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Wednesday, July 27, 2016

A First for Me Now and Then

While I read and type on my computer, I lie on my back with the computer edge sitting on my ribs sort of on my breastbone.  Yes, it is uncomfortable.

Today, I felt something wet on my computer and just above my elbow. ??? My computer is leaking on me? This is confusing. I wonder if it is toxic.

As I wiped my arm, I could feel the bed was damp. Is the ceiling leaking on me?

Finally, I saw it. I burned myself on my upper, inside arm on the left arm as I leaned to get a pan out of the oven. It hurt like blazes. But, the pain soon subsided. I put nothing on it, figuring it was okay. I have not looked at it in two days. Today, it obviously had a blister on the two inch burn. Now, I am slightly concerned about an infection.

This is a first for me because I have never gotten a blister from a burn. Usually, there is an extremely hard spot that forms. I asked a doctor why I never get blisters from bad burns, just this hard spot. He did not know why. Now, I wonder why I got a blister that people normally get.

Yikes, the blister is two inches long, at least and almost a half inch wide at the widest. AND, the skin is peeling off.

I really don't understand how a person can go for 70 years without a blister from a burn and suddenly have one form over a burn.

When I was three or four, I pushed in the cigarette lighter, let it pop out, then felt the end with my index finger. Did I ever cry!!! The lighter did not look red, what I associated with hot. That is the only explanation I have for touching it. When I say end of my finger, remember, I was three so this involved my finger where fingerprints are located.

(I was inside the car, supposed to sit still in the back seat. My mother was right outside the car.)

The end of my finger had little circular burn marks immediately. The fingertip was burned to crunchy. I remember how strange and crunchy it was and worried it would be like that forever.  It did not blister, just dried up and peeled off.  The whole end of my finger was just a scab--no blister. The scab made playing or doing anything almost impossible.

I do remember Mama saying that my skin was like Daddy's.

My mother put nothing on it because we were not at home. Maybe I should put a huge bandaid on this. Or, maybe I will just let it air out and dry for a while.

At least my computer is not leaking, just me.

Three hours later: I scratched my arm and all the skin over the blister came off! It is tender, very tender!

Note: Even if you never read comments, please read Anne's comment below.

Your turn
Do you get a hard place instead of a blister when you burn yourself? Did you ever deliberately put your finger in a cigarette lighter, the kind that plugs into the dash of the car?


15 comments:

  1. When I was 12 I was riding in a friend's mother's car. It was a brand new humongous caddy. The back seat had all kinds of bells and whistles we never had in our car, including a back seat cigarette lighter. Of course I pushed it in and did the same as you. It was not red so I stuck my thumb in the middle of it and immediately seared my thumb. It was more like a branding than a typical burn, so no blistering. I only have to brand my thumb one time to learn. Smart girl huh?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anne,
      So, I am not the only one to stick a digit in a cigarette lighter! Same here--once was enough. We are smart! Thank you. I was afraid people would think what I did was strange or stupid.

      Delete
  2. I do blister. And the last time was when the hospital put a damp, warm cloth on my arm to bring up a vein. Except that the cloth was HOT. My reduced sensitivity meant that I knew it was hotter than I like (everything is hotter than I like) but didn't realise just how hot it was. I had a huge blister. Two inches by three at least.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. EC,
      That sounds like a horrid experience. I have had the hot towel on my arm to make a vein appear. They worried it was too hot, but it was not. What did they do when they saw how horrible the burn was? That is a huge blister!

      Delete
    2. Apologised profusely. And promised to take into account that quite a number of patients have reduced sensitivity for one reason or another.

      Delete
    3. I heard of a doula or midwife (not sure which) who heated a rice bag to put on the contracting belly of a woman and burned the whole area.
      Some hospitals have banned rice bags in response to that

      Delete
    4. EC,
      The nurse wrapped two huge soaking, hot towels around my arm from wrist to top of my arm. Imagine if you had had that happen. They might have had a really big emergency on their hands.

      Kylie,
      The rice bags do get hot! But, I cannot imagine anyone who had heated and used one once to be so careless.

      Delete
  3. I have had some very small burn blisters but I don't think I have ever had a large burn.

    When I was a little girl I was looking at the operating coffee percolator and was fascinated with the way the steam appeared not straight from the spout b ut a centimetre or more above it. I tried to put my finger in the "empty space" and got a bad enough steam burn.
    As an adult I had peaches under the grill with brown sugar on them and for some reason stuck the tip of my finger right in the hot sugar to see if it was melting! I have never lived that one down

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. kylie,
      I can see your fascination. However, no one had to teach you about the properties of steam since you learned first hand.
      I had to laugh at the brown sugar story. It seems we adults need additional lessons in "hot."

      Delete
  4. I drank tea when I was young. We didn't have a teapot, so we just used a small pot to boil water and then pour it into a cup. I was holding the cup over the sink and as I poured the water, I ended up getting some of the boiling water on my hand. I had blisters on all 5 fingers for a couple of weeks and kept gauze bandages over my hand to protect them. Eventually my brother helped me pop them with a pin that was sanitized with a match and they slowly healed. It was an awful experience.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lorraine,
      OUCH! The rest of us managed to burn just one finger. I can imagine how awful it was. I suppose you put the cup down and poured into it after that.

      Delete
  5. Burns are so painful. I have had steam burns and hot glue burns. For some reason I burn myself every time I use a hot glue gun, it's like a ritual. But that is a large burn on your arm.

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    Replies
    1. carol,
      Mostly, I have avoided steam burns. But, when I used a hot glue gun, I burned myself often enough to remember to have a Coke with ice nearby or any iced drink. I would plunge my finger into anything to reduce the burn. Yes, it hurt, but I never got a bister.

      Delete
  6. Easter eve of 1956 my sister and I were anxious to dye eggs to leave for the Easter bunny. Mother set up 5 or 6 teacups, added vinegar and drops of food coloring dye. As she lifted the tea kettle and began pouring she missed the first cup by a little. As she adjusted her pour towards me I reached out and pushed the teacup toward her. As a result she poured boiling water across the back of my hand! The entire back of my hand BLISTERED I remember that she used 4" gauze pads and made a top covering from an old clean sock. There is a photo of me sitting in Sunday school with my gigantic bandage.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Janet,
      Oh my goodness! What a horrible accident. I know that must have hurt your little hand. AND, I know your mother must have been horrified that she poured boiling water on you! I would have cried if I had done that to my child. Thanks for that story.

      Delete

Okay, hoping the annoyances have gone away.