Help Self harm

[Lara Francis]

Hi everyone.
I am a self harmer by the means of cutting my arms.
I have done this for a few years in response to extreme emotional distress.
I use a needle which is a new one each time but i cut a few days ago ( no more than i have done before) but there are a few areas of inflamation under the skin which almost look like blisters.
The wounds themselves do not look particulary red or infected but are more painful than i would expect or have felt before.
I am not really able to seek medical help because that is only going to cause red flags in relation to social services.
Could anyone help me please ?
Thankyou.

 

[JustAboutDone]

Have you got some dettol or something to wash the area and some antiseptic cream? I'd do that and keep an eye on the area. If it starts getting particularly hot or the area spreads further out then ask your pharmacist in Boots for advice, you can just tell them it's a cat scratch or something xx

 

[Lara Francis]

Have you got some dettol or something to wash the area and some antiseptic cream? I'd do that and keep an eye on the area. If it starts getting particularly hot or the area spreads further out then ask your pharmacist in Boots for advice, you can just tell them it's a cat scratch or something xx

Thankyou.i will do that.i am not sure if i could get away with cat stratches though as there are too many cuts.hopefully the above suggestions will do the trick.
Many thanks xx

 

[JustAboutDone]

Thankyou.i will do that.i am not sure if i could get away with cat stratches though as there are too many cuts.hopefully the above suggestions will do the trick.
Many thanks xx

Check online something about 'tracking' - it's a shame @gingerplum is away
if there is an infection and it starts spreading or 'tracking' it shows as a line or mark along from the original wound. You can draw round the wound with a safe marker to see if the area of redness grows xx

 

[kkatt]

Hi everyone.
I am a self harmer by the means of cutting my arms.
I have done this for a few years in response to extreme emotional distress.
I use a needle which is a new one each time but i cut a few days ago ( no more than i have done before) but there are a few areas of inflamation under the skin which almost look like blisters.
The wounds themselves do not look particulary red or infected but are more painful than i would expect or have felt before.
I am not really able to seek medical help because that is only going to cause red flags in relation to social services.
Could anyone help me please ?
Thankyou.

I hope you're getting on okay. That's good advice to use a disinfectant like Dettol.
Infection is the biggest risk,so if you're still concerned,do you maybe have a thermometer that you can monitor your temperature with? Does the area feel hot to touch?
Don't worry about needing to give a pharmacist an excuse. They are trained to advise,not to judge. You don't have to explain yourself. Just tell them you are concerned.
Good luck and try not to feel ashamed. x