To go to A&E?

[Chocolattay]

I’ve never had any kind of reaction to anything before.

Went for lunch at a cafe with my friend and our babies. Used the hand sanitizer (alcohol based) in the toilet and instant agony, hand swelling up. I was in there 5 minutes biting my lip in pain and soaking my hand under cold water. My friend ended up in coming in and checking on me as she’d started to wonder why I had been so long.

Had to ring DH to be picked up as pushing the pram was agony.

Been home an hour now and am still in so much pain. My hands are swollen and red and bleeding in places. When I say it’s agony I mean it. Having read up online, alcoholic hand sanitisers don’t usually cause allergic reactions and it’s more likely to be a chemical burn.

WIBU to go to minor injuries? I’m in that much pain I can’t tend to my baby.

@LadyCleathStuart

I’ve not seen anyone say don’t get medical attention

@Toanewstart23

Take an antihistamine Go to a pharmacist In the time to do this - you’ll just have been registered at the MI clinic

But then the pharmacist sends her to minor injuries where she still needs to get there and take the time to register?!

Not necessarily

Did your friend use the hand sanitiser? Can they go back and grab a sample? Someone needs to speak to staff there and resolve it.

Do you have any antihistamine in????

I think A&E or minor injuries, I don't think a pharmacist would do anything for a chemical burn.

@Chocolattay

Yes cafe staff were told and are taking it out of the bathroom and reporting it to the suppliers.

I can type but it hurts so much.

Sorry missed this message.

Get to minor injuries. I wouldn't bother with a pharmacist. Last time I had broken weeping skin and a huge rash on my hand they told me, rightly, that it needed to be seen by a Dr and they wouldn't even begin to suggest any cream/treatment.

Pharmacist or minor injuries for sure, looks very sore OP!

Agree, definitely go!

Yes friend used it early on during lunch and was fine. And the cafe staff said they’ve not had an issue before. I can’t fault their response though, they’ve removed all of the hand sanitiser from customer areas and are going to report my injury to the supplier.

I did put hand cream on before coming out, as I do every day as part of my routine. I’m wondering if an ingredient in the hand cream reacted with the hand sanitiser.

Ring 111 now, since covid the majority of MIUs are appointment only anyway it will take some time for them to get back to you.

Yes you need to go!

Yes certainly ring 111 while you're waiting for your dh anyway might speed things up for you once he gets home (might not but worth a try in the mean time)

Do it. I don't know why you'd hang back

I would take piriton? See if that helps?
Give them a call and they will probably say send a picture and they will get the GP to look at it swiftly?
Least your doing something until husband gets home & the GP can advise and if they say minor injuries they can usually book an ‘apt’ still a queue but less of one!

*give GP a call

I'd take Piriton. If this is unusual for you (and it seems it is) then a chat with 111 or attending a walk-in sounds sensible.

Is it a possibility that someone has switched the bottle or added something corrosive to the contents? Are there any cameras in the cafe? It sounds strange since you are the only one with this reaction.

Retired A&E nurse here. That needs proper A&E assessment. Someone who knows about these things needs to look at it properly.

It looks like a very nasty histamine reaction.

This might be a wild suggestion, but a friend's hand looked like that after an insect bite. Is that at all possible? Could have happened at the same instant.

You’ve had medical staff look at your picture and suggest A&E I’d go with that, it looks very sore!

You definitely need a sample from the bottle

@TheVolturi

Is it a possibility that someone has switched the bottle or added something corrosive to the contents? Are there any cameras in the cafe? It sounds strange since you are the only one with this reaction.

I develop that sort of burn looking reaction with literally hundreds or thousands of blisters with annoying regularity. I can't use hand gel, scented soap/handwash, or similar items with a drying agent (among too many other items including wood dust or non-precious metals) because it causes this sort of reaction.

It might be horrible for OP but it's not unknown for people to develop a sudden onset allergic reaction. Ghastly as it would be, I find myself hoping for that rather than somebody did something to the contents.