Hi,
4 days ago I cut myself. The cut was somewhat deep. It didn't bleed at first, it took 30 minutes or so to finally bleed. And it only bled a tiny bit.. I've been putting on Polysporin on the cut and covering it with 2 fresh band-aids everyday. The cut seemed to have been healing fine up until 2 days ago. 2 days ago I, for some reason, put a different kind of ointment on the cut instead of Polysporin. Several hours after I had put on the other ointment my cut became very swollen, painful, and pink in color. I cleaned the cut out thoroughly as soon as I noticed it, and put on Polysporin.
Now today the pink color that's around the cut has decreased by quite a bit, and the swelling has gone down a tiny bit, but most of the swelling is still there. And the pain has slightly increased. Could this have been an allergic reaction to the other ointment? And should I go to a doctor? Oh, also, the cut has been draining watery orange liquid stuff. Is that normal?
The medical advise you would get would be: "if you are concerned, seek care." Red and inflamed, however, just means the body is healing and fighting infection. I've never heard of orange colored drainage, though. If I were you, I'd probably try to drain it, open it, and clean it with hydrogen peroxide for a few days and see. Really, it depends on if you have insurance, if it is a single cut or revealing of one of multiple cuts, and whether you are ready for a healthcare professional to note that it's a self-inflicted cut in the later case. All the cuts on my legs I hide because it's obvious that they are SI.
Last edited by [Purple_Rain] : 15-09-2011 at 11:41 AM.
Reason: removed tipshareing information
NEVER use hydrogen peroxide to clean a wound. It kills all tissue, living or dead, so it is always a bad idea. Also it is generally bad to put creams on a non healed cut. I would clean it with saline or a solution of a teaspoon of sea salt dissolved in a mug of hot water, and put a clean, dry, non stick dressing on it. Change the dressing everyday and clean it as neccesary.
Clear ooze is probably just plasma but if it starts going yellow get medical advice asap.
All in all, you know how your body heals and if it start doing anything outside of the normal for you then get it checked. Also, it's best to get it checked if your unsure or anything. No one is going to be pissed that you got a wound checked that you were unsure of.
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If the redness and swelling are going away, then there is probably nothing to worry about. Just keep an eye on it.
However, for future reference, and to reiterate, you don't usually want to be cleaning new wounds with anything other than water, mild soaps and saline solution. You'd want to do this a few times during the first day or two, then pretty much leave it be (perhaps dressing it if necessary) unless there are any signs of infection.
Yeah I think I am going to go to the doctor to have my cut looked it. The pain, swelling, and redness has gotten worse since I posted this thread. My cut also has a throbbing pain to it. And the cut now has a small greenish gray spot inside it. the spot appeared a couple days ago.
I have no money and no insurance. And I'm wondering...Is there a way for me to see a doctor without any money or insurance? I'm 19 if that helps....
As above...DO NOT use hydrogen peroxide in wounds!
It sounds like it might be infected, so your best bet is to see a doctor for some antibiotics to hopefully prevent further infection. Do you have a walk-in clinic or uni clinic that you can go to, to get it checked out? Any help with your family or family friends to take you to see somebody about it?
