Your first aid tips for knife cuts?

[Live_to_cook]

So hard to type this with one hand... so I hacked my middle finger of my left hand good, a 1/2-inch flap right next to the nail, thank God I didn't split the nail.

Tied off my finger to halt the blood, disinfected it, put on a bandaid to hold the flap down... went back to chopping veg.

Seems to be healing ok two days later, a bit puffy but not all angry red achy so I don't think it's infected.

What could I have done differently? When do you go for stitches? I thought of posting this thread before the blood stopped, shows you what kind of freak I am.

i don't think there's much else you can do at this point. i've sliced off the tip of my middle finger like that a few times and now i just have a little less finger. what can you do? can't really get stitches unless there's two things to stitch together. i figure, unless you faint or the blood is like really really dark red, just wrap it up and get back to work. after it heals you'll have a little hard patch in that spot and next time when you cut it, some skin will just slice off and you won't feel anything.... oh, and that little skin flap? rip it off.



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eddie

[Chef David Simpson]

OOOHHHCH!! I would have put a plastic glove on after those other steps,but other then that, you'll be all right.

[This message has been edited by Chef David Simpson (edited 02-02-2001).]

As thick bee propolis tincture applied to cuts helps heal them a lot faster.

[Mezzaluna]

Sounds interesting, Crudeau. What's a thick bee?

Mezz:

Very funny.

A thick bee is a bumblebee.

The tincture is thick and it comes from honeybees. Boy, the English language sure is funny, ain't it?

Bee propolis really works, though. Just don't get any on your clothes, cause it will not come out. Can get it at health food stores.

bees are such nifty little pests!

We all know by now about the benefits of tea tree oil. Its honey is even better. It's used by some doctors as a permanent cure for ulcers, more effective than traditional antibiotics. Some also include it in their first aid kit to disinfect cuts and scrapes. I forget the name of it now but it's from New-Zeland and it's very expensive. It tastes like mediciny molasses.

[Isa]

How ironic, I am just recovering from a nasty cut, was so deep I could see the tendons inside... Time for stitches and tetanos.

The most important is to get the cut clean and make sure there are no foreign body inside it. Clean it thoroughly and bandage it up. Polysporin is essential it prevents infection and help you heal faster. It never hurt to get your booster for tetanos if the cut was really deep.

[Nicko]

I agree with CDS the best is to disenfect, and then put on a little plastic rubber cover.

[cape chef]

Sisi,

I have been pulling foriagn bodys out of my cuts all my career!!But they never stay around long enough for me to say hello.
Ok stupid I know.Wrap it with some paper towel..apply some pressure to the wound,sit down,hold your finger above your heart,drink some OJ...maybe a banana if availible.When it stops bleeding...run under cool water and take a peek at the damage,as sisi said...if you seen tendons or have hit the bone it would be a good idea to hit the ER and have them take a look..and check your file as to when you had your last tetnus booster.(they last 10 years).If it is not that bad,hit it with some Hydrogin peroxcide,a little 3 in 1 oinment pop a kitchen condom on it and get back to work
cc
BTW, my spell check is not working

Ditto. Flip back the flap. Rinse in cold, cold water. Then rinse in peroxide. Fold back the flap. Wrap tightly (VERY TIGHTLY) in a paper towel. Tape it shut. (I use duct tape.) Cover and continue. If your finger isn't hanging there on a thread, keep out of ER. You'll waste a lot of time and they'll tell you the same. Your finger will be fine as long as it's kept clean. Next time, cut it with a bread knife. That makes a really nice scar.

[Nick.Shu]

yep same as above, wash, disinfect, clean dressing, pressure and hold above head.

If you have completely removed the said offending item, get someone to put whatever into a ziplock bag, that into a ziplock bag and then on ice. After that, prepare for "Microsurgery Frequent Bonus Points".

While on the subject, does anyone do that perculiar little dance when they do cut themselves or is that a aus thing?

L-T-C,
One thing alarmed me. "Tied off my finger to halt the blood." That is never a good thing to do unless you are in danger of bleeding to death. You can seriously damage the digit that way. A good rule of thumb is the five minute rule. After the Aussie whack-finger two step, cleaning, disinfecting, and applying good solid pressure for five minutes, check to see if you're still bleeding. If it's still spraying, head to the ER. A little more character for your hands. Mine look like I juggle table saw blades for a living.

More alarming to me is WHY all of you have so much experience with cuts? Are your knives in need of sharpening? What do you think are the common mistakes? I really want to learn this before I start working in a professional kitchen...

[layjo]

I belive that when we are sometimes preoccupied with something else at the same time we can get sidetracted a little and forget that we are carrying a sharp object in are hands and feel that we are comfortable and maybe tend to get too comfortable at times. And the need to hurry and finish task with in a certain time limit or nervousness and stress when cutting with the knives.



[This message has been edited by layjo (edited 02-02-2001).]