Medical question. Cut my hand open.

[schild]

My bad yo. This thread be some bad juju, jah.

[MuffinMan]

Mine happened while I was opening a popsicle. It was the tastiest goddamn popsicle I have ever had.

[stu]

Masterbating?

Lrn2spell.

If I need any more help with masturbation, you're the first person I'll ask. We should keep this thread about schild's gash.

[Oban]

Schild is a hermaphrodite now?

[Salamok]

Tetanus shot and the rest hinges on depth.  If you just hit the superficial tissue, I'd use butterfly bandages to connect regular edges, ice it down with immobilization and some triple antibiotic ointment.  If it's deeper, you'd be silly not to see an MD for assessment and stiches. 

exactly how at risk are you at getting tetanus from a relatively clean/stainless steel kitchen knife that is steralized with some amount a regularity in the dishwasher?

[Nebu]

Exactly?  I have no clue. 

I'm sure that you'd be fine not getting a shot 99% of the time in the case of a clean knife, but paying $5 at a free clinic for a shot seems like a no-brainer.  Besides, it's good for 7 years.  You never know when you'll step on a nail at the beach. 

[Jimbo]

And the rusty nail has killed a bunch of people.  Yeah chances are really low, but I would rather pay the $5 bucks and have a sore arm for a day than risk getting lockjaw.

Thanks for the reminder Nebu, I usually do a pretty detailed history on all the MRSA skin infections, I'm gonna keep that in mind on people that don't wash a cut then close it off.

Oh on the bleeding like a stuck pig, head, hands, and feet bleed and hurt like crazy.  Usually direct pressure for a long time, elevation, and ice (20 mins on, 2 hours off) will do the trick.  I've had a lot of patients come in with finger or toe lac's that "won't stop bleeding".  I usually wrap it up and tell them what to do in the waiting room and go back to triage.  They are amazed when we take off the bandage and it isn't bleeding. 

[Nebu]

Oh on the bleeding like a stuck pig, head, hands, and feet bleed and hurt like crazy. 

Can you say "scalp laceration"?

Talk about a bleeder... anyone that goes face first into a windshield will be a fan of seatbelts for life afterwards. 

[Arnold]

Oh on the bleeding like a stuck pig, head, hands, and feet bleed and hurt like crazy. 

Can you say "scalp laceration"?

Talk about a bleeder... anyone that goes face first into a windshield will be a fan of seatbelts for life afterwards. 

Man, I just got a head wound from an awkward cabinet corner that was above my dish drainer that I was strying to fish out something from the back of.\

I had to put direct presseure on my head with a towel for 45 minutes before it stopped.  Then I combed my hair right before I was going to go out that night, and guess what??? Yeah, blood going down my forehead.  Fortunately, it didn't take as long to stuanch the second time, but still a pain.

[Oz]

when i worked in the ER head wounds were the best.  People would come in and be FREAKING out b/c of all the blood. then they'd get pissed at the triage nurse for not seeming as rushed and hurried as them after she took a look at it.  They are deceptive in how much they bleed in relation to how bad the wound is. 

As for Schild, just keep it clean.  but make sure you don't bind it too tightly.  a friend of mine cut her finger with a scalpel and put the bandaid on so tight that her finger turned blue/green the next day...gotta let blood flow like it should.  BTW she was fine by simply taking the bandaid off for a couple hours and recleaning it.

[Oban]

Yeah... if your skin turns black/blue or if it smells bad, go to a hospital. 

Odd question, but why do you not have health insurance?  I mean, that is like 70-200 dollars a month that would seem to be critically important to have.

[Cyrrex]

At a guess, I'm thinking he values his 70-200 worth of groceries over the rarely used medical insurance.

[schild]

Show me a relatively useful $70 health insurance and I'll get it.

[Nebu]

At a guess, I'm thinking he values his 70-200 worth of groceries over the rarely used medical insurance.

This is the point where I resist turning this into a Politics thread.

[Cyrrex]

 

Behind the snarkiness of my response was the thought that Mr. Schild is of very recent employment, and probably has had more basic survival needs.

[Hutch]

1) Do not, under any circumstances, allow yourself to be taken into the care of any medical professional. Continue to seek advice from free sources like the internet. We'll see you through this, don't you worry.

2) Start working on your story. You cut your hand on a kitchen knife? That's not going to get you laid. You're going to need to work an antagonist and a road trip into it somewhere.

3) Start looking into accessories. Like a hook. Or a really creepy rubber hand. I'd even tell you to go for the full Bruce Campbell, but if you could afford that, this thread wouldn't exist, eh.

[schild]

The wound just looks like a scratch now. I think I'll be OK. I've gone with much worse than this without something, I'd just never been cut with a kitchen knife, so I asked a question. Yea yea, I know, sarcasm etc, but you know, I've more important things to worry about. Like the asshole inlaws thread.

[Hutch]

Seriously, I'm glad it got better. You should still make a up a story though.

[schild]

Seriously, I'm glad it got better. You should still make a up a story though.

Every wound I've ever gotten is from 'nam.

[Lantyssa]

None from Korea or Iraq?  It's more impressive if you're a veteran of serveral foreign police actions.

[NiX]

Show me a relatively useful $70 health insurance and I'll get it.

You wanna get married? You can use my free, glorious health care.

Does your wound smell a bit like almonds?

[Cyrrex]

If you're making up stories, might as well make up the conflict as well.  Say it was from that covert action down in Trinidad & Tobago.  And then they'll be like "what?!" and you'll be all like "fucking right, bitches!" and they'll be all like "woah!".

[schild]

Show me a relatively useful $70 health insurance and I'll get it.

You wanna get married? You can use my free, glorious health care.

Does your wound smell a bit like almonds?

http://www.videosift.com/video/The-wound-smells-like-almonds-Mustafa

[NiX]

 

[rattran]

Save the money from insurance, and just buy a couple medical books. I mean, it's not like medicine changes much.

I did recently upgrade my 1886 Gould and Pyle's 'Cyclopaedia of Medicine to a 2007 Harrisons though. The new treatments are much less fun.

[CharlieMopps]

Show me a relatively useful $70 health insurance and I'll get it.

You could get a lifetimes supply of Tabasco and Salt for $70.

[Yegolev]

That said, is there anything in particular I should do to deal with it.

Masturbate with the other hand.

[schild]

That said, is there anything in particular I should do to deal with it.

Masturbate with the other hand.

I love you (no homo), man.

[Sky]

Two pages and no 'just rub some dirt in it you pussy' advice?

Buncha pinko bastards around here.

If I don't see bone, I'll dump in some alcohol, fish out any debris, flush with more alcohol and maybe superglue it if it's huge. If it's in a spot that wears, I'll put on a glow in the dark spongebob bandage. Actually, I did see some bone on my thumb a few months ago and still used this technique. Forgot to put on my demo gloves. Woops.

[Yegolev]

How can one library contain such manliness?

[Nebu]

Save the money from insurance, and just buy a couple medical books. I mean, it's not like medicine changes much.

I did recently upgrade my 1886 Gould and Pyle's 'Cyclopaedia of Medicine to a 2007 Harrisons though. The new treatments are much less fun.

Medical knowledge doubles every 5-7 years.  Textbooks are released about a year or two after they are submitted.  Most texts that I've reviewed contain MANY errors (the last review I did had a 31 page report of errors). 

Summary: A book is no substitute for a seasoned practitioner.  (You know this already).

[DraconianOne]

All you need is some gauze, some safetypins and some antiseptic cleanser. Then you can sort it out yourself:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/1/2223394_6abdf479fe_o.jpg

edit by schild: don't inline that shit

[slog]

I think "rub some dirt on it" has to be at least close to the worst advice ever.  Except what that dude said about the Hot sauce of course.

[MahrinSkel]

That being said, the treatment for minor injuries is pretty simple and doesn't change much: Keep it from getting worse, wait for it to get better.  When you have worked in construction without insurance, anything that won't qualify for a Workman's Comp case is a do-it-yourself kind of thing, and you learn about the remarkable medical properties of duct tape.  I've got scars all over my hands from minor injuries I had to treat myself because a trip to the doctor would have wiped out a day's pay, and the emergency room a week.

--Dave

[DraconianOne]

As long as it is a minor injury.

Be sure, before you treat it yourself with steri-strips, superglue, duct tape etc that your cut, if it's in the palm of your hand, is shallow and is minor. Infection is one thing but if you've cut deep enough, there are other things you need to be careful about and only a specialist will really be able to help.  Pro-tip - touch the ends of your fingers with a pen or needle: make sure you can still feel it.