Life is filled with lots of little “ouches” that may not require a trip to the emergency room, but still require some TLC to feel better. Did you know without the proper treatment, even a little paper cut has the potential to become something more serious if it gets infected?
Even if you don’t have children, the following fixes can come in handy as we are all susceptible to painful paper cuts, bee stings, bug bites and life’s other little ouches:
Bruises
- Elevate the bruised area.
- Apply an ice-pack to the area for 30-60 minutes for a day or two.
Black Eye
- Apply an ice-pack to your eye area gently (do not press on your eye).
- Use the ice-pack immediately after the injury, if possible, and continue to apply the pack for one or two days to reduce swelling.
- If you have severe pain, vision problems, or blood in your eye or nose, seek medical help.
Spider Bite
- Clean the area with soap and water.
- Apply a cool washcloth to the bite location.
- Apply an over the counter anti itch cream.
- If you experience chills, fever, nausea, abdominal pain, rash or listlessness, you may have been bitten by a poisonous spider, such as a black widow spider or a brown recluse spider. You should seek medical help immediately.
Bee Sting
- Remove the stinger by scraping it with a credit card or other flat-edged object (don’t use tweezers, as these can increase the amount of venom released).
- Wash the area with soap and water.
- Place an ice-pack, wrapped in a cloth, on the site for 10 minutes. Wait 10 minutes more without the pack, and then reapply the ice for another 10 minutes.
- Apply an over the counter antibacterial ointment to the area.
Paper cut
- Stop the bleeding using a cloth applied with gentle pressure.
- Rinse the wound with plain water.
- Apply an anti infection over the counter antibacterial ointment.
- Cover the wound with a bandage to help keep it clean. Change the bandage daily, or whenever it gets wet or dirty.
- Watch for signs of infection, like redness or swelling. If these appear, contact your health care provider.
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Category: General Health
