treatment for 9 day old large cut

i have a large cut on my lower leg- it has clean edges and is approximately 5cm long and nearly a cm deep.  at the time the injury happened, it bled extensively- more than i've ever seen a wound bleed (except in the movies).  i kept it bandaged for a couple of days, and then just left it alone (aside from cleaning it in the shower daily).

the injury occured approximately a week and a half ago, and it does not seem to be healing.  periodically, it starts to scab, but all the liquid in the wound seems to make the scab fall apart.  the cut still gapes open constantly and weeps sometimes- slightly yellow transparent liquid.  it is only slightly pink and there is no pus, so i don't think it is infected at all.

is this normal healing for a cut of this size?  i want it to scab up and heal.  how should it be healing?  what can i do to help it heal appropriately?  should i clean it out inside or would this simply damage it more?  should i put ointment on it and keep it bandaged?  i'm a bit confused as to how to deal with this situation.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
It looks like delayed healing of the cut. Delayed wound healing can occur in vitamin C and vit K deficiency, diabetes, p-rotein deficiency, immunocompromised states and if the person is taking corticosteroids or immunosuppressants.

Get your blood sugar levels checked and take some vitamin C for some days. If the symptoms persist of there is pain along with redness then possibility of an infection needs to be ruled out.

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 dermatologist. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.