Possible 2nd Degree Burn (Now with more pics!)

Murphy

On Saturday I was mowing the lawn for a friend with a borrowed mower. When I was done, I went to put the mower back onto the pickup truck I was using, and it slipped. I reached out to steady it, and touched the side of the engine with my left hand.

It sizzled.

So, I have what looks to be a second-degree burn on the ring finger and palm of that hand. I ran it under cold water for like, 20 minutes, put some antibiotic gel on it, and wrapped it loosely in gauze. There are two blisters on the hand, one on the palm, and one where the ring finger meets the palm. They are huge. For blisters at least.

Anyway, the pain has mostly subsided, though it is definitely still there. I can't really move the hand all that well, and the positioning of the blisters makes even every day tasks a bit of a bitch. I didn't go to the ER or anything because I can't afford the bill (no insurance atm). But my friend's mother, who is a nurse, saw a picture of my blisters that I sent to her (she's on vacation currently and thus couldn't look at it in person). She feels that I should go to a stat care (sort of like an ER) here, and have them look at it. She's worried about infection and possible tetanus, since it's been so long since my last shot (maybe 2001 or so.)

The thing is, it's not that red anymore. Yes, it hurts a bit, and yes, the blisters are huge and uncomfortable, but that's what I expected. I don't want to go in and have a doctor look at it only to say “Do what you've already been doing.” and then bill me a couple hundred dollars for his time.

I'm at work currently and can't post pics, but I can do that in a couple of hours. Anyway, does anyone have any experience with this? What are my concerns here? Is there anything I haven't been doing that I should be?

tl;dr - 2nd degree burn on hand, seems manageable, but people are freaking out and telling me to go to doctor. Should I go?

Kyougu

Go to a doctor.

If you have to ask yourself this question, the answer should be obvious.

Murphy

That's just it, though. I thought I was fine. It's everyone else who wants me to go.

Chanus

I've burned myself countless times back when I was a chef professionally. The blisters will stick around a couple days. If one pops, it's going to hurt like hell.

The best thing you can do is just keep them clean. Applying something like Neosporin will help keep it from getting infected, but can also slow the healing process. If they don't pop or break, you shouldn't have too much of an issue keeping it from getting infected.

They should just appear white and opaque. There may be some redness from the burn itself, but it shouldn't spread, and there definitely shouldn't be any color in the blister. If you see something like that (or if it doesn't seem to get better in a couple days) I would recommend seeing a doctor to be safe, but I don't think you need to worry too much as long as everything looks normal.

Keep in mind, I'm not a doctor, just someone who's burned the crap out of himself a lot.

Chanus

Also, as they heal, they will kind of deflate and look like kind of shriveled as the fluid is absorbed back into your skin. Do not pick at them or do anything to puncture the skin. It will fall off naturally once it has healed.

If you puncture it, you have pretty much exposed nerves under there and it wont be pleasant.

MushroomStick

If the engine was hot enough to give you second degree burns in an instant, do you really think the bacteria that cause tetanus would've survived? If the blister starts to look like it might be infected, look for a walk in clinic - they're usually a shitload cheaper than an emergency room.

Murphy

Cool. Honestly, that's what I thought as well. The liquid is clear, the redness minor, and though the blisters are huge and ugly, they appear to be best case scenario for the severity of the burn. It kind of sucks because I'm flying out to Portland tomorrow and will have to spend my 10 day vacation with a messed up hand (no white water rafting for me!), but oh well.

If the redness spreads or the liquid changes color, or if they burst unexpectedly, I'll be sure to see a doctor posthaste, cost be damned!

Chanus

Well, they may just burst unexpectedly. The skin is pretty thin, so it's not unusual. Just keep them clean. If they do burst, bandaging them is a good idea.

Fats

Murphy wrote: »

She's worried about infection and possible tetanus, since it's been so long since my last shot (maybe 2001 or so.)

Wouldn't hurt to get a tetanus booster, but the schedule changed from 5 to 10 years so you're probably fine. Don't break the blisters, obviously.

Enc

If you haven't gone to the doctor, you probably don't have a second degree burn.

I had second degree burns across my upper arms, back, and chest (and first degrees across nearly everywhere else). In essence I was covered in a giant brown puss filled shell. The skin bubbles and stings like hell for about a month, then (even worse) falls off leaving you with a purple, infection inviting layer of super sensitive flesh.

The biggest risk was infection. Not just from the incident which burned me (silly enough as it was), but during the healing process.

Go to a walk in clinic or doctor. Being a tough about it is stupid. Its a matter of least worst scenarios. At worst if you go? You're out $20. At worst if you don't? Serious infection.

Why chance it?

Murphy

Who knows? There is a late night clinic that opens at 6. I could give them a shot. But no idea yet on cost. Here's a few pics of my hand tho.


Spoilered for possible grossness.

An hour or so after the incident.



Sunday morning.


This morning.

As I said above, I honestly feel that it's improving. Sure, the blisters grew, but that wasn't exactly a surprise.

FyreWulff

Looks like it's improving to me. I don't think it got bigger, it seems the two burn sites right next to each other just combined in favor of one of them.

KidDynamite

eh... walk it off, you'll be fine.

But seriously, they look like they are healing just fine, and chances are being in that spot they will probably pop at some point. There will be alot of liquid come out. Just IMHO don't pull the skin off. It's doing its job protecting all that tender new skin from the elements.

Sorry about the burn, that looks pretty rough right after. Edited to add, if they do pop, it's probably not a bad idea to bandage it while it heals. It's okay to elave uncovered to "breath" but hands are far from the cleanest thing we have.

Eat it You Nasty Pig.

If you did go to a doctor they would probably tell you to do what you already did, and come back in a few days if it wasn't healing/was discolored/whatever. Change the wrap often enough that it stays clean and dry and try to limit your use of that hand.

Peen

Brutal burn there mate, nothing to sweat though. Keep it covered, DON'T POP THE BLISTERS, and generally baby it. It'll be cool. They've got post-burn cream at the drugstore that's basically a topical painkiller, you could grab some of that if it's bothering you.

Kistra

I don't think those are second degree burns. Burns are classified by the depth of the layers of skin that are affected. (yes third degree burns can blister and hurt and still get infected and stuff)

Infection is a high risk with burns.

Tetanus is not. Burns get infected by being exposed to air and the environment. Tetanus is caused by an anaerobic bacteria (killed by air). The classic tetanus infection is caused by a nail because the nail can cause a deep narrow injury that lets the bacteria grow under the surface of your skin away from air.

Derrick

It's nasty, but it looks fine. Keep it wrapped and try not to pop it.

Murphy

Cool. That's what I've been saying this entire time. But my BF is like, flipping out that I'm not heeding his mother's expert advice and spending a bunch of money to see a doctor. If I really felt like it was a situation worth seeing one over I'd be there, damn the cost. But clearly, not the case. I have a pretty strong constitution, and things like this suck but don't last forever. I think I'll be ok, still, I'll keep an eye on it.

Improvolone

"Look, I'm fine and its my call. But if you want to pay for me to see someone, fine."

ascannerlightly

this is why you always get a second (and sometimes third) opinion on seeking medical care for something like this (unless it's obvious, like a gunshot wound or aspirating blood). by the time of third photo, it's just (albeit a very large) blister. you would have gone to the er and spent several hundred if not thousands of dollars to (after several hours of waiting) be told "yup, it's a burn. keep it clean and covered for the next few days."

annecdote spoilered for being semi off-topic:

i was mugged about a month ago. guy walked up to me at the bus stop and pulled a pistol, demanding my wallet. before i could even get it out of my pocket, he hit me on the top of my head just above my temple. this was a graze, it didn't ring my bell and i didn't even have a headache that night or the following day. it was just a cut. it did bleed like a motherfucker though. 4 orlando cops and 3 firefighter/emt guys essentially told me "that's gonna need stitches". i walked home, had my roomie shave my head and clean/bandage it. i put one of those butterfly bandages over a wad of gauze and applied antibacterial cream every day before leaving for work and every night after showering. the cut healed up just fine, you can barely even see it now.

rfalias

Just keep it clean, avoid more trauma, don't pop those blisters.
Keep it wrapped with gauze until they settle down a bit.
If you notice any pus (anything not clear) it might warrant a visit.