After quickly grabbing a kitchen towel to avoid bleeding all over the floor, I took stock. The knife had gone through the meaty part of the tip of my finger, and the tip of the knife had come out the other side. Yeesh. Fortunately the entrance point wasn't too big, so I decided I wouldn't need stitches.
Entrance on left, exit point on right. It takes talent to do something like this!
It's a little hard to dig through the medicine cabinet with one hand while trying to keep pressure on your bleeding finger with the other, but it didn't take long for me to realize that we didn't have any Band-aids. Or hydrogen peroxide. Or alcohol? Huh, I didn't realize we were that badly stocked for emergencies. Ooops.
Luckily, since the horses are right outside my door, I have a well-stocked vet-kit readily available. I headed to the barn and considered the options. First, I rinsed my finger gently with chlorahexadine. That's a surgical scrub and the best thing I had on hand. Next, I got out a square of non-stick sterile gauze and cut it down to something more finger-sized. I found the vetwrap and snipped off an appropriate-sized piece. I dipped my finger in Silvadine (a super-strength healing cream that they use for burn victims), wrapped it in the gauze, and covered the whole thing in a blob of vetwrap.
Classy, eh?
It even fit in my glove for evening chores! It's a little sore, and I'm not looking forward to one-handed cooking, but hopefully it will heal quickly and cleanly.
Please tell me I'm not the only one who has raided their horse's vet kit for meds before?
P.S. I found the hydrogen peroxide and the alcohol. In the vet kit. The human band-aids are still MIA.
If you'd gone to the ER they'd have done much the same, and charged you $150 copay and your insurance another $500 or so. And it would have taken several hours.
ReplyDeleteI come from a long tradition of self-medicating from the vet kit. Icthammol? Panalog ointment? Banamine? I've done it or seen it done.
The moral of the story is to keep your kitchen knives sterile;)
Can't say I've ever used any of those things, myself. But they do seem to make sturdier wrapping material, and better sterile washes, than they do for humans. Yay vet kit!
DeleteClever! I like it.
ReplyDeleteDesperation breeds innovation. Or something like that! ;)
DeleteOuch!
ReplyDeleteGood vet tech job, you.
Years of doctoring the boys have honed my wrapping skillz to a fine art.
DeleteAs for the vet tech job, my vet has actually offered me a job as a tech. Twice. I always tell her I have to keep my real job to pay all my vet bills!
Ouch :-( Hope your finger heals up nicely! Seems like you did a good job, just can't imagine how weird it is that is came out on another side! :/
ReplyDeleteIf you lay your pinkie down sideways to a hard surface, then sort of squish the tip sideways against said surface, you'll get an idea of what I think happened. Knife tip went in the side and out the other, and was stopped by the cutting board, so just the tip exited.
DeleteYeesh. That makes me cringe to think about!
And coming from a nurse, thanks for saying I did a good job!
If i have a cut I spray Vetericyn on it. I've never cut my finger like that though!
ReplyDeleteMy hubby cut his hand last week and asked if we had bandages, I said "I don't think so, but I just bought some vetwrap and gauze!" He didn't find the humor that I did...
What! Vetwrap is THE BEST! How could your husband not appreciate it?! I almost always stick some on OVER a band-aid these days, since it holds so much better. I do wish it came in slightly more work-appropriate colors, though. ;)
DeleteWhen I was in a riding accident my foot got caught in the stir-up, straining all ligaments and muscles in my knee, calf, and ankle. Put me in a knee brace and ankle brace with crutches. I ditched it all wrapped my leg from my knee to my ankle in vet wrap put my cowboys on, and healed in 6 weeks with no problem!!
ReplyDeleteOuch! I'm glad you healed up OK - sounds painful!
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