Canadian Members --need Medicine

[daveshoe]

I am trying to get a sore toe to heal up , and the wimpy stuff you can get in the united states ain't cuttin it. When we were kids , Mom used to put Merthiolate [Tincture Merthiolate ] on our cuts . Burned like He!! but always took the soreness out of a cut.

I got a small amount left and it seems to be helping . This stuff contains thinmensal, an organic mercury antiseptic, which is why it was banned some years ago in the states,

if anybody could help with some over the counter stuff from anywhere , I'm all ears

Thanks Daveshoe

 

[JR2]

You sure its outlawed here in the states?? You can order it online from http://www.americarx.com/search.asp?7=merthiolate and a bunch of other places I found using google.





When I was a kid we called it "red stuff". You knew you had a good cut when mom put "red stuff" on it... . memories.

JR2

 

[WyoJim]

daveshoe... ... . When any open sore, especially on the toes or feet are slow healing or won't heal a glucose test is in order to see if you are diabetic. Especially if you are overweight.



Any one you know that has diabetes and a glucose meter can do it.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

WyoJim: What's with the toes/feet being a magic zone for slow healing wounds with potential diabetics?



Matt

 

[RustyJC]

Diabetes can cause circulatory and nerve damage, usually starting in the most distant extremities (the feet and legs). That's why, as a type 2 diabetic, I must pay particular attention to my feet and legs. Ignored, gangrene sets in due to poor circulation (which is also the reason for slow healing), and amputation generally follows.



Next time we can talk about blindness, strokes, heart attacks and renal failure.



(And, by the way, weight isn't always a factor. I'm 6'0" tall and weigh 185 lbs, the same as I did in college some 30+ years ago. )



Rusty

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Rusty: Thanks for the info - I learned something today!



Even if weight isn't a huge factor... . I'm overweight (5`11" - 230#)... ... . guess I should fit exercise into my sedentary work schedule.....



Matt

 

[WyoJim]

Matt... . If a person has a sore on his toe that doesn't want to heal it may be because he is already a diabetic, and may not know it. Most people diagnosed with diabetes have had diabetes a long time without being aware of it. Some times up to 10 years.



A few years back my son's horse stepped on his foot and squeezed the nail off his big toe. After a few days it wasn't showing a sign of healing or even drying up. There was a diabetic staying with us at the time so he tested my son's glucose. The meter gave a reading over 400. Normal is around 80 to 120. A trip to the Dr. got the readings down and the toe healed, but my son will be on insulin the rest of his life.



Another sign of diabetes to notice is if insects (butterflies or bees) want to gather where a person takes a leak, say when they are camping. This is a sign of so much glucose in the blood that the kidneys are getting rid of it. BAD, BAD advanced diabetes!!

 

[RustyJC]

Another sign of diabetes is (can I say this on a family forum?) chronic constipation.



Rusty

 

[HoleshotHolset]

I might be diabetic.....



I'm downright evil to people when I haven't eaten... . especially in the morning... . like a hungry/angry bear.



The glucose readings could vary greatly depending on what time of the day they were taken.



Dad measured mine one morning before I ate - and it read 8... . my blood sugar was probably so low that it couldn't accurately read it.



Matt

 

[WyoJim]

Matt... An 8 in U. S. numbers and you would be in a COMA (More than likely). If it was a Canadian number it was high, about 144, I think.



If there is a history of diabetes in your family, it is a strike against you. But heredity can be over come with diet. If you are a meat eater the proper diet is a breeze.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

I wanted to check how sweet I was this morning - but I couldn't find Dad's glucose meter.



The last reading we took had to be wrong..... BUT, I do remember that I went to bed without supper (no, I didn't do anything wrong... . I was sick. )... . and as soon as I woke up we took a reading.



Matt

 

[RustyJC]

Matt,



If you're getting screwy readings on you Dad's glucose meter, and if it uses the paper strips, check it with the calibration fluid before you take a reading on yourself.



Rusty

 

[HoleshotHolset]

The strips aren't paper - and as far as I know, he's never had any calibration fluid.



The one he has uses these little narrow tabs - they 'plug' into the machine and it somehow measures the continuity/conductivity of the blood on the end.....



Matt