any nurses/doctors? seeking some medical advice

[Steve Butters]

OK...last tuesday i smashed my finger...it tore through the flesh and down to my bone...the bone chipped but wasnt bad, the nail was ripped out, and the flesh was pulled away

i went to the ER and they sewed it up for me and sent me to an ortho doctor who took some xrays and said the bone is fine.

he wanted me to come back in on wednesday for a follow up appointment

the issue is, my insurance sucks....i spent 250 on an ER copay, and then my insurance couldnt be verified or something so i spent 250 at the ortho doctor....the issue is resolved, but they cant refund me for 30 days for some reason....my copay is 60 .....after spending as much as i have, i cant even afford the 60 to go back in unless its absolutely necessary (im moving across country in 2 weeks and dont have a job lined up yet....money is tight)

my main question is about the stitches.....i read that leaving them in too long can cause problems with muscles and tissue....but i dont want to remove them too early either

heres how it looked the day it happened

and here it is today, 5 days after

im reading online 7-10 days to remove the stitches.......should i wait 10 days and then remove them? how do i remove them? is there anybody in central ohio with experience doing this (nurse, doc, etc?)...id buy you a 6 pack to pull them for me...

i dont wanna mess it up because i cant afford more trips back, but i dont wanna pay 60 dollars for a doctor to look at it and say its healing fine, and maybe pull the stitches (probably not...probably schedule another apt to do it, so i have to pay again)

advice?

[c7fx]

easy to remove. Sharp scissors cut and pull out with a set of tweezers. Its like pulling a sliver out of your hand. Trust me no muscle at the tip of your finger is stitched. They just stitched to keep your skin well approximated.

I would be more interested that its healing well and no infection.

[JackFlash]

A doctor will just look at it to see if it's healing, and not getting infected,

or rotting away. The flesh will start to adhere to the stiches if you don't

take them out soon enough. I would pull them on the sixth day.

Make sure you clean it really well before you start messing around with it.

Peroxide is what I would use to clean it.

Do like was posted above. Snip, snip, snip, and ease them on out. Then

put some neosporin on a gauze, wrap it up and tape it.

Get one of those plastic "sore finger guards" and tape it on to keep from

bumping it, or you will cuss and dance around in funny ways when you do.

.

.

[gen3flygirl]

Stop being a pussy and just pull it out yourself

[Steve Butters]

A doctor will just look at it to see if it's healing, and not getting infected,

or rotting away. The flesh will start to adhere to the stiches if you don't

take them out soon enough. I would pull them on the sixth day.

Make sure you clean it really well before you start messing around with it.

Peroxide is what I would use to clean it.

Do like was posted above. Snip, snip, snip, and ease them on out. Then

put some neosporin on a gauze, wrap it up and tape it.

Get one of those plastic "sore finger guards" and tape it on to keep from

bumping it, or you will cuss and dance around in funny ways when you do.

.

.

tomorrow would be the sixth day...do they look ready to come out?

[OsuMj]

[ninjachic]

hard to tell if they are ready to come out just by a pic. I'd wait a couple more days just in case. With surgical stuff we usually wait about 7 days to take stitches out and that looks and sounds pretty deep. getting them out isnt hard at all. Just keep an eye on it until it is completely healed. If there is any odd colored discharge, hot to the touch, or extremely red, it might be infected.

[ScubaCinci]

Right, might want to put a warning on the link title for the more sensitive folks. I was all like DAYUM

[Saacattack]

I would wait another day or so. cut them, pull em out with tweezers, neosporin that up wrap it with gauze and get a finger splint. Your past the point of it being too soon.

[Steve Butters]

i have a splint on it now...ill wait until wednesday after work to be safe, then ill pull the stitches.....thatll be the 8th day....thanks for the advice...i was originally going to leave them in for 3 weeks, then i googled it and wasnt sure...

[MidgetTodd]

Lol you and Shawn is wuss men. Shawn screached like a baby when I pulled the stitches from his face

[Gump]

You must give yourself a water enema before you pull out the stitches to rid the body of the stitchred finger toxins.

[Scruit]

Easy to remove. Heck, I took my own stitches out of my chin when I was 13. 7 of them as I recall. Grab the ears with tweezers and cut right under the knot - but make sure you only cut one side of the loop or else you could wind up with a length of suture stuck in your skin and getting infected.

I always take my own stitches out unless they are in a place I can't reach. I took my own vasectomy stitches out. Meh.

Try to get a disposable suture knife (medical supply place?) Extremely sharp, easy to control.

If it was me I'd attach a small bulldog clip to the ears of the sutures to apply the requires pressure so you can get the blade in under the knot.

Edited April 14, 2013 by Scruit

[serpentracer]

they've always taken mine out after about a week or so. when they removed the staples in my knee looked like the skin would rip right back open because of the swelling but it didn't.

they just snip them with a pair of snips and pull them out. it kind of feels like a shot each time though. it sucks when they're in a sensitive area like my wrist when they cut it open to install a plate in it.

Edited April 14, 2013 by serpentracer

[Bubba]

Mmmm, a little early to be pullin' stitches at 8-9 days. Stitches are easy to remove yourself--I've done it myself from my face--but most MDs will recommend minimum 12-14 days for removal. Given that it's in your finger, a place that is likely to get 'whacked' on a regular occasion, I'd say as long as there's no sign of infection, swelling, smell (eeew!), pull 'em out at 14 days. And in case you're not 100% with it....snip the loop and pull on the end WITH THE KNOT!!! Be sure to protect the new skin with a Bandaid or gauze for a week or two to keep the area clean and dressed with a bactericide.

[shittygsxr]

My wife can put you under so that they can be removed without you crying like a bitch, that is if you have an anesthesia machine laying around

[Chrome]

Surprised no one has asked yet! How did this happen??

[jporter12]

Surprised no one has asked yet! How did this happen??

He was wrenching on a car.

From a nurse friend

That depends. It's an appendage that's used often. I'd make sure a doc looks at it bf getting out. Normally 10-14 days if not high use area but probably much longer for a finger. Just need to watch out for infection.

[Steve Butters]

Okay ill wait 14 days to be safe, then snip the loop and pull them out... Thanks... I've seen so much saying 7 days, wanted to check

This is my first time getting stitches, wasn't sure what the process was.... When I had my elbow surgery, it was one long stitch that threaded out like a shoe lace

[BadTrainDriver]

I'll buy you a six pack if you let me pull them out.

I'll bring peroxide and neosporin.

Please? Can i can i can i.

I'll be gentle...

[Pokey]

My wife can put you under so that they can be removed without you crying like a bitch, that is if you have an anesthesia machine laying around

Hmmmmmm.......my job job is to maintain and repair those buggers, where might your Wife work?

[Pokey]

Okay ill wait 14 days to be safe, then snip the loop and pull them out... Thanks... I've seen so much saying 7 days, wanted to check

This is my first time getting stitches, wasn't sure what the process was.... When I had my elbow surgery, it was one long stitch that threaded out like a shoe lace

My wife is an ER nurse, she said 14 days is about right. She also said that you would be wise to have somebody "you trust" with medical experience to take those out. That is not a simple laceration or incision pattern, she said you can probably do it but strongly advises against it. Take Todd some booze and spaghetti, I am sure he would do it for you.

[JackFlash]

The flesh will start to adhere to the stiches if you don't

take them out soon enough.

I wouldn't wait to take the stiches out. It's not going to split open, but

if you think it still needs tied together, get some of these:

http://www.soap.com/p/red-cross-butterfly-closures-medium-54484?site=CA&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc_S&utm_term=JJ-572&utm_campaign=GoogleAW&CAWELAID=1323137128&utm_content=pla&adtype=pla&cagpspn=pla

If you wait too long to take them out, it's going to hurt.

.

[Steve Butters]

So.... 12 days lol? Happy medium?

[Pokey]

The flesh will start to adhere to the stiches if you don't

take them out soon enough.

I wouldn't wait to take the stiches out. It's not going to split open, but

if you think it still needs tied together, get some of these:

http://www.soap.com/p/red-cross-butterfly-closures-medium-54484?site=CA&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc_S&utm_term=JJ-572&utm_campaign=GoogleAW&CAWELAID=1323137128&utm_content=pla&adtype=pla&cagpspn=pla

If you wait too long to take them out, it's going to hurt.

.

So are you an EMT, ER Nurse, Doctor, PA.....or have you just stayed in a Holiday Inn Express a few times?