At 9:30 pm on May 25, 2021, I am going to drink a glass of water happily before soaking my feet comfortably. After receiving a cup of boiling water in my noble, luxurious and meaningful crystal glass, an accident happened: the nearly full cup of water was all spilled on my thigh .
The first time I was in a wheelchair, I felt weak and helpless
The hot pain came from the bottom of the thigh. I took off my clothes in a short 20 seconds at a fast speed (reducing local friction, avoiding skin breakage and infection later), rushing to the bathroom, turning on the cold water, and starting to take a shower. But I still got burnt, and after about an hour, I noticed blisters on the skin .
The constant burning sensation kept me from leaving the cold water. As I happened to be Dr. Ji Pei, I continued to take a shower, and at the same time, I called the doctors in the plastic surgery and burn department and emergency surgery department I knew for help. But for various reasons, remote rescue was not very successful.
Blisters appeared on the skin at the root of the thigh丨Photo provided by the author
At 11:20, after taking a shower for nearly two hours, the blisters became more numerous. I was very entangled. On the one hand, I was worried that once I left the cold water, the local damage would continue to increase, and the pain relief effect would no longer be there. However, the doctor of the plastic burn department later said that cold water only has the effect of reducing damage in about 20 minutes, and the subsequent showers are mainly for pain relief .
After the entanglement, I decided to go to the emergency room of my hospital with the company of my eldest brother. Although it was only 5 minutes away from the hospital, I was tormented every step of the way. Even more unfortunately, emergency surgery couldn’t solve my problem, and I had to go to another building to find a doctor in the plastic burn department. So I gave up the idea of walking by myself and got into the wheelchair pushed by my elder brother.
The moment I got into the wheelchair, I finally completely transformed from a doctor to a patient. The angle of view of the wheelchair is very low. When I look at the doctor with the tall head above me, I suddenly feel so weak and helpless, and I feel like a fish being slaughtered by someone on the chopping board. It turns out that sitting in a wheelchair is such a feeling, such a mentality.
To get to the Orthopaedic Burn Unit, I have to walk through the promenade, which is the route I take at work. The dark corridor is connected to the operating room and the intensive care unit at one end, and the general ward building at the other end. Every morning, the first batch of surgical patients on stage will be pushed through the corridor; at noon every day, the family members who are waiting for the news of the operation are reluctant to leave even if they have lunch in the corridor. Here, I occasionally see one or two family members who can’t help themselves crying.
Sterility is my bottom line
I finally arrived at the Department of Plastic Surgery and Burns. The doctor took a look and immediately made a diagnosis: Second-degree burns on the perineum, with a burn area of 4% .
In terms of treatment, the blister should be broken first, but the skin of the blister should be preserved, which can protect the wound surface and prevent infection. Then wrap it with oily gauze to keep the wound dry. So, under the guidance of the doctor on duty, my eldest brother performed a series of operations for me to disinfect, pick up blisters, and apply medicine.
Although superficial second-degree burns usually do not leave scars, hyperpigmentation should still be present. Since the wound was not ruptured and infected, I looked at the well-fixed gauze, and then thought of its price of several hundred yuan and the limited supply of medicines at home. After returning home, I decided to change the medicine every 48 hours.
On May 27, 2021, my eldest brother finished changing the medicine for me. Although I have been on the medicine, my leg still hurts badly. I want to remove the tape to see the wound under the gauze, but the skin around the wound has become very fragile. When it was torn off, it was still painful . I couldn’t help crying for the first time after the injury, but not entirely because of the pain, but also grievances and some unspeakable reasons.
The wound covered with gauze丨Photo courtesy of the author
On May 29, 2021, the second dressing change was carried out by the doctor of the garden (a classmate who trained together). After reviewing a series of aseptic operations such as dressing changes and debridement together, I repeatedly emphasized my bottom line “aseptic principle”, and added additional requirements: the blisters should be punctured from the base, and the disinfection scope should exceed the scald. Part 2 cm.
We were in high spirits at first, and even had a role-playing cliché during the dressing test. However, the moment we opened the gauze, we were suddenly quiet: the pigmentation was deeper than before, and the blisters became more and bigger .
I told myself, “It’s okay, it’s all to be expected! The pigmentation will fade sooner or later, and as long as it doesn’t get infected, I won’t have scars.”
Pigmentation and blisters丨Photo courtesy of the author
Doctor Yuan is a gentle doctor. Looking at her serious work, I even began to agree with the patient’s evaluation of her: “The doctor is so gentle, I will ask you to change my medicine next time. “
After the dressing change, Dr. Yuan also gave me her patient’s evaluation: I am a difficult patient, with too strong subjective consciousness and too much talk. I actually mumbled for more than an hour. The doctor in the garden said that he would not change the medicine for me next time.
This is what my patients taught me
Over time, the scald slowly got better. The pigmentation has gradually faded away, leaving no scars at all. This makes me very happy, probably thanks to the timely treatment of the burn.
Swipe left to view the recovery process: the wound is gradually getting better, and there is no scar left.丨Photo courtesy of the author
Therefore, when encountering burns, immediate showering is essential, but timely medical attention is also very necessary. Don’t apply toothpaste, soy sauce and other so-called “home remedies” to the wound. Not only is it useless, but it may also aggravate the condition.
This transition from doctor to patient also made me feel a lot of emotion. In the process of diagnosis and treatment, the feelings of patients are very important. Even if it is a small thing, we may be able to do the best for them. For example, changing dressings and replacing drainage tubes, even if the daily operations are similar, today should be better than yesterday. From patient feedback, I can continuously learn and optimize operations. It’s not a big deal, but I’ll be happy for a long time with my little progress.
Personal experience sharing does not constitute diagnosis and treatment advice, and cannot replace a doctor’s individual judgment on a specific patient. If you need to seek medical treatment, please go to a regular hospital.
Another TA had a similar experience, please click here for TA’s story and doctor’s comments.
Author: Xiaoyan
Editor: Suman, Li Xiaoqiu
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