Pain killers for burns

[xylaria]

I heard a long time ago about getting a burn in cold water within 10 secs was key, and if you can manage it in under 3 seconds, a minor burn will almost dissapear.
It has worked for me, although I have injured myself swan diving for the water.
I have also fallen in the lake when cooling a burn on a fishing session.

That is what I stick to as well, my kids have had some accedents which should of scarred but didn't. My son ran into me while cooking and had a saucepan of boiling water poured on him. I threw I think a pint of cold milk on him as it was next to me then he was he was showered in cold water for half an hour. He wasn't very happy, but there was only one small blister from an initial area of redness that half his face his neck and most of his chest.

For the small ouchy burns which aren't treated as promptly, sitting still with the fingers in cup of water for ages helps. i have used some right strange things, the goo from comfry root works very well indeed to speed healing and as a local topical anesthetic. Pile cream contains pain killers and healing stuff as well, i think it works well, and I know a tattooist that uses it on tatts . A wet poultice of anything cold will feel soothing. Plantain leaf, willow inner bark, birch leaves, and comfry leaf, should all work a bit if made in to a wet poultice.

 

[Itzal]

Does the palm rule not apply only to partial thickness burns? Otherwise I'd be hospitalised every time I received superficial burns over my arms - sunburn...

And I seem to remember the 50p being for full thickness burns, although any full thickness burn needs to be treated in A&E regardless of it's size.

Will

Yes, apologies, I typed quickly before I went to work. The palm rule is for partial thickness burns, any full thickness burns should go to A&E regardless of the size.

 

[Chinkapin]

Many people around where I live keep an aloe vera plant or two around just for burns. Always seems to work fairly well for me.

Perhaps someone mentioned it and I missed it, but it seems to me to be a good idea to take a couple of otc pain pills like Tylenol. Or stronger if its a bad burn and you got a perscription pain killer in the medicine chest.

 

[Bravo4]

When I was maybe 8 or 9 I melted a piece of nylon thread, a little molten blob dropped onto the back of my hand. I remember being in so much pain that I couldn't see straight. Years later I did the same thing and was waiting for the agony that never came. The first time I got stung in the head by three yellow jackets, I was on the floor moaning in agony for hours. My folks put something on the stings it didn't help so they went out to a movie. Bee, wasp and yellow jacket stings just don't hurt like they used to. I wonder if our pain tolorence increases after exposure, especially when we're still growing?

After burning my fingers in the kitchen enough times I have found that getting the burn under cold water within a second or two can make a significant difference than say 10-15 seconds later.

A thought on campfire safety. It would be easier to provide a video link of the following incident than write about it but it's fairly gruesome. Basically, an apparently relatively experienced outdoors man was on his knees, blowing into the coals of a large group fire, trying to get a flame going. He must of inhaled some smoke, hyperventilated ,got a headrush, momentarily passed out and flopped hands and face foward into a large pile of embers. His hands saved his face mostly but he had inhaled burning embers and was in great physicsl pain. He ran into some water nearby and when he lifted his hands up, the skin fell off like unstiched gloves. Paramedics were instantly on the scene and had him sucking through an inhaler for burnt airways and lungs. Medi-vac was almost instantaneous; fortunate fellow in many ways.

The lesson I learned from this is that, if I'm on my knees working on a fire I turn my body 90 degrees so if I fall flat on my face (been known to happen) I'm not falling into a fire.

Aloe has saved my sunburnt hide many times, best thing for sunburn that I am aware of.

 

[Toddy]

The Aloe is not native to the UK but our own Houseleek, (Hen and Chickens, roof houseleek) is, and it can be used in exactly the same way as the aloe.
It is also hardy Well worth cultivating in some gravelly spot or even on a shed roof so you have it within reach.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[leon-1]

A few years back (actually 1988) I got the nasty end of a petrol bomb with a difference. It set fire to my leg and due to having a numpty on fire gaurd I had little option than to put it out myself. This meant that as well as the burns that I sustained to my leg I also had burns on my hands.

It's not an experience that you forget quickly.

I had some nasty burns to my hands and fingers. I also had a burn larger than your palm that started at the top of my high leg boot and went up behind my calf muscle. It was somewhat uncomfortable to say the least. I will never forget the stuff they used to treat me as the relief it gave was fantastic.

I spent quite a while with bags on my hands and dressings being changed on at least a daily basis, I will say however I have no scars from this incident that you would notice unless you knew where they were.

The stuff was called Flamazine. I would not however recommend people buying Flamazine as I recall there are restircions on its use and who can use it (if you have a medical condition or are pregnant or this, that or the other).

As with all of these things the knowledge of what to use and how to use them properly is more important than actually carrying something in your first aid kit for the sake of carrying "anything that you can use".

 

[Toddy]

That was the stuff that we used all those years ago and then were told not to carry or use. Yellow, came in a tube.

QUOTE LEON_1

"As with all of these things the knowledge of what to use and how to use them properly is more important than actually carrying something in your first aid kit for the sake of carrying "anything that you can use."


and that is probably the best advice on the thread

cheers,
Mary

 

[Mastino]

My two cents, after cooling a (minor & closed) burn I use to dress the wound with something sweet, preferrably honey of fine sugar. Somehow this works for me and fairly rapidly as well.

 

[Miyagi]

My two cents, after cooling a (minor & closed) burn I use to dress the wound with something sweet, preferrably honey of fine sugar. Somehow this works for me and fairly rapidly as well.

My Gran used to put honey on our cuts and grazes, full of zinc I found out later.

 

[FerlasDave]

A couple of years ago when I had half my face blown off in an accident I was given some 'yellow soft parrafin' by the nurse. I must say its the best thing for burns Ive found.

 

[Toddy]

I would never have thought of using that on burns tbh.

I have used lavender oil, vitamin E, Rose oil, honey and even vaseline though.

I apologise profusely if this thread is raising memories that folks would rather have forgotten.
It was not my intention to cause anyone distress.

kind regards,
Mary

 

[Miyagi]

Mary,

I have to say I'm quite surprised at the number of folk who have posted, who've received nasty burns/injuries, and I'm sure non of us have intended any offence, nor disrespect by our posts.

It's illuminating to see how many different, and largely forgotten remedies/treatment folk have used. I remember Flammazine from years ago, don't know if it's still used but it was cutting edge in it's day.

I wonder if McIndoes' studies are still around and what he used in the treatment of burns etc.

For many years Bangour Hospital, in West Lothian (formerly a wartime hospital) was the main Burns Unit up here. It's now closed and the skills, knowledge transferred.

All the best,

Liam

 

[leon-1]

It was not my intention to cause anyone distress.

kind regards,
Mary

I do not believe that anyone would think that you meant to cause distress Mary.

Stuart will probably remember better than I, but wasn't it some form of Balsam that Mors used at the Bushmoot one year. He carried a little pot of the stuff and seemed to use it for a lot of things.

 

[Hangman]

Do please beware, of any medication, this is a bit general but may be of interest. During my time in the RAF SAR we attended quite a few cases where first aiders had medicated or applied 'home-made' remedies, in nearly all cases the casualty ended up worse off than had basic-by-the-book first aid been adminsitered.

The problems generally fall into the following catagories:

Home-made / folk remedies that do not work or actually cause harm one that springs to mind was the one about applying fat to burns (it also is partly the basis of the 'milk remedy' - the fat supposedly cooling the burn and the protein in the milk adding healing and reducing scarring.

Drugs bought of e-bay, does the first aider know how to administer, do they know dosages, if the casualty is allergic etc. Also of the stuff I've come across, a lot has been out of date or has been opened and therefore potentially contaminated.

Drug protocols, I attended a heart attack case - whilst aspirin can be a life saver this normal relatively harmless drug contributed to the casualty's death. 5 first aiders all administered aspirin unaware that the other first aiders had done so and none had kept a record of what they administered, the person in question also had ulcers so aspirin was contra indicated.

Small burns - cold water for 10 mins and cool, yes it is going to be painfull as all the nerve endings are in the top layers of skin so they will have been damaged and all sending pain signals. Watergel is a good after measure and does help with pain relief and helping to reduce scarring. We did have big dressing for severe burns but as previously pointed out there is a risk of shock and hyperthermia so there are protocols that have to followed.

If it's deep and 50p or more in size - it's an A&E job, as others have said, losely wrap the limb in clingfilm to keep sterile.

If this sounds a bit harsh, my apologies - just throwing some things that I've come across that worry me when people talk about buying medication and home made remedies.

 

[ESLRaven]

Ignoring the correct advice for first aid (that has been covered by other members) and purely answering the original question i.e. 'would local anaesthetics work for superficial burns simply to relieve pain?' then the answer is - yes they would.
However, the products linked to on ebay (which are available from a pharmacy over-the-counter thereby avoiding postage costs) aren't licensed for that purpose - so a concientious pharmacist would perhaps not sell you them for that purpose (fearing they would be used as a poor substitute for correct first aid processes as outlined in other posts).
There is a proprietary product called 'Burneze' which is licensed for sale for that purpose though and I think you can still get that from pharmacies as well - it works by - you guessed it - containing Benzocaine for anaestheia.
Hope that's of information.

Chris

 

[JohnC]

I've read this with intrest as it was Joe that burned himself at the meet. A big thank you to all who encouraged him at the time, I think that made him feel a lot better at the time. He went down the lots of cold water route, and that helped a great deal. He was pretty much fine the following day (he took a small dose of brufen at night) I might look a bit more at the watergel stuff though. (for next time)

 

[Toddy]

I was thinking the same thing John.
The group first aid kit contains what is advised by the Red Cross; it's intended to be the first aid until we can get someone to proper medical attention.

However, I think there's a secondary first aid need, that's kind of a *Self Repair* one.
I know I'm putting something like this watergel or burneze into my IFAK.

Glad Joe's fine, he's a great kid

cheers,
Mary