My Story:

5% burns from hot coffee

It was at the beginning of August that I had an 'accident' at home with a very large, freshly-made (and therefore very hot) cafetière of coffee. We had six weeks of unusually hot sunny weather and every morning I woke early, because of the heat, and looked forward to a cup of coffee sitting in the relative cool of the garden just before the sun came up. However, this particular morning it was cooler outside than usual so I carried a tray - with mug, milk and cafetière - and decided to stay indoors.

I sat down on an armchair, not realising that as I sat down my knees were higher than my bottom and so the cafetière toppled towards me! It took me a couple of seconds to realise where the heat was coming from - a very unexpected shock to my system! Unfortunately, being summer, I only had a summer nightie on but fortunately had a thicker short dressing gown which soaked up some of the coffee and prevented more coffee running onto my skin.

I remembered from the distant past that burned skin should be covered with water as soon as possible so I grabbed a couple of clean tea-towels, soaked them with cold water and covered my burns. What I should have done, I learned once I was in hospital, that I should have sat in the bath and sprayed water on my burns for twenty minutes to stop oxygen getting to my burns.

As it was so early in the morning and we live relatively near to our local hospital we drove there ourselves, rather than call an ambulance. On arrival at A & E I was quickly directed to a bathroom and sat for thirty minutes spraying my burns - thighs and abdomen - something I should have done at home as soon as I was burned.

As I suffered 5% burns I was transferred to the Burns Unit at Salisbury Hospital to be cared for. Ten days later I underwent a skin graft procedure then five days bed rest. I was advised by my Surgeon before the procedure that the area where the skin would be taken from for my skin graft - my right leg - would be more painful than my actual burns, and this turned out to be the case initially.

On the fifth day after my procedure the Surgeon arrived at my bedside and suggested he took the 'stitches' out from the skin graft procedure. It wasn't a painful experience, in fact he made it look a relatively easy process. He was obviously pleased with what he saw and instantly offered me the opportunity to return home that same day.

Once home I was able to sit in the garden in warm weather and often slept a few hours a day albeit sitting up - it was too painful to lie down easily. My ability to move was very restricted, and very frustrating. My burns were in a very delicate area so my dressings/bandages were a little complicated. I couldn't sit easily so sat mostly on a circle of towels, and had to be helped to sit down and get up from a chair or bed. The Dressings Nurse on the ward did a great job every time my bandages were changed.

My first few weeks of recovery were 'difficult' but 'do-able'. Getting into and out of bed was almost impossible on my own and I needed help when I needed the toilet - my burn scars and where the skin had been taken from for my skin graft were so very painful. However, with my husband's help, we managed. Sleeping lying down in bed wasn't easy as my burn scars when stretched were painful so I slept for four hours then was helped out of bed and sat on an armchair for another four hours or so.

Three days after I was discharged, I attended a follow-up appointment at the Burns Clinic at Salisbury by a great Specialist Nurse. She answered my few queries and generally re-assured me and changed my dressings/bandages as we chatted. Sixteen days after my skin graft procedure Sally suggested I bath every other day to soak off the remaining special bandages that were on the skin graft area. After four visits to the Burns Clinic, I was referred to the Scar Management Clinic at Salisbury.

Scar Management Clinic

1st appointment - 13th September

Six weeks after procedure. I felt “ga ga”. My balance was not very good still and I was not functioning on all cylinders. I managed to answer questions when asked relevant to procedure. I received good advice from Physiotherapists, including on massaging more to help the uneven 'lumps' on my wounds and scars. This was painful to do but I persevered. I was also advised to massage with different types of material to re-connect my nerve-endings under my wounds/scars.

2nd appointment - 22nd November

I was now only half “ga ga”, but still in pain with my healing wounds/scars.

3rd appointment - 17th January

I felt back to 'normal' in myself and was able to do everything I wanted to - meeting up with family and friends, driving, housework, shopping, playing golf -great! Felt so much better, always hoping that my scars would recover quicker than they were. They were still itchy and most days I experienced pain from them. I washed and removed cream/oil to my scars and massaged well at least 2-3 times a day.

Not having been a patient in hospital for forty years, it was a new experience for me. My care in hospital was very good. I thanked the Doctors, Nurses and especially the Health Care Assistants (very good care, sometimes more thoughtful than the Nurses, I thought) at the time and again when I was discharged home.

Recovery

Recovery was slower than I thought it would be - lack of mobility, lack of sleep, painful wounds, not much appetite and quite wretched once or twice, not believing that this burns accident could have happened to me! Not like me at all - I'm always 'a glass half full' person.

I've used plenty of My Trusty cream and Bi-Oil at every opportunity. In the early stages of recovery, I needed to get up through the night to put more cream/oil on my ever-drying burn scars.

Sleeping on my back was difficult. It was six weeks after my procedure before I could sleep on my side as I used to, because of painful burn scars between my legs.

Feelings

My days seemed long and my nights 'even longer'. By mid-afternoon most days, I found myself not looking forward to the thought of going to bed, and night time. After six weeks, I was mobile enough to put myself to bed, and lay on my side - heaven!

Once, maybe twice in the early days after hospital when my pain was at its worst I wondered, fleetingly, how long it would be before I was 'back to normal' - every movement seemed so difficult. It was very unusual for me to be negative.

I had never been 'looked after' following surgery. Not being able to do what I wanted to without help didn't come easily, so found that scenario a little difficult.

Lovely to return home from hospital, though a bit down-hearted when I thought about the 'accident' - if only I could turn the clock back!

I started to feel more 'normal' six weeks after the procedure. I don't tend to take many pain-killers but needed to for a while - they make me feel 'spaced out'.

Felt so much better after two months, still weak but ok to travel - light at the end of the tunnel!

Felt more back to 'normal' after five months, apart from painful scars. I was advised from the start that the healing could take a long time and have had to accept that this is the case.

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