First Aid
I am not a doctor or a nurse. This is just general information that has been given to me by others or that I have used.

First things first, asses your injury. If the cut looks very serious and you can not stop the bleeding after applying pressure for an hour, go to an ER or CLINIC IMMEDIATELY!

CUTS
If your wound isn't really serious, clean it. Use either alcohol or a Betadine or Iodine solution. After cleaning the wound you need to decided if the wound is deep. I know that Sterri strips work well in holding a wound together, butterfly's work also. After applying one of the two, if needed, use a triple antibiotic ointment. This will help prevent infection. Then you can dress your wound with either a bandage or a Band-Aid. BURNS For burns you should run it under cool water for about 5 minutes. Applying Ice can also help the pain. When dressing a burn use a triple antibiotic ointment. With both watch for infection. Symptoms include: Puss or a runny discharge form the wound, excessive pain after the first day, numbness, heat around the wound, redness, swelling, and a red streak coming from the site. If you develop these you should see a doctor IMMEDIATELY.

Broken Bones
If you think you have a broken bone or a concussion have someone take you to an ER immediately. The sooner the better.
Scar Therapy
I have heard many things about some products and procedures, out of these I have only used one. Laser surgery is very affective at getting rid of unwanted scars. This does take time and can be VERY costly. Curad Scar Therapy patches work well, if used properly. I saw improvements with in a week. They AR patches made of a material to help the scar appear less red and raised. You have to wear them for 12 to 24 hours for maximum benefit. They cost $18.00 a box. There is a cream you can buy over the counter to help treat scars. That is $20.00 a tube. I am not sure how long a tube lasts. There are several brands of silicone sheets and pads available: Rejuveness Syprex Clinicel (a cushion) Cicacare ReTouch ScarFX ScarEase Mepiform

A good source for information about scars and plastic surgery is http://www.scarcare.org. Remember that nothing can make the scar go away completely; treatments can only change the shape, appearance, or location of it. Medical concerns for people who cut If you are still using self-injury as a way to cope with overwhelming situations, you need to pay attention to your health and monitor yourself for symptoms of anemia or dehydration. If you cut, you're losing two important things: fluid (plasma) and red blood cells. Your body can replace the plasma in about 48 hours if you drink enough liquid. The red cells will take about two months to be replenished. Dehydration can send you into shock. The most common symptom is dizziness, especially when changing positions (for example, standing up after having been lying down for a while). You may also have a very rapid pulse. If the dehydration is severe (you're very dizzy, your eyes look sunken, you can't keep fluids down, your skin is clammy and you feel weak), go to the doctor immediately -- they'll give you IV fluids and you'll be fine in a few hours. To avoid getting to that point, be sure to drink 8 glasses of water daily (more on days you've lost blood). If you feel dizzy after SI, drink as much water or juice as you can and monitor yourself for symptoms of shock. Anemia happens when you lose too much iron by losing too many red cells. If you are anemic, you will be pale and feel very weak. You might be irritable and short of breath and just feel bad. If you have these symptoms, you can see a doctor and have the anemia confirmed; the doctor will then give you iron supplements and vitamin C and tell you that you'll feel better in a couple of months. If you want to avoid becoming anemic, but you're not ready to stop cutting, you should take a multivitamin with iron and vitamin C daily and stop the bleeding on your cuts as quickly as possible. *author of this section is: Deb Martinson all rights reserved.*

Dealing with unpleasant questions
It happens sooner or later - you're at school or work, on the bus, in a shop, and someone notices. "What happened to your {arm, leg, face, whatever}?" People aren't usually trying to make you uncomfortable. Quite often, they're just making conversation; they don't really want to know why you have scars, but it's something to say. Nevertheless, you're stuck coming up with an answer. Quite often, the easiest solution is to half-laugh or make a rueful face and say "It's a long story." Then change the topic. This deflects most people; if they persist, you can say, "I would really rather not discuss this." You can be a bit icy here -- after all, they're being a bit rude by asking you personal questions and not letting you gracefully avoid answering. On the other hand, you could try some of the suggestions that came up during a discussion of excuses on the bus email list. You prolly won't use most of them, but read them for the laughs: I had unprotected sex with a porcupine. I took my lizards for a walk and they held on for dear life. The neighborhood cat and I had a disagreement about the paw prints on my truck. The police didn't comply with the terrorists' demands fast enough, so they took it out on us hostages. This first one is kind of lame, but it's what I use most often: "Um, uh...I, uh....you see....I...uh...Well,...." At which they usually try to help me out by replying, "Did you fall?" And I say, "Yes, thanks." Well, let me just tell you this: You should NEVER EVER, under ANY circumstances, go out with a guy/girl that you met on the internet. I hurt myself. I keep falling off of cliffs trying to catch that damned roadrunner. "I was oyster hunting." They give me a blank stare. Then I say, with a wink, "You've obviously never been oyster hunting before." "It's a long story." They usually leave me alone, but this one guy said, "I've got time." Then I said, "I fell. [long pause] Ok, so it's obviously not THAT long." I was at this party with Marilyn Manson and everyone was giving out hugs. I lost a fight with a can of tuna fish. I slipped while making a salad. I fell asleep, and the clown got me. I'll just put it this way: when they tell you not to feed the bears, it's for a damned good reason. I thought those security tags on pants just sprayed ink, but apparently they spray shards of broken glass, too. Those aren't cuts, they're mehendi. Don't worry about it. Because of me, they now have a warning label! What are you talking about?? (as I quickly pull my sleeves up.) Damn Cat. Well, when I was younger, I had this dream that a dog was following me...he ran, and I ran, but the faster I ran, the more he sped up. I wanted to get to safety, to my house...I was almost there...but right when I got to the front porch, he bit me. Everywhere. Lots of times. Making marks that don't look like bites at all. And when I woke up... ::wide eyes:: and I had THESE. "What scars?" They usually reply "those ones," to which I reply, "I don't see anything." The voices told me to do it. I wrestle Tigers... I got them climbing a fence to escape this hell-hole. (said at school) (said to a guy who thinks I worship the devil) I did this as a sacramental offering to my dark lord, you prick. ::Smile:: (about scars on my stomach) "Oh, those are from having my baby." "You don't have a baby!" "No, but I could." None of your business, you stupid (insert appropriate curse word here) I did it. (Hey, honesty works sometimes) *Deb Martinson* all rights reserved.


If you have any suggestions E-mail me at: cat48458@hotmail.com