r/preppers • u/Capstonelock • 1d ago

Prepping for Tuesday Home medical equipment

I just purchased a commercial heart monitor because I seem to have developed a new heart condition on top of my existing one. The doctor suggested the device since it can give me an ECG anywhere, at any time, so is our best chance of diagnosing it.

The monitor will join my blood pressure monitor, blood sugar monitor, thermometers and pulse oximeter in my arsenal of medical supplies. These have already helped prevent a couple of ER trips, helped with phone doctor's consults, and even led to diagnoses (aspiration pneumonia, brachycardia and emphysema, in another family member).

I would love to expand my kit, and was wondering if anyone has come across other useful home medical devices that I might not have considered?

Edited to remove brand. Edit 2. Apologies everyone, I don't seem to have permission to reply to comments, but I'm grateful for all the suggestions.

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u/Extension-Snow-265 1d ago

The most useful thing I added to my kit wasn't gear at all, it was training. I took a wilderness first aid course a couple years back and it completely reshaped what I carry, because I realized I'd never be able to use half the fancy stuff under stress. I'd look into a Stop the Bleed class if there's one near you, most are free or close to it and a single day teaches you more than any monitor will.

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u/Capstonelock 20h ago

I work in the wilderness (Australian outback) so I keep up to date in remote first aid. Health crises often seem to crop up when you're in the middle of nowhere. My heart condition first occurred on a remote tropical island and another time I got shingles on an 11 day field trip 3.5 hrs from the nearest tiny town. But things also happen at home. We have pretty long wait times at our ERs so I find the extra equipment really useful to determine whether something is really an emergency, and also to give information to the doctor over the phone. The good thing about this new device is that I can take it with me when I work remotely (it's small). If I'm in a tiny town or at a mine camp, I can just send a 30 second ECG back to the city.