I got 2 nasty punctures on my left thumb

[Are_grits_groceries]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by SunsetDreams (a host of the General Discussion forum).

from my cat at 5am. One is fine and the other already has 'goo' coming out of it.
Should I just head on out to the doctor now?

[snooper2]

1. I don't think you are allowed to post for medical advice on DU-

But what I have done in the past is wash the fuck out of it with good hand soap-

Use a needle to make sure it's popped all the way open, wiggle around in a circle and keep washing- scrub it till it hurts to get all the nasty out. drop of iodine-

Then goob a bunch of neosporin (sp?) on it with a band aid-

[Are_grits_groceries]

2. Cleaned it with chlorhexidine

immediately and put neosporin on it. Just checking to see if other people have had this problem.

[MADem]

36. That's kind of a grey area now. No rules, anymore, just TOS.

I just reread the TOS (I do that every so often because I don't have 'em memorized) and I didn't see anything about medical advice.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=termsofservice

That was a "rule" in the old DU2--no medical advice, but here, I suppose people can give their lousy opinion.

I'd hit it with some generous splashes of hydrogen peroxide if it were me--that was the "go to" solution in the days before penacillin!

I think the basic idea everyone is offering is clean the thing mercilessly, then disinfect it.

[Mosby]

40. You shouldn't use hydrogen peroxide for wounds/punctures

It kills healthy tissue and can actually slow the healing process.

[dipsydoodle]

3. Are you up to date

on tetanus jabs ? "Goo" could just mean its healing - I get caught by my cats frequently. Try rinsing it in salt water and then use some anti infection cream and a plaster.

ps If its fallen off by tomorrow can I have your guitar.

[Are_grits_groceries]

10. It's hot to the touch.

it was a deep puncture that wouldn't stop bleeding.

Don't have a guitar, but you can have my bully pulpit.

[slackmaster]

4. In 1998 an infected cat bite put me in the hospital for 48 hours

I was on intravenous antibiotics for 12 days.

[spinbaby]

5. Seek medical advice NOW!

I was once hospitalized for a week with an infected cat bite on my left thumb.

[Enrique]

6. look out for symptoms of cat scratch fever

[Warren Stupidity]

12. ass-douche is oddly misspelled in that poster.

[MADem]

37. Hahahahahaha! What an ugly, rabid asshole! nt

[malaise]

7. Go to the doctor

NOW

[woodsprite]

8. Don't mess with it. If you think it's infected, get thee to a doc.

The accompanist for the group we sing with ended up in the ER, then surgery to get all the infection cleaned out of her hand, then in the hospital on IV antibiotics for a day after that. When she came home, she was bandaged up for over a week and couldn't play the piano for over 3 wks. All that started it was a bite on the back of her hand from her demon cat. Her doc told cat bites are worse for infection than dog bites.

[eShirl]

9. infection from a cat bite = NASTY! medical attention ASAP

[Marrah_G]

11. If it is red and infected go to the doctors

Fingers can be a tricky thing, you have lots of vessels relatively close the the surface. Mouths contain lots of germs. You may want to opt for being safe rather then sorry.

[libodem]

13. When you see the red streak

Headed up your arm, run don't walk to the doc.

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. Yes, NOW

[pinboy3niner]

15. There's only one sure way to fix it

Or, if you want to save a few bucks, there's always...

You're welcome!

[eShirl]

16. this Bobby McFerrin cover is kinda fun

[pinboy3niner]

19. Thanks

That's a great humorous take--and fun is right!

[Are_grits_groceries]

17. Ha!

I could ride down to Beaufort and see Dr.Buzzard. He could work some roots for me. Don't laugh. It's taken seriously here.
My parents weren't adherents, but they didn't make fun of it either.

[Marrah_G]

18. Hey Grits

Please don't take this too lightly. I got a little nick on the inside of my finger when a glas broke a few years back. I put a bandaid on and went about my business...it only took less than an hour to notice the red streaks running into my palm. Seems I had nicked the tendon sheath and ended up having to have major surgery on my hand to save it.

If you aren't sure if it's infected on not...please have a Dr. look at it.

[gkhouston]

41. Have him put a root on the demon kitty *after* you've seen a medical doctor. n/t

[kestrel91316]

20. GO TO A DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY!!!!!

Cat bites to the hand can end catastrophically. I am a professional and they are a daily risk for me, so I know WTH I am talking about.

[kestrel91316]

21. I am seeing some astonishingly naive and dangerous advice from some DUers here. LISTEN, FOLKS:

Cat bites to the hand are ALWAYS presumed to be infected from the get go and ALWAYS warrant medical attention, i.e. a course of antibiotics. If you underestimate such a bite and delay treatment until you, the layperson, think it's serious.......you have missed the boat and are in deep trouble. Loss of body part(s) is not unknown, and hospitalization on IV antibiotics is very common, with the ensuing medical bills sufficient to bankrupt many.

ALWAYS take hand/arm bites from a cat very very seriously.

I am a cat vet. I know what the hell I am talking about.

[Marrah_G]

26. Grits- I'd listen to him!

[slackmaster]

34. kestrel is correct. The longer treatment is delayed, the more difficult and EXPENSIVE it becomes.

I didn't get my bite treated promptly in 1998 because it happened around 10:00 PM on a Sunday night. I couldn't see going to the ER at that time. By dawn my finger was swollen up like a bratwurst.

I further delayed treatment so that I could get pre-approval from my primary care physician. That was a bad mistake.

I got to a major hospital ER around 9:45 AM on Monday morning. It was packed, mostly with young women with sick, screaming babies.

Around noon I was moved into another, quieter waiting area. I finally was seen by a nurse about 1:00 PM. The staff put me on an IV drip and took some blood samples, but they had yet to do anything to treat my injury.

About 5:30 PM I was given in intravenous shot of morphine on order of the ER's charge physician because I was complaining loudly of pain.

An orthopedic surgeon finally saw me at about 7:00 PM. He had me put on IV antibiotics and told me I was being admitted to the hospital. They put me in a single-occupancy room on a floor populated mostly by elderly people with broken bones.

The surgeon saw me three more times - Once every 12 hours. I was released after more than 48 hours in the hospital. They sent me home with a portable infusion pump so I could continue the antibiotics for the next 10 days (12 days total.) I wasn't permitted to go to work until the following Monday. Supplies were delivered to my house, and every other day an RN would come to replace my intravenous catheter.

Cat scratches and bites are very serious, especially on the hands and feet.

[Yo_Mama]

22. You need immediate medical treatment

Do not wait. If you can't get an appointment at a regular doctor, go to an urgent care clinic.

Never, never mess around with an animal bite, claw. The deeper it is the worse it is.

I hope to hell you've already gone.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

23. Try not to sit to sit too still around cats...

Sounds like you've got a case of premature feline-dining. Everyone knows they're just waiting to eat their owners when thay die - so try not to sit to still. Ever see a cat sitting on the other side of the room just "staring" at you or another person? ... occasionally it might lick it's lips? It's really just waiting for you to keel over so it can start feasting.

Edit: Sounds to me like your finger is infected. I'll bet the the cat knew you would get infected too... it was probably licking it's nads or somehting on purpose right before it bit you. It's just trying to finish you off sooner rather than later.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

24. Go to the Dr. NOW --

I have been in your shoes. Two punctures to my hand via Poodie canines -- hand swelled up like a fucking balloon within a few hours. Needed antibiotics.

I also got bit on my thumb by a baby bobcat -- the same thing happened.

[mrs_p]

25. Cat bites are the worst

Saying this a vet med professional for 15 years. I can't give medical advice, but I typically go to the doctor when my cat bite wounds start to ooze.

Feel better soon!

[AtomicKitten]

27. Absolutely yes. ASAP.

I can't tell you how many surgeries I've transcribed that were the result of a cat bite. You may end up having an operative incision and drainage if you don't take care of it tout suite. Good luck!

[Quantess]

28. "I got 2 nasty pictures of my left thumb"

Only kidding.
I swear by eating some vitamin C to increase your immune system. And also wash the wound with peroxide. Go to the doctor if you want to, but it sounds kind of minor to me. Go to the doctor if it gets worse..

[Marrah_G]

29. You better be at the doctors.......

otherwise we are going to have to tell Skittles ..... and you know how THAT ends!

[LiberalFighter]

30. You could lose your finger or hand if not treated properly.

It could be no worse than losing flexibility in the digit. But do you even want that?

When in doubt get medical attention.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

31. I hope you're at a doctors office now.

A cat's mouth is a petri dish of bacteria and pathogens. Antibiotics are pretty much standard with that type of puncture wound.

[brewens]

32. Its too late now, but next time you have any wound that won't

stop bleeding, heat up a knife and cauterize it. That's what John Wayne would do!

[LWolf]

33. Better safe than sorry.

Go have it looked at asap.

[MineralMan]

35. If you have to ask, you should get it checked.

We can't see it, and we're not doctors.

[CherokeeDem]

38. Having been bitten by a dog and twice by a cat....

go to your doctor or to the emergency room. I worked at a hospital...got bitten twice by a very scared kitty (mine and I scared him...didn't mean to do that). Decided since it was 11 pm, I'd wait and stop by the ED the next morning. The next morning my hand was severely swollen and I was put on IV antibiotics when I got to Emergency. Get medical attention...quickly.

[yardwork]

39. I was bitten by a cat once - four puncture wounds to my arm.

By the next morning my arm was swollen up like a football. I went to urgent care and they gave me strong antibiotics. It took weeks for the infection to completely clear. Puncture wounds allow bacteria to get deep into the tissue.

I recommend that you seek medical care immediately. In any case, you will know soon.

[SunsetDreams]

42. Locking

Doesn't fit the SOP.


Thanks for understanding,

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