First Aid for Cuts & Scrapes

Curious as to what you guys do when you get a cut, scrape, etc. Do you use particular cleaning products or Band-Aids? Is it better to cover or leave open to air? Do those "healing promoting" lotions and creams work?

I know diabetics are slow to heal but, it seems like every minor cut/scrape I have still shows after months. Never have problems (infections, etc.) but, it just bugs me to still see a mark months later from bumping into the wall.

Do you do anything special?

Cheers,
Kris

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Cheers,
- Phishbowl (Type 1 since Jan'05 - Levemir, NovoRapid)
"What's Not Measured Is Not Managed"

"It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows"-Epictetus

Hmm.  I just use one of those generic triple-antibiotic creams if I have a cut and then cover it so it's protected for about a day, or at least so it doesn't have a chance to be torn open again.  It sort of depends on how much it had been bleeding, how big, etc.  Then, I'll take the band-aid off so it can get air.  If the cut is healing and not infected, that's not a great worry then.  If you still have marks after bumping into a wall, do you mean bruises?  Ask your doctor, then, it might not be related to the diabetes.    I don't know.

Hey, thanks for the reply, Lanie. Sounds like I do pretty much like you do - nothing extra special; just keeping it clean.

"Bumping into a wall" was a bad example (LOL). I was just meaning to convey that simple, everyday, klutsy things we do (paper cuts, cat scratches, knicking yourself with a knife, etc.), can seem like a simple mark on the skin at first but, take a long time to disappear.

I'm doing home renos at the moment and have a few battle wounds that I'm wondering would heal better if I maybe did something more/different. I've gone through a tube of PolySporin and a box of bandaids already

Cheers,
Kris

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Cheers,
- Phishbowl (Type 1 since Jan'05 - Levemir, NovoRapid)
"What's Not Measured Is Not Managed"

"It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows"-Epictetus

Hi Kris, yeah, I guess just being vigilant about cuts not healing is important.  If they fester and/or get infected, then you know to get to the doctor.  Oh, gee, renovations.  Last year I completely redid our kitchen, taking down wallpaper, prepping the walls, texturing, painting, staining the cabinets....  What a mess.  It was a miracle I didn't fall from the ladder or the counters.  I had the phone nearby just in case but I should have had it attached to me so I could have actually reached it if I fell.  Haven't taught my cat to dial 911 yet.

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Oooh... good tip about the phone, Lanie! Hadn't thought about that (maybe cause my Dad was helping me most of the time), but, I'll definitely remember it when I paint!

Three bathrooms and a kitchen are coming into the home stretch New floors, countertops, basins, toilets, taps, fixtures, drywall, and now paint. The only install is the kitchen counters, the rest was/is all DIY. Hard and messy work, yes, but I feel like Tom Hanks in Castaway when he finally makes fire, exclaiming with such glee, "Behold!". Look what I have made (giddily laughing hysterically. Moo-hoo-ha-ha

Has anyone ever tried that "liquid bandage" stuff? Just curious.

Cheers,
Kris

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Cheers,
- Phishbowl (Type 1 since Jan'05 - Levemir, NovoRapid)
"What's Not Measured Is Not Managed"

"It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows"-Epictetus

We have a bottle of that liquid bandage and I hate it.  I find it sort of stings when you put it on and then it becomes like a thin plastic cover, like clear nail polish.  My husband likes it.  To each his own.  Congratulations on your renovations!  The only things I do myself are walls and wood staining.  I've run out of walls though. 

In diabetes class we learned "Always Clean with Clear" which meant to use clear soap and water or hydrogen peroxide for cleaning a cut or bug bite and to use clear antibiotic cream with the bandage. (I believe this was to discourage the use of merchuricome (sp?) or calimine lotions which can disguise any inflammation that may occur.) We were also encouraged to use a new bandage each day and to leave it on longer than we usually would in the old days because of our slower healing process and lowered circulation. I've done this and found that it leaves less of a scar as well in most cases.
Good luck with the renovations, Kris.

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~ Jeannie, Forum Moderator/Diabetes & Fibromyalgia
I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much. ~Mother Teresa

"People are like stained glass windows: They sparkle and shine when the sun's out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is light within."- Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

I miss the old Merthiolate we used when I was a kid. The triple antibiotic creme seems to prolong the healing process. I always thought Iodine was good but to me, it just acts like brown colored water. With no better alternative, peroxide and a bandage are the best I have seen. Doctors say moist is good to promote healing, but I find letting the air dry it out works faster.