Posted: 3/11/2015 10:33:50 AM EDT
|
Last night, I managed to break a drill bit trying to remove a stripped screw from a handrail. While drilling out the screw, the titanium bit broke, and the remaining shaft (and the drill) put that impossibly sharp broken bit into my wrist. It was about two inches long and of unknown depth. Near the radial artery and the blood was significant (and possibly arterial) judging by the color so I went to the ER. Interestingly enough, with a lacerated wrist, you go right past all the people bringing their kids with colds in.
When I got stitched, the doctor was very thorough with the topical anesthetic. I got to wondering whether it made sense to have stitches without anesthesia. The needle was very painful, and it really did not look like the stitching needle would hurt much. Am I crazy or is this an option? The doctor poked me way more with the anesthetic needle than she did with the suture needle, and the first was much larger. I just felt like there would be less total pain without the anesthesia. I will say based on the near-worthless state of my left hand today, though, the anesthesia was welcome for a while. |
|
When I have to suture traumatic wounds, I explain to the patient that the local is more to help me comfortably explore deeper, as well as cut out any questionable tissue ha might die or be dead.
If your suturer/doc/PA/NP didn't 'splain it--it's more than just for sutures. So I wouldn't advise skipping local, except in the zombie apocalypse when there's no choice. |
|
Yeah, sutures dont hurt, scrubbing out the wound is a piece of cake, and patient never do patients move when sewing them up. You see, the whole local anesthetic thing is a big insurance/medical/pharma conspiracy. It's why healthcare is so expensive. Drats, you're on to us. |
|
Quoted: When I have to suture traumatic wounds, I explain to the patient that the local is more to help me comfortably explore deeper, as well as cut out any questionable tissue ha might die or be dead. If your suturer/doc/PA/NP didn't 'splain it--it's more than just for sutures. So I wouldn't advise skipping local, except in the zombie apocalypse when there's no choice. Yeah, the several times I have had to get stitched up the hard bristles on that brush they used to scrub it out would have been a bitch. I winced once... Dr. asked if I could feel it. I said no, but it should hurt.  He laughed... |
|
Quoted:
Last night, I managed to break a drill bit trying to remove a stripped screw from a handrail. While drilling out the screw, the titanium bit broke, and the remaining shaft (and the drill) put that impossibly sharp broken bit into my wrist. It was about two inches long and of unknown depth. Near the radial artery and the blood was significant (and possibly arterial) judging by the color so I went to the ER. Interestingly enough, with a lacerated wrist, you go right past all the people bringing their kids with colds in. When I got stitched, the doctor was very thorough with the topical anesthetic. I got to wondering whether it made sense to have stitches without anesthesia. The needle was very painful, and it really did not look like the stitching needle would hurt much. Am I crazy or is this an option? The doctor poked me way more with the anesthetic needle than she did with the suture needle, and the first was much larger. I just felt like there would be less total pain without the anesthesia. I will say based on the near-worthless state of my left hand today, though, the anesthesia was welcome for a while. Back in High School I got two stiches in my toe in the ER. The very good looking young nurse asked me "You don't need a pain shot for just two stiches do you?" 17 year old stupid me impressed the nurse with "Nah". It fucking HURT. Get the shot. |
|
On the scalp? Not an issue. On the hand? Big issue. Nerve density is higher on the hand than scalp. My wife is an ER RN, we were walking through the feed store yesterday and noticed they are now selling staplers for laceration treatment, same brand as they use in the ED. So we got one for emergency use..also keeps me working safely  . |
|
Quoted:
On the scalp? Not an issue. On the hand? Big issue. Nerve density is higher on the hand than scalp. My wife is an ER RN, we were walking through the feed store yesterday and noticed they are now selling staplers for laceration treatment, same brand as they use in the ED. So we got one for emergency use..also keeps me working safely .
I've got some staplers AND removal kits (that's an important part. )
Great thing about staplers is they're fast so anesthesia is less required. One of the biggest things about closing wounds is knowing when and when not to as well as making damn sure they're clean. |
|
Quoted:
No pics..... Fail OP FAIL! I have done stitches before on myself and friends with no local at all. It really is not that bad. Came here to say this... I've done it twice on myself. It's weird, I think because you're doing it to yourself, you kind of grit your teeth, except the fact that it's going to hurt like a bitch, kind of step outside yourself a little and that mentally numbs you up. It almost felt like I was watching it on TV. Hard to describe... It still hurt, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I though once I got into it. |
|
Quoted: Yeah, sutures dont hurt, scrubbing out the wound is a piece of cake, and patient never do patients move when sewing them up. You see, the whole local anesthetic thing is a big insurance/medical/pharma conspiracy. It's why healthcare is so expensive. Drats, you're on to us. |
|
Quoted:
Got a couple stitches to the bridge of my nose once. Corpsman said beforehand I'd feel 3-4 sticks from the anesthetic, or 3-4 from the stitching. I told him to just go ahead and sew it up. Wasn't that bad. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile This is what I was thinking. Sure, the 10 or so stitches is going to hurt, but then again the doc poking the much larger needle in and around the laceration about 30 times hurt pretty much too. I had never considered that one might hurt more than the other until yesterday. I did have minor surgery (ruptured cyst removal) once without anesthesia and while it was painful, I don't remember it being any worse than what happened yesterday. |
|
Quoted:
Came here to say this... I've done it twice on myself. It's weird, I think because you're doing it to yourself, you kind of grit your teeth, except the fact that it's going to hurt like a bitch, kind of step outside yourself a little and that mentally numbs you up. It almost felt like I was watching it on TV. Hard to describe... It still hurt, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I though once I got into it. Quoted:
Quoted:
No pics..... Fail OP FAIL! I have done stitches before on myself and friends with no local at all. It really is not that bad. Came here to say this... I've done it twice on myself. It's weird, I think because you're doing it to yourself, you kind of grit your teeth, except the fact that it's going to hurt like a bitch, kind of step outside yourself a little and that mentally numbs you up. It almost felt like I was watching it on TV. Hard to describe... It still hurt, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I though once I got into it. Those needles are sharp as hell. If you weren't watching it and the wound wasn't already painful, you would think someone is just pulling on your skin. (until you hit a nerve. That shit hurts. )
|
|
I've sliced my wrist with a razor knife cutting some boxes open. This was remote, so no doctors, just a medic. He administered an anaesthetic, which he poked in one side of the laceration into the open area, I'm watching it drip out on the counter. Finally when he gets his shit together somewhat he puts in three sutures and calls it good. The laceration was about an inch and a half long. The next day was shift change, a new medic comes in and asks to see me, on suture had broken, he tell me he can't resuture, so he puts butterflies on it and I get to wear a wrist cast for a week while it closes. The one thing I remember most vividly is how white a tendon is when you get to see it in your own wrist. |
|
Quoted:
On the scalp? Not an issue. On the hand? Big issue. Nerve density is higher on the hand than scalp. My wife is an ER RN, we were walking through the feed store yesterday and noticed they are now selling staplers for laceration treatment, same brand as they use in the ED. So we got one for emergency use..also keeps me working safely .
Which brand is it? |
|
I had to have seven staples in my right shin last summer due to ripping it open in some rusty wire ends. After debriding and cleaning it, the ER doc stapled it shut very quickly without anesthesia. He explained that in the time it took to inject the medicine and wait for it to take effect, I could be on my way out of the hospital. It stung like hell, but I quit bitching when the doctor started his " Who's a Big Tough Truck Driver?" routine.
I got a Dum-Dum lollipop out of it from the nurse, though. |
|
I had some skin tags near my eyes removed without anesthetic. The doctor asked what I wanted to do. I remember from stitches that the anesthetic shots hurt a lot and he agreed. He just snipped them off with razor scissor things and I just dealt with the split second of pain. It worked out well.
For just a few stitches? I dunno, might be as painful as having the needle and injection several times near the cut. For more than a handful of stitches? I think I'd rather be asleep totally. |
I got 3 staples in my scalp without a local. He said, "Well I can give you the shot which is going to hurt as much as the staples and then give you the staples or I could just give you the staples...." I took just the stapes which sucked, felt like the staples were gouging my skull when they went in... 
|
|
I just felt like there would be less total pain without the anesthesia. Inside a wrist is a relatively 'tender' area. Moving while the local goes in is not that big a deal. Moving while suturing is a big deal. A detailed inspection also needs to be done before closing up to see what has actually been cut. |
|
Quoted:
When I have to suture traumatic wounds, I explain to the patient that the local is more to help me comfortably explore deeper, as well as cut out any questionable tissue ha might die or be dead. If your suturer/doc/PA/NP didn't 'splain it--it's more than just for sutures. So I wouldn't advise skipping local, except in the zombie apocalypse when there's no choice. THIS. I had a pregnant woman refuse the local once, despite my reassurance it was harmless to her baby. She had a trivial cut that only warranted sutures because of its location. With a foreign body and possible arterial laceration, one would be an idiot to refuse the anesthetic. The sutures are a small part of proper wound closure. It's the cleaning and digging around that would put people off |