Hi my name is Melissa, I am 21 years old, 5'8", and 180lbs. At a family get together on the 18th. I was burned by a bottle rocket on my left hand. The index finger is the worst, being numb during most of the day. The middle finger, ring finger and thumb also have burns. All fingers are dexterous, I can feel pressure when applied and nerves seem ok. The index finger is burned on the area near the nail bed including the nail itself, the burn is isolated to the right side of the nail and finger. My question being what will a Doctor do to ease my pain and help the healing process? I am worried being a college student with no medical coverage, that they will simply ask me to keep the wound clean, and give me pain medication, things I can do myself without accruing debt. I have been cleaning the wound of dead skin and flushing it out, as well as applying burn gel and treating with hydrogen peroxide. There is no puss or swelling besides the clear fluid from the blisters that have all but flattened now. The pain gets better everyday, but there are still occasional bouts of greater pain. At the worst on a scale of ten the burn feels about a 6. I clean the wound 2-3 times a day and keep it covered with gauze. Additionally I would like to mention that everyday I have been soaking the hand in salt water, painful, but when I apply the peroxide it bubble very little, I take that to be a sign of cleanliness of the wound.
For these kind of burns; you can apply antibiotic cream such as silver sulfadiazine (Silvadene).It will prevent infection and help in fast healing. You should apply it after cleaning it thoroughly with antiseptics. Bubbling of the peroxide when you pour on a wound is normal.
For the pain, you can take non steroidal anti-inflammatory pain killers like Ibuprofen or Diclofenac or other pain medications like Tramadol after consulting your doctor.
It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.