Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Hibi

Last night, Hibi was planning on making herself a cup of tea and then going to bed. What she did instead was to spill boiling water on her belly. Ow! Instead of going to bed shortly after 10, as planned, she was up until past 2 am with an awful burn. She tried all kinds of things---aloe vera, lavender essential oil, etc. I told her to put ice or ice water on it. She protested that it doesn't work. Well, nothing is going to just make it all go away, but cold will keep the pain lessened. I felt the same as when she insists that putting on a jacket won't make her warmer.

In the process of putting cold water everywhere--uh, I mean on the burn--she covered the bathroom floor with it. I managed not to slip while cleaning it up, but then my feet were wet and while walking back to the living room via the tiled hallway, I slipped and came down hard on the other foot, right on the big toe. I now have a very sore toe. :-( Her burn is finally better this morning, though. It's a deep red color--looks pretty bad, but at least it's not blistered.

7 comments:

Mimi said...

Oh no, both of those wounds sound awful.

You are in my prayers and heal quickly.

Jennifershmoo said...

Oh, ouch! Burns are the worst. When James got burned on the woodstove my stepdad gave us some silver sulfacetamide lotion. That stuff is a miracle.

Elizabeth said...

Thanks, Mimi.

I've never heard of silver sufacetamide lotion. Where would you get it? Is it like colloidal silver? Is it just for the pain, or for the healing? I'm headed to Rainbow today, maybe I'll see if they've got some.

Laurie said...

so sorry for both of you . . .hope the burn and the toe heal soon.

Ameera said...

Assalam-o-alaikum (may peace be upon you!)

A sorry incident with that hot water! My mother always suggests using honey. Just spread some honey over the burnt portion, it will sting for a while, but it will heal faster than with any other thing.

Just a tip!

Assalam-o-alaikum!

Elizabeth said...

Assalam-o-alaikum to you as well, Ameera Khan! And thanks for the translation. Seems we used some form of that expression in the Antiochian (Syrian and Lebanese) church we used to belong to.

Honey! Interesting. Now that I think of it, that might be sage advice. Honey contains some healing powers. My mom always gave us honey mixed with lemon juice for a sore throat.

It's healing up just fine, though it's gotten tender again. I do have honey in the house, whereas I forgot to get that silver at Rainbow. And my toe is just fine! Thanks for all your sympathy.

Anonymous said...

Lavendar oil also is wonderful. You must already know that, since you had it on hand. I'll never forget the time I picked up a cast-iron skillet fresh out of the oven. Ouch! Still don't know why I did that.

Anyway, I put lavendar oil on it. It still blistered badly, but by the next day the blisters were down and the wound was just pink and medium-tender. By the following day, it was almost gone. Amazing. BTW, I apply the lavendar oil, then ice the burn (I keep a pack of frozen peas on hand just for that purpose), then apply lavendar oil again.

I've never tried colloidal silver myself, but we do use it for the cows on our organic dairy. And although I've never heard of honey on burns, I do know that it is an ancient remedy for open wounds. Great antibiotic properties. It's also good for preserving foods naturally.

Hope both you and Hibi feel better soon. Plantains may be hard to find where you live, but they are a help for bruises. Mash them or rub them in your hands, then apply to the bruise--even wrap it around a sore toe and wear it a while. I don't know why they work, but they do help the bruise feel better, and the bruise does seem to heal faster. By plantains, I mean those weeds with broad flat leaves that grow in yards. Their flowers are a tall stalk of green knobs. They make good salad greens, too.