today i received 7 stitches in my hand and tommorow the surf is supposed to be good. The doc said no surfing for 3-4 days, but I was skeptical. Have any of y’all surfed the day after getting stitches, and if so, what safety measures did you take? The water is around 48 degrees at wrightsville so gloves are a must. I was just wondering what the swaylocks mental collective thought.
i guess you could just, I don’t know but i have a few ideas.
1 rap it in some thing water proof
2 put a plastic bag over your hand
but i was looking at the swell charts and it does look like there might be some good waves but it will be manly chop and slop but you never know right
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The doc said no surfing for 3-4 days, but I was skeptical. Have any of y’all surfed the day after getting stitches, and if so, what safety measures did you take? The water is around 48 degrees at wrightsville so gloves are a must. I was just wondering what the swaylocks mental collective thought.
While the Swaylock’s mental collective may be smarter’n the evening news when it comes to surfboard construction and surfing philosophy, the doctor probably had his or her own very good reasons in saying no surfing for 3-4 days. It probably isn’t because he is going to hit it and doesn’t want any more surfers out than absolutely necessary. My guess would be he was concerned about you ripping the stitches out or possibility of infection. 48 degree water and wearing gloves? I could see how just taking the gloves off could risk damage to the stitches.
This is from my wife, a PA.
3-4 days is the bare minimum- even better would be a week. Right after a cut, your skin starts to weld it self shut with what is at first really delicate “threads” (kind of like fibers) Your stitches (or glue or staples) just keepsthe tissue aligned so that the edges match up while all this happens. Early in healing, there is a HUGE risk of things opening up, and your healing will have to start all over again- also, the risk of infection is there (if you surf near sewage) and marine bacteria can be bad. Some people do fine getting it wet early, others don’t- why risk it? Hands are really nice things to have and enjoy… Heal well!
and a recent quote from my dermatologist “…there’s mycoplasms and other bugs you can get in there that are nearly impossible to diagnose and even harder to treat.” He told me to stay out for a week minimum, 10 days better
Nels is right as far as potential damage to the stitches…but it could depend on where you have them…
Once ran a router bit into my finger the day before a swell and used a non-lubricated prophylactic (rubber) with a tape seal to protect it and it worked like a charm for the 2 day swell…no water touched the stitches.
My thought is the doctor doesn’t want direct contact with the water…how about a latex glove with a tape seal at the wrist?
But still be careful about tearing the stitches…
Pete
the stitches are located between my pinkie and ring fingers. the cut ran real deep (i could see my tendons(?) moving with my fingers). I was just thinking about getting some of that invisible bandage stuff, sealing the cut, then when the session is over, pouring some hydrogen peroxide on it. We have not had a good winter here on the east coast. the latex glove idea is a good idea too, I guess I will just have to see how the waves are in the morning.
I have a 1/2" wide scar where the stitches gave way because the skin softened while surfing and I stressed the area. That took a few months to heal.
Probably too late - I guess you went surfing already.
If not, wait a week - your surfing will be better for it (you’ll come back stronger and more in tune) and you won’t be leaking by then.
I’d say, depending on your body’s healing speed, a week minimum.
If you feel you HAVE to get wet before that, apply a liberal coat of neosporin on your hand. use a dish glove on that hand with the sleeve sealed off by duct tape.
No matter what, be sure to use neosporin before and after surf until it is completely healed. I’ve had wounds with dissolving stitches get infected 3-4 weeks post injury, even when i thought i was healed up.
3 or 4 days is conservative, usually when I’ve had stitches I’m told to stay out of the water 10 days. And my doctor is s a surfer too. You have your whole life to surf, which is thousands of sessions. Missing one or two won’t kill you. But you only have two hands…and if you could see your tendons moving, that’s a nasty cut. Let it heal right.
P.S. as has been pointed out several times here, hydrogen peroxide kills healthy cells as well as nasty germs…
I’ve had lots of wounds stitched. And even more that should have been 
Usually doctors say that about stitches to prevent you tearing them out and to minimise scarring.
But for both it’s usually more than a few days.
Getting it wet WILL increase scarring
Being an idiot and not caring I usually just spray waterproof spray bandage over it. Then tape over it and go through life as usual.
I just took mine out myself yesterday after having them in my hand for ten days. I got them from some carelessness cutting some fiberglass off he tip of a fish tail (karma for scolding my friend the day before about always cutting away from yourself, and then what do I do the next day… and yes razor blades are quite sharp, hence the expression as sharp as a razors edge) I went surfing after about four days with them in (sketchy considering they were on the palm where one would push on the rail to pop up). I waited for just enough time for the cut to fuse back together, shaved my wrist, applied ample bandaging, threw a nitrile glove on, tapped the cuff of the glove and wrapped my wrist evenly and firmly, threw on my wettie and some 1mm gloves for S & G, and out I went. The bandaged-nitrile-glove-shaved wrist-duck tape set up lasted all of about ten seconds. I surfed for about a half hour, forty five mins. Then I went in because it had been raining as of late and that is usually not a good thing for the water quality in this area. Immediately dabbed the cut with a couple cotton swabs soaked with hydrogen peroxide and went home and washed it with soap and water. I know hydrogen peroxide is not discriminatory in what it kills (alcohol is worse) but I figured better error on the side of no bad germs that one time. I continued to wash daily with organic tea tree soap and hot water until I took them out yesterday. So far so good, the cut looks like it healed up nicley.
Regards, Tony.
Bad idea man. You know how bad the water around here is. I get a sore throat just about every time I go out. Imagine what it would do to a big gash. You have the Cape Fear river and there pumping sand at Kure beach. No thanks.
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today i received 7 stitches in my hand and tommorow the surf is supposed to be good. The doc said no surfing for 3-4 days, but I was skeptical. Have any of y’all surfed the day after getting stitches, and if so, what safety measures did you take? The water is around 48 degrees at wrightsville so gloves are a must. I was just wondering what the swaylocks mental collective thought.
Well, mine were from eating my rail and punching my bottom teeth all the way through my lower lip, so all I had to do was refrain from running my mouth :-> Seriously, I’d take the time off recommended; the hand flexes in a lot of different directions when paddling, and that can be a problem with stitches. Also, I think I saw something on Surfline yesterday about a sewage spill on an inland river adversely affecting the water quality off the southern NC beaches. In my case, overcoming the “getting back on the horse” syndrome was the biggest delay. I had tried to dive over the top of a head-high closeout, but I was too far back and toward the inside rail when I pushed off - the board turned sideways then pivoted up with the force of the wave plus my push. 40-some stiches in 3 layers (inner lip, muscle, and outer skin). I’ve had worse injuries with no lingering “psych” effects, but this one traumatized me pretty good for some reason - maybe because it occurred under not very challenging conditions.
-Samiam
yea, thanks for the help everyone. I played it safe and figured there will be more waves. The surf looked fun fun fun though and i was pretty bummed i missed it.
Dude! Good choice.
Remember, your skin is your primary defense against bad stuff. Some of it is really bad stuff and you don’t even realize it because the skin does such a good job. You don’t have an abrasion, you’ve holes that go all the way through. I your case they’re not just going through to some fatty tissue. They go through to joints and ligaments in your hand of all places. That last thing you want to do is get creepies down inside your joints and ligament sheaths, etc. You screw-up your hand for the rest of your life.
I’d wait until the stiches are pulled and those holes heal-up for a couple days. I know it’s a bummer but those are still holes through your skin. Some times you just gotta pull back on the reigns.
Best of luck.