Burned (be careful) (nasty pics)

[KWT]

Woah those burns look nasty, horrible yellow as well

[DaylilyDawn]

Andrew,I know that you are healing, I am praying for your recovery. I can' t say enough about the pressure garments. My husband's hands look normal now and you can not even tell he had third degree burns on the backs of both hands. The scars that he has are on his stomach and thigh where they couldn't get a pressure garment to fit. Keeping the skin moist is the key for it to heal with out scarring.

[stormy1970al]

Ouch! Hope you feel better soon!

[tropicana]

owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

i hope it gets better and better, that pain must be horrible, sunburn times 1000 our more.
im so sorry you had to go through this

[andrewsmith1]

I went to the burn center this morning. The doctor says we have done everything right and there is no sign of infection. They wrote me a script for pain medicine and sent me home. He said he would have admitted me to the hospital if I had come in sooner, but that we did everything right. The worst thing is that he told me I have to wear long pants while in the sun for the next year because of the risk of sun burn and cancer.
The previous owner's wife was in the area this morning before I went to the doctor. She came by the house to see how we were doing and totally freaked out when she heard what happened. She asked if we would leave the gate open for her and loan her a shovel so she could check the firepit for more stuff. I made sure the house was locked up and handed her the shovel. When I got home I saw that her husband had joined her with a truck and large trailer. He brought his tractor over and mowed the yard, dug out the top 3 feet of ash and sand from the fire pit to clean out any other unburned items, and piled up all of the brush that I had cut down from the entire yard. They spent the whole morning working on the yard so I wouldn't have to worry about it for a few more days.

They really felt bad. The husband said he used a blow torch to start his fires and that he had not been able to find it since they moved out. I have no intentions of pressing charges or pursuing any damages against them. It was just an accident and it was obvious that they felt really bad about it.

I am going to dig a little deeper into the pit just to make sure, but I think it is safe for me to use it now (as long as I don't do anything stupid).

Andrew

[gtalum]

Why in God's name would someone use a blowtorch to start a fire? And then how do you misplace the tanks? Jeez...

[CajunMama]

Good news from the doc!!! I'm glad to hear that.

The former homeowners sound like really nice people. They must feel really bad. But you got the area cleaned up And do you know how nice it is to hear you say that you have no intention of going after them. You're a true gentleman. Accidents do happen (but don't tell that to ed mcmahon who's suing a "friend" and a hospital).

[george_r_1961]

Why in God's name would someone use a blowtorch to start a fire? And then how do you misplace the tanks? Jeez...

Ive seen intelligent people do some weird things. Like many years ago an engineer friend of mine spilled gas on his pants and decided to burn the gas off..yes while still wearing them.

[DaylilyDawn]

I am glad to hear that there is no infection. Keep putting the Silvadene on the burned area and keep it moist and it will keep healing .
I think the former owners were doing all that work in an effort to keep you from suing them. Even though you say you have no intention of bringing charges, they are liable for your treatment costs as a result of their negligence of cleaning out the firepit before you took possession of the property.

[andrewsmith1]

Why in God's name would someone use a blowtorch to start a fire? And then how do you misplace the tanks? Jeez...

I have used a blowtorch to start a fire in the past. It works well and is sometimes safer than using up a bunch of matches that burn down to your fingers. The previous owners had a couple of large dogs. They think one of their dogs found it and decided to bury it. My dogs do the same thing, although I make sure the dangerous stuff is well out of their reach

[andrewsmith1]

Good news from the doc!!! I'm glad to hear that.

The former homeowners sound like really nice people. They must feel really bad. But you got the area cleaned up And do you know how nice it is to hear you say that you have no intention of going after them. You're a true gentleman. Accidents do happen (but don't tell that to ed mcmahon who's suing a "friend" and a hospital).

Thanks. I know it was just an accident. I have had so many people tell me to sue them for everything they have that it makes me sick. I am not that type of person. I didn't ask them to do anything for me. I could tell that the lady was really feeling bad because she turned white as a sheet when she saw what had happened. They felt bad so they decided to help me out while I recover.

[Cryomaniac]

Thanks. I know it was just an accident. I have had so many people tell me to sue them for everything they have that it makes me sick. I am not that type of person. I didn't ask them to do anything for me. I could tell that the lady was really feeling bad because she turned white as a sheet when she saw what had happened. They felt bad so they decided to help me out while I recover.

I can see why some people would sue (to be fair, I probably would myself), but it makes the world a less negative place when people don't resort to that.

[DaylilyDawn]

Andrew , how are your injuries doing today? I hope you can see new skin coming in around the edges. Over a month ago I fell and skinned my right knee pretty badly( a bicycle fell on me as I tried to get on it). It took my knee over three weeks to heal but it did start healing and new skin started coming around the edge of the injury first.

[andrewsmith1]

I am doing OK. I have been able to remove the bandages from my left leg. My right leg is still in a lot of pain down the middle areas where the burns were worst. Everything that is not hurting is now itching severely. Benadryl has been my friend as well as the Oxy IR that the doctors gave me for the pain. It is going to be a long recovery, but I think I am going to be fine. I will have a few scars to show off, but that should be the only lasting effects from these burns.

On another note I started a small fire this evening to start burning off some of the brush I had piled up. As soon as I saw the newspaper catch fire I got the hell away from the area. It is going to take me awhile to be comfortable around a fire in the future. Just hearing the little "woosh" sound when my wife ignited the gas grill the other night made my heart start racing. We also brought in a foster dog this evening (a border collie). I already have 5 dogs of my own (3 border collies, a lab mix, and a GSD). She was turned over to the rescue agency when her owner (a backyard breeder) got sick and gave all of her dogs up. She was spayed on friday and is a sweet dog. Maybe taking care of her will help me keep my mind off the itching as well as give my own dogs another friend to play with.

[DaylilyDawn]

The itching is a sign of the skin healing. My hubby said his hands would itch so bad that he would stand in the shower and let the water beat on the back of his hands. The water also softened up the crusty Silvadene so it could be washed off and a fresh coat of it went back on after he got out of the shower.
Please be very careful around any kind of fire until your legs are healed. It will take a full year after the burns are completely healed for the new skin to toughen up a little so that sunlight will not burn it.

[andrewsmith1]

The itching is a sign of the skin healing. My hubby said his hands would itch so bad that he would stand in the shower and let the water beat on the back of his hands. The water also softened up the crusty Silvadene so it could be washed off and a fresh coat of it went back on after he got out of the shower.
Please be very careful around any kind of fire until your legs are healed. It will take a full year after the burns are completely healed for the new skin to toughen up a little so that sunlight will not burn it.

My doctor has already told me that I have to wear long pants for the next year. My wife and I will be going to Bass Pro on Tuesday to pick up some nice light weight microfiber pants. My father uses them when he goes fishing and says they are great.

[DaylilyDawn]

I am glad to hear that you are not letting the burns get you down. My hubby got depressed for a short while after his burns but he received some help for it. I bet the microfiber fabric will be smoother than woven fabric so it will not catch on the bandage.

[andrewsmith1]

I am glad to hear that you are not letting the burns get you down. My hubby got depressed for a short while after his burns but he received some help for it. I bet the microfiber fabric will be smoother than woven fabric so it will not catch on the bandage.

I refuse to let it get me down. My wife has been awsome for support and changing the bandages and my dogs keep me happy and busy when she is at work. I suffer from depression, but I am not going to let this accident add to it. If I can share my experience and keep even one person from being burned and going through this it will be worth it.

Andrew

[vbhoutex]

Andrew I think you have probably accomplished one part of what you want to do and that is get the word out so that others do not have to go through this. You are making a very positive experience out of something that could be very negative. Still sending healing prayers your way from Houston.

[DaylilyDawn]

Andrew,
How are your injuries healing ? The last update was in July 20 and I was thinking it has been several weeks since we had heard from you. I hope that you are able to see the new skin coming in around the edges by now.