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Did I really hear that right?

lovinglife

lovinglife

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I stubbed my big toe on Friday and broke a bit of the nail - it is healing fine but was very sore when I was out shopping on Saturday.

Was in Asda and thought ! would ask at the pharmacy if they had any of those little sponge sock things that go over the toe.

no said the pharmacist we don't have any of those - maybe on the shop floor shelves.

OK says I - just want something to protect it until I get home as I am diabetic and we have to look after blah blah blah

yes he says you do - and finished of with - and I quote "If I was you I wouldn't waste your money - when you get home get a bit of loo roll wrap it around your toe and stick it down with cellotape - make sure it doesn't go gammy though - diabetic feet are a funny thing - if it goes manky looking maybe give it a little wash " :shock: :roll:

I didn't comment and just walked away - I was speechless
 
Sorry Ken/Sue - I seemed to have posted this in the greeting & inros when I meant to put it in discussions - can you move it for me - sorry :oops: - thanks :)

wow that's strange I can also see it in the "have your say" too - hope its gremlins and not me messed it right up - off to bed before I do any more damage :lol:
 
As a nurse with expedition experience, who later became a person with type 1 diabetes, I have often improvised dressings etc for myself and others. Sometimes terms like manky say it better than anything more technical, although they are difficult for Spanish speaking / Indonesian colleagues to understand (I speak from experience).
One tip for a big toe is to attach with tape a 35mm plastic film cannister, which is long enough so the tip of big toe doesn't touch end, to protect toe and allow space for a dressing if needed, plus air circulation, then wear sandals.
I reckon the pharmacist's advice not to waste your money on a foam toe cap that wouldn't offer much physical protection and would keep toe damp is excellent. I have a couple of pharmacist colleagues who would say exactly the same.
 
I see your points copepod - very valid and true but I only wanted something for my toe until I got home - food shopping is an expedition fraught with its own dangers I agree :lol: - although what he said about improvising was a good idea, loo roll and cellotape would hardly be a very sterile improvisation on an open sore - and the phrase if it gets manky give it a little wash implied I should only was clean it if it looked infected. Manky is a great word but I could have coped with the more technical terms too :wink:

I still don't think it was good advice to give to a diabetic from a HCP
 
I'd have washed the injured toe with soap & water on Friday, dried it carefully, left it uncovered over night, then covered with a dressing from my first aid kit before leaving home on Saturday morning. I keep a couple of individually wrapped plasters in my wallet and another couple in my insulin case (pencil case) - usually given to other people rather than used myself, but always at hand. Larger first aid kit in my car, but as I usually cycle, sometimes walk, virtually never drive for shopping, wouldn't have helped much if I were in your situation.

"Clean, not sterile" can be the right approach.

To me (grew up in Midlands of England, with Scottish mother, have worked in NE England as well as overseas), manky perfectly sums up a mucky wound, whether infected or dirty, not exclusively infected. Our Mum was a nurse, too, and her solution for any cuts / abrasions etc on our hands was to make us wash up, as it involved hot soapy water :D
 
Aah, the great North/South divide! :lol: Manky around here is something that is dirty, often with the implication that it's your fault i.e. Yeuch, go wash your manky hair!
 
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