First Aid...Can you Sew up a wound?

Ralph and I are busy planning and waiting for some issues to be resolved. I have been sorting through things to keep and things to move. I have saved a lot of rags and old T shirts. I was looking at them and it made me think about first aid on the farm or in a crisis situation.

Living and Farming an hour from a Veterinary has made me learn a lot of basic animal care. having horses means I can deal with wire cuts and cuts in general..horses seem to be able to find anything sharp and hit it somehow. I can clean and disinfect a wound and I can stitch one up.

Now could I do it if Ralph got a severe cut and we were far from help or help was not available? It made me think.  I looked at the T shirts and realized they would make great bandages, soft, with enough stretch to be gentle but enough stiffness to hold an injury. I then got out our First aid kit. It is stocked with a wide range of band aids and wraps. Safety pins and disinfectant and iodine. The usual stuff. It is a well set up kit but it obviously lacks some of the more serious equipment. I can get the things I need, a good set of forceps, clamps and the like. Sterile thread or clips as well. But here is the rub...can I stick a needle through the skin of someone I love and deal with the injury and his pain?

I know I can be cool under stress, I had a horrific experience with a neighbors wife and her insane horse. We were moving cattle and he bolted with her and ran off...I was riding a young horse and it took time for me to get him up to speed to try to catch up. When I did, she had been thrown off into a barbed wire fence and then kicked. I dealt with it. She had a massive scalp wound and was in shock. No cell phones at the time and no towers anyway. I did what I had to do and got her to the emergency room almost an hour away. I was pretty shaky after that but I knew then I can do things if I have to.

Then again a friend is not the same as your partner. So I am thinking about it and now I know I need to learn more about human physiology and structure.
I have talked to Ralph about it and he agrees. He has not had to deal with major livestock trauma but he is a Marine!

Just something to think about, do you think you can stitch up a wound?

Take care and be safe...some things you should know but never have to use!