Malibu mishap…altered course to miss paddler…board got away and stupidly tried to save it with legs…kinda surprised an hour later to see this after stripping off wetsuit…not sure if I should have doc look at it…would a couple stitches make it heal quicker…? It is deeper than this pic shows…
rogelio
Super glue.
Considering how dirty the water is there, I’d make the trip to the doctor. Iodine flush at least. Do it within 12 hours max from time of injury, or they can’t sew it up. Need to let the potential infection drain.
New swell on Tuesday. You’re gonna miss that one.
betadine/scrubbie and butterflies if you don’t care how the skin lines-up; stitches if your vain like me ha!
Mark’s right, they might write you a script for some antibotics and recommend the 3x A/B/C hep shots if you haven’t gotten those already.
I go betadine and then superglue on finger cuts if they’re not deep and only if the blade on the untility knife was clean. Otherwise neosporin.
googled it…more or less if it is 1/4 inch deep and 3/4 inch long, stitches would be needed…so I went to Urgent Care.
very good service…nice smart female doc…5 stitches and a round of anti-biotics and a tetnus shot…very painless in every sense of the word…can surf in 48 hours!!
If I had not done this…I think it might have took many days or weeks to heal.
upon my return to the shack…I see that Sways came through with some great advice.
BTW Ace…I do use the Super Glue often on little abraisions etc., In this case I dont think it would have worked!
Mark…I can in fact surf Tuesday afternoon…I will probably be back on Oahu by then…
Aloha and Mahalo,
rogelio
Hi Roger -
Always a good idea to keep in your first aid kit some 'Steri-Strips' or 'Butterfly' stick-on bandages for wound closures. Shave off surrounding hair. Before closing it's very important to flush it out really clean inside with sterile water or antiseptic solution. I keep a couple bottles of sterile eye rinse for wound irrigation. If you can find 'Tincture of Benzoine', it makes a good adhesive to apply to either side of the wound - don't get it in the wound though. It makes the Steri-Strips really stick (and for along time) so you don't have to disturb things once you have it pulled together. Throw a 4X4 bandage over it and wrap it with roller gauze. Double up or change the 4X4 gauze as needed but leave the steri-strips in place for at least a week. After that, try pulling every other one to see how things are holding together. When pulling, grab the ends and pull towards the wound edge so it doesn't pull apart.
I've seen a number of wounds that were stitched that resulted in inflammatory response to the suture materials. With some wounds it doesn't make much sense to punch a bunch of new holes and introduce foreign bodies in the way of suture material... kind of adding insult to injury?
All that said, what I'm talking about is just a notch above basic first-aid. I'm sure your doc did a thorough exam of the damage and did exactly the right thing. Any wound occurring at Malibu is worthy of antibiotics. It has a long history of serious pollution issues.
Some docs will prescribe broad spectrum antibiotics for a person's first aid kit if the requestor is, like yourself, a traveler to remote areas. In Mexico you can just buy antibiotics (and other stuff) over the counter.... stuff that would definitely require a prescription here. Another option locally is pet stores or feed stores. Some carry antibiotic capsules for animals that are 'not for human consumption.' That label is just to get around the need for a prescription. Try Google to find 'fish antibiotics.' It is easy to legally purchase a variety of antibiotics for your, uhhh...... fish.
There is a BOOK I recommend that covers some of this sort of thing but seriously, I can't believe anybody would be searching for medical advice on this, a surfboard design forum!
I concur.
Roger, yes, it would work.
Roger,
Also keep some Hydrogen Peroxide around to flush out any open cuts/wounds. Works like a champ!
Hi Bill -
With all due respect, although H2O2 was a first aid staple for many years, it is no longer recommended by most health authorities as a disinfectant. Many treatments that were standards of care since I became a military medic in 1975 are no longer accepted. Here is a cut/paste from a recent 'fact/fiction' website on the peroxide stuff....
"For many of us, hydrogen peroxide was one of the first things we put on a cut or a wound, but that is less recommended nowadays. The reason, according to numerous medical sites, is that there is a downside to the hydrogen peroxide as well. It also damages healthy cells that are needed for the wounds to heal and hinders them from getting to the area where the healing needs to take place. The HealthFinder publication of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says don't use hydrogen peroxide on a wound because it interferes with healing. The U.S. Gymnastics team has followed the recommendations of researchers and uses soap and water for cleansing wounds and not hydrogen peroxide. The National Safety Council's First Aid Pocket Guide (1996) says "DO NOT use hydrogen peroxide It does not kill bacteria, and it adversely affects capillary blood flow and wound healing." The Mayo Clinic gives the same advice."
Hi Roger - Ouch! Didn't realize you were injured when I saw you, hope you heal up fast. - Huck
Who knew??? How about tropical coral cuts? Without the use of H2O2, is there a topical that will prevent ‘‘volcanos?’’ (The establishment of coral polyps in the tissue) It’s the only way I’ve ever been able to stop it.
As Mellor said i cant believe that you would come here for medical advise. I’d go with RR Kwik Kick. Sun cure at the very least.
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As Mellor said i cant believe that you would come here for medical advise. I'd go with RR Kwik Kick. Sun cure at the very least.
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its a surf injury - why not ask a bunch of surfers about a surf injury!
Hi Bill -
I still see in literature that some medical people recommend H2O2 so there may be something to it.
When I lived on a sailboat over there, I tried Phisohex with a scrub brush, H2O2 and vinegar - all recommended by various people living on neighboring boats. I still came home with several festering volcanoes.
A giant shot in the ass with Penicillin cleared it right up. I wonder if it had truly been coral polyps growing in the wounds, if the Penicillin would still have worked? I surfed pretty regularly at or near Ala Moana where the water quality wasn't exactly pristine. My doc suspected some sort of bacterial infection but he didn't do a culture or anything so I'll never know.
Several surfer friends in the southern California region have had similar lesions. I assumed they were caused by bacteria and chronic irritation - usually on the tops of the feet and on the knees where they were repeatedly subjected to being dragged on the waxed deck of their boards as they stood up.
PS - One of the worst ulcerations I've ever seen (on a heroin addict) was finally treated successfully with 'Dakin's Solution' which is basically diluted bleach. Who'da thunk it?
Well thier you go, a giant ass full of penecellein.
Rod,…on this vain,…in Hawaii, had a buddy in the 70’s put Lysol spray on a coral cut----as he screamed in pain—telling me …“it said disinfectant”
;D
ps,…match this one
Aloha, Randy
duuuuude. gonna go hug a sand bar after seeing that. Proneman, you started something: time to rename the thread: “Show us your War Wounds.**”
