Wounded? Suck it.

Years ago I cut myself with a razor knife at work. The knife was covered with carbon fiber that was pre-impregnated with resin, which worried me a little. I grabbed a vacuum pump hose and put it right on the cut for a few minutes, then put a band-aid on. The next morning I pulled the band-aid off and had trouble finding the cut. I'd forgotten about it until I saw this article.

Fact: the healing process can be sped up dramatically by applying suction (AKA negative pressure) to bandage-covered open wounds. No one knows why this works, but doctors think it might keep wounds clean by drawing fluid and bacteria elsewhere. Whatever the case, negative pressure system dressings can be kept in place for days at a time, all while speeding up healing. Up until now, the $100 per day rental systems have been out of reach for the developing world, but MIT student Danielle Zurovcik recently developed a negative pressure pump that costs just $3 to build

So I wasn't crazy... well, I wasn't mistaken anyway. They're talking about open wounds, whereas mine was a cut that closed up, but maybe they haven't tried that yet?

link

I've had luck with large finger cuts that probably needed stitches -- DIDN'T clean it, DIDN'T put ointment on it, just bound it pretty tightly* as soon as I could (seconds, not minutes) with a band-aid. Seems to heal back to the original condition in a few days. Of course, one of the swipes healed a little crooked, so my fingerprint is off by a few ridges.

* A'course, don't bind it so tight you cut off circulation -- common sense, please!

I knew there was a reason we instinctively suck on a cut finger!

I like to use super glue - I think we might have discussed this somewhere before.

a salt solution of the proper strength will also draw out foreign matter from a wound. and a hell of a lot cheaper

Pouring salt into wounds?

Salt solution will draw out crap, but it also delays a cut closing up.
Super Glue is risky because you can close the outside and seal in a bubble. I had cyst surgery where they wouldn't sew it up for that reason. Had to force ointment coated gauze into the incision (3 times a day:thepain:) so it would heal from the inside out.

the wounds I'm most familiar with, we don't want to have close up!

Right, and salt will clean them well.

One of my friends tells the story of meeting one of my other friends (we'll call them Joe & Bob): Bob had just sliced his thumb damn-near off with a razor knife. Joe says (something like) "Holy shit, look at all the blood! Come on Bob, I'll rush you to the ER." Bob said (something like) "Fuck a bunch a gawddamned hospitals!!", and proceeded to jab his injured hand, thumb and all, into a red clay mud puddle. Then he reached back on his tool belt, grabbed the duct tape and wrapped hisself up, and proclaimed "It'll be fiiiine."

^^ my kind of man!

xoxoxoBruce wrote:

Super Glue is risky because you can close the outside and seal in a bubble. I had cyst surgery where they wouldn't sew it up for that reason. Had to force ointment coated gauze into the incision (3 times a day) so it would heal from the inside out.

I've had at least two procedures where they did "inside" stitches with dissolvable material (one guy called them catgut stitches, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't actually made of catgut) to get around this. They stitched the bottom of the gash together, then another layer higher up, then finally closed the top of the wound.

Fuck the onion.:eyebrow:

Clodfobble;649999 wrote:

I've had at least two procedures where they did "inside" stitches with dissolvable material (one guy called them catgut stitches, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't actually made of catgut) to get around this. They stitched the bottom of the gash together, then another layer higher up, then finally closed the top of the wound.

Isn't that what they would do for a c section?

"...the doctor says you gonna die..."

I love that joke.

xoxoxoBruce;650125 wrote:

Fuck the onion.:eyebrow:

[Yakov] In London, onion fucks you! [/Yakov]

Flint;650004 wrote:

Scientists Finally Prove What Area Dad Has Been Saying For Years

xoxoxoBruce;650125 wrote:

Fuck the onion.:eyebrow:

Oh, suck it up. Or...you can just suck it. Either way, your reply sucked.[COLOR="White"] . . . (I'm just kidding, sucker!)[/COLOR]

xoxoxoBruce;649870 wrote:

Salt solution . . . delays a cut closing up.

Bruce, I had not heard that before. I'd be interested in a reference or a citation to this.

Gravdigr;649942 wrote:

One of my friends tells the story of meeting one of my other friends (we'll call them Joe & Bob): Bob had just sliced his thumb damn-near off with a razor knife. Joe says (something like) "Holy shit, look at all the blood! Come on Bob, I'll rush you to the ER." Bob said (something like) "Fuck a bunch a gawddamned hospitals!!", and proceeded to jab his injured hand, thumb and all, into a red clay mud puddle. Then he reached back on his tool belt, grabbed the duct tape and wrapped hisself up, and proclaimed "It'll be fiiiine."

I always found that a 7-11 napkin and some duct tape took care of most things...if that doesn't hold it, put a little schmear of pcv glue on there. If it needs to be cleaned out, splash a little lacquer thinner on there--that stuff burns off anything!

Windex

Robitussin

Pour some 'tussin on it!

xoxoxoBruce wrote:

Isn't that what they would do for a c section?

And also the removal of a suspicious mole, apparently.

Cloud;650355 wrote:

Bruce, I had not heard that before. I'd be interested in a reference or a citation to this.

Isn't that how you keep piercings from healing up?
If you soak a cut with epsom salts, it will heal from the bottom up and not close.

well, no--it's really the piece of jewelry in there. and epsom salts are NOT the same chemical, and NOT used for soaking piercings.

yesterday I had the edge of a toenail removed and cauterized because it was ingrowing, the main aftercare is to soak in epsom salts 3 times a day.
I've never used epsom salts before, I vaguely understand they work against infection, but is the point for it to heal 'open'.

also soak your feet for 20 minutes 3 times a day, great advice, wholly impractical :neutral:

epsom salts are good for some things; like soaking your feet. Supposed to dissolve bunions or something I forget. Taking a bath in epsom salts--great!

Not good for piercings though.

HungLikeJesus;649822 wrote:

I like to use super glue - I think we might have discussed this somewhere before.

So, you used to wrestle in ECW as Sabu?