Doctor or self medicate? Urgent!

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Doctor or self medicate? Urgent! (Page 1 of 2)

Posted: 9/11/2010 3:11:20 PM EDT

thats my newly acquired cut. should i go to the doc or treat myself. i could see the bone. my concern is cleaning it well enough. i know i can super glue it my self.

will hydrogen peroxide work well enough to clean this, or is medical attention necessary

Posted: 9/11/2010 3:14:07 PM EDT

[#1]

Looks like a scratch. Antibiotic ointment, maybe a butterfly strip.

Posted: 9/11/2010 3:17:06 PM EDT

[#2]

scratch lol.

im not a worry wort but i can see my bone at this very instant. lol

Posted: 9/11/2010 3:18:41 PM EDT

[#3]

I really can't tell how deep it is from that pic, but if you are planning on super gluing it, it needs to be washed out very well. Hydrogen peroxide is a good start, but you need to clean it with something else too, even if its just rubbing alcohol, betadine would be better. clean it hard and deep, scrub it. Then, after you have cleaned it very, very well, super glue away and it should be fine. If you are going to superglue it, don't put antibiotic ointment on it though.

ETA: if you can really see the bone, you might want to have it done by a professional... Just sayin...

Posted: 9/11/2010 3:20:29 PM EDT

[#4]

Rub some dirt on it.

Posted: 9/11/2010 3:21:13 PM EDT

[#5]

Bone = Doctor. Wife is a nurse, it will likely need 3-5 internal stitches & 4-7 external. Find an Urgent care if they are open, if not, wait with the illegals @ the ER.

Good luck

Posted: 9/11/2010 3:24:45 PM EDT

[#6]

pretty deep - looks like stitches to me

Posted: 9/11/2010 3:25:15 PM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
Bone = Doctor. Wife is a nurse, it will likely need 3-5 internal stitches & 4-7 external. Find an Urgent care if they are open, if not, wait with the illegals @ the ER.

Good luck

thumb is fully functional, luckily it was on the side opposite of where the tendon is. I don't care about scaring, I am just concerned about cleanliness.

Posted: 9/11/2010 3:31:23 PM EDT

[#8]

Scar tissue on that side can effect you grip pressure. Whether you're a pro golfer or a wrench monkey it will reduce your grip. I never want to go to hospitals either but this one is the smart call. Being that deep infection is a real risk and having seen major infections (wife is a nurse, I sell pharmaceutical) just man up and go. Night ER nurses are all the young cute ones anyway right out of school. They never have enough pull to get day shift.

Posted: 9/11/2010 3:33:43 PM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:
I really can't tell how deep it is from that pic, but if you are planning on super gluing it, it needs to be washed out very well. Hydrogen peroxide is a good start, but you need to clean it with something else too, even if its just rubbing alcohol, betadine would be better. clean it hard and deep, scrub it. Then, after you have cleaned it very, very well, super glue away and it should be fine. If you are going to superglue it, don't put antibiotic ointment on it though.

ETA: if you can really see the bone, you might want to have it done by a professional... Just sayin...

Peroxide is a bad idea. It damages tissue. Clean water is usually the best choice for rinsing out any wound.

If you can see bone, it probably should be stitched up by someone competent to do so. You will probably get a prescription for oral antibiotics and a tetanus update if you are overdue if you go get real medical help.

Posted: 9/11/2010 3:56:51 PM EDT

[#10]

Pack it with sugardine, let it close by secondary intention = no infection + ugly scar

Clean it well, butterfly/suture/adhere it + fish antibiotics = no infection + less ugly scar

FWIW, I'm not a doctor but I read a first aid thread on here once.

Posted: 9/11/2010 4:05:36 PM EDT

[#11]

I'd go ahead and get it stitched. It looks like a nice clean cut and should be easy and quick to stitch up. Wife is a vet and said "If it was a crappy horse, I'd give it 3-4 stiches if the owners were cheap. Nice horse would be a few internal and 6 or so external." I assume you're a 'nice horse' with a good owner and not a run down nag with a cheap owner.

Basically, stop being a puss and go get your friggin' stitches. If you wait more than 24 hours, you probably won't be able to get it stiched.

Posted: 9/11/2010 4:09:23 PM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:
I'd go ahead and get it stitched. It looks like a nice clean cut and should be easy and quick to stitch up. Wife is a vet and said "If it was a crappy horse, I'd give it 3-4 stiches if the owners were cheap. Nice horse would be a few internal and 6 or so external." I assume you're a 'nice horse' with a good owner and not a run down nag with a cheap owner.

Basically, stop being a puss and go get your friggin' stitches. If you wait more than 24 hours, you probably won't be able to get it stiched.

this...if you see bone - see DR! NOW!!!!!!!!!!

Posted: 9/11/2010 4:13:05 PM EDT

[#13]

I got a cut like that before when useing a box cutter at work. Sliced the back of my index finger from knuckle to knuckle and saw nice pearly white bone..

I scrubed it, cleaned it, and used butterfly strips to close it. I would remove the top wrap and clean it every day for a week. Then i just used ointment on it once it was closeing..

You should be fine my cut was almost 2 inches long and when i bent the finger at first it was kinda cool looking.

Posted: 9/11/2010 4:42:50 PM EDT

[#14]

Insurance = urgent care
no insurance = super glue

Posted: 9/11/2010 4:46:23 PM EDT

[#15]

It is interesting to see how many of you do deep sutures in the hand. I sew up hands just about every week, and would never put a deep suture into the hand. Must be some pretty good hand surgeons out there on AR 15.com.

Irrigate it with tap water, not straight betadine, hydrogen peroxide, or alcohol. You can try to close it with super glue and some steri strips or butterflys, but because it is in an area which is mobile, and used a lot, they may not hold. It is amazing what just a few stitches can do. If it turns red, swells up or starts draining pus then it is likely infected and you need to get seen.

Posted: 9/11/2010 4:46:29 PM EDT

[#16]

Razor knife? Clean Cut?

I cut the tip of my finger nearly all the way off (was hanging by a piece of fingerprint) right thru my finger nail and could see the bone of my index finger with a razor knife (very clean cut) while hanging drywall, and I slid it around, got it in the right position, wrapped it with a brown paper towel, popsicle stick (literally a clean popsicle stick) & good old duct tape (that crap is awesome) and finished hanging my board!

You'll be fine!

(Disclaimer)
I'm no doctor and not giving “medical advice”, just my opinion & experience with a razor knife & a nice clean cut! Scabs hold pretty good, as long as you don’t keep bumping it once it starts to scab!

And this is a perfect chance to practice your SHTF medical survival skills! At least if you fail now, you’ll have back up! Back up that you may not get when the SHTF!

Posted: 9/11/2010 4:53:12 PM EDT

[#17]

Disclaimer: This is not medical advice and the reader should make his own decision...

that said... as an EMT I would suggest you go to the doc (ER is about all thats open this late) and get ya a stitch or two if they advise. Looks like 2 or three ought to seal her right up.

Posted: 9/11/2010 5:11:10 PM EDT

[#18]

I'm a doctor as some people know here. I'd advise you strongly to seek professional medical care. ASAP. Small cuts and scrathes can be fun to repair with glue but if it's a centimeter or so deep, why take a risk? Your hands are your most important asset, you must take good care of them.

see a doctor.

Posted: 9/11/2010 5:17:07 PM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:
Insurance = urgent care
no insurance = super glue

This.

Posted: 9/11/2010 6:51:04 PM EDT

[#20]

super glue it - insurance or not - that is likely what they will do

Posted: 9/11/2010 6:52:00 PM EDT

[#21]

not online...maybe he listened to the REAL docs on here??? One can only hope...

Posted: 9/11/2010 7:17:54 PM EDT

[#22]

Quoted:

super glue it - insurance or not - that is likely what they will do

you are highly over-rating what we do with dermabond.

Posted: 9/11/2010 7:36:12 PM EDT

[#23]

**The following is NOT medical advise.** /disclaimer

Box cutter scar... carelessly cutting boxes around Dec 20 of 2009.

It realllly gushed blood for awhile. Got blood all over the house....it was a Sunday (so no cheap medical offices open) and I actually told my wife, "I think this is an emergency room cut."

Went over to the sink, washed out the cut. And I held the cut together with my other hand. Once I calmed down a bit.... I decided that a couple of butterflies would be ok assuming I could keep it clean.

I am a person that doesn't believe in superglue because I like to be able to let the cut breathe and reclean it. I know that makes a worse scar, but it makes me feel better when doing self-medicine.

After the bleeding slowed down, I cleaned it multiple times with peroxide, and then a final cleaning with water. Then it was discovered that no butterflies were in the house.... (major FAIL), called several family members and eventually the in laws came with a box. I put two on it, and taped a piece of non stick pad to it. I then changed the pad and the butterflies 2-3 times a day for a couple days, cleaning it each time with water, peroxide, then water again, and then some triple antibiotic ointment. By day 5 (Christmas), I was down to just a large bandaid and no butterflies.

Maybe I was just lucky, but thats my experience. My cut was pretty deep although I don't remember seeing bone.

Posted: 9/11/2010 7:39:24 PM EDT

[#24]

I would just do it Rambo style and sew that sucka up myself!

Posted: 9/11/2010 7:44:50 PM EDT

[#25]

drip some pussy juice in it, electric tape it, continue working.

Posted: 9/11/2010 8:15:21 PM EDT

[#26]

so wonder what the OP did on it? Stitches was prob the safe bet on that one. Course if his insurance is anything like mine, those stitches would have been seriously expensive via an emergency room visit.

Posted: 9/11/2010 8:21:38 PM EDT

[#27]

So, what'd you end up doing?

You'll probably be fine no matter what you did. But since the S has not HTF it seems awfully bold to roll the dice. I realize that's easy for me to say as a fully insured with no-deductable guy ...

The only medical advice I'll insert into this thread is that when it comes to irrigating wounds, never put anything into a wound that you wouldn't put on your own eyeball. Tap water good. Sterile water/saline good. (Lots of either would be better than a little of either.) Peroxide bad. Betadine bad. Alcohol bad. Butter bad. Herbs from your garden bad. You get the idea.

Posted: 9/11/2010 8:29:22 PM EDT

[#28]

im done with self medicating, if i think I need medical attention i will go and get it. otherwise a wrap or two of electrical tape does the trick. ymmv

Posted: 9/11/2010 8:50:50 PM EDT

[#29]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Insurance = urgent care
no insurance = super glue

This.

That.

Posted: 9/11/2010 8:53:24 PM EDT

[#30]

Clean it up well, and use super glue. I have had worse cuts that healed just fine using such a method.

Posted: 9/12/2010 6:11:09 AM EDT

[#31]

Quoted:
I would just do it Rambo style and sew that sucka up myself!

I agree with this. Would be a great time to exert some effort toward survival training, huh?

OP: I said scratch because that looks minimal. Doctor it up yourself. Do some research and see what you can do. Use this time for some objective learning. In a survival situ, you'd only have yourself to rely on.

FWFW, I have slapped a bandaid on stuff that bad. Treat it tenderly for a day or two until it seals up right, and go from there.

True story: A guy at work tore his bag open on a screwdriver that got wedged in his machine. It poked him in the balls, and he doubled over in pain. He shook it off like a man, and went back to work, not knowing that his nutsack was bleeding. Soon he realized that his sweaty balls weren' sweaty at all, and were bleeding when the spots of blood started showing up through the front of his shorts. He went to the bathroom and dropped his drawers to discover an inch-long tear in his scrotum. This was close-enough to the end of his shift that he packed a layer of brown-paper handtowel in his underwear and finished his shift. I looked at his shorts and the blood stain grew to look like he pissed himself. He blotted the blood as best he could, but fortunately the shorts were cut-off BDUs, and did not look too bad from a distance, so he didnt draw much attention outside of the few people in our department. He went home after work and sewed his scrotum up with some upholstery thread and a needle.

Posted: 9/12/2010 6:16:39 AM EDT

[#32]

Odds are that if you clean it and use some New Skin/Glue, it will be fine. But since you don't have to, go get a stitch or two..hands are important and you should be careful about burns and cuts on them. Don't let some scar tissue interfere with your future use of them if you don't have to.

Posted: 9/12/2010 7:08:37 AM EDT

[#33]

Crazy glue gel and forget about it.

Posted: 9/12/2010 7:55:11 AM EDT

[#34]

I was super hammered one night when I was in the AF, I had a new knife and I was playing with it..(I assume this is what happened, like I said, super hammered.)

well I woke up the next morning with my hand dried to the bed with blood...

I had pics on my old computer, I sliced my finger open so deep there was stuff hanging out...

it was nasty. I couldn't go to the doc cause they would have given me an article 15 for an alcohol related incident. so I threw duct tape on it for a few days, had a firefighter/ems buddy fix it up better a few days later and now i'm good as new..

Posted: 9/12/2010 8:47:12 AM EDT

[#35]

duct tape ftw

Posted: 9/12/2010 10:01:48 AM EDT

[#36]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Insurance = urgent care
no insurance = super glue

This.

Nope.

Insurance=super glue
illegal alien or welfare=urgent care

Insurance will rock your world with a ER visit.

Posted: 9/12/2010 10:13:27 AM EDT

[#37]

Quoted:
drip some pussy juice in it, electric tape it, continue working.

Might breed infection.

Posted: 9/12/2010 10:35:58 AM EDT

[#38]

Quoted:

Quoted:
drip some pussy juice in it, electric tape it, continue working.

Might breed infection.

What kinda wimmens you hangin around with???

Posted: 9/12/2010 10:37:16 AM EDT

[#39]

it's fine. wash out, put neosporin in, butterfly bandages shut.

it's not long enough to really need stitches. If you're feeling perky, superglue it. but I like butterfly bandages for deep cuts because I can get back into them to further drain them if I need to with butterfly bandaids.

Posted: 9/12/2010 12:54:57 PM EDT

[#40]

Quoted:

Quoted:

True story: A guy at work tore his bag open on a screwdriver that got wedged in his machine. It poked him in the balls, and he doubled over in pain. He shook it off like a man, and went back to work, not knowing that his nutsack was bleeding. Soon he realized that his sweaty balls weren' sweaty at all, and were bleeding when the spots of blood started showing up through the front of his shorts. He went to the bathroom and dropped his drawers to discover an inch-long tear in his scrotum. This was close-enough to the end of his shift that he packed a layer of brown-paper handtowel in his underwear and finished his shift. I looked at his shorts and the blood stain grew to look like he pissed himself. He blotted the blood as best he could, but fortunately the shorts were cut-off BDUs, and did not look too bad from a distance, so he didnt draw much attention outside of the few people in our department. He went home after work and sewed his scrotum up with some upholstery thread and a needle.

Oh Holy Hell.

That is a man among men. I consider myself fairly tough with a pretty good tolerance for pain. But anything happens to the twig or giggleberries, I am heading in for proper medical attention.

Posted: 9/12/2010 2:15:32 PM EDT

[#41]

You're too late now, but I'd have stitched that.

Posted: 9/12/2010 8:06:42 PM EDT

[#42]

Quoted:

Quoted:

True story: A guy at work tore his bag open on a screwdriver that got wedged in his machine. It poked him in the balls, and he doubled over in pain. He shook it off like a man, and went back to work, not knowing that his nutsack was bleeding. Soon he realized that his sweaty balls weren' sweaty at all, and were bleeding when the spots of blood started showing up through the front of his shorts. He went to the bathroom and dropped his drawers to discover an inch-long tear in his scrotum. This was close-enough to the end of his shift that he packed a layer of brown-paper handtowel in his underwear and finished his shift. I looked at his shorts and the blood stain grew to look like he pissed himself. He blotted the blood as best he could, but fortunately the shorts were cut-off BDUs, and did not look too bad from a distance, so he didnt draw much attention outside of the few people in our department. He went home after work and sewed his scrotum up with some upholstery thread and a needle.

Oh Holy Hell.

That is a man among men. I consider myself fairly tough with a pretty good tolerance for pain. But anything happens to the twig or giggleberries, I am heading in for proper medical attention.

+1

what a badass.

Posted: 9/13/2010 12:59:19 PM EDT

[#43]

Quoted:
it's fine. wash out, put neosporin in, butterfly bandages shut.

it's not long enough to really need stitches. If you're feeling perky, superglue it. but I like butterfly bandages for deep cuts because I can get back into them to further drain them if I need to with butterfly bandaids.

If you dont want to go to the Urgent or Er. then this is the route I would take. i am reconsidering after hearing from several EMT and such that the super glue/. 2nd skin,etc.... Are really not good for these kinds of cuts as they close the wound and all that is in it. plus it doesnt let it breath.

Clean it well and then clean it well again. a little neo and butterfly's, keep it clean and dry and you should be good in a few days. Just check the finger tips and thumb tip for feeling. If you have numbness then I would be heading to the doctor. Might be to late now.

Disclaimer I am not a medical professional but I did stay near a Holiday Inn last night.

WOW and that was on post 308 as well. Your welcome. LOL!!!!

Posted: 9/13/2010 1:51:44 PM EDT

[#44]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I really can't tell how deep it is from that pic, but if you are planning on super gluing it, it needs to be washed out very well. Hydrogen peroxide is a good start, but you need to clean it with something else too, even if its just rubbing alcohol, betadine would be better. clean it hard and deep, scrub it. Then, after you have cleaned it very, very well, super glue away and it should be fine. If you are going to superglue it, don't put antibiotic ointment on it though.

ETA: if you can really see the bone, you might want to have it done by a professional... Just sayin...

Peroxide is a bad idea. It damages tissue. Clean water is usually the best choice for rinsing out any wound.

If you can see bone, it probably should be stitched up by someone competent to do so. You will probably get a prescription for oral antibiotics and a tetanus update if you are overdue if you go get real medical help.

This!!!! No peroxide!!!!

Posted: 9/13/2010 2:49:47 PM EDT

[#45]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I really can't tell how deep it is from that pic, but if you are planning on super gluing it, it needs to be washed out very well. Hydrogen peroxide is a good start, but you need to clean it with something else too, even if its just rubbing alcohol, betadine would be better. clean it hard and deep, scrub it. Then, after you have cleaned it very, very well, super glue away and it should be fine. If you are going to superglue it, don't put antibiotic ointment on it though.

ETA: if you can really see the bone, you might want to have it done by a professional... Just sayin...

Peroxide is a bad idea. It damages tissue. Clean water is usually the best choice for rinsing out any wound.

If you can see bone, it probably should be stitched up by someone competent to do so. You will probably get a prescription for oral antibiotics and a tetanus update if you are overdue if you go get real medical help.

This!!!! No peroxide!!!!

Agreed... peroxide is an oxygen-based free radical, and is very hard on healing tissues.

Posted: 9/13/2010 3:45:55 PM EDT

[#46]

Quoted:
You're too late now, but I'd have stitched that.

What are the general guide lines on how long you can wait before getting stitched up?

Posted: 9/13/2010 3:56:32 PM EDT

[#47]

Quoted:

Quoted:
You're too late now, but I'd have stitched that.

What are the general guide lines on how long you can wait before getting stitched up?

Depends a great deal on the amount of contamination (some wounds you just don't sew, and you're asking for trouble if you try to close them), but the average rule of thumb (har!) for a non-contaminated extremity wound is about 6 hours or so... maybe 8 hours if there's no contamination. You can push that interval to 12-24 hours for some facial/head wounds, simply because the excellent blood supply helps keep infection in check.

Very contaminated wounds you should NOT close... because they're at high risk for infection, and you're just going to have to pull those stitches out in a day or two anyway when the wound gets infected and doesn't heal.

Posted: 9/13/2010 4:04:49 PM EDT

[#48]

Quoted:

Quoted:
You're too late now, but I'd have stitched that.

What are the general guide lines on how long you can wait before getting stitched up?

Depends a great deal on the amount of contamination (some wounds you just don't sew, and you're asking for trouble if you try to close them), but the average rule of thumb (har!) for a non-contaminated extremity wound is about 6 hours or so... maybe 8 hours if there's no contamination. You can push that interval to 12-24 hours for some facial/head wounds, simply because the excellent blood supply helps keep infection in check.

Very contaminated wounds you should NOT close... because they're at high risk for infection, and you're just going to have to pull those stitches out in a day or two anyway when the wound gets infected and doesn't heal.

So the reason not to stitch for an "old" wound is due to the high chance of infection? Just leave it open (bandaged).
I assume topical antibiotic would be used (or po/iv as warranted) after cleaning?

Posted: 9/13/2010 4:06:51 PM EDT

[#49]

Quoted:

Quoted:
You're too late now, but I'd have stitched that.

What are the general guide lines on how long you can wait before getting stitched up?

Depends a great deal on the amount of contamination (some wounds you just don't sew, and you're asking for trouble if you try to close them), but the average rule of thumb (har!) for a non-contaminated extremity wound is about 6 hours or so... maybe 8 hours if there's no contamination. You can push that interval to 12-24 hours for some facial/head wounds, simply because the excellent blood supply helps keep infection in check.

Very contaminated wounds you should NOT close... because they're at high risk for infection, and you're just going to have to pull those stitches out in a day or two anyway when the wound gets infected and doesn't heal.

So the reason not to stitch for an "old" wound is due to the high chance of infection? Just leave it open (bandaged).
I assume topical antibiotic would be used (or po/iv as warranted) after cleaning?

Correct.

And you can use antibiotic goop if you want... the brand/type doesn't matter.

Posted: 9/13/2010 4:11:05 PM EDT

[#50]

You and your nurse wife need to learn how to stitch cuts. It's not as hard as you think. Go to the internet watch, read then get some supplies. Of course you'll need to get your hands on some needles and Xylocaine. After learning how to administer the xylocaine you need to flush cuts with saline then stitch. The Xylocaine shots aren't always fun but getting flushed and stitched without is less fun. Surely your nurse wife knows how to give shots and she can help you in that area.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Doctor or self medicate? Urgent! (Page 1 of 2)

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