Preventing wound infection

[Eve]

I had a nasty fall getting on a bus yesterday and managed to fall smack face down, mainly smashing my lower leg up to my knee.

My leg is just bruised but my foot is a bit of a mess as it broke the skin in a few places, guessing something must have gone into it as there are a few gouges, and it's still very sore and a bit red and swollen.

After a bad bout of cellulitus on one foot last summer and another leg wound I had which got infected not long ago, I want to do everything I can to stop getting another infection, especially as I don't even want to think about the kind of crap which was on the bus.

Can anyone recommend a good antibacterial gel or similar, anything to help prevent any infection getting in? I'm also not sure whether to cover it or let it breathe. Maybe those breatheable plasters? am definitely on the prevention this time after the last leg wound got infected after I figured it would just heal.

Am going to pop into town later so any suggestions welcome :)

[daffy654]

Get some wound dressings with colloidal (sp) silver in them, they are brill!

[Eve]

Thanks Daffy :) Will go seek in Superdrug later.

[merciasounds]

I have bouts of cellulitis in my lower leg, and I find sudocrem good - failing that, ask the pharmacist

[ummmm]

Bath in salt water.

[annie0000]

All of the above - also if you can get hold of inadene dressings at the chemist, they are really good - personally I always used sudocrem on all the kids cuts and scrapes and I hate to think of the muck that that they get into!

[Eve]

Thank you all :) I wouldn't normally be so bothered if it hadn't been for the other skin infections.

Salt water...owwwwwwwwww! It's gonna hurt like a bitch isn't it? Ok, will try not to be such a baby and give it a go :)

[ummmm]

It won't hurt....just don't put too much in.

[wolf63]

Jenna - you seem to be regularly injuring yourself, either you are awfully unlucky or you need to cut back your alcohol consumption.

Are the mouse-loving kitties driving you to drink?

[Eve]

I know Wolf, I'm naturally more clumsy than normal as I have Menieres (inner ear balance disorder) so am more prone to tripping and falling if my ears are a bit off.

I don't actually drink very much at all, don't drink regularly and not that much when I do, partly because of the menieres as I can be off balance enough without any alcohol.

In the past few months I can only remember having one half a lager and lime at a gig I went too and a glass of champagne at a marketing do and could have happily gone without either.

That and I think the local buses have a vendetta against me :) Probably the amount of cursing I do about them!

[annie0000]

I'd bathe it in a weak solution of dettol rather than salt - it gives you the dilution quantities on the bottle - I think you can put a capful in your bath as well if you are prone to skin infections.

[pastafreak]

Try Savlon Antiseptic Wound wash....the pharmacist recommended it to me when I had a very bad burn that had blistered then burst. The healing was visible the next morning...amazing really.

http://www.savlon.co....septic_woundwash.html

[Eve]

Thank you for all your replies.

I went and got some Savlon and dressings yesterday but after a very painful night with it and it looking worse today, all red and swollen and bigger, I ended up at the walk in centre and they have stuck an iodine pad on it then covered it with a dressing to try and get the swelling down.

So I have two days of that and keeping an eye to make sure no infection takes hold, fingers crossed!