My beautiful blood blister!

blevinandwomba
blevinandwomba Posts: 813 ✭✭✭✭
edited May 2021 in General Health

Ok, so I actually find it pretty hideous, but I work with small children and I've been impressing them with it all day

The background. Yesterday evening, I was watering the plants before our evening service, somewhat in a hurry as we have a short prayer meeting prior and I thought I was late(I was). We have a rather hard to operate pump handle, and I managed to pinch my finger in it. Instant blood blister. I pulled some plantain off the lawn and applied, then went to prayer meeting(10 minutes?). I remembered when prayer meeting was over that I had planted some ornamental yarrow in the flower bed, so I gathered a few leaves, rinsed and crushed them the best I could, them wrapped them in a paper towel around my finger, and left it there until the service was over(about an hour). I don't know if those were the best herbs to use, but they were what I had, and my finger did stop hurting pretty quick.

Here it is in all it's glory

Now, after all the prelude, it didn't hurt at all today unless I poked it hard; but it's driving me bonkers! From what I read, it's a bad idea to drain it, as the blister is protecting the broken blood vessels. Dr. Internet informs me it will heal on its own in 2-3 weeks, but is there anything I can apply to it to speed that up? Is comfrey a good or bad idea in this case?

Comments

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin
    edited May 2021

    Owee! I'd try applying a bit of Arnica oil to it if you have some. A salve with calendula and comfrey would be nice. It would promote healing and help prevent any infection if it does burst.

  • Annie Kate
    Annie Kate Posts: 680 ✭✭✭✭

    Ouch! That must have hurt at the start. Glad it is feeling better!

  • Michelle D
    Michelle D Posts: 1,465 ✭✭✭✭✭

    My oldest son gets blood blisters while working far too frequently. He, being a "Manly Manny" as he calls himself, won't ever let me do anything to treat them. So far he has never has one burst or get infected, but I know it's only a matter of time if it keeps happening.

    I'm very interested to hear the advice on this. My so adamantly refuses to take any type of modern medicine. He will however except herbal remedies from a trusted source.

  • VermontCathy
    VermontCathy Posts: 1,987 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I've always drained any type of blister that I get. Use a sterile needle, and put a bandage on it afterward to keep it from getting infected through the drain hole.

    I can't imagine having an undrained blister on a hand or foot for a couple of weeks.

  • Tave
    Tave Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I've always drained them, too. Not saying that it's right; I just can't stand how it looks or feels. I do make sure to disinfect it and keep it clean.

  • jowitt.europe
    jowitt.europe Posts: 1,465 admin

    I usually do to do anything to such a blister. Especially if it does not hurt. And it does disappear.

  • JodieDownUnder
    JodieDownUnder Posts: 1,483 admin

    @blevinandwomba I recently had a blood blister. Took some arnica pilules for a day and applied some calendula cream every night before bed and then tried to forget it. In 7-10 days it had dried up and flaked off. In saying that, mine wasn’t on my index finger and you use that a lot more. Just try to ignore it.

  • Linda Bittle
    Linda Bittle Posts: 1,518 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Oh, I'm sorry. That looks so painful.

  • water2world
    water2world Posts: 1,177 ✭✭✭✭

    OUCH! I've never had one that big--I'm sure the children you work with are impressed lol

    Please post what you do and the outcome, I'd be interested to know. Thanks!

  • blevinandwomba
    blevinandwomba Posts: 813 ✭✭✭✭
    edited May 2021

    I reread my explanation; you can tell I wrote it right before bed. The point I was trying to make was that I was at my church when I hurt my finger, so I was stuck with whatever was in the lawn/landscaping.

    @VermontCathy @Tave From what I read, draining a friction blister is not best practice, but acceptable. With a blood blister, though, you have broken blood vessels, so infection is a much stronger possibility, even with a sterilized needle. I'm getting used to it.

    @torey @JodieDownUnder (hey, you changed your name!) I do not have any calendula or arnica- maybe I need to work on that. I've been wearing a comfrey poultice to bed the last couple of nights. I think it's a little bit less swollen. It doesn't hurt at all. Pictures don't do it justice though- it is really black!

  • blevinandwomba
    blevinandwomba Posts: 813 ✭✭✭✭

    So, for a quick summary ( I have terrible quality photos to share later) I put a comfrey poultice on my finger before I went to bed for 3 or 4 nights. I would pick two comfrey leaves, rinse, bruise one with my finger and place on the blister, wrap the other leaf around my finger, then a paper towel strip over it, and masking tape on top. By Thursday night it was noticeabley less swollen. By Friday morning it was hard and leathery- couldn't have popped it if I wanted to. It was just a hard, black, raised callous. By Saturday I lost patience and peeled a little bit of the edge off- there was no liquid and the area underneath wasn't even tender. Just calloused skin and some dried blood. More came off on its own. I think some came off whenever I washed my hands. I ended up trimming away some skin, because I was afraid of it catching and tearing. It's almost gone now, so I'd say comfrey is worth a try for blood blisters. I wished I'd waited for it to peel on its own, but I've not had any bad consequences- it's healed.