The Victoria Day long weekend in Powassan, South River, Trout Creek, and the surrounding townships is the weekend the porch furniture comes back out, the gardens get planted, the cottages on Lake Nipissing and Restoule open up, and the trails through maple country fill back up with hikers and cyclists. The sap is done running but the air is finally warm. It's a wonderful weekend. It's also a weekend our pharmacy team has a pretty good idea what's coming, because it's the same things every year. Here's our opening-weekend checklist.
Refresh the first aid kit before it's needed
The kits at the cottage, in the camper, and in the work shed are rarely in good shape after a long winter. Things expire. The basics worth checking before the weekend: assorted bandages, antiseptic wipes, gauze, tweezers (regular plus fine-tipped for ticks), a cold pack, hydrocortisone cream, a non-drowsy antihistamine, ibuprofen and acetaminophen, sunscreen, and bug spray. Drop in and we'll help you fill in what's missing — and we'll add anything specific if someone in the family has allergies, asthma, or a heart condition.
Garden-day injuries: the ones we see every year
Long-weekend gardening produces a small but reliable wave of pharmacy visits. The repeat offenders: back strain from lifting bags of soil the wrong way, wrist tendinitis from a marathon pruning session, splinters and small puncture wounds from old fences and untreated wood, and contact dermatitis from giant hogweed and wild parsnip along the road allowance — both are present in our area and both can cause serious blistering and burns from the sun afterward. If you cut yourself on a piece of rusty hardware or a buried nail and your last tetanus shot is more than ten years old, you'll need a booster. We can give those at the pharmacy without an appointment.
Sun is sneaky in May
The air is cool, the sky is bright, the burn happens before you notice. Broad-spectrum SPF 30+ should come out of the cupboard for the weekend — for everyone, regardless of skin tone. If you take a medication that causes photosensitivity (some antibiotics like doxycycline, several common blood-pressure pills, a few acne treatments, certain antidepressants, even some heart-rhythm medications), the burn risk is much higher than usual. We can check your profile and tell you whether anything you're on is on that list.
Blackflies have arrived
This is the weekend the blackflies start to make themselves known across the region. They go for hairlines, ears, the back of the neck, and ankles. The repellents that hold up over a long evening outside are DEET (10–30% for most adults, lower for kids) and icaridin (picaridin). Natural alternatives smell nicer but their protection windows are short. If you react badly to bites, an over-the-counter antihistamine and a low-strength hydrocortisone cream usually settle them — come see us if anything looks infected or isn't fading within a few days.
Watch the trails — and watch balance meds
The trails around Powassan and South River are gorgeous in mid-May but the footing isn't always reliable yet. Soft spots, washouts from runoff, exposed roots. If you or someone you love is at higher fall risk, take a beat to think about footwear with grip, walking poles, and whether any current medications affect balance. Some blood-pressure pills, sedatives, sleep aids, and a couple of antidepressants do. Bring everything in for a free ten-minute review and we'll flag anything worth a closer look.
One last thing
If something comes up over the weekend — an insect bite that looks angry, a rash you can't identify, a question about whether you should still take a med after a fall — remember that in Ontario your pharmacist can assess and prescribe for a long list of minor ailments without a separate appointment. That includes allergic rhinitis, hives, pink eye, UTIs, insect bites, poison ivy, and several others. Call us at 705-724-3523, drop in, or message us through the contact page. We'd much rather you ask.