Help!!!!! Stitches?!
Question: I accidently cut my wrist on Dec. 11, and i haven't removed them. I haven't made an appointment because of money problems, i applied for ahcccs and i'm waiting for the response, they said they would respond in 10 days that was about 9 days ago. I need to know where i can make an appointment? Can i remove them myself? or What can i do? I live in Phoenix Arizona.
Answers: I accidently cut my wrist on Dec. 11, and i haven't removed them. I haven't made an appointment because of money problems, i applied for ahcccs and i'm waiting for the response, they said they would respond in 10 days that was about 9 days ago. I need to know where i can make an appointment? Can i remove them myself? or What can i do? I live in Phoenix Arizona.
You can often go to a local clinic to have the stitches removed. This is often inexpensive. A doctor will look at them and make sure everything is healing as it should. Stitches take more or less time to heal depending on where on your body they are (ex: face takes less time to heal than arm).
I recently had a mole removed from my back and discovered that 10 days was about 1-2 days too long to leave my stitches in-ouch!
That being said, yes you can remove your own stitches. It is important that you not leave them in too long because the skin can begin to grow on them and over them, which can make it uncomfortable to remove them and can lead to an infection. If you are a normal, healthy person removing stitches is easy. Gently pull up one side of the thread and use fingernail clippers to cut on one side of the knot. Use tweezers that you have sterilized in rubbing alcohol to gently pull out the stitches. You may want a clean cotton ball to dab antibiotic ointment on after removing stitches. Make sure to remove all of the stitches. If you have some experience sewing, this will be helpful.
Good Luck!
While you can remove them on your own, it is important to have the wound checked. An urgent care could probably be your best bet. They can check the wound and remove the stitches for you. Leaving them in for too long is a problem, as the skin may grow over the stitches.