# Embarrassing yet ghastly injury. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 1, 2008, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-yet-ghastly-injury/458449 "2008-08-01T02:17:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fastidiots](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@Fastidiots](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fastidiots)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-yet-ghastly-injury/458449/1 "2008-08-01T02:17:37Z")
In the process of lifting a large potted shrub in my thongs (read: flip flops), I’ve _somehow_ managed to tear my large bulbous twoonie sized (read: walnut) callous off my big toe in a flap. Gushing blood and cursing Jesus’ Uncle I ran it under cold water, dabbed some polysporin, and wrapped it nicely in gauss and hockeytape. I know the skin flap isn’t live and won’t participate in the healing, but I wouldn’t trust my T3-Kokanee induced self to remove the flap at this time. That and my carpenters knife is out of blades. Anyone else experienced this and have some advice? ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-yet-ghastly-injury/458449/2 "2008-08-01T02:35:01Z")
OW! Mutherf\*\*\*er!! I recommend tequila. In large doses. Repeat as needed. ---
**Author:** ![Fastidiots](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@Fastidiots](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fastidiots)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-yet-ghastly-injury/458449/3 "2008-08-01T02:36:12Z")
[QUOTE=Astroboy14] OW! Mutherf\*\*\*er!! I recommend tequila. In large doses. Repeat as needed. [/QUOTE] I’ll have to make do with microbrew for now, Kokanee ran dry. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-yet-ghastly-injury/458449/4 "2008-08-01T02:41:48Z")
Yow, it was hard just _reading_ about it. I have a smaller one on my big toe and just bonking it on something hard hurts like a mo’fo. No help for your current dilemma, but get a pumice stone. Make filing down your callus part of your routine. Perhaps a pedicure b/c they have some better implements. However, be sure they’re using sterilized equipment…there are horror stories out there, wicked staph infections IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-yet-ghastly-injury/458449/5 "2008-08-01T03:43:38Z")
Leaving the flap intact until you are more sentient won’t harm anything, and it won’t add to your pain. I hope yours heals up better than mine did. On April 12, on a vacation to San Francisco, I got a big fat bleeding blister including 4/5 of the ball of my left foot. Despite application of bandages and lots of antibiotic goop, the foot got infected, and the swelling rose nearly to my knee. When I got home and saw my doc, he put me right in the hospital, where I stayed for 5 days. The hospital pumped me full of antibiotics, and I got more to take when I went home. Despite that, and daily applications of silvadine, the healing has been slow. Today, I finally had a day without any seeping of partly bloody liquid. Maybe I’ve turned the corner. I sure hope so. ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-yet-ghastly-injury/458449/6 "2008-08-01T04:16:14Z")
Leave the flap intact until the skin underneath has healed some more and isn’t so raw. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-yet-ghastly-injury/458449/7 "2008-08-01T05:12:34Z")
I’m not sure, but I think you should leave the flap intact. (I’ve drinks with umbrellas right over here, should the need arise…) ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-yet-ghastly-injury/458449/8 "2008-08-01T11:36:13Z")
Leaving the skin there will help prevent more pain in the next few days,when the raw flesh would otherwise likely get injured more. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-yet-ghastly-injury/458449/9 "2008-08-01T12:05:43Z")
[QUOTE=AskNott] Leaving the flap intact until you are more sentient won’t harm anything, and it won’t add to your pain. I hope yours heals up better than mine did. On April 12, on a vacation to San Francisco, I got a big fat bleeding blister including 4/5 of the ball of my left foot. Despite application of bandages and lots of antibiotic goop, the foot got infected, and the swelling rose nearly to my knee. When I got home and saw my doc, he put me right in the hospital, where I stayed for 5 days. The hospital pumped me full of antibiotics, and I got more to take when I went home. Despite that, and daily applications of silvadine, the healing has been slow. Today, I finally had a day without any seeping of partly bloody liquid. Maybe I’ve turned the corner. I sure hope so. [/QUOTE] Jayzuz! That’s just all kinds of wrong!