Owwie! (Little gross)

[ArcticChicken]

This is just me whining, please feel free to ignore me.

Friday night I managed to slice open my thumb really good, right through the nail. Blood all over the sink. Luckily it stopped bleeding seriously after a few minutes and I was able to get a bandaid on. Which reminds me, why do they only sell knuckle and fingertip bandages in the same package? I've gone through most of a package of fingertip bandaids since then, and am on my second. I'd really like to finish this without three or four half empty boxes of bandaids in my medicine cabinet.

I can mostly use the thumb, the cut was on the top towards the left side of my left thumb, so I can use the ball and the right side of my thumb. Which is a problem, I think, if it hurt to use my thumb at all, I probably wouldn't keep accidentally using parts that hurt.

Luckily I had literally just finished sharpening the knife about thirty seconds before it slipped. Although, if I hadn't sharpened it, it might have just wacked off my nail and cut only a bit of the tip. Would have still hurt like a bitch, but I wouldn't be nearly as worried about infection.

My point is, Ow!!

[Food Lady]

Please watch for infection; it sounds nasty! I don't wanna hear you're in the hospital!

[Seshat]

Keep it clean! As Food Lady said, we want to hear it's healed up well, not that you're in hospital.

[kpzra]

Just slap some superglue on it, that's what we did when I almost chopped the end of my finger off with an axe (yeah, I'm that clumsy/stupid but it's still not as bad as falling out of the ambulance I was working on and getting staples in my knee). It was through the nail also and healed just fine.

[ArcticChicken]

Don't worry, I am being very paranoid about infection. I was it out every time I change the bandaid and am using liberal neosporin.

24601, I thought about the superglue, but I don't have any of the medical-grade stuff, and I'd hate to discover it causes and allergic reaction the hard way.

[Sapphire Silk]

Just slap some superglue on it, that's what we did when I almost chopped the end of my finger off with an axe (yeah, I'm that clumsy/stupid but it's still not as bad as falling out of the ambulance I was working on and getting staples in my knee). It was through the nail also and healed just fine.

Don't worry, I am being very paranoid about infection. I was it out every time I change the bandaid and am using liberal neosporin.

24601, I thought about the superglue, but I don't have any of the medical-grade stuff, and I'd hate to discover it causes and allergic reaction the hard way.

Good. I can't recommend using regular superglue as a bandage.

Sorry to hear you're hurting, sounds like you've done the right things.

I wish you could get a pack of the right bandages, too. I always end up with a bunch of sizes I seldom use, and the adhesive eventually does go bad and you lose sterility.

I guess packs of single types just don't sell. :(

[ralerin]

Wound up with a rather deep knife cut in the tip of my thumb (cutting up leftover meat with a medium dull knife). I bandaged it with 2 regular bandages (yeah, I work at a pharmacy and couldn't be bothered to buy a package of finger bandages, but in my defense we have 3 boxes at home that need to be used). Antisepctic ointment, tons of it, still wound up with a rather small scar. Doesn't bother me and it feels nifty to the touch.

I would recommend using a finger splint on it if your thumb is able to tolerate it. Mine was. I kept whacking my thumb at work, reopening the wound and causing pain. With the splint, although it was awkward and I kept whacking it, the splint absorbed the whacks and kept the wound from opening.

[kpzra]

Good. I can't recommend using regular superglue as a bandage.(

Considering my local ER kept me waiting bleeding and in pain for 2 hours after taking my bandage, complaining about how bored and slow there were, I did what had to be done. I talked to an SF PA buddy who said if it was all we had, to use the new/unopened tube.

[Seshat]

Seconding the finger splint. Or rather, thumb splint.

With the other fingers - or with any toes - I typically splint any badly injured digit to its neighbour.

Fresh cotton ball to act as wound protector/absorber. Roll of medical tape. Betadine on the wound, followed by the cotton ball, followed by a round or two of the medical tape around just the digit itself. Then use the tape to bind the injured digit to its neighbour - closely enough that they can't move independently, but loosely enough that it's not painful and the blood flow is good.

[ShootMePlease]

I use Superglue all the time on my cuts. Never had a problem and the cuts always heal nicely.

[Sparky]

This:


I always end up with a bunch of sizes I seldom use, and the adhesive eventually does go bad and you lose sterility.


Panacea, what do you mean the adhesive "goes bad"? Do you mean it no longer sticks?

I ask because I have a sometime allergy to band-aids. That is, sometimes they give me an allergic reaction, and sometimes they don't. In general, I find that cheap bandages are more likely to cause a reaction than name brands, and I'm sure it's the adhesive, not latex, that I'm allergic to.

Generally, I find that if I have an injury, I'm more likely to get a reaction. Duh, why else would I use a bandage? But if I have a cut, it's more likely to cause a reaction than if I get a flu shot. I thought this was because my immune system was "woken up." But maybe it's because my bandages are old?

Curious.

[lilnizzie]

for me, my bandaid allergy runs the other way. it's the expensive name brand ones that make break out in blisters and skin sloughing :eek: and the no name ones that i can tolerate!

I find though that my allergy tends to happen on my fingers, inner arms and chest / torso. It never happens on my outer arms, legs or inner parts of my fingers. I think it's because the skin in those areas is tougher, and the reaction doesn't get a chance to seep in before you've healed. And the adhesive is never over the open wound.

[LadyAndreca]

for me, my bandaid allergy runs the other way. it's the expensive name brand ones that make break out in blisters and skin sloughing :eek: and the no name ones that i can tolerate!

I find though that my allergy tends to happen on my fingers, inner arms and chest / torso. It never happens on my outer arms, legs or inner parts of my fingers. I think it's because the skin in those areas is tougher, and the reaction doesn't get a chance to seep in before you've healed. And the adhesive is never over the open wound.

Do you have a latex allergy? I have the same reaction to name brand (which have latex) but can use store brand (which don't have latex) perfectly well.

[wolfie]

Panacea, what do you mean the adhesive "goes bad"? Do you mean it no longer sticks?

I ask because I have a sometime allergy to band-aids. That is, sometimes they give me an allergic reaction, and sometimes they don't. In general, I find that cheap bandages are more likely to cause a reaction than name brands, and I'm sure it's the adhesive, not latex, that I'm allergic to.

I believe that's what Panacea meant. As for the "losing sterility", I find that the glue holding the 2 pieces of the "envelope" fails with time - once the perimeter is breached, the bandage is no longer sterile.

Bandages (and masking tape) used to be made with a latex-based adhesive, so if you're allergic to the adhesive, it could be a latex allergy. Many brands of bandage are now boasting "latex free" - try switching to one of them.

[lilnizzie]

i don't think i have a latex allergy, since I can blow up balloons, use condoms and have never had a reaction at the hospital to gloves (do they still use latex gloves at hospitals?)

With further investigation, there seems to be a link between fabric bandages and the allergy. Rubbery bandaids, and the more plasticy ones don't cause an allergy (or a far lesser one ) but the fabric bandages will cause me to break out in a rash within 20 minutes (and they will cause the rash no matter where I put them on my body)

Now, whether there's a different type of adhesive on fabric versus other bandaids, I don't know. But it's very disconcerting to cut yourself badly, and then need a bandaid, and having to run around to find one that won't make the whole situation worse. Trying to heal both a bad cut, and a rash ON the cut???:no:

[Seshat]

That's why I use 'spray bandaid' these days. (medical grade superglue)

[trailerparkmedic]

have never had a reaction at the hospital to gloves (do they still use latex gloves at hospitals?)

Generally, no. Unless you're at the ghetto hospital I'm at this semester (so called not because it's in the ghetto but because it's terribly run), which refuses to supply latex free sterile gloves and only mostly has latex free regular gloves. My preceptor is allergic to latex and keeps extra boxes of regular gloves in her locker because she's just too fed up to fight the OSHA violation it is. It works for me since now I HAVE to do all sterile procedures that don't involve little kits with prepackaged non latex gloves.

Easy way to tell--most non latex gloves are bright colors, like blue or purple. Most, not all.

[Seshat]

Two by two, hands of blue.

[Sparky]

Two by two, hands of blue.

Okay, now I'm scared. :lol:

[Sapphire Silk]

Panacea, what do you mean the adhesive "goes bad"? Do you mean it no longer sticks?
Curious.

Yes. Although some adhesives can cause allergic reactions, that is a separate issue from a latex allergy. The glue gets old, and the wax paper sticks to the bandaid, making it hard to pull the paper off, and then the band aid doesn't stick very well.

Also, the paper wrapping degrades and bacteria can get it. This also happens if they get wet.

Generally, no. Unless you're at the ghetto hospital I'm at this semester (so called not because it's in the ghetto but because it's terribly run), which refuses to supply latex free sterile gloves and only mostly has latex free regular gloves. My preceptor is allergic to latex and keeps extra boxes of regular gloves in her locker because she's just too fed up to fight the OSHA violation it is. It works for me since now I HAVE to do all sterile procedures that don't involve little kits with prepackaged non latex gloves.

Easy way to tell--most non latex gloves are bright colors, like blue or purple. Most, not all.

That hospital is taking a big big chance. If I had a latex allergy, I would not be sitting still for it. I'd be calling OSHA and JCAHO.

Consider this: if a patient is latex sensitive, the provider must use latex free gloves when caring for the patient. If the procedure must be sterile, then latex free sterile gloves must be used.

Because of this, most hospitals have abandoned latex gloves all together and moved to nitrile gloves. Though they are more expensive, it is worth the cost to avoid the inevitable lawsuit that is headed that hospital's way.

[SuperDan]

(800)321-OSHA. They can help your coworker figure out if it is in violation, what it is in violation of, and how to proceed. Please note that some states have their own OSHA equivalent, so if your state does, OSHA will probably refer you to your state agency. The state agencies can deal with both state and federal violations.