"It's just a flesh wound"

There are some perks to hanging around people who aren't studying exactly what you are studying.  In my case, whenever something goes medically wrong, or whenever something is bleeding, I get a call.  In my friend's case, when he split his finger open, he didn't have to go to the emergency room.

Last semester, I got a call at about 1PM on a Friday.  It went something like this:

Friend: "Hey, Erika... um... I cut my finger with a kitchen knife and I don't know if I should go to the ER."

Erika: "Oh no, how long has it been bleeding?"

Friend: "About half an hour..."

Erika: "I'll be right over."

I grabbed what was left of my EMT supplies and rushed over.  When I arrive, he explained that his room mate, also a law student, was too disturbed with the sight of blood to help him.  

Minor Finger Laceration

Upon examination, I realize that it was "just a flesh wound" and stitches would not be warranted.  I had learned at an early age when a cut or scrap was serious from my MD father.  I would often run to him crying when I had cut my toe running on asphalt.  He would look at it, give me a hug, and tell me it's just a flesh wound.  "Band-aids won't help," he'd explain, "We will just put some hydrogen peroxide and alcohol on it and it will heal up just fine."  I could see that the superficial skin layer, the epidermis, had been damaged, but the deeper layer of the dermis was not.  So, I told my friend it was just a flesh wound and gave him roughly the same treatment my dad would have given me.  I cleaned his injury with alcohol, hydrogen peroxide and some Neosporin.  Although, unlike my dad, I believe in the powers of band-aids, especially when flaps of skin are involved.  So, I tightly wrapped a band-aid around his finger to make sure the skin flap healed properly.  

This was early in my career as a personal on-call EMT, so unfortunately I didn't have the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) at the time.  I washed my hands thoroughly with soap and water both before and after treating the site.  Since then, I have increased my stock of medical supplies and am proud to say I now stash a box of gloves in my apartment.  Just in case my medical services are ever unexpectedly needed again!

Healed Finger

This is a picture taken months after the incident.  Glad to know he didn't have to waste his time at the emergency department over such a minor laceration.