Burns - when do they need to be looked at?

[QueenOfCats]

Hope someone has some advice.

I burned the top side of my fingers (little, ring and middle) on the hob, the fleshy bit between the middle joint on the joint above the nail.

It hurts like fuck. Had my hand under cold running water for about 30 minutes and the burned areas looked white, then in a bowl of cold water for about 15 minutes.

It's still agony. The fingers are swollen and hard, blotchy and look like they will blister. Have taken paracetamol and ibuprofen for the pain - never had to do that for a burn before - and can't keep it out of water for more than about 10 minutes at a time.

Should I put anything on the burns? Cover them?

I think you should get it looked at. Blisters on your hand sound painful. And the hospital can give you some better pain meds.
Put your hand in a clean plastic bag in the meantime (or clingfilm).

Thanks Spartacus. The hospital, really? I'd feel so silly going in with burnt fingers! There's not even that much to see.....

Well, wait until the morning if you think it is ok, and then see - you can always see the nurse at your gp tomorrow if it is still v painful.
But in the meantime it is just cold water and clingfilm to cover - unless they've updated the advice you are not supposed to put any cream etc on it.

Good plan. It's still so bloody sore, can't understand why.

I'm still I'm a lot of pain and still can't keep my hand out of water for more than 15 minutes or so at a time. Is that normal?

I burned it on a ceramic hob, painkillers haven't helped, God knows how I'll sleep and its my Grana funeral in the morning

On a recent first aid course we were told any burn bigger than a 50p coin should be seen by someone medical! Have you a Minor Injuries Unit nearby? Ours is open 8am-8pm and is drop in like A&E.

The last advice I heard/read was that any burn that is larger than a 50p piece should be looked at straight away.

If they are that painful I'd go and get them checked out anyway.

www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Burns-and-scalds/Pages/Treatment.aspx

Hi roly - no minor injuries near us, just A&E.

I guess if you put all the burns together they might be 50p sized, but really, apart from swelling and the skin being a bit stretched there's nothing much to see, which is why I can't understand why it's so sore

Thanks 2kids, will have a look at that link now

Minor injuries unit would be best option. In the past when I have burnt my fingers on hot saucepans or once on a lightbulb, I have put sudocream on them (zinc and castor oil and lavender is v soothing, as well as lavender maybe promoting healing) - has worked wonders but unless you know that they are only superficial blustering and nothing deeper, best get them checked out. Fingers are always v painful due to all the nerve endings

Hopefully it is because they are not severe burns! I seem to recall from long ago teaching days that The nerve endings in you skin are near the surface so a minor burn should hurt more than a deeper burn. In deeper burns, the nerves are damaged so stop working properly and the burn doesn't hurt.

But it is a long time ago that I used to teach this do it could all be made up poorly remembered rubbish...

Oh no MIU - sorry!

No bad roly, you are right. Used to be an A&E nurse many moons ago, when the standard treatment was a plastic bag and flamazine. Not sure whether flamazine is still used and think was Presciption only anyway. If you have a pharmacy near, they would probably be able to advise.