Hello Everyone,
I have an question that is bothering me to absolutely no end. Possibly TMI, but here it goes. A few weeks ago I had a bug bit/ zit, something on my left elbow that was bothering the hell out of me. So, being a guy I squeezed it and got some clear fluid out and some blood. It eventually scabbed over but is still there like 1 month later. Why would a small wound like that take so long to heal? What determines the lenght of time your body heals an open wound? Is it size, tissue damage, location?
Not to be alarmist, but there are some conditions, such as diabetes, which can hamper your body’s ability to heal, and can lead to such a situation. When I was an undiagnosed diabetic, I had a small wound on my forearm which took months to heal completely.
I have thought about that and diabetes has reared it’s head in my family. I have the doc check me every year at my physical for it to be on the safe side. I will mention it to him again. However, other small cuts heal no problem. That is why I was wondering does the elbow present a really bad place for skin to heal with all it’s bending and such. And I really shouldn’t say it is a cut, more like a “squeeze injury” for lack of a better word.
I once asked a dermatologist that I worked for how often a “bug bite” is actually a bug bite and not a skin cancer or MRSA infection. His answer was about one in 20. So there’s a good chance that your sore is not what you think it is, and maybe you should see a dermatologist to have it biopsied and/or cultured.
However, an actual spider bite can take a long time to heal due to the venom involved and your sensitivity to it.
In other words, taking the offending bit to see a doctor might be a good idea. You might catch something early when it’s easiest to do something about it, or you might be reassured it’s not serious, just slow healing. Either way, a good idea.
It can also be a symptom of a nutritional deficiency. The only example I could find quickly is vitamin C, but I think some of the B vitamins as well as certain minerals can be implicated.
I think people normally think of deficiencies in clinical terms - by which I mean severe deficiencies like scurvy. But deficiency symptoms can appear on a “continuum”, for lack of a better word. To try that again, it’s never binary - either you’re deficient or you’re not. Your body can compensate up to a point and mask the problem.
If you’re not diagnosed diabetic and you were checked a year ago, then the elbow is not a likely place to start getting non-healing diabetic ulcers. Those usually start after years of uncontrolled high blood sugars, and begin on toes and fingertips, where the capillaries are the tiniest. Usually - there are always exceptions.
It’s far more likely that it’s just got some bacteria in it giving your immune system a little run for its money. Do go to the doctor if you are worried, but in the meantime, slap some triple antibiotic ointment (if you have no drug allergies) or lavender essential oil, or even honey on it. All are antimicrobial, and can help your body get rid of small, localized skin infections.
Any increase in pain, increase in size, bleeding, black center or red streaks coming off of it are grounds for an ER visit.
Go get it checked. Spider bites can present themselves as zits, and will drain some pus. However, the spider venom actually causes tissue death, and with some spiders, you can have a progressive mess unless it is treated quickly and effectively.
And you can be checked out for Diabetes at the same time.
WHATEVER the booboo is, a couple of weeks is TOO long for a superficial injury to heal. Something is not right.
Almost every doctor will tell you they’d rather see something that is insignificant than to have people wait and wait and WAIT and then finally come in to be seen with a huge problem.
Call tomorrow AM.
~VOW
Several years ago I had to clip the dead tissue out of a small spider bite before it would heal.
This is exactly what every doctor has said to me, when I say “it’s not big, but it’s not healing, and you can yell at me if you want”. I’ve always been reassured that “not healing” is a real cause for concern, even if it’s a tiny wound.
Plus, if the doctor has to remove dead tissue, it’s a hell of a lot easier and less traumatic to remove a small amount than a large amount.