Treatment of minor wounds

fter that you get some pvc electrical tape or msking tape and tape some paper towel to the cut and keep working.

First and foremost, note that I'm not a doctor. (However, I have seen one played on TV.)

I keep a bottle of Betadine around for minor scrapes/abrasions/cuts and all that...

The bottle I have at the moment is generic and is just called 'Providone-Iodine Solution'. It's the same God awful red looking stuff they mop you down with before operations, or I think it is anyway. It's a messy splashy liquid, and ends up everywhere if your not careful.

Been using it for years with wonderful results, but have been lucky enough avoid anything even approaching what I'd classify as a moderately serious injury. If It ever happens, off to the MD I'll go.

Rec.crafts.metalworking really isn't the place to look for medical advise... if your hurt, you really should get help, and the sooner the better.

Good Luck! Let us know what happens...

Erik

I swear by NewSkin or similar liquid bandages: a nitrocellulose with something bacteriostatic in a quickly drying solvent. Great for small cuts, scrapes, road rash, etc. Has been around since Civil War, I hear.

I have not seen this. Is it a Canadian thing? (...like Codeine...) Pain Control is a Good Thing.

When the pointy end of the wrecking bar took out a lower canine tooth last December, I bit down on a gause pad for about an hour while I continued the demolition, the had a bottle or two of pain remover. I will discuss further measures with my dentist in a couple weeks. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

Irrigate with clean water to clean wound. Disinfect with liberal application of Bactine. Iodine and Betadine are also good but Bactine is easier to find and it doesn't sting.

Apply pressure with a sterile gauze or at least a clean absorbent something until bleeding stops. That's the hard part because it can take a few minutes. It helps to have a competent mate and pardner encourage you to do that, as in "Ig, ya dumb shit..." in your case, or "Foreman, ya dumb shit..." in mine. Said mate should have a high tolerance for pain in others and be able to cheerfully ignore pitiful bleating. Blood in the sink is OK, blood on the carpet en route to the sink is not OK (ya dumb shit). Catch it with a rag enroute. Sucking chest wounds and pulsating arterial gushers are beyond the scope of this treatise.

Then apply a bandaid to keep the wound protected until it can scab and start healing.

I like Elastoplast bandaids from Boots in England. Those fabric bandaids stay put until I rip 'em off. The brits may be a bit silly about sharp-pointed household knives and now pint ale mugs as deadly weapons, but they do make bloody good sticking plasters.

Eeeew. Dental damage - that sounds nasty.

I use "Nexcare (tm) bandaids - made of silver duct tape!

But then, everyone knows what a cut-up you are. ;-)

Or, as E.T. said - OOOooooooowwwww!

That reminds me of one of my favorite memories of Sue Frost, a fellow SCA/RennFaire merchant back in the day. We were both working an event in Smithville, MO(?) when she lost a filling. It left a sharp point on the tooth that has cutting her cheek.

After several hours suffering with it, Sue asked me to look and see if there was any way to reduce the point. I ended up filing off the point with the file blade on my Swiss Army Knife which seemed to work well enough temporarily.

She went to her dentist when she got home and he asked her who she'd had do the temp work. She replied: "My blacksmith."

that is my concern also

I'm near Rochester, NY. I've seen triple antibiotic with pain control in several stores. Walgreens, Walmart, etc. Praxamine is the pain control agent, whatever that might be.

Neosporin has the spritzer containers with pump sprayer, and pain control.

I like codeine, shame it's illegal to import.

Take two Conservatives, and call me in the morning.

I don't see health care getting cheaper, or more accessable in my lifetime.

Pain is Mother Nature's way of saying, "Don't do that." ;-)

Cheers! Rich

I consulted SWMBO (a microbiologist). She gave her advice as personal orders to me.

1) Do not use superglue. Dermabond is used in nice clean operating theaters. You (I) do not conduct most activities in nice clean operating theaters. An anerobic bacterial infection is a good way to lose an appendage. 2) Clean the wound with soap and water. Rinse with Hydrogen Peroxide. Apply light film of triple antibiotic ointment, cover with a sterile dressing. Keep it dry and clean until it heals. 3) Do not use plain petroleum jelly. See anerobic infection, above. 4) In the event of a laceration, present said laceration to microbiologist to determine if it is a rare instance where (2) above above does not apply. 5) MRSA is everywhere, and you (I) don't want it.

Kevin Gallimore

You can take it off now.

I usually put the cut finger in my mouth. It does not affect hopping around, but does keep me from shouting profanities. I am of the opinion that if you don't exercise your immune system, it becomes weak. So the follow up treatment is a band aid or tape to staunch the flow of blood.

=20 Dan

Direct pressure on the wound. If that won't stop bleeding within 10 minutes, have assistant apply pressure to pulse point at wrist while you also apply pressure to wound. This slows down arterial blood flow and may help wound clot faster.

Put wound under cold running water to help cleanse it. Cold water will also constrict blood vessels, leading to faster coagulation. Gently wash with Betadyne if you have it, hydrogen peroxide if not.

Using Neosporin or other antibiotic ointment, keep the wound moist and cover with bandage. Medical fact- Dried up wounds take much longer to heal, and scarring is worse. Moist wounds form granulation tissue much faster, bonding the edges together or covering the surface, allowing the dermis and epidermis to grow.

Since I just saw this today and your wound happened yesterday, I hope you've done ok.

Now, gangrene can be really fun, especially the gasseous variety. Let us know if your bodyparts start popping or simply turn black and fall off.

take two stiff shots of a potent alcoholic beverage, pour the rest over the wound, touch with match. Only do this if all else fails....