Monday, June 28, 2010

What can you do with a burn...

   AAGHH. I couldn't post yesterday.  I was cooking dinner and got to thinking about what I wanted to post instead of what I was doing.  I forgot to vent the bowl of potatoes, so when I reached in to peel back the plastic wrap and stir them... You guessed it a rush of steam escaped and burned my thumb.  It is very hard to type and balance an ice pack on your thumb at the same time.  So I had to wait until today.  But it did give me something to write about. 
   One of my pet peeves is getting hurt that bad, and nothing really to show for it.  I mean a nasty papercut will get you more sympathy than a bad steam burn.  You can see the cut.  The burn swells the skin and turns red but not enough that someone whould notice.  Unless you point it out.  What is the point of putting on a brave face, if no one knows your doing it.  I mean if I'm going to be in that much pain, I want at least one "Poor baby, can I get you anything?". ...Is that asking too much???

   By the way, FYI if you get a burn (yes, blogger girl this includes sunburns) you need to get the heat out first.  Don't put lotion, or butter or anything on it until you do.  And butter is the last thing you should put on. Think about what happens when you put butter in a hot skillet.
  
    If it is a sunburn a cold shower works great.  Any other kind of burn ice packs and lots of them.  When the skin is no longer hot to the touch, then you can put burn cream, ointment, or my favorite Vitamin E and Aloe Vera on the burn.  If you clog the pore of your skin you trap the heat in, and it keeps doing it's damage.
   I once had a someone put out a cigarette on my knuckle in a crowded bar.  (Not on purpose, or we would have had a very serious discussion.)  Anyway it hurt like you know what.  I knew the waitresses and bartenders, so they keep me supplied with ice wrapped in towels all night.  When the ice melts you know it, the pain is instant.  After keeping ice on the burn for a couple of hours, I soaked a cotton ball with Vitamin E and Aloe Vera and taped over the burn.  Took a couple of aspirin and went to bed.  The next day when I took off the cotton ball, all I had was a small spot that looked like a callous.
   Oh, and the thumb...just slightly puffy and shinny today.  No more pain, Thank God.