Wound Care - Is there anything more I can do for this cut?
The night before yesterday, I cut myself too deep, its not that big but very wide and could see muscles or whatever that is inside, pretty gross, I know its too late for stitches but is there anything else I should do for it? It is on my lower arm on top. Thanks
dont worry about that all i can suggest is to go to the hospital they could try to do something with it as for the home care i would just wash it with saulty water no creams and potions it wil make it worse just go to the hospita
The best thing you can do is to go to a hospital and get it taken care of, best recommendation! It's too late now to get it stitched, but they can get it cleaned up real well and maybe give you something to help fight the risk of infection. At the very least, keep it covered and clean.
Changing a dressing
Before you start, make sure you have gauze pads, surgical gloves, surgical tape, a plastic bag, and scissors. Then:
Prepare supplies by opening the gauze packages and cutting new tape strips.
Put on surgical gloves.
Loosen the tape around the old dressing.
Remove the old dressing.
Remove the surgical gloves. At this point, you may want to clean the incision. (See instructions below.)
Wash your hands and put on another pair of surgical gloves.
Inspect the incision for signs of infection.
Hold a clean, sterile gauze pad by the corner and place over the incision.
Tape all four sides of the gauze pad.
Put all trash in the plastic bag, including gloves.
Seal plastic bag and throw it away.
Wash your hands.
Cleaning an incision
To clean the incision:
Gently wash it with soap and water to remove the crust.
Do not scrub or soak the wound.
Do not use rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, iodine, or mercurochrome, which can harm the tissue and slow wound healing.
Air-dry the incision or pat it dry with a clean, fresh towel before reapplying the dressing.
Check the wound daily to check for signs of infection.
Signs of an infection, such as:
A yellow or green discharge that is increasing.
A change in the odor of the discharge.
A change in the size of the incision.
Redness or hardening of the surrounding area.
The incision is hot to the touch.
Fever.
Increasing or unusual pain.
Excessive bleeding that has soaked through the dressing.
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Steri strips. Keep it clean/dry/generally happy. Don't cover it too tightly or it will never close up. If you have a chance I really, really recommend going to a walk-in clinic/hospital/your GP because they are best able to judge how you should care for it.
Hope it doesn't cause you too much more trouble.
well, i have sown untidy furrows 'cross my soul,
but I am still a coward,
content to see my garden grow so sweet & full
of someone else's flowers.
Sorry I have only just seen this.
You should really get it checked out if it is that deep as it is at risk for infection. DO NOT put steri strips on it!! These should only be used if you know how to apply them and they should only be placed on a wound within the first 24 hours of making it. If you use them now, there is more chance of closing an infection inside the wound which can be really dangerous.
You need to keep the wound clean and moist to promote better healing. I would advise using plenty of anti bacterial cream on a non stick gauze over the cut. Use a tubigrip or ACE wrap to hold it in place. Change the gauze and add more cream 2 a day.
You need to keep an eye on the wound to ensure that it does not develop an infection. The signs to look out for are a hot/red/swollen around the wound. Pus comming from the wound or an increased amount of pain. If this occurs, then you would need furher medical assistance.
There's not much you can do, except use your favourite wound coverings ((i use these large elasoplast coverings...they have a big padding -to cover the wound -and sticky sides on the left and right to the padding...)). i just put one ((or sometimes 2)) over the wound, usually after wiping it out with an alcohol swab ((yeah yeah i know it may not be the ideal thing for the new cells forming, but it stops infection and i still heal up good in the end anyway!)).
Sorry i don't have anything else to add!
I hope it all heals up nicely
Last edited by Aidee : 13-06-2007 at 08:48 AM.
Reason: Tip sharing and potential glamourization of unhealthy wound care
Good bye to everyone on RYL, for various reasons im leaving this site and i will never return. This may make some of you happy, and others sad. Im not leaving because of the members... Good bye and have a nice life
I went and got stitches at like the absolute limit of 12hours, and I asked them, is there a point at which you can't stitch? Like after 12 hours or more. And the guy told me that w/e it was they'd try to treat it an if it needed stitches then they'd still do them.
I was and still am really confused now because I always thought there was a time limit. I guess it just depends on the wound. It can't hurt to go to A+E and see what they can do for it. Even if they just repeat the advice here.
The stitching depends on a lot of reasons. Most hospitals dont like to stitch after 12 hours due to the increased chance of infections developing within a wound. And because the skin becomes stiff after a few hours ad it is difficult to stitch it.
