Can i keep a burn in water for longer than 20 minutes?

[Holidayfromreal]

Sorry not an AIBU but I dropped a full cup of tea on my foot and then my sock stuck to it so I've pulled off a bit of skin about the size of a 50p and have several other smaller blisters around it. It is killing like I can't believe a foot could hurt that much I'm waiting for 111 to ring me back but it could be 2 hours. Can i keep my foot in the bath for all that time as it's he only time it's not hurting? 111 said wrap it in a wet towel but the weight of towel is hurting too much.

Do you have any clingfilm? You should wrap it in that and take some painkillers. Can you get to a minor injuries unit to get it dressed?

It is the only way for it not to hurt ime. I did something similar and spent the might with one leg out of the bed, with the burned foot in a giant bucket of water. It was very cold and pruney in the morning but I wouldn't have had a wink of sleep otherwise. Have you taken painkillers? Afaik you could take both paracetamol and ibuprofen. (but no )

Ouch. I'm not sure about keeping it in water but as 111 said a wet towel but that's too heavy, have you got a clean j cloth or similar? that would be lighter than a towel.

Have you got a washing up bowl or bucket you could fill with cold water and sit with your foot in?

Keep it in the water until it doesnt hurt. Running water would be best though

Um, you haven't just been holding it in a bath of still water have you? Running water is much, much better at taking the heat out of a burn.

Oh no, poor you, I think it's best to keep it in cold water though.

You should hold a burn under cold water for at least 20 minutes anyway to be honest.

I feel for you. I once scalded my hand with boiling water. It was terrible. I phoned 111 and they told me to get to A&E ASAP so be prepared!

Thank you! I just wanted to make sure i wasnt going to make it worse. A bucket by the sofa would be way more comfortable than perching on the edge of the bath as well!
The water was running on it for about 20 mins but isn't atm.

Do you have a minor injuries unit or A&E department you could go to? A burn bad enough to blister (and as painful as you have described) needs a proper check and dressing. There’s not really anything 111 can do over the phone so I wouldn’t bother waiting.

Yes, that's fine.
But it see will need looking at if you have lost that bit of skin and have blisters.
Can someone drive you to minor injuries?

For the journey, you could put an empty bowl in the foot well and a clean wet pillowcase over your foot, and take a large bottle of cold water and poor little bits of the water over the pillowcase at a time.

Keep it in the water if that's helping. You can do that for as long as you like. I burnt my hand once and ended up sleeping with my hand in a bowl of water by the side of my bed.
Clingfilm over the open area can also help once out of water. 111 may possibly advise you to go to a&e and the clingfilm would help you be able to get there. Once the actual burning stops it's the air touching the wound that hurts.

Ouch! You poor thing! Running water is advised as it doesn't warm up, but a bowl would suffice if you can't tolerate the weight of a towel. There is no particular limit on how long to use water, it is to take the heat out and mitigate the damage. Cling film is advised as a protective measure before a more tailored dressing can be applied. I know it must be incredibly painful, but take comfort in the fact that the pain is a sign that there is no nerve damage for you and your poorly foot

Take some painkillers definitely.

I scaled my hands draining the potatoes on Christmas Day last year and had a blister of similar size to yours on my palm, plus smaller blisters on my fingers. I went to A&E and got it checked, they said it would probably have been ok not to come in, but was borderline, and they didn't make me feel daft for coming in. They dressed it with special burns dressings and bandaged me up.

Keep it there as long as possible, 10 hours if that's what it takes! I once had a stupid a&e nurse tell me to take my burnt hand (dressed in plastic bag by her) out of the bowl of water I'd plunged it straight back into after dressing, saying I'd need to 'go through the pain barrier' and 'i could hardly keep it in water all night'. Well I could, and I did, though admittedly it was a bit awkward going to sleep with one hand dangling down into the water, and getting up to replace the water every time it warmed up and my hand started hurting! No pain barrier, and by morning the pain was almost gone. It was a reasonably bad burn, too. I'm amazed at the painkilling power of water for burns!

As the skin is loosening you can't keep it directly under running water unless you protect the skin.
Don't WRAP the foot. Drape the burn with clean cling film and then run the running water over that.

The NHS website says A&E for a blistered burn on the foot www.nhs.uk/conditions/burns-and-scalds/treatment/

I would definitely recommend going in. Wrap the burn with dry gauze for now. Don't put any cream or ointment on it. Don't break the blisters - increased risk for infection.

For future: as a rule you should never pull stuck clothing off a burn. That increases the risk for infection because you can pull the skin away. At the hospital they'll use sterile saline to soak the clothes off to avoid too much skin damage.

Honestly I would go to A&E and let them have a look or Minor Injuries if you have one. A small burn you can hold under cold water for more than 20 minutes if needed but this sounds quite big. However I would suggest either clingfilming it or covering it with damp J-Cloth on your way. (Scout leader - quite a lot of experience with minor burns!)

Ow, horrible. Keep in the water as long as you need. Mis-read your post initially tho and wondered why you wanted a soggy bum

111 should tell you to go to minor injuries or A&E as it’s on your foot and has blistered so you might as well set off asap. In the meantime advice as above - painkillers, ideally cool running water but a bucket will do if necessary, no creams or gunk or ice, and cover with cling film for the journey to hospital (it will keep it clean and can help with the pain for where the blister has gone).

I can't get to A&E unfortunately, 111 rang back and said to go but I'm a single mum to an 18 month old, can't drive with my foot and my only family is 70 miles away. I've got it wrapped in cling film atm still in water and my mum said she can down in the morning and take me to GP thank you for all your advice.

You poor pet. (Extremely clean) bucket of water then. Or the baby bath?

Tbh, if it is still hurting after an hour(ish) in cold water with that size burn I'd taxi to a&e with the 18mo in tow. A pain in the backside, obviously, but you really don't want it to get infected.

It needs wrapping tightly. Have you got any bandages or guaze and micropore tape? Obviously don't out anything fluffy on like cotton wool. I've had two major scalds in my lifetime and the scars to prove it. Hope it stops hurting soon op.