Burned - "Let it cool" is no joke

So this happened..

I was microwaving prepackaged salisbury steak with gravy yesterday.  By their packing the gravy was to the top of their container.  I did not let the food cool in the microwave before trying to remove the container. I spilled the gravy on my wrist. After a total of 16 minutes in the microwave it was scaling hot. To make matters worse. I had a Fit Bit on my wrist.  Once the gravy hit the band it was able to travel around my wrist to make the burn worse.

Care actions:

Immediately washing the area with cool water

Submerged the area in cool water for about 2 hours to reduce pain and insure the area was no longer burning. 

Applied antiseptic - WRONG

Applied soft gauze pad and wrapped with an ace bandage to keep the gauze in place.

Lessons learned:

1. Let it cool.  Most microwave instructions include this step, but do we really do this?  From now on I will. 

2. Antiseptic is not burn ointment.  Several first-aid sights I found today say not to apply antiseptic. 

3. Keep burn ointment on-hand. I had a previous post about creating first-aid kits, but I was unable to locate burn ointment in any of them.  I will be purchasing some today. Especially if they include the words "relieve pain".  

This was a very painful lesson to learn. I hope this post serves as a good reminder to "Let it cool" so none of you find out the hard way like I did.

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Caring for Burns

After the burn is cooled, make sure it is a minor burn. If it is deeper, larger, or on the hand, foot, face, groin, buttocks, hip, knee, ankle, shoulder, elbow, or wrist, seek medical care right away.

If it is a minor burn:

·         Clean the burn gently with soap and water.

·         DO NOT break blisters. An opened blister can get infected.

·         You may put a thin layer of ointment, such as petroleum jelly or aloe vera, on the burn. The ointment does not need to have antibiotics in it. Some antibiotic ointments can cause an allergic reaction. DO NOT use cream, lotion, oil, cortisone, butter, or egg white.

·         If needed, protect the burn from rubbing and pressure with a sterile non-stick gauze (petrolatum or Adaptic-type) lightly taped or wrapped over it. DO NOT use a dressing that can shed fibers, because they can get caught in the burn. Change the dressing once a day.

·         For pain, take an over-the-counter pain medicine. These include acetaminophen (such as Tylenol), ibuprofen (such as Advil or Motrin), naproxen (such as Aleve), and aspirin. Follow the directions on the bottle. DO NOT give aspirin to children under 2, or anyone 18 or younger who has or is recovering from chickenpox or flu symptoms.

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What is burn ointment? (Information from a randomly selected product)

• Instantly Relives Pain
• Immediately Helps Reduce Bacteria
• Helps Accelerate Wound Healing
• Helps Reduce Scarring*
• Now with Green Tea
• Helps Restore Healthy Looking Skin

ScarZone burn gel includes a topical analgesic for fast pain relief from minor burns and an antiseptic to help reduce bacteria.  Burn gel also aids in wound healing to help reduce the appearance of scarring. 

Contains Topical Analgesic, Lidocaine, Active Green Tea, Onion Extract, Aloe Vera, Vitamin K1, Tamanu Oil.