# Wounds and infection



## MarkJames

In terms of health, maybe we can all take away something from this little story.

I caught up with one of my old flooring guys this week, and fortunately had good job lead for him. I hadn't dealt with him in a couple years and he's now back in action and urgently looking for work. It turns out he was out of commission for a whole year after getting a bad leg infection. It started with a small cut on his knee...and one thing led to another, massive bacterial infection. (Reading about the player who may now lose his foot on the NY Giants got me thinking about all this...)

How many of us just keep on going after all these minor cuts, not doing the basics? This guy lost a lot during that year, including his home, and is trying dig himself out of a bad situation.

For what it's worth....


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## mikeswoods

That's a shame--sorry to here that.

A good friend and millwright was put out of work permanently by a wood sliver that hit a bone.

I was working with him when it happened---he did everything right and still lost.

He headed for the clinic right after quitting time---went to the doc a few days later---nasty bone infection soon set in---crippled the hand.


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## Warren

I ended up with a staph infection a few years ago. I try to at least get a clean wrap on any fresh wounds now. We asked the doc when we were there about pulling out or leaving splinters. He said we should leave them in if it requires any digging. If the splinters is sticking out at all, go ahead and remove it. If it is big, and/or in deep, go get it removed.


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## Leo G

Unless it's a log stuck in my thigh I'm pulling the splinter out.


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## Warren

Leo G said:


> Unless it's a log stuck in my thigh I'm pulling the splinter out.


I used to feel the same way until the infection. Amazing how 3 days in a hospital can change your point of view. They also say, once you've had a staph infection, your chances of getting one again are greater.


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## Morning Wood

That crap is scary. I know a local excavation guy who got a bad infection in his foot and ended up dying from it. I've got bacitracin, band aids, gauze, and tape in the truck. Try to keep things covered. I find that my general well being(diet) has a lot to do with how well I recover.


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## MarkJames

Morning Wood said:


> That crap is scary. I know a local excavation guy who got a bad infection in his foot and ended up dying from it. I've got bacitracin, band aids, gauze, and tape in the truck. Try to keep things covered. I find that my general well being(diet) has a lot to do with how well I recover.


When you think about it, having a safety kit on hand is kind of like having the right tools, and we all can appreciate that. It's a good feeling, even if it's someone else that needs it.

I can't count the times I've wrapped a finger in a McD's napkin and blue tape. :smartass:


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## tgeb

I have ample first aid kits in all the trucks. But if I get a cut and it quits bleeding in a couple minutes, I may or may not bandage it. Most times I will just to make sure it doesn't open up again.

I get busted knuckles repairing machinery all the time, don't usually do much for them just let 'em bled out....

When I shot myself with a nail gun, I went to the clinic at the end of the day to get a tetanus shot.

Probably due for a booster shot. If I see signs of infection, I'll get right over to the clinic....but I don't tolerate antibiotics too well.


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## Calidecks

I don't allow my guys to pull splinters until 3:30 anyways. I tell them to just put an "X" on it so they can find it later.


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## KAP

We were just having a conversation over the weekend and someone told me that pirates/sailors died more, not so much from the canon balls, but being impaled by the splinters of all shapes and sizes from the cannon ball blasting through the wooden ship...

Just stay away from the cannon balls and you should be fine... :whistling :laughing:

Besides on the deep ones, if you don't let it get infected, you can't watch the splinter squirt out and measure for distance... :clap:

Lemons into lemonade... gotta' have something to look forward to...


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## madmax718

Dont have one, but a good idea.


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## hdavis

I'm spotty on this. Sometimes I'll have a mini first aid kit and take care of it right then, other times I don't, and I'll wait for later.


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## Robie

Mine is on-board and well-stocked, because you just never know when you'll need it.

It probably doesn't make any medical sense, but if I get wounded and it bleeds a lot, I'll rinse with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide before putting a bandage on. Scratches I don't worry about much.


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## madmax718

Actually bleeding is good- its self cleaning. (seriously). You can irrigate the would by letting it bleed out, clean it up (CLEAN water is fine, dont use a half swigged bottle of water unless you have nothing else), and then applying a bandage.

Also the more moisturized your hands are, the less injury prone they are.


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## pinwheel

We keep a small first aid kit in the truck. Triple antibiotic & bandaids primarily. Set of splinter tweezers in the console of the truck. I put a bandaid on small cuts just to keep from bleeding on the finish work.


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## A&E Exteriors

Californiadecks said:


> I don't allow my guys to pull splinters until 3:30 anyways. I tell them to just put an "X" on it so they can find it later.


My first ever framing boss would tell us too take the splinters home with us and dig them out there


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## NYgutterguy

Working with sharp aluminum and zips screws all day i can honestly say i see blood quite a bit. Never anything really deep so usually just hold a napkin around it for a few min till it stops bleeding. 

If its real bad then the gauze and tape or a band aid comes out of the safety kit. Weve been lucky i guess with no infections


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## CarpenterSFO

We have good first aid kits everywhere - shop, truck, each site right next to one of the fire extinguishers. Bandaids, gauze, eyewash. Everything gets dealt with right away, including splinters. Cuts get cleaned and neosporined before bandaiding.


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## A&E Exteriors

NYgutterguy said:


> Working with sharp aluminum and zips screws all day i can honestly say i see blood quite a bit. Never anything really deep so usually just hold a napkin around it for a few min till it stops bleeding.
> 
> If its real bad then the gauze and tape or a band aid comes out of the safety kit. Weve been lucky i guess with no infections


I always say if you aren't bleeding at some point during the day you aren't working hard enough..

BLOOD sweat and tears....


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## hdavis

CarpenterSFO said:


> We have good first aid kits everywhere


Of course you do.:thumbsup:


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## griz

Suck a little blood out, wipe it with your shirt, a little electrical tape & you are good to go....:whistling

Slivers removed with a utility knife...


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## Dan_Watson

madmax718 said:


> Dont have one, but a good idea.


Anyone see this available in the US?


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## mnld

Super glue, tea tree oil, and electrical tape.


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## Calidecks

What I've come to realize is doctors are going to give advice according to what's least likely to get them sued. I can see how telling you to "come in" vs. Digging a splinter out is sound advice to prevent liabilities on their behave.


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## Leo G

I have a first aid kit in the truck and the shop. Don't really know how "well stocked" it is because all I've every used is bandaids. And like Pinwheel, I put them on just to keep the blood off the finished product.

Whatever the kits came with is still there minus bandaids. I've replenished them a few times since they only come with a few. Never used the gauze of the cute scissors that come with the kit.


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## Warren

Every employee with a truck has a first aid kit. We just got new kits a couple months ago. The one thing I like to have in my kits is the eye rinse. My one and only WC claim was for someone who got sawdust in their eye. 

As for the "dig it out or leave it", my son in law is a resident surgeon. He clarified the advice that the other doctor gave me. I gotta say, staph infection is the worst thing I have ever experienced. I have had Meningitis(with a nice spinal tap) , donated an organ, suffered a seizure inducing fall, but they all pale in comparison to the staph.


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## TimelessQuality

griz said:


> Suck a little blood out, wipe it with your shirt, a little electrical tape & you are good to go....:whistling
> 
> Slivers removed with a utility knife...



Moments ago..









Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## 91782

TimelessQuality said:


> Moments ago..
> View attachment 232505
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


It's Monday.


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## 91782

Surprised you guy's don't get the big lecture from your ins company about mandatory FA kits in all company vehicles, lower rates, reduced liability exposure, yada yada.


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## EricBrancard

How timely.....










oven door hinge from 60" Viking range. Luckily I wasn't there alone because it took both of someone else's hands to get that thing off mine.


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## MarkJames

Californiadecks said:


> What I've come to realize is doctors are going to give advice according to what's least likely to get them sued. I can see how telling you to "come in" vs. Digging a splinter out is sound advice to prevent liabilities on their behave.


Them saying "you should probably have it looked at" is kind of like us saying "I would need to see the job first."


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## Leo G

EricBrancard said:


> How timely.....
> 
> 
> View attachment 232945
> 
> 
> oven door hinge from 60" Viking range. Luckily I wasn't there alone because it took both of someone else's hands to get that thing off mine.


Ewwww :blink:


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## 91782

EricBrancard said:


> How timely.....
> 
> 
> View attachment 232945
> 
> 
> oven door hinge from 60" Viking range. Luckily I wasn't there alone because it took both of someone else's hands to get that thing off mine.


That hand was too pretty anyways - needed some "man" marks.


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## EricBrancard

SmallTownGuy said:


> That hand was too pretty anyways - needed some "man" marks.


I think I earned a manicure and a little "me time" :laughing:

This is not my pretty hand, though. This is the one that has scars across 3 fingers from a miter saw blade in '06.


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## 91782

EricBrancard said:


> I think I earned a manicure and a little "me time" :laughing:
> 
> This is not my pretty hand, though. This is the one that has scars across 3 fingers from a miter saw blade in '06.


If it looks gnarly then OK, you can sit with us - just don't cross your legs.


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## Big Shoe

Yes, Staph, three months with a Picc line to my heart and daily IV doses of Vancomycin.........Barrels of fun.

Three close friends, a plumber, metal framer and a drywall finisher were all hospitalized with flesh eating nasty infections over the last ten yrs.

Best safe practice is to wash/clean right away, antiseptic and bandage. And this is the hardest part..............Keep clean for as long as possible until healed. :thumbsup:


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## 91782

Big Shoe said:


> Yes, Staph, three months with a Picc line to my heart and daily IV doses of Vancomycin.........Barrels of fun.
> 
> Three close friends, a plumber, metal framer and a drywall finisher were all hospitalized with flesh eating nasty infections over the last ten yrs.
> 
> Best safe practice is to wash/clean right away, antiseptic and bandage. And this is the hardest part..............Keep clean for as long as possible until healed. :thumbsup:


That right there scares the livin' chit outta me.

Staph today is not our fathers staph. That's what MRSA is - mutated, drug resistant staph.


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## jlhaslip

Polysporin and a bandage. Works for me.


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## Texas Wax

Leo G said:


> Whatever the kits came with is still there minus bandaids. I've replenished them a few times since they only come with a few. Never used the gauze of the cute scissors that come with the kit.


Keep mine well stocked. I'm the one who gets to do heavy duty first aid... :whistling even get compliments from ER staff, proud moments, right?  

Slivers, utility knife cut the tough ones out, bleed it and get back to work. Bandaids are to stop the blood from getting on the expensive woodwork or fancy carpets. No band aids, any prortland based or drywall dust does a good job to stop the bleeding :clap:

:laughing: Electrical tape is for those little bastards you can find. Wrap the finger and let it fester for a few days. Remove tape, pinch and the sliver comes out with the puss :laughing: 

Guess I have death wish or at least tempting the odds :thumbsup:


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## SamM

I keep meaning to grab a first aid kit for the truck.


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## hdavis

Texas Wax said:


> :laughing: Electrical tape is for those little bastards you can find. Wrap the finger and let it fester for a few days. Remove tape, pinch and the sliver comes out with the puss :laughing:


I thought my friend was nuts - he said tape a banana peel over it, and the splinter will come out overnight. Tried it a few times, it worked - it's now my preferred method.


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## KAP

hdavis said:


> I thought my friend was nuts - he said tape a banana peel over it, and the splinter will come out overnight. Tried it a few times, it worked - it's now my preferred method.


Spread a little super-glue on it and peel it off in the morning... keeps the opening sealed and gives you a handle...


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## 91782

Toenail clippers - keep a pair in that little cubby hole next to the 12v power socket on the dash. Lets you cut away a little meat to get at the buggers, then grab the end and pull also.

Sometimes I trim my nails with them.


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## 1985gt

NYgutterguy said:


> Working with sharp aluminum and zips screws all day i can honestly say i see blood quite a bit. Never anything really deep so usually just hold a napkin around it for a few min till it stops bleeding.
> 
> If its real bad then the gauze and tape or a band aid comes out of the safety kit. Weve been lucky i guess with no infections


Working with 4'x10' sheets can be different. Was pulling a sheet down on off the rack to put it in the sheer. My hand slip and this happened. Once I saw the bone I decided I better get it stitched up. Sheet metal screws have a funny way of finding the end of your finger, same with 1/8" drill bits.

Every truck has a first aid kit, they get restocked every quarter, all job boxes have a extra one, there is 3 around the shop a main one in the office plus the refills. :laughing:


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## NYgutterguy

1985gt said:


> Working with 4'x10' sheets can be different. Was pulling a sheet down on off the rack to put it in the sheer. My hand slip and this happened. Once I saw the bone I decided I better get it stitched up. Sheet metal screws have a funny way of finding the end of your finger, same with 1/8" drill bits.
> 
> 
> 
> Every truck has a first aid kit, they get restocked every quarter, all job boxes have a extra one, there is 3 around the shop a main one in the office plus the refills. :laughing:



Thands bro. Was just eating a sandwich and reading this. Think I'll finish it later 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## madmax718

Ya I cringe when I see pics like that. 

A pair of well fitting gloves are priceless.


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## 1985gt

madmax718 said:


> Ya I cringe when I see pics like that.
> 
> A pair of well fitting gloves are priceless.


Most well fitting gloves are easy to cut also. We did find some cut resistant gloves that work well for sheet metal, the problem with most gloves and working with sheet metal is they can do more harm then good. Leather, cotton, mechanics style gloves do not offer the gripping power that bare hands do, and slipping with a sheet of metal like that can make it worse then no gloves at all. 

Even the ones I wear now leave a bit to be desired but it's better then 8 stitches in your finger.


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## SectorSecurity

This thread got me thinking, how many of us are actually first aid certified?


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## tedanderson

SectorSecurity said:


> This thread got me thinking, how many of us are actually first aid certified?


I was once a boy scout. It's been 30 years since I've re-upped on first aid and CPR. Now that I'm reading this, I am going to put a first aid kit in all of my vehicles. I realize that there is no good reason for not having one.

Our bodies are equipped with a very good immune system but it's amazing how the slightest thing can creep in and take you down. Dr. Oz once explained the "Triangle of Death" which is the area between the outside edges of your lips up to the tip of your nose. Apparently the blood vessels in these areas lead directly to the brain and people die as a result of infections that happen around the nose and mouth. Up that point I was yanking hairs out of my nose without giving it a second thought.
:blink:


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## tgeb

Triangle of Death, that's one to think about. 

That's a nasty little cut 1985GT, I hope it heals quickly.


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## 1985gt

SectorSecurity said:


> This thread got me thinking, how many of us are actually first aid certified?


We are all trained in CPR and standard first aid. It's been awhile since we have done the course, the local red cross will come and do it in house so that is kind of nice.



tedanderson said:


> I was once a boy scout. It's been 30 years since I've re-upped on first aid and CPR. Now that I'm reading this, I am going to put a first aid kit in all of my vehicles. I realize that there is no good reason for not having one.
> 
> Our bodies are equipped with a very good immune system but it's amazing how the slightest thing can creep in and take you down. Dr. Oz once explained the "Triangle of Death" which is the area between the outside edges of your lips up to the tip of your nose. Apparently the blood vessels in these areas lead directly to the brain and people die as a result of infections that happen around the nose and mouth. Up that point I was yanking hairs out of my nose without giving it a second thought.
> :blink:


That's pretty interesting.



tgeb said:


> Triangle of Death, that's one to think about.
> 
> That's a nasty little cut 1985GT, I hope it heals quickly.



It was a while ago, healed up nice. Lesson learned, even after 10+ years working with sheet metal accidents can happen!


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## hdavis

I had CPR and AED certification. I pretty much just do first aid on me, so CPR and AED is almost worthless. I'm pretty good at packing tape butterflies (or regular butterflies).


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## Red Adobe

I have a medium first aid kit in each vehicle, boat , and camper. i was trained in cpr and first aid many years ago , I'd hope in a pinch it comes back

I'm first to admit I do my triage different......I always have a can of ether (starting fluid ) , roll of TP, and electrical tape in the truck and thats my usual goto for cuts. When i get home if i clean up and cut still bleeds or is deep then its superglue. I went for stitches once and it healed worse and longer then my home glued.

Superglue is awesome but stings a lil bit :clap: so you know its working.

one other little tidbit......peroxide and rubbing alcohol very in % greatly, some of the stuff they have on the shelves is so weak it might as well be saline


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## JamieAnn

I'm much more careful now, after smashing my finger last summer led to a scary infection that started from a tiny cut on my finger and traveled up my arm! (smashed fingernail completely fell off, took 3 months to grow back)


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