time it takes to heal deep cut

[what..the?]

how quickly would you expect a deep cut to heal, I cut myself last week and the wound was not too deep but due the angle it created a little flap, which naturally spread to show fat inside. As a result i had the nurse at my local doctors surgery apply paper stitches and she also put a water proof bandage over and then said leave if 5 days, did that, after 5 days the bandage washed off and found wound was still all wet, open. I left the stitches attached and let it air so it would dry out (usually I dont put plasters on because the lack of air stops them healing drying) now it has been a week and the stitches have lost the glue they came off last night taking the top little scabs to leave a still open wet wound underneath that looks not that much different than a week ago?

Is this normal to not heal like this? i have made appointment to get the wound re stuck with paper stitches I would get the proper stitches but I was told it would scar more with them?

Under my jaw line is very hurting and swollen I think that may be my glans which would mean I am fightly an infection?? Possible in the wound??

[Sqad]

tambo.....I can see no objection to that method at all.

Problem seems to be the glands in his neck.

[Sqad]

rowan ....good point re. dressing trolleys with no touch technique.

[tamborine]

methinks he said 'jaw ache', if so - could be bad teeth ? Salt rinse may help.

[Sqad]

tambo indeed you are correct....so instead of having a guy with a cut on the wrist and a swollen gland, on the same side under the jaw, we have a guy with a cut on the wrist and a tooth abscess as well..............could be!

[ummmm]

lol

[what..the?]

thanks everyone, it is not too much of a flap but more I said flap to help describe how the cut is angled. The cut is with the flaplike side nearest the hand. i cannot see me having too much of the blood flow problem but mainly that the wound keeps naturally wanting the slide open showing the meaty insides if i left it it might heal but with a large scar and a dint. It needs holding closed if possible.

Everyone seems to be pro dressing at the moment..interesting

[Sqad]

what..the......"shut it"........what the f... has it got to do with you?

[woofgang]

hear hear regarding dressings. I have recently been involved in regularly dressing a wound on a family member because we couldn't get seen by nurses often enough (district and practice nurses too busy) and they never seemed to have the right materials or to really KNOW how it should be done. I did my research, ordered stuff from the local pharmacy which was really cheap...less than prescriptions would have cost, and did it myself...When he did get to see nurses, they all commented on the neatness of the dressing and asked where he had had it done. I am not nurse or medically trained, am a retired occupational therapist. When i trained, we weren't taught formal aseptic technique but did learn the basic theory of wound and stump dressing. This is not intended to criticise the nurses...you can only do what you have time for and what you have been taught...my relatives case was a bit unusual.

[rowanwitch]

I often taught relatives how to do the wound dressings prior to discharge if they were interested with district nurses as back up if they had problems...It meant people were not waitning for their visit and could cope if the dressing became soiled, wet or loose...I saw it as part of good patient care....

[what..the?]

lol

[what..the?]

so woofgang you support the use of dressing over airing a wound.

I suppose we are all talking about potentially different dressings though, there are complete blackout, water proof ones that cut out air, light everything and there are more breathable versions?

[woofgang]

if you are sat around in hospital in clean surroundings then I can see arguments for leaving wounds undressed. If you are in the real working world then if the wound is under clothing its going to get rubbed and contaminated and if its not under clothing and you are out working shopping etc, then it is open to contamination from airborn dirt, coughs, sneezes, licks and sniffs from passing dogs in my house lol and so on. You need the right dressing depending on the wound.
Its a while since I got my training but no one else has mentioned this. We were taught that deep cuts and punctures need to heal from the bottom up to prevent a sinus (pocket of infection) developing at the base of the wound. regardless of the flap, the top shouldn't skin over until the base healing gets up to the top (healing should "fill in" as it were) Come on nurses and medics, is this still true?

[Sqad]

woofgang:

.<< We were taught that deep cuts and punctures need to heal from the bottom up <<

Exactly.

[what..the?]

i thought that must be the case looking at the wound to be honest, but you have the way with the words. yes bottom heals upwards surely, which is why it might seem to be taking a while, but for the top to heal properly however long it takes to work its way up it needs to be held together...its amazing the way the body heals

[anneasquith]

wound healing. from inside to out, or a sinus could develop, only read your question what..the ? wound needs a swab taken ane dressed regularly. and keep the dressing dry................... or take take advice from someone who can actually see the wound.

[Old_Geezer]

"Come on nurses and medics, is this still true? "
That made me laugh :-D
Er... well it was true but last Friday nature changed its mind and wounds heal from left to right these days ;-)

[woofgang]

Lol OG. I know that the fact of how healing needs to occur to prevent a sinus is true but research teaches us new things. A deep wound wouldn't have been steristripped or drawn together "in my day" because that would have been seen as encouraging the top to skin over before the bottom was healed.