Is a flashlight a medical device?

Well, I think so. I am a registered nurse, but I don’t know everything. I wish I did, but like everyone else, I am learning as I go. I won’t be giving real medical advice here. More of something I like to call…. Mom Logic😎

I keep a flashlight easily accessible…How?..My husband keeps a pen-sized flashlight in his pocket at all times😉.  As the weather warms up, someone in my house is bound to have an accident. Especially if we do things like camping, trips to the park, afternoon bike rides, or a trip to the beach or lake.

A flash light comes in handy to remove tiny bits of gravel from an injury or at least assess the damage, especially if it happens to occur at dusk. They are also perfect to look at a sore throat or check for head lice😬(hey, it happens!).

Frugal Droplet- Don’t forget if you decide to store a flashlight for emergency use, put an extra pack of batteries with it. There’s nothing worse that having something that is useless when you need it🙄. Been there, done that..don’t be me!

Have you ever got a bug in your ear? Ok, I know this seems gross. This happens more often than you think. It also happens to the cleanest of people. At any time, any of us can wake up from a deep sleep and hear an intermittent buzzing from a curious bug that entered the ear canal. This happens often to people that are sleeping outdoors or with windows open.

Before you head to the emergency room, try shining a flashlight into the ear. Often, a bug will go toward the light and come back out of the ear. The bug doesn’t want to be there, he just can’t find the door..so show him the door 😃. With that trusty flashlight that definitely has good batteries😉.This may save you hundreds of dollars and time spent in the ER. Now…full disclosure…this will not always work, but it works often enough that it is worth trying☺️.

It is also a good idea to keep a bottle of alcohol in your first aid kit. If you have no previous medical ear conditions that contraindicate this, you can drop a couple drops into the ear. This may take care of any germs that the bug may have brought inside. Since our ears are self cleaning, it will most likely be fine if you have skip this step. If you are having ear pain, hearing loss, or any difference from what is normal for you, it is necessary to visit a medical professional as soon as possible.