Update on the burn

[fenchurch]

(From the truck stop in Ellensburg, WA -- almost home!)

I wanted to thank everyone for their suggestions! I realized after I logged off and headed over to Wal-Mart that I'd said I'd been using Lanacaine... nope, it was Neosporin. D'oh!

I wound up getting some more Neosporin and some Vitamin E, smearing that stuff on and then covering it with an extremely large Curad self-stick bandage... and I've come to the conclusion that I should have been covering the thing all along. The difference this morning is phenomenal. Though, I think I may still look at picking up the stuff archerrat recommended, depending on how long it takes to heal completely. If nothing else, it sounds like it would be handy to have around.

Now I just need to survive the INFERNAL ITCHING while it heals. Ack!

Comments

[archerrat.livejournal.com]

Whether to cover it all the time probably should depend in part on how severe a burn it is. (People who are very visually oriented and who possess easily-upset stomachs may wish to skip the next paragraph.)



My November 2003 burn was serious enough that several layers of skin ended up sloughing off, and pus-like secretions would harden in place where the lost skin had been. After trial and error, I found that if I left it entirely uncovered, the hardened material would stay in place and healing was slowed — plus, I couldn't put Neosporin on the burned surface in any effective manner. If I covered it over continuously, the material would become liquid again and not do whatever protective job it was supposed to be doing. When I alternated bandages with fresh air, each one getting a few hours in turn, and I put Neosporin on the burn when skin was exposed, the rate of healing accelerated.



Of course, your mileage and burnage may vary.