “Don’t do that, you’ll hurt yourself” but do they really know what it means if they hurt themselves?

Today our children got to experience what they would have to endure if they did hurt themselves, not just on the boat but ever. 

One of our fellow cruisers cut his foot really badly whilst out surfing. Luckily we have all the kit on board to deal with wounds. In times like these the last thing you want to do is go and sit in foreign emergency rooms and put your self at risk of contracting more than just a cut foot.

Before we left for this adventure I did a very comprehensive Ships Doctors Medical Course, which taught me suture and wound closure techniques. The course involved us actually doing the sutures but fortunately not on a real patient.

Fortunately for Charlie the surfer, there is also a Spanish ER nurse in our anchorage. So instead of subjecting him to my inexperienced hands, we called Anabel over to do the job. It also gave me a fantastic refresher on what to do if it ever happens to us whilst we have no help to hand.

We first cleaned the wound.

Then gave Charlie an anaesthetic.

Anabel then proceeded to insert 12 sutures in the very large and deep cut.

Charlie was also given a course of antibiotics to take just in case of infection setting in.

Our boys Dylan 13 and Nathan 9 were very interested in the procedure, and happily sat through the entire thing.

It’s not very often that children get hands on real life learning like this!

Hopefully it has also taught them what happens when you really hurt yourself, and that Mum and Dad are not just being nags and fun spoilers.

All in all it was a good exercise –  not for Charlie but for all of us. 

Anabel also got to practise her profession which she is missing!

Charlies foot is now healing and the sutures will be removed in a few days time.