Wound Care & Harm Reduction
If you have surrendered to the urge, the goal shifts from prevention to safety. Taking care of your body afterward is a form of self-respect.
1. Immediate Care (The Basics)
- Clean it: Always wash your hands before touching a wound. Use plain, lukewarm water or a sterile saline solution. For burns, run it under cold water immediately for at least 5 minutes. Avoid harsh soaps or alcohol directly inside a wound.
- Stop the Bleeding: Apply firm, direct pressure with a clean, non-fluffy cloth for at least 10 minutes without peeking.
- Close it up: Use “Steri-Strips” (butterfly stitches) to hold edges together if needed. If you don’t have any a plaster will suffice until you can get some.
2. Preventing Infection
- The Dressing: Use a sterile, non-stick dressing. Change it daily or if it becomes damp.
- Antiseptic: A thin layer of antiseptic cream (like Savlon) on the surrounding skin can help, but don’t go overboard inside deep wounds.
- Cover it: Keep it covered with a bandage or plaster to prevent it getting knocked, damaged, dirty or picked ( I see you). The warm, moist environment will help healing go smoother.
3. The “Red Flags” (When to See a Professional)
“Putting your big pants on” also means knowing when a wound is beyond home care. Seek medical help if:
- The Bleeding Won’t Stop: If it’s still pumping or spurting after 10 minutes of solid pressure.
- Signs of Infection: The area is hot to the touch, there’s yellow/green pus, or you see red streaks spreading away from the wound.
- The “Gap”: If the wound is deep enough that you can see yellow fat or muscle, it likely needs professional closure (stitches).
Pro-Tip: If you go to Northampton General A&E or an Urgent Care Centre for wound care, you can tell them you’d also like to speak to the Liaison Psychiatry team. They are there specifically to help with the mental health side of things while your physical needs are being met.
Why This Matters
Taking care of your wounds isn’t “encouraging” the habit. It’s acknowledging that you are a human being who deserves to be safe and free from infection while you work on your recovery.
As disabled, mentally unwell people (with a background in healthcare), if we could go back and tell ourselves one thing it would be:
“I now have nerve damage and am in a lot of pain. Think numbness, tingling, electric shooting pain, and ice cold pain.
The scars make it harder for me to do the things I like, mostly because of the nerve damage pain and sensations.
The wounds I took care of and dressed properly afterwards are the ones that affect me the least now”
