norman gunston

[westie]

i cut my face while shaving yesterday morning and i kept bleeding till i applied a little bit of toilet paper over the wound. normally the bleeding would stop and i could take the paper off after say 30 minutes.

on this occasion, i tried a number of times over two hours to take the paper off, but i bleed quite heavily each time.

not wanting to look like "norman gunston" all day (sorry folks, this is a joke only for kiwi's and aussies) i went to our gp whose surgery is next to my business. one of the nurses replaced the paper towel i was holding on my face with some sort of gauze and called the doctor who got out something that looked like a 6 inch match stick with something on the end and applied it to the wound, permanently stopping the flow of blood. the proceedure really stung, i think the doc said it was some sort of nitrate?

anyway, the proceedure was quick and 100% effective and only cost nz$15.00; approx us$10.00. maybe there was some sort of government subsidy for this because it seemed really cheap.

my inr is 3.2 to 3.5 and steady and blood pressure is excellent, i have cut my face and fingers since my operation and i have never had a problem before; i have always "healed like a normal person!".

so i am suprised i have had this problem which i guess has exposed the dark side of warfarin therapy to me. hey, i am not loosing sleep over this but i can see that the consequences of a major cut may not be so nice.

 

[OldManEmu]

Norman Gunston

Norman Gunston

Westie
I always thought the 70's cult classic "Norman Gunston" never made it outside Australia, it sounds like it made it to the shaky isles and that you are old enough to remember it.
Australian television never turns anything like "Norman Gunston" out now, these days, commercial television is Australian is just rubbish (Trash).
If it wasn't for the ABC and SBS my TV would be on eBay.

 

[hensylee]

Norman Gunston? well, no, guess he didn't make it this far. (tho there may be naysayers coming along to prove me wrong)

Good of you to report your bleeding problem and it's maybe a good intro for how to be careful in the future. Nothing like experience for learning. Sorry you had to learn it at all, tho. Blessins............

 

[Ross]

Silver Nitrate most likely. Instant cauterization.

 

[Bina]

Westie, don't feel bad.....the veterinarians use those sticks all the time.
They are great for when a dog breaks off a toe nail and the blood is pouring out everywhere!

 

[Eva]

i........normally the bleeding would stop and i could take the paper off after say 30 minutes.

on this occasion, i tried a number of times over two hours to take the paper off, but i bleed quite heavily each time.

Westie,

I am glad this is over now. How often is 'normally the bleeding....'?
I hope with time, you shall be able to shave without injuring yourself.

 

[Nancy]

How about an ordinary old styptic pencil that you can get in the drugstore. Wouldn't that work?

 

[dick0236]

As they say....S-it happens. I have had major cuts (I thought) stop in a hurry and minor cuts, usually facial cuts, bleed, bleed....and bleed. I don't think it has too much to do with the warfarin. It has more to do with the type of cut and where it is. Razor cuts are a b-tch.

 

[donnag131]

I think dick0236 is right. My husband, who does not take any meds at all, cut himself shaving one night right before we were to go out to dinner. He applied firm pressure with a handkerchief to the cut as we drove 1/2 hour to the restaurant thinking that's all it needed, and the darn thing wouldn't stop bleeding. We waited 30 min. in the parking lot. Still bleeding. Went across the street to the supermarket and bought some liquid bandage, thinking that would stop it. Nope. Finally I ended up going back in and buying regular band-aids. He had to replace 3 band-aids that were soaked with blood, before he looked presentable enough to go into the restaurant!

 

[tobagotwo]

I agree with Nancy: a styptic pencil will likely work well in many instances. And as a side benefit, you get the same sting as the one at the hospital.

They usually have titanium oxide or aluminum sulfate (alum) in them. They cause the blood vessels to contract, and thus they clot more easily.


Best wishes,

 

[aussigal]

I am only sticking my head in to say thanks for bring back memories of Norman Gunstan and his toilet papered face....LOL...

To Nancy and BobH...I have never heard of these Styptic pencils?!...must try remember to ask at the Chemist...we girls get the same issues shaving our legs as you guys do on your face!...rather annoying!.

 

[Freddie]

Most diffidently it sounds like they used Silver Nitrate on you....no kidding ouch.

As a former professional dog/cat groomer we used a powder called Quik Stop. Less painful to put on a bleeding toe nail, but I wouldn't want to put it on my face.

 

[Cooker]

Nasal spray works too ... constricts the blood vessels.... But I'm with dick, facial cuts bleed more...

 

[Ross]

Gotta love face weasels ripping at your flesh.