[Survivor35]

Okay, heres one to add to the "newbie" mistake of the year (mind you, I'm 2 years post injury...still learning, obviously:

Went out last night to play billiards... the pool room has this fantastic little wall gas fireplace, which I find fantastic because I'm always sooo cold (wonder if this is typical with SCI, I was never like that before)... apparently I sat with my knee too close. I woke up this morning and almost passed out when I did my normal skin check... my entire left knee was a series of angry large blisters, already starting to weep. I didn't realize that it was a burn until I panicked and started yelling for my mother. My dad calmly explained that I had allowed my knee to burn. Now, through all of the research I've done, from what I can tell its a 2nd degree burn... gross and now completely blistered and swollen. Dad was a boy scout leader and my mom a day care mom for 19 years, complete with extensive first aid training. They have told me to give it 24 to 48 hours, open air and the blisters will pop and ooze, and then keep it clean with neosporin on it. I trust them and from everything I've dug up on med sites online, this is the typical first aid. But, as we all know, my body with SCI is no longer typical (if it was, my dumbass would have realized my damn leg was cooking).... so, I'm wondering if there are any other steps I should be taking. My circulation isn't that of an ablebodied, will this affect the healing process? From what I understand, I'm lucky I cant feel below the waist because this would be excruciating. From that line, I wonder why I'm not spastic or even going into AD?

Advice would be great. I dont want to panic and go to my med team if I dont need to, but I've learned in the past two years (not nearly enough, obviously) that I have to handle everything a bit differently... should I seek medical advice from my doc or the ER, or should I just give it a few days and see what happens?? Advice would be great from anyone whose had similiar problems....

[nomis]

It's good you have clued up parents.
Cleanliness to avoid infection is critical and of course no contact with anything. That's going to restrict you a few days.
You might look into liquid ascorbic acid (vitamin C) which you sparingly drip on to promote healing.
Sounds as though the burns are fairly superficial, just the skin layers, and should heal relatively quickly if looked after.
Damn nuisance though.

[russ1]

Survivor35, on Jan 26 2008, 11:32 PM, said:

My circulation isn't that of an ablebodied, will this affect the healing process?

Yep, afraid so. You'll take between 2 to 4 times longer to heal.

[orangepop]

My fiancee is a quad and he did the same thing, except on the side of his torso. His were from a space heater and there were 6-8 2" burns. We cleaned them, bandaged, and used Neosporin and he healed ok. If nothing else, you'll get a cool scar

[Texaswheelz]

yeah it happens, during my first year i was back in school and welding during Ag class. I didn't even think about it when i rolled up underneath that welding table that people normally stood at. the heat transferred through the table and onto my leg and i had a huge blister there that was oozing pus by the time i got out of class.

Have kept myself burn free for 16 years until last summer when i was swimming in the pool here in my apartments. I was at the deep end where the under water light is and while i had my arms up on the edge of the pool my leg was resting against the light. By the time I got out and noticed it, it was the size of a softball with a blister about 2 inch's tall. Both times they were 2nd degree and took about a month or so to completely heal.

[Mikerowaved]

Survivor35, on Jan 26 2008, 04:32 PM, said:

...should I seek medical advice from my doc or the ER, or should I just give it a few days and see what happens??

YES, go have it looked it! The risk of infection is high in cases like this. I had a huge 2nd degree blister on my knee last year from my notebook computer and the doctor was able to fix me up with everything I needed to get the healing process going in the right direction.