SHOES AND SCRAPES!

1) Prevention
Do you know that the number 1 complaint treated by Blue Dots in 2013 was foot injuries? This includes scrapes, punctures, splinters, and stubbed and broken toes.

All of these injuries could have easily been prevented by WEARING YOUR FUCKING SHOES, HIPPIES!

There are a myriad of traps the forest has set for you; buried beneath the opulence of mud can be found roots, rocks, fanged demons, sticks, that one guy who got lost in the mud last year and never found, tent stakes, guy wires, and more!

So bust our your fancy shoes with the 17 inch platform cleats that you bought specifically to peacock all around Firefly while stilted high above the mud, and flaunt the fuck out of those fuckers! Put some fucking lights on them things! Fuck yeah! Then people will be afraid to be barefoot around you and will put their shoes on, too! Be part of the solution!

2) Immediate Treatment
Sure, you can come to the Blue Dots every time you break a toe nail. We might laugh derisively at you (just kidding! [not actually kidding! {totally actually kidding!}]) while we tell you to wash it off in soap and water so we can bandage it. But you could also participate in the spirit of the event and DIY!

You wouldn't go to the hospital every time you stub your toe at home, right? Use your judgement.
The Blue Dots are a resource at your disposal; utilize your resources efficiently. If everyone comes to us for every splinter, then everyone will wait an hour to be taken care of.

That said, we Blue Dots are here for all of Firefly and we *delight* in assisting you.
Please come see us if you think something is bad, are unsure if something is bad, or if you just want your hand held while we pet your head and tell you that you are not dying any faster than the rest of us and everything is going to be more-or-less ok.

3) Risk Management
-If you do scrape your foot, you're going to be wearing shoes for the rest of the event to prevent infection (so you may as well just wear them in the first place, right?)
-Moist, dirty wounds are ripe for infection, so keep your feet clean and dry.
-Wash your wound daily.
-Apply Bacitracin, or another topical over-the-counter antibiotic ointment daily (or twice a day) after washing.
-Cover with a bandage so the ointment remains on the wound.

While caring for your wound, you will also want to keep an eye out for signs of infection:
-redness
-swelling
-pain
-nasty (thick, opaque, yellow and/or green) drainage
-a red streak from the wound towards your torso
-fever

Any of these signs and symptoms may indicate a potentially serious infection is developing. Please come see us Blue Dots so we can check it out!

With love and foot fetishes for all,
The Blue Dots of Firefly, your local medical monopoly