Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with wound

Wound Care in Vienna

klausness — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:52:16 -0800

AustrianHealthCareFilter: How do I go about getting minor post-surgical care in Vienna over the holidays? I currently live in the UK, and I've just had to have a nasty boil surgically drained. I now need to have the wound re-packed and dressed regularly for several weeks. Here in the UK, that can be done by NHS nurses, but I'm going to be in Vienna over the holidays (leaving in about a week). I know that I'm covered under EU health insurance agreements (and I have my EU health insurance card), but what I don't know is how I would go about actually arranging to get care. I don't want to go to an emergency room and wait ten hours just to have a wound dressing changed. I assume the post-surgical care would all be routine if I'd had the surgery there. What makes it complicated is that I had the surgery here but will need care there (not to mention that this will be over the holidays). I have family there, and they're looking into it, too, but so far they haven't been able to find out anything. Hive Mind, can you help?

How do I treat road rash?

Raichle — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:59:39 -0800

How should I treat my road rash so that it will heal quickly and not scar? I had a bike accident last night and scraped and bruised my face fairly badly. It looks like a really bad rash with a small puncture. I cleaned it really well with anti-bacterial soap and Bactine and then doused it with Neosporin. Is there anything else that I should do? Would Arnica help or be bad since it's an abrasion?

Should I worry about this mysterious scab on my cat's neck?

kiripin — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 11:42:09 -0800

My cat, Mint, has a round scab on the back of her neck, right between her shoulderblades. It seems to have spontaneously appeared a couple of nights ago. Possibly unnecessary photos here. Google results all seem to suggest it's an allergic reaction to a food (possible) or a vaccine (she hasn't been to the vet lately). I checked for more wounds, but couldn't find any. Her sister, Clover, is unscathed, as far as I can tell.

Of possible relevance:

We moved 6 weeks ago, but I don't think that's the problem. Both cats seem happier in the new place. Mint, in particular, mellowed out a lot.
I took Clover to the vet a couple weeks ago, and when she returned, Mint hissed at her for a few days. Soon after that, my husband woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of fighting cats, saying it sounded like it was coming from inside the house. It is possible that our cats fought, but that was after they'd gone back to being their usual cuddly selves. We do have some ferals hanging around the house, and I've heard them fighting in the yard in the middle of the night.
I'm pretty sure it wasn't there long before I found it--Mint loves being scratched between her shoulderblades.
They're indoor cats, but Clover has ventured out onto the porch. Could she have brought something in with her (fleas?) in the couple minutes she was outside?

There's been no change in either cat's behavior. Am I worrying about nothing> Should I have this checked out by the vet, or just let it heal on its own? She's not scratching at it, and it only seems to bother her when I inadvertently touch it.

The wound that wouldn't heal.

itsacover — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:22:58 -0800

YANASurgeon filter: two months ago, I had surgery. today, I am dealing with the incision opening back up for the second time. How/why and what can i do to stop it? Back in June, I had a sebaceous cyst and a small tumor removed from one of my breasts. The whole thing kind of sucked, but after a year of dealing with a recurring issue, I wanted to have done with it. A month after the surgery, one of my incisions re-opened. They first treated it with some hydrogen peroxide cleaning for a couple days, then they did a chemical cauterization with silver nitrate. After that, it seemed to close up and do well.

Early last week (about a month later), I started to have pain around the incision again and found that it had opened once more. Back to the surgeon I went and he did another round of silver nitrate. The hole was not very large and rather shallow, so we all expected this to take care of it. Three days later, the hole has gotten bigger and deeper.

So while I know you are not my surgeron, has this (or something similar) happened to you? No one seems to be able to tell me why it keeps happening nor what to do to prevent it. I am keeping it clean and bandaged at this point, but is there something else I should be doing? Is this just a waiting game to see if it'll close up and stay that way?

(and, yes, I am calling my surgeon in the AM to follow up about the situation, just looking for any anecdotes, advice, etc in the meantime.)

How can we heal our cat's tail?

arnicae — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:19:37 -0800

Our cat has a wound on his tail. How can we help him heal it? Our cat has been losing weight (yay!) and recently lost enough weight that he could lick his butt for the first time in ages. To celebrate this, he has been licking his butt like crazy and has created a small raw rub mark approximately 1/4" by 1/2" at the base of his tail, about 1/2" from his anus.

Our vet says it is no big deal and will "heal on its own" but we think it hurts him when he pees. We've been regularly applying neosporin and vaseline, but he tries to lick it off and continues vigorously grooming his tail.

Any suggestions as to more effective ways to help his tail heal?

How long for unscabbed wound to heal?

Malad — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:45:37 -0800

Several days ago I got a cut on my elbow. It scabbed; then there was some pus and later the scab fell off. Now it looks red and white and raw and exposed. For the last couple of days I've been washing it morning and night and putting on bandaids which have built-in antibiotic. The cut doesn't seem to be getting worse, but if it's getting better, it's slow. It doesn't hurt or anything, but how long for this to heal and should I be doing anything differently? Also, right around the cut there's a crust of probably some combination of dried pus and antibiotic ointment. I am tempted to clean it off but don't want to cut tender, growing skin in the process. Should I just leave it be?

A smile on my dial without wincing awhile?

springbound — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:36:17 -0800

Poorly-positioned wound in corner crease of mouth means it won't/can't heal. Super duper fast wound healing solutions, apply within! I got a pimple on the corner of my mouth. I picked it. I KNOW! I'M AN IDIOT! It became a wound, whose attempts to heal, being right on the corner crease of my mouth/lip, have been continually thwarted. Every time I smile, laugh, or attempt to eat even a spoonful of the most liquid food items, it splits open again. My best effort to not open my mouth has thus far lasted about ten hours. A woman behind a counter selling me a drink made me laugh; that was ten hours wasted.

The problem is basically a little bit of split flesh. It starts to heal, I move my mouth, it tears. Rinse, repeat.

Help me not look like a kid with a cold sore any more. People are going to start to wonder why I'm pulling out of coffees and dinners every which way, and if I keep walking around with my face to the ground like this I'm eventually going to walk into something and do myself some *real* damage. Or someone else will when I look funny at them with the squinchy, pursey look I'm affecting in an attempt to hide it.

Is there anything I can do to make this thing heal quick? And/or anything I can cover it up with while it does? (I know bugger-all about makeup and have a concealer stick but that just dries it out and makes it look worse.) I'm going to be embarrassed just going to a chemist; I want to whisk something away off the shelf without having to ask for their help or even raise my head to a point where they're guessing what I'm buying it for.

I'm in Australia, if that helps with product suggestions.

I can't even watch the whole thing, but I have to know what is wrong with this guy

yellowbinder — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 12:50:05 -0800

What the hell is going on in the video linked here? Warning: really fucking disgusting.

Is there a reason for wounded people to remain conscious?

The corpse in the library — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 11:24:32 -0800

Is there a medical reason for a wounded person to remain conscious, or is that just movie drama? You know the "Stay with me, man!" bit in so many movies and TV shows? Wounded person, lying on the floor / sprawled in the alley / bleeding all over the cockpit; best buddy imploring wounded person to remain conscious; eyes close; "Nooooo!"

Do EMTs try to get injured people to remain conscious on the way hospital, or are the wounded allowed to pass out in peace?

(I ask out of curiosity. I do not have a gunshot victim on the floor of my office.)

Ow

lunasol — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:31:17 -0800

Could this scab be infected? I bit it on the street in front of my house on Sunday, and scraped up my elbow (classic case of road rash). I soaked the wound for about a half hour or so, and cleaned it with soap and water, but there were still some dirt particles that would not come off.

Two days later, the wound had developed a nice, if painful, dry scab. It hurt like hell, but seemed to be healing. Yesterday, I noticed the scab was yellowish, but still dry. I have been applying antibiotic ointment and trying to keep it clean.

Today, however, two tiny parts of the scab have broken and started leaking yellow pus. The scab still hurts. It has, however, been getting a bit smaller.

I don't have any of the other signs of infection: no red line to my heart, no growing pinkish area, no heat, no bad smell.

I know that you are not my doctor, but to be honest, I would rather not spend the $50 emergency-room copay if this is "normal."

So I guess I'm not asking if it's infected, but whether or not this is "normal," or if it's something that requires immediate medical attention.

How do I get a cut on my eyelid to heal?

tapeguy — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 05:42:46 -0800

I've had a cut on my left eyelid for about two weeks. It still stings. How do I get it to heal? No idea how I managed to do this, but I've had a cut - like a paper cut - on the top eyelid of my left eye since before Christmas. It doesn't hurt too much, but it does sting when I close my eyes or when I put water on my face to wash.

It's not bleeding or infected but, for such a shallow cut, it's showing no signs of healing. Trying to close my eyes to sleep is also rather annoying.

Short of taping my eye closed and putting a bandage over it for a couple of days, how do I get it to heal? Considering I'm in the UK, are there any products on sale (like a wound-healing glue) that would help? And are they safe to use around the eyes?

ipod attacks human

Wroksie — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 00:00:22 -0800

The dock for my second-generation ipod shuffle was on the floor next to my bed and I stepped on it this morning. Oh my god, the pain... For those of you who don't know, the dock has a very substantial connecting pin sticking straight up. I now have a 3/4 inch deep puncture wound on the ball of my foot, between the first and second metatarsals. Not much blood, and it doesn't look too bad, but when I pulled out that connecting pin I thought I might die. It's still throbbing like hell an hour later.
I had a tetanus shot two years ago, so I'm good there. I can walk VERY gingerly if I put all my weight on my heel. What should I do to clean it aside from soaking my foot in warm salt water (is that even a good idea)? Should I hobble around on my heel, or dig out the crutches? Do I need to go to the A&E today or can I wait til monday and try to get in to see my regular doctor? Will the doctor be able to do anything besides tell me to keep it clean and keep an eye on it?
Sorry for the freakout, I've never had more in the way of injuries than a sprained ankle and a few small cuts and scrapes.

For those of you who are wondering, the ipod dock is fine. I wiped off the blood and it's now sitting on the desk looking innocent. The bastard.

Help! I don't want a hole in my thumb!

happyturtle — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 12:50:08 -0800

I cut myself badly today, ripping off a piece of skin about .5cm in diameter right on the knuckle of my thumb. (further gory details inside) - Is there anything I can do tonight to improve healing, or should I leave it alone? - Should I go to my GP or the walk in clinic in the morning The cut is very deep, with fat attached to the skin. I was home alone on my lunch break, so I tied a bandage around it as tight as I could, which stopped the bleeding, and went back to work. The first aid lady at work looked at it and rebandaged it and said she didn't think it would need stitches, but when she saw it, the flap of skin was sitting nicely in place.

After I got home from work, I dislodged the bandage accidentally, so decided to replace it. The flap of skin stuck to the gauze and came away from the wound. I put it back in place, gauze and all, trimmed the excess bandage away, put a dollop of antiseptic cream on top of the gauze, and put a bandaid over the whole thing.

If the skin doesn't reattach, I'm going to end up with a pit in my thumb from the scar tissue. But at 8 hours since the injury, I'm guessing it's probably too late for stitches, and it's almost bedtime.

Further details: The bleeding has stopped, and there's very little pain. I've lost no function or sensation in my thumb. And the cut was deep enough that there was fat attached to the flap of skin.

Can you put superglue on your tongue?

doomtop — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 17:35:18 -0800

Can you put superglue on your tongue? I have a cut on the tip of my tongue. A big chunk of my tongue is missing. It starts with like a dead taste bud, but I scrape it with my teeth. It's an obsessive kind of thing. I keep scraping my tongue on my teeth and the cut gets worse.

I'm not sure I can stop scraping it with my teeth. I need an effective way to protect it. I got this stuff called KANKA but it works poorly. It goes on as a liquid and solidifies after a little while. It works to help stop me from scraping it but it isn't very hard or protective and comes off after a short time and so I have to use it frequently, even though the directions say like once every 4 hours. Sometimes it gets in my mouth or throat and it tastes terrible. Almost makes me throw up.

I was trying to repair a broken USB thumb drive using superglue and I got some on my fingers. It sealed solid on my fingers. So I'm wondering...

Could I put superglue on my tongue? To fill the gap of the wound? Then maybe I can't mess with it and maybe it will heal up eventually.

Of course, I'm worried about getting my tongue stuck to my mouth or swallowing superglue, or something bad like that.

Would attempting this be really dangerous??? Can superglue poison me?

I read somewhere it was originally invented for medical purposes, sealing wounds...

What do you think? Anyone know for sure?

This has happened to me before a few times and it takes weeks to heal. Its never been this bad before though... When I kiss my wife she can feel the hole in my tongue.

Help me! : )

How to best clean my bloody face?

atom128 — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 16:00:20 -0800

How best to shower with a bloodied up face? I want to take a shower. Tuesday night while riding my bicycle I was struck by a car. I damaged my front teeth, scraped up the side of my cheek and my chin, requiring several stitches. My dr didn't give me much advice on how to wash up, but due to the teeth damage, talking is difficult for me at the moment. How do I wash without doing anything to mess up the stitches or make things worse for myself? Id love to get rid of some of this dried blood, I look like a mess.

How can I help my cat?

chuma — Mon, 03 Jul 2006 18:37:25 -0800

My cat keeps ripping open a healing wound. Has anyone else dealt with this before? Has anyone else encountered this before? We have a two year old cat who had a large cut on his right ear. After some time, and the wound was almost healed, our cat, Sam, began to repeatedly scratch the ear and rip open the scab making it far worse than in the beginning. We took him to the vet and he has a cone on now. He has gotten out of the cone several times despite our best efforts to keep it on him and every time he has gotten it off, he has ripped open his ear again thus lengthening his stay in the cone. Now we are approaching month 5 in the cone. Sam has gotten, understandably depressed, he has lost weight and is acting out behaviorally. Any advice?

Treating a fingertip wound

ParsonWreck — Mon, 20 Feb 2006 14:49:36 -0800

Is it OK to leave some gauze stuck to a wound? My wife sliced the tip of her finger yesterday, nasty but not bad enough for an E.R. visit. Once we got the bleeding controlled, we wrapped her fingertip in a gauze bandage, with some polysporin, and taped it up.

This afternoon she tried to change the bandage, but it's stuck to the wound pretty good. She's averse to pain, so giving it a good yank is out of the question. We've tried soaking it in warm salt water, but even after a few hours of that nothing's coming loose.

Can we just trim off the excess and leave the gauze there? (The part that's stuck is probably a quarter inch, on the side of her fingertip.) Or is that going to mess up the healing? If it's better to remove it, is there anything beyond warm water that we can try?

Best way to let a knife wound (cut) heal?

dobbs — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 13:42:06 -0800

I cut my left index finger something fierce with a very sharp serrated knife. What's the best thing to do to help it heal fast and well? It's between my 2nd and 3rd knuckle, the whole thumb-side and a quarter of the top. It was with this knife, if that makes a difference. It bled for a really long time and I considered going to the emergency room but, for reasons I'll not get into, couldn't, and now can't leave my place till Monday.

I've been putting polysporin on it and keeping it under a very tightly wrapped band-aid. However, I've changed the band-aid 3 times and the gash is pretty significant now that I can see it without the blood. Should I just keep changing the band-aid (how often?) and doing the polysporin or ... should I be letting it "breath" or what? The best thing about the band-aid is that it's across the knuckle so is keeping the finger stiff. When I bend the finger, the gash opens more and it starts to bleed again. Without the band-aid it'll be hard not to bend the finger as I'm typing all weekend with a vicious Monday deadline I can't get out of.

I already have a toonie shaped scar on my palm and would rather avoid one on the top of the same hand. Any suggestions that don't involve a doctor?

Though I'm "chained" home, there is a drugstore across the street that I can access. Thanks!

What on earth is this?

Jon-o — Thu, 18 Aug 2005 07:50:13 -0800

My cat has a mystery wound... So, I've seen cats scratch themselves until they get a cut. I've seen the little cuts that my cats inflict on each other (nothing ever hostile, just playing around). My folks also had a cat that would clean itself bald. But this, I've never seen. I was away for about 10 days, and a buddy of mine fed them every day, etc. I got home this evening and noticed that one of my cats has this strange wound on it. The other cat is unscathed.
The wound is between his shoulderblades and I'm having a hard time imagining how he would have done this to himself. I also don't think that it's a contagous skin problem because the other cat is totally fine. That fact also rules out some sort of insect or mite infestation.
It doesn't look like bites or scratches, either.
He's not showing any other symptoms. He's not any more lethargic than usual, he's not trying to paw, scratch, or lick at his wound, and it didn't seem to bother him too much if I touched it. It also does not appear on any other part of his body.
Here's a picture of the problem, if anyone can recognize it.
As much as I'd like a professional vet's opinion on this, I'm not going to be able to get him to one untill at least Monday, unfortunately.
So, has anyone seen this before? Is it a big deal? Is there anything I can do for him? Like, can I put neosporin or bactine on my cat (if he can't reach it to lick it off)?
Thanks, folks...

What's up with my knobbly-feeling surgical wound?

teem — Mon, 11 Jul 2005 00:07:01 -0800

12 days ago I had pelvic surgery which involved a 9 cm (~3.5 inch) horizontal lower abdominal incision. The stitches were removed 6 days after the operation and the surgeon said at the time that the wound looked fine. Since some time after that appointment, when I touch the area within 1 cm of the wound I can feel fairly firm nodular areas under the skin. To anyone who has had a similar experience following surgery or knows about it, is this normal or a complication? Did it go away without treatment? Did it cause further problems? I am still a tiny bit sore from the operation, but nothing unreasonable. The wound looks normal, it only feels weird under my fingers -- I have a long-healed appendectomy (not laproscopic) scar that does not feel at all like this. The firm areas feel exactly like the toughest bits of a person's ear in terms of firmness, and are painless. If I encounter any problems (I have been briefed by my surgeon on what red flags to look out for) I will of course see a doctor, but from a purely aesthetic perspective I don't want a knobbly-feeling scar and would be interested to hear anecdotes from other people about what happened to them, their friend, their neighbour's mother-in-law, or whoever.

Wound that could have healed cleanly, but ended up as a very ugly scar

Jairus — Tue, 15 Mar 2005 05:06:57 -0800

Is there a word in any language that means "wound that could have healed cleanly, but ended up as a very ugly scar"?

Bit my tongue

ssmith — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 12:24:24 -0800

Damn you chicken fajitas!
I bit my tongue really badly last night. [more]