How do I keep a thumb-wound clean at my kitchen/cafe job?

May 4, 2007 11:20 AM

How do I best let a pretty major cut to my thumb heal while still performing my food service job?

I was dicing about two dozen tomatoes in the kitchen at my cafe job, and the knife slipped and gouged my thumb pretty horribly. I basically cut a chunk off of my thumb (everything beyond the nail). After getting the bleeding to stop, I applied rubbing alcohol, neosporin, and bandaids.

My problem is that my job requires that my hands are almost always getting wet and dirty. I have to wash vegetables/hands frequently, and also clean up a lot of espresso, etc. I've been wearing heavy-duty bandaids and frequently re-applying neosporin, but I've found that the nature of my job ruins the bandaids in about 20-30 minutes.

Is there a better way to keep my wound clean and dry while it heals? I'm scared that it's going to get infected, or not heal properly.

Thanks!

posted by scarylarry to health & fitness (16 comments total)

A finger cot (or finger stool) is a device resembling a male condom used to cover the fingers. Finger cots are typically used by kitchen workers and others to cover cuts and open wounds while working...
posted by kmennie at 11:26 AM on May 4, 2007 [2 favorites]

Latex gloves? They are standard in many food service jobs. Tight fitting, non-restrictive, sanitary, disposable. There are also "finger condoms" that are essentially the same thing, but for just one finger.
posted by mauglir at 11:26 AM on May 4, 2007

I'm with mauglir. I used to work as a baker and I got lots of cuts (nothing as major as yours though). Just keep a bandage on and double up on the latex gloves.
posted by jonmc at 11:28 AM on May 4, 2007

Try these: http://www.bandaid.com/advanced_healing_prod.shtml

They're really awesome for blisters, but also might work for covering your cut. They are basically waterproof and 100% sticky (no gauzy pad part) so it might not be the most comfortable thing for a cut, but I had one on for three days straight with no issues.
posted by lubujackson at 11:33 AM on May 4, 2007

Also - try using a liquid bandaid to seal and close the cut.
posted by jkaczor at 11:33 AM on May 4, 2007

Please use gloves--cuts on food service workers' fingers are a common cause of staph food poisoning (and non-clean hands are a common cause of many other types of food poisoning).
posted by gramcracker at 11:36 AM on May 4, 2007

Been there. kmennie and 517 have it right. Nothing but the finger cots or duct tape will cut it (pun intended). You may even have to tape the finger cot closed at the bottom. be sure to take it off when not at work to let your woud breathe. The Band-Aids lubujackson mentions are great, but believe me, they will not stand up to the kind of work and washing you're doing.
posted by cocoagirl at 11:47 AM on May 4, 2007

finger cot all the way.
posted by briank at 11:49 AM on May 4, 2007

I used to keep extra duct tape in my toolbag when I worked on car washes - the tiniest gouge (up to huge gashes) could be held shut, and the tape would also do a pretty good job of protecting from nasty carwash chemicals.
posted by notsnot at 12:08 PM on May 4, 2007

Those funky advanced healing bandaids? If you cut off a chunk of your thumb I'd recommend avoiding those.

I sliced off part of my finger a few years ago & I put one of those newfangled bandaids on, thinking it would do the trick & heal my finger right up. The injury was not dried at all yet, and what happened was that after a short period of time the bandaid kind of became one with my finger. I decided to go to the doctor and had to take the bandaid off to show the injury to them. Basically, it took the damaged part of my finger off with it. Which... yeah, kinda hurt like a @#*%&$$#@. (You know you're in trouble when a nurse exclaims "Ewww. That's gross!") I now have a nice big scar on that finger.

YMMV, but that's my tale of injured finger woe.
posted by miss lynnster at 12:28 PM on May 4, 2007

OK, I'm totally cooking my own dinner tonight.
posted by M.C. Lo-Carb! at 12:38 PM on May 4, 2007

Listen I don't want to scare you but you should go to a doctor . You should also make sure that if you get the slightest indication that it might be infected (fever, soreness, whatever) you go to the ER stat. Good friend of mine DIED, yes, DIED, in January because he cut his finger, neglected to go to the doctor, it got infected and spread to his brain and heart. 34 years old. Get the advice of a doctor, do what he tells you and be VERY careful. Sounds like you are trying, but do not underestimate the potential.
posted by spicynuts at 12:46 PM on May 4, 2007

I totally second spiceynuts motion and would add that when you aren't working let the wound breathe. Keep it clean but expose it to air. It will heal much quicker. I speak from experience as I have worked with glass and as a carpenter for the last 30 years so my hands have been there and back.
posted by sgobbare at 3:53 PM on May 4, 2007

You might not want to take this advice, but I'm not dead and my fingers are fine. But I'm not a doctor.

I've filleted my fingers pretty horribly in the same manner - dicing tomatoes. I couldn't keep the cut closed with band-aids or gauze. Plus I don't like using band-aids at all, especially not on my fingertips - it never fully covers the wound and it never lasts, because I wash my hands just a few times short of what might be diagnosed as "obsessively." In this case I wanted to finish making dinner, and the tomatoes were just part of the ingredients. So I pinched the cut closed and applied a liberal amount of super glue. Worked great! Not only did it keep the wound closed, but I was able to use the remaining parts of my finger for dexterity's sake. The super glue crust wore down over the course of a few days, which was enough for the wound to heal completely - no popping back open. I usually like to allow wounds to breathe, but everything came out okay.

But that's me. And in your profession, let me also add to the chorus: Please use gloves.
posted by krippledkonscious at 4:05 PM on May 4, 2007

Maybe Liquid Bandage would help. I used it on a problem cut and it lasted nearly a week thru regular hand washing, showers and dish washing. I don’t know if it could handle the rigors of your work, but if it did you might be able to get an endorsement contract.
posted by Huplescat at 4:14 PM on May 4, 2007

I used to do that kind of thing all the time when I was working in food prep. I would put some kind of gauze or plaster/bandaid on the wound, and then use medical tape to completely cover the whole bandaged area. No gaps, no edges. Usually this would do it. But if it was in a really awkward place, like, the tip of a finger/thumb, I would put a bandage, put the medical tape all over, then put the finger cot and tape that at the bottom (those things always fell off after half an hour if I didn't tape them down).

As for getting these ingredients, your work probably has finger cots (and if not, you should talk to your manager about getting them for the next time). If they don't, you can always use a condom and just wrap it and tape it. I also definitely preferred some kind of medical tape to duct tape. Talk about not being able to breath, and then all that messy gook on your fingers.

Then, after your shift, take everything off and let it all dry out (probably a couple of hours). If it's still bleeding/oozing, put a bandaid on it for bed, but a loose fitting one. If not, leave it open and dry. I actually found that the wetness of the day (which kind of simulated the environment of neosporin, especially if you actually put some on before kitting up) combined with the drying out at night meant that the wound healed pretty well, and I don't have any residual scars. Then again, I don't think I ever took off the whole tip of my thumb. But I definitely had some intense gouges/slices/burns.
posted by mosessis at 9:51 PM on May 4, 2007