So, I went to plastic surgeon for the first time today… No, I'm not having a nose job or breast augmentation done. I wanted an educated opinion on the progress of my burn, which is three months and two days old today, and my GP thought this would be a better referral than the burn clinic at Sunnybrook.
I'm not particularly concerned about the cosmetics of my slow healing burn; it's more the incessant itching and ongoing redness in a few remaining patches that I've been feeling worried about these past months.
I'm not particularly concerned about the cosmetics of my slow healing burn; it's more the incessant itching and ongoing redness in a few remaining patches that I've been feeling worried about these past months.
 "BEFORE": 1 week post-burn, in October 2016 |  "AFTER": 3 mos + 2 days after burn, Jan 2017 |
I have to confess, I held some bias against plastic surgeons; I just assumed that all they dealt with was cosmetic surgery, or that at least mostly that was what their work encompassed. As it turns out, they actually know quite a lot about skin, and about burns in particular, go figure!
For the first time since the day I poured hot water all over myself like an idiot at the office, I actually felt like I was talking to someone who knew what they were talking about. Instead of desperately searching the Internet for answers, I was able to have an informed conversation with someone in the know.
Granted, the surgeon himself was rather a handsome man (all natural? I didn't ask!), but he really knew his stuff, as did his student doctor. I was able to ask my million questions with confidence, and have my fears alleviated in under an hour, all courtesy of OHIP!
The itchiness, it turns out, is unfortunately quite common with deeper burns, and can last six months or more. It's one of the biggest challenges for burn victims, after the emotional stuff. An antihistamine was recommended.
The good news is that all my self-care and witch-doctoring in the early months seems to have paid off, and my wound was continuing to "heal well", according to both student and resident. The reason for the dryness, apparently, is that oil secretion glands were damaged. These take some time to heal. Use creme, they said. Any kinds, they said. Bio-oil is good, they said. Massage helps too, they said. press hard.
The best news? I can go swimming in Cuba next week. Ocean and pool! Just keep it out of the sun, they told me.
I already knew that.
For the first time since the day I poured hot water all over myself like an idiot at the office, I actually felt like I was talking to someone who knew what they were talking about. Instead of desperately searching the Internet for answers, I was able to have an informed conversation with someone in the know.
Granted, the surgeon himself was rather a handsome man (all natural? I didn't ask!), but he really knew his stuff, as did his student doctor. I was able to ask my million questions with confidence, and have my fears alleviated in under an hour, all courtesy of OHIP!
The itchiness, it turns out, is unfortunately quite common with deeper burns, and can last six months or more. It's one of the biggest challenges for burn victims, after the emotional stuff. An antihistamine was recommended.
The good news is that all my self-care and witch-doctoring in the early months seems to have paid off, and my wound was continuing to "heal well", according to both student and resident. The reason for the dryness, apparently, is that oil secretion glands were damaged. These take some time to heal. Use creme, they said. Any kinds, they said. Bio-oil is good, they said. Massage helps too, they said. press hard.
The best news? I can go swimming in Cuba next week. Ocean and pool! Just keep it out of the sun, they told me.
I already knew that.
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