gaping wound

lance_k · Since 04 May 2005 565 Posts Hood River Photographer

so sliced my foot pretty good shooting joby and crew making final touches on the slider last week. didn't have time to go to the doctor at the time with all the action going on shooting. slapped some duct tape on and all was good.

showed the doc my foot several days later, she said 15 stitches were in order but it was too late. turns out there is only an 8 hour window for getting stitches.

now i have a gaping slice that smiles when i flex my toes. not a pretty one- more like a toothless hillbilly smile.

return date to kiteboarding in the columbia? she said august.

fyi- please take care of your open wounds.

Kraemer · Since 24 Apr 2006 1736 Posts Sky Pilot Unicorn Captain

oh shit

sorry to hear. Good thing your a photographer too!

jblum · Since 13 Jul 2008 307 Posts The Gorge Obsessed

Since you're a photographer, any chance we could see it? I love stuff like this...

Sorry to hear you'll be out for a while.

Kataku2k3 · Since 14 Aug 2005 3754 Posts PDX-LA Videographer

Holy fuck, dude! I don't even know how they would have stitched that shit.

P.S. - Good thing you don't have kites now. Wink

stringy · Since 23 Jun 2006 1738 Posts vancouver XTreme Poster

this happened to me a couple summers back. I tried to have my neighbor, who is a nurse, check it out that night but couldn't reach her. by the next morning it was too late for stitches. I took only a couple of days off and went back out kiting. I'm not suggesting it, just gonna tell you what I did. I wrapped it good, then put a latex glove over it and taped it around my ankle. looked kind of funny but at least I could keep it dry and continue to kite.

Nak · Wed Jun 24, 09 9:04 pm

That totally sucks man. No chance of some alterntive treatment? Maybe a waterproof whole foot bandage or something?

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6549 Posts Couve / Hood Honored Founder

Sucks dude, first your eye gets hit then this, tough year. Let me know if you want to borrow the ski for some shooting or something.

Kodiak · Since 01 Aug 2005 1114 Posts Slidey

I had a cut on my foot that should of had stitches as well. The doctor gave me the same routine, since the Columbia is a giant cesspool. However as long as you can keep it fairly dry and clean after you get out shouldn't be that bad. Superglue works wonders Smile

hiker1 · Since 01 Jul 2007 125 Posts Portland Stoked

Sorry - that sucks!

Years ago I sliced my foot deep on one of my first Gorge trips (for windsurfing) - was so enthusiastic I said "fuck it" and also did the tape thing. It needed stitches and as it turned out, it got infected and took 6 more weeks to heal. I still went windsurfing!

Stupid since if I had enough patience to sit it out for the initial week post cut, I woulda been good. ADVICE - a friend advised to soak it in hot water with a few drops of tea tree oil. That cleared it up quicker then over the counter antibiotic ointment.

Best wishes healing fast!

Gman · Since 11 Feb 2006 4911 Posts Portland Unstrapped

thats fucked!

sorry Lance

wyndjunkie · Since 23 Jan 2008 4 Posts cheney wa New Member

try using super glue to close the gap, that will keep it from being exposed as well as a butterfly bandaid... re glue every day or other day depending on the cut and where it is. use peroxide first and make sure its sanatized. it really works well !!

bwd · Since 04 Aug 2007 385 Posts Obsessed

Problem with foot cuts is they often spring open under pressure of walking.

I got a 4" long oyster gash on the outer edge of my foot a month ago, washed it out with alcohol, covered it with a rolled up napkin and a duct tape foot/ankle wrap. Board sports were fine immediately, but I didn't run on it for a week. All good after about 2 weeks.

If you had got stitches you might get a better result but would limit your activity more, so you might as well keep it open so you can clean it out and just let it granulate, especially if it was contaminated at first and you aren't taking serious antibiotics...
...unless it was bad enough to make you go straight to ER (i.e. squirting arterial blood, Shocked

exposed tendons/muscles, etc.). They can do stitches for a lot more things than usually really need stitches.

Keeping it wrapped and covered in antibioitc ointment is worth doing - less tissue to grow if it isn't gaping open all the time. Especially if it tends to spring open, you might want to wrap it at night. Otherwise, when you get up in the morning it might throb a lot, mine did. Mad

Rico · Since 13 Mar 2005 1219 Posts Vancouver Photographer

There must be some way to waterproof your foot Smile

jcohenx · Since 28 Aug 2007 250 Posts Portland Obsessed

Guess you could always rip it open again, then they'd have to stitch it back, or at least replace your duct tape with some high quality roofing staples.

forrest · Thu Jun 25, 09 7:47 am

That sucks Lance, sorry to hear that dude.

DOPEFLY · Since 13 Oct 2007 97 Posts Maui

Researchers developed super glue in the early days for combat field surgery - it works! The aftermarket chemicals in it now adds a nagging sting but it will seamlessly stitch skin up in a pinch. We got in a bar fight in Portugal years back, my buddy got a split lip 2 centimeters deep, we used super glue to stitch it- you can hardly see a scar.

Ryan · Since 14 Jul 2005 538 Posts Oregon Addicted

try a goretex bootie. I had a friend slice his foot in Baja and we soaked it in Peroxide and then he put on a goretex bootie and duct taped the top. worked great....make sure you shave your leg first Shocked

The ocean is a much better environment then the columbia however.