QUESTION: I spilled a plate of terribly hot soup, and severely burned my feet.
I visited my doctor for care but he wants to put me in the hospital. What do you think?
ANSWER: I think that the doctor knows something you don't.
That sometimes happens! Burns to the feet and hands are nothing to take lightly; they too are vital parts of the body, and we put them to hard and constant use.
With never ending demands placed upon them, the healing process is delayed and made more difficult.
Healing can be helped by strict bed rest, foot elevation, and dressing changes can you accomplish this at home according to your doctor's orders? Foot burns are classified as major by the American Burn Association and complications seem to arise more frequently in outpatients than for those immediately admitted to the hospital.
One of the complications is edema (swelling of the foot), which frequently occurs in foot burn victims who delay admission to the hospital, and this extra fluid in the area that is trying to heal slows down the process.
Edema can be avoided by absolute bed rest and foot elevation, difficult to accomplish at home.
There are many other services at the hospital as well, where frequent dressing changes, physiotherapy, and laboratory tests make caring for your injury, and preventing unwanted complications a more easily accomplished task.
I don't believe in unnecessary hospitalizations, but when the patient is more comfortable and the treatment more effective, when results are more certain and the cure is a bit quicker, than my vote must go along with that of your own physician.
Remember one thing, however.
If you could follow all the instructions, and had someone to aid you, you could make a case for staying home.
As with every major medical decision, the choice lies with the informed patient.
Whatever your decision, here's a wish for a speedy recovery.
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician.
Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.
