Chapter 15 - Cold Weather Survival - Equipped To Survive

Ears. Wiggle and move your ears. Warm with your hands.Hands. Move your hands inside your gloves. Warm by placing yourhands close to your body.Feet. Move your feet and wiggle your toes inside your boots.A loss of feeling in your hands and feet is a sign of frostbite. If you havelost feeling for only a short time, the frostbite is probably light. Otherwise,assume the frostbite is deep. To rewarm a light frostbite, use yourhands or mittens to warm your face and ears. Place your hands underyour armpits. Place your feet next to your buddy’s stomach. A deepfrostbite injury, if thawed and refrozen, will cause more damage than anonmedically trained person can handle. Figure 15-2 lists some do’s anddon’ts regarding frostbite.Trench Foot and Immersion FootThese conditions result from many hours or days of exposure to wetor damp conditions at a temperature just above freezing. The symptomsare a sensation of pins and needles, tingling, numbness, and then pain.The skin will initially appear wet, soggy, white, and shriveled. As it progressesand damage appears, the skin will take on a red and then a bluishor black discoloration. The feet become cold, swollen, and have a waxyappearance. Walking becomes difficult and the feet feel heavy andnumb. The nerves and muscles sustain the main damage, but gangrenecan occur. In extreme cases, the flesh dies and it may become necessaryto have the foot or leg amputated. The best prevention is to keep yourfeet dry. Carry extra socks with you in a waterproof packet. You can drywet socks against your torso (back or chest). Wash your feet and put ondry socks daily.15-10