Help! I just cut (quite deeply) into my index finger while chopping rosemary with a very sharp new knife...

[WendyWeber]

...have resisted temptation to faint, and managed to staunch bloodflow with cold water and plaster in order to continue cooking, but should I take it to A&E tomorrow or will it be OK?

If it has stopped bleeding it should be ok.

poor you

Poor you and well done. I bleed ridiculous amounts from tiny cuts (no medical reason) and have quite freaked people out with it before. If it's stopped it'll be fine, unless it starts up again.

oh, just saw the 'quite deeply' bit, sorry. Should still be OK, unless the pain is disproportional/doesn't go down.

if it's gapping I would go to a&e or your gp or walk in centre. you may need steristrips.

get some steri strips from the chemist to hold the cut togetehr so it heals well

Thanks, guys!

I have changed the dressing, given it another good wash (ow! ow!) and it has stopped bleeding so may be OK.

I did dry it on a clean (ish ) tea-towel 1st time though, which worries me a bit...it hurts like hell without a plaster, but is OK with. I'll see how it looks in the morning.

(Incidentally I have in my plaster collection some waterproof ones from Lidl - as well as the normal peel-off strips on the sticky side, they also have papery peel-offs on the top; the waterproof part is very thin and flexible and seems to do an excellent job - def recommended!)

German plasters are the tops!
Your poor finger Wendy, definitely agree with the others that if the wound tends to gape, either a visit to the Practice Nurse, or get some steri-strips and DIY, might be worth it.
Ouchies

I love that you are doing plaster recommendations while bleeding to death

Ouch though - if it's stopped bleeding I would leave it for now but if you are worried in the morning then go to A&E and get them to check it.

Or practice nurse, as Marina says - but only if you can get an appointment the same day - not if you get this "oooh, nothing til Wednesday and you have to ring at 12 on Monday to book it" nonsense.

Marina, Miaou started a thread calling for you the other day - did you see it?

The plaster recommendation in extremis is quintessential Janh though do you not think moo? Note we didn't recommend tetanus shots because you, like us, have gone beyond the point of needing boosters

It is, Marina (quintessential Janh, I mean).

Right,

This happened to me Saturday before last.

This is what happened:

Cut deep into bottom of middle finger.
Fainted. (Clearly not as hard as you).
Went to A&E.
Spent three hours there.
Thought 'sod it' and went home. (So yes, you can wait BUT 'they' say that if you need stitches, which you prob will, you need to get it seen to within twelve hours.)
Next day: went to local hospital.
Sent back to A&E.
Waited another three hours.
Seen and sent to BIG hospital in yonder city.
Waited four hours.
Seen by consultant and told would need op to stitch nerve back together.
Returned next day.
Waited from 8-5.30.
Not seen.
Came back following day. Seen straight away (probably because I kicked off the day before!)
Operation - bleaurgh..
Am sitting here nine days later with bandaged hand and feeling sorry for myself.

So... the point of all this is that you should get it seen to ASAP in case of nerve or tendon damage BUT if you can't go now and it has stopped bleeding, get it in some sterile dressing and go ASAP in the morning.

What do you mean, beyond the point of needing boosters? Does tetanus only infect young bouncy people?

Oooooh, LadyM How is yours feeling now?

We have a nice friendly Treatment Room at our Health Centre - maybe I will pop in tomorrow morning, just to make sure it's OK!

(I have to go to work in the afternoon, and although it's not my writing hand or even my major keyboard finger I could do without passing out at work!)

It's OK (sniffs) - not great when looking after two pre schoolers who are in to EVERYTHING but manageable - like yours my minor hand was affected (as most self-inflicted hand injuries tend to be!)

Have you got feeling in your finger and can you move it normally? If all feels well you will prob just need stitches from the local health centre. Mine has lost all feeling down one side and that was apparent straight away.

PS mine was done on an avocado stone and yours on rosemary... us MNers are all so blardy poncetastic!

Yes to feeling and normal movement (apart from pain) so probably OK.

lol at poncetastic MN injuries! We normally eat something-and-chips cooked on a baking tray - I think I will revert to that in future

Well, good luck tomorrow, I'm off to bed.

At least you've got an excuse to make others cook for you now - milk it for as long as you can!

YES, Cf!!!!

LadyMacbeth I did exactly the same thing on an avocado stone blimey! I also cut the tip of my index finger on a wizzy blender and the nerve has never repaired properly (I didn't go to A&E that time.

I was told that once you are ahem-tysomething you are fully tetanus immune Wendy. Boosters every ten years as a young adult, then no longer needed. Or perhaps we have fallen foul of a NICE recommendation that old ladies pratting about with knives deserve to die of lockjaw
How's the poor old digit today?
I can contribute a previous Mn poncetastic injury to this compilation! Please remember I broke my little toe tripping over a posh retro pushalong doggie's steel tube frame. I really should have kept with the plastic stuff

Oh that's good news - I think

I had to have a series of 3 (in the bum ) aaages ago when it appeared that I hadn't had a booster for over 10 years but I was younger and obviously more essential then!

Finger OK-ish this morning, thanks for asking - hurts if I press it ("don't press it then!"), dressing still looks all right - I suppose I should go to the treatment room purely because it's Friday, they're not there at the weekend.

Hmm.