...decide if you need stitches.

[cuppycakes]

Well this is fairly stupid, but I really don't want to pay 100 bucks and drag my fussy toddlers to the doctor for a cheese-grater-related injury. I don't have health insurance for myself right now

Yes, a cheese grater. I just bought a new, wickedly sharp cheese grater and grated my knuckle yesterday. It bled everywhere and I could see the layers of my skin down to something white that I was afraid was bone, but my nurse neighbor( I called him) assured me it was "just your tendon" and if I could still bend my finger it was fine. Which was sort of reassuring, I guess.

Anyway I lost a lot of blood for a finger cut and it eventually slowed down. But it's still oozing (yuuuuuuck) blood today. It's got "edges" you know? It hurts like a bitch. Should it still be bleeding?

 

[horgasm]

You might not need stitches, and a knuckle is a pretty bad place to cut yourself. There's a lot of bending and stretching and pulling skin that don't make it conducive for a wound to close up. If you nicked the tendon, you should definitely put your finger in a splint for a few days. This will help the wound from pulling open again, and will give your tendon some time to heal. If your finger is floppy, it probably means that you actually cut the tendon, and you'll REALLY need to see a doctor. I learned a lot about this after cutting my finger on a mandoline slicer, and it went right through the tendon. I was in a finger splint for 6 weeks, which was a royal pain in the ass.

 

[Christopher2012]

Something you might be able to do is go to a local pharmacy. Pharmacists aren't doctors, but they are trained to know when to refer to you one.

There are 24/7 pharmacies around. And go at a slow time when the pharmacy isnt' that busy so they can give you full attention.

Best part, it's free. Haha I'm a pharmacy student, but I really dont' know what to tell you at this point. My concern is infection more than anything. But yeah, the pharmacist in charge should be able to point you into the right direction. And it's better than listening to a bunch of random people on the internet.

 

[cuppycakes]

Thanks everybody. I can bend my finger fine, so I think I'll just suck it up and keep it clean. I got the nurse next door to look at it. And don't worry Christopher2012, I take everything I read on the internet with a grain of salt

 

[coastal-boy]

If it shortens the healing by one week, $100 becomes $14 a day.

 

[lborobastard]

Well this is fairly stupid, but I really don't want to pay 100 bucks and drag my fussy toddlers to the doctor for a cheese-grater-related injury. I don't have health insurance for myself right now

Yes, a cheese grater. I just bought a new, wickedly sharp cheese grater and grated my knuckle yesterday. It bled everywhere and I could see the layers of my skin down to something white that I was afraid was bone, but my nurse neighbor( I called him) assured me it was "just your tendon" and if I could still bend my finger it was fine. Which was sort of reassuring, I guess.

Anyway I lost a lot of blood for a finger cut and it eventually slowed down. But it's still oozing (yuuuuuuck) blood today. It's got "edges" you know? It hurts like a bitch. Should it still be bleeding?

I always use a bit of super glue, I clean the cuts up hold it shut and smear the glue over it (not in the cut) making it liquid plaster type thing.

it was developed for that type of use and it keeps it clean and dry.

 

[sbelle79]

I always use a bit of super glue, I clean the cuts up hold it shut and smear the glue over it (not in the cut) making it liquid plaster type thing.

it was developed for that type of use and it keeps it clean and dry.

i second this! Derma bond has this week saved me HUNDREDS in vet bills...i superglued (medical grade) the pad of my dog's paw back together when he sliced it open a week or so ago. Its held up so well his pad is actually webbing and reattaching. When i first saw it, i was positve he was losing that pad. He only missed shearing it completely off by about an 1/4 inch!!

But it HAS to be clean before you glue it! And dont put any kind of ointment on it either, that will counteract the glue.