Silly Cuddles?

[Cuddles]

Was pruning (sic) a plum tree today, and pulled an extraneous branch off. A thorn stuck in my thumb, it bled for a while, and since has become painful and difficult to move.

The offending branch was close to the ground, and I do own a male dog... make of this what you will.

Should I go to my GP, or should I have gone to A&E immediately?

I'll keep you posted.:(

[DX Wombat]

That depends on your tetanus immunisation status. If you are not up to date with your immunisations go and see your GP about it, if you are, then wait and see if it settles. If it continues to swell and becomes more painful / red / hot / swollen you also need to see your doctor. In the meantime a dose of your analgesic of choice is a good idea as is bathing it in warm water. In any case, make sure you get your immunisations up to date and keep them current, the garden is probably the worst source of tetanus bugs it is possible to find. Hope it's soon better.

[AerBabe]

Adding salt to the warm soak water would also be a good idea!

[Cuddles]

Been to the quack, 5 days antibiotics and a tetanus jab!

[DX Wombat]

So how are you feeling now? :eek:

[Cuddles]

Still silly;)

but better

[gingernut]

Sorry to hear about your jammy situation (plum..jam..get it?). If there is any residual thorn left in your thumb, you may want to try one of my mums old fashioned remedies ! Gring some sugar and soap together (honest), spread liberally over the offending wound and cover with a plaster. This should draw any crap out. If you want to be a little more technical, you can buy a jar of mag. sulphate paste from the pharmacist, and use in the same way.
Of course, prevention is better than cure !

[DX Wombat]

Hmm, still feeling silly - it must have been a nasty bit of thorn. Gingernut is right I think I would probably go with the sugar & soap as, although it is excellent at getting rid of muck (and soothing really nasty mozzie bites) MgSulph paste can leave difficult to remove greasy marks on clothing etc if you don't pad the area witha thick absorbent layer. Roll on full recovery!;)

[arcniz]

Hydrogen peroxide is cheap, bio-compatible, and kills nearly any anerobic bacteria it touches. Since I am often found in a woods, heat with wood, have animals and grow roses, it sees frequent use in my corner.

Topical wounds, bites, mystery red patches, etc. benefit from a moistened pad that stays on a few minutes. Puncture wounds are harder, but fixable: Soaking for 5+ minutes until you see bubbles does well. If a fingertip, just shove it in the bottle and upend the works. After 30 minutes immersion it will get to fingertip nerves and cause uniquely durable pain. If unable to find real medical assistance, I would consider injecting it into a deep wound, but the cleansing might come at the price of considerable cell damage.

For thorns, splinters, etc, a razor blade, needle or xacto type knife is helpful to open a pathway, then peroxide to taste. Quick and thorough initial treatment is better than remedial care, but you do what you can when opportunity permits.

Peroxide is really reliable and kills from inside out. If redness remains after 12H, open the wound a little and repeat. Doesn't take much to treat normal small wounds. I carry some in my travel kit in a hotel shampoo-size bottle. Wears out for travel after a month if not very tightly sealed.

If no peroxide handy, then strong salt solution in water or water alcohol. Hurts.. but it works. Sucks the juices right out of the 'teria.

[Lou Scannon]

Stop wallowing in self-pity lad!
How's the poor dog is what I want to know.

[DX Wombat]

What makes you think there is anything the matter with the dog? Just because Cuddles has fixed an electric fence around the dog's favourite watering site and the dog occasionally resembles a startled sputnik with a severe undercarriage problem doesn't mean there is anything the matter with it. What I want to know is whether Cuddles' hand has healed properly yet. :eek: :cool: :D