Reassurance re facial injury

[CrazilySensitive]

I took a bit of a tumble yesterday, and have ended up with several gashes on my face, as well as other injuries. Been stitched up. I honestly look horrendous at the moment. I'm pretty devastated.
Has anyone had facial injuries and totally healed?

Don't put any oil on it until the stitches are out. Cold compresses will help to reduce the swelling, as will not sleeping flat (prop yourself up more)

Taking regular painkillers will help too because they can reduce any inflammation.

Take care of yourself! 💐

yes to taking Arnica and putting kelocote on... Brilliant stuff.. did wonders to niece after facial surgery and dh aftet nasty arm break..

Thank you. Stitches out! Such a relief. Exhausted now, so may try to have a little nap this afternoon.
Hopefully it'll all be a distant memory soon...

Thank you so much. Yes, I could definitely take more time off, from their point of view.
I'll give it thought.
I actually rang the Samaritans in the middle of the night, as I was feeling so upset.
You're right about the inevitability of some kind of intervention in life. I guess it's no different to a dental filling or similar. I can't help but feel a bit tampered with somehow. But hopefully those feelings will go eventually...

Out of curiosity, was anyone else referred to Maxillofacial/oral for stitches? Or did you just have them in A&E. It's the one thing I'm totally puzzled about! Maybe it's because the accident was on Sunday or something? Also maybe because of the mouth wounds they didn't want to take risks? I can't stop thinking about why that happened...

I'm probably biased as I wouldn't have been born without interventions and I've had a lot of them since being born.

Re where the stitches were done, I admit that after the shutting the car boot on my head incident mine were done by OH, who has first-aid experience. We were in the middle of nowhere and he patched me up in an open-sided barn. Fortunately we always carry an extensive first-aid kit (I'm known for ridiculous accidents) so he was able to do that. I remember him telling me to put my hand over the gash and sternly saying 'Sit down, apply pressure!' while he went and got stuff out of the car. After he'd finished I looked around and it was like being in some sort of a field hospital, with all the swabs, butterfly stitches, dressings and instruments. Anyway, it all healed remarkably well and there were no issues.

I wonder if you might ask when you have a follow-up why you were treated as you were. It would hopefully explain things

And, y'know, I was so embarrassed at having hurt myself so badly by shutting the car boot on my head that it was really hard to tell anyone. Seems kind of funny now but at the time I was mortified.

@Vegemiteandhoneyontoast thanks. I wish I'd just had butterfly strips. It's actual sewn-in stitches that I found extremely traumatic being put in. I'm realising that I've got huge trauma from it. I guess that, like with all trauma, it'll pass in time.
Thank you so much for all your kindness

Don't recall having had actual stitches but they're supposed to do a good job and the kit used today certainly reduces scarring. Agree that being sewn up would be upsetting!

The way you're reacting sounds like a normal trauma response to me. Going on the reactions I've experienced and seen elsewhere, there's a need to focus and replay what's happened for a while, until we've processed it and, depending on the shock, that can take a while. Once that's been done the impact usually starts fading and you start feeling better. Hopefully that will happen for you as well.

Elephants do something similar when one of their number dies. They stand around the body and touch it repeatedly with their trunks and legs until they feel they've done it enough, much like how we replay something that's happened to us or someone close.

I understand that. Funnily enough, I feel embarrassed that I fell off my bike, as it was such a windy day, and I probably shouldn't have gone out in it. We live and learn...

Thank you. That's very helpful x

I feel embarrassed that I fell off my bike

Most accidents are just plain embarrassing. Even cats and dogs feel it, you can see it in their faces when they pretend whatever happened was on purpose, when it clearly wasn't.

Middle of the night. Physically healing at an extraordinary pace. Mentally sinking into a black hole. Flashbacks to A&E and also the stitches. Weirdly not the accident itself! My mind has blanked that out.
As a medically phobic person, what happened to me is like asking a snake-phobic person to live with a family of pythons for the night or something!
Probably a bad analogy, but you get the picture...
I also, and this sounds bonkers, feel I let myself down by having stitches. I never do anything unnatural normally. I barely wear makeup even. So this intervention seems so alien to me. I keep getting it would have sorted itself out anyway. Did anyone else have actual stitches? Not just butterfly strips?

OP I'm wondering if it would help you to talk to a professional about the unnatural thing? I mean riding a bike isn't exactly natural yet you've been doing it for years quite happily. See also wearing clothes, going in a car/ bus, using a phone, sunscreen etc etc. All things which improve our lives. Without stitches you would very likely have a large and more noticeable scar. This is why they gave you stitches, to aid and improve your recovery and long term appearance of your wound.

Can you access some counselling through a work scheme or anything? This seems outside the realm of normal post accident response to me. It would be good to try and deal with it now rather than wait for next time you have a health issue and find yourself avoiding proper care over these fears.

Yes, you're right. I am also very underslept.
I do have a bit of a history of anxiety and OCD etc. Probably too much time on my hands this last week. Little to do but ruminate.
I definitely think my reaction is extreme. Hopefully it'll pass...

Ah you poor love. I had a combination of ‘proper’ stitches and steristrips I think, that whole time was a bit of a blur to be honest. The way I saw it, and still see it now, the doctors and surgeons knew best. Whatever they decided was best to do with my face is what I trusted them with. They did pretty bloody well too. Try to keep yourself busy if you can, with whatever really, it saves you sitting and thinking and thinking and thinking about it all.
I don’t actually have a photo of my face post accident on my phone, I didn’t want it there easily accessible for me to ruminate over , but I sort of wish I did now so I could show you how amazing your body is at repairing itself and recovering. Honestly my face was a horror show and you wouldn’t be able to tell now, not unless I pointed out my wee scar.

@CrazilySensitive BodgerBadgerMashup is right, you need to talk this over with someone professional.

There is simply no way to live a 'natural' life in the world we have today, not unless you join an uncontacted tribe in the Amazon or something, and you participate fully in the culture we have, with all its lack of 'natural' pretty much anything.

Ruminating isn't doing you any good just now, so maybe get out of the house for a while and take yourself on a walk somewhere nice, or go and see a friend.

@NeverThatSerious and @Vegemiteandhoneyontoast you're both right.
I've just popped round to see a neighbour, as she had some packages for me. She had surgery for something else in January, and also hates medical stuff, so we had a really good chat. I feel a bit better already...

My son fell onto glass last year and had some horrible cuts all over his face.
Honestly they have healed amazingly! All virtually invisible now.
I had a very bad dog bite 30 years ago, my nose was ripped open and I had puncture wounds in my cheek. There was no silicone plasters then but once the sutures were out I assiduously applied vitamin E. I just bought some capsules and used the oil inside.
It healed really well, to any else its not at all noticeable.
Try not to worry too much… its such a shock when it’s your face. Sending a hug .

Thank you x

That sounds positive, hope you're feeling a bit better.

Thinking of you today. Have you told all your friends and family? One nice thing that happened to me was that quite a lot of people made the effort to send a card/flowers etc which really cheered me up.

Thank you. Yes, most people know and have been lovely. My mental state was better last week when everyone rallied.This week I'm physically loads better, but mentally been struggling immensely, and people aren't rallying so much now, because they think I'm better.
It's just that I keep getting flashbacks to the stitches being done; and I wish I could go back and insist on steri-strips or nothing. I have heard of people with worse injuries who healed up fine; and I keep wondering... I need some counselling I think, as it's turning into a PTSD situation. I can't believe that I, as a medically phobic person, agreed to stitches. I was terrified of being disfigured at the time, so just did as they said, but now deeply regret it. The gashes weren't that big, and I'm sure would have been fine. I felt violated by the experience. I really did. It's hard to explain.
I started this thread because of my physical injuries, which are healing at extraordinary pace. But it's turned into a mental health crisis instead. I'm actually somewhat beside myself. I have to trust it'll pass...

Oh @CrazilySensitive I'm sorry you're still struggling (though pleased to hear you're physically on the mend). I agree with a PP that it might be a good idea to talk to someone about everything

Thank you. I don't know what to do