Blood blister

[mashed potatoes]

While learning the pinch harmonics that jaco plays on "birdland," i seem to have developed a blood blister on the tip of my index finger that causes me a bit of pain when i play (and type!). Is there any way to make it heal quickly so I can go back to playing without pain again soon? I seem to recall reading an article in "Bass Player" magazine that said I should pop the blister by puncturing it with a needle on the trailing edge of my finger so that it will drain while leaving most of the skin intact. Is this a wise idea?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, because at the moment I would really like to get back to playing without pain

[WalterBush]

I get these sometimes working construction--and what you describe below is pretty close to the method I use, except that I'd recommend putting alcohol or hydrogen peroxide on and in the wound immediately after it drains, just in case. The pain should diminish quickly, and go away entirely in a matter of hours, depending on how fast you heal.

[SunneyBoy]

i dont know how quickly you want to play. one day i was chopping wood for a fireplace and stupidly chopped the callus off of my index finger on my fretting hand. ouch! i had a gig that night and didnt have any time to book a replacement to stand in for me so i had no choice i covered the wound with super glue( extremely fast drying hard glue) mabey not the smartest thing to do it stung like hell, but the glue created a hard shell like covering over my wound it really helped.and i survived the gig . not saying Glue is the answer i guess it depends on how desperate one is .

[Kronos]

Originally Posted by SunneyBoy

i dont know how quickly you want to play. one day i was chopping wood for a fireplace and stupidly chopped the callus off of my index finger on my fretting hand. ouch! i had a gig that night and didnt have any time to book a replacement to stand in for me so i had no choice i covered the wound with super glue( extremely fast drying hard glue) mabey not the smartest thing to do it stung like hell, but the glue created a hard shell like covering over my wound it really helped.and i survived the gig . not saying Glue is the answer i guess it depends on how desperate one is .

Isn't that what they used to close up cuts on boxers years ago?

I can't assume that there are no health repercussions from using CA to close a wound (burns like a mother sometimes), but I have used it numerous times (manual labor does have its disadvantages, as well as being a pretty darned good home chef that likes to keep his knives sharp!) with no ill effects so far. If I get cancer or something in my hands, then I'll know where it came from. I'm sure there's a website that will tell you the dangers in using CA glue in an open wound.

[WalterBush]

Originally Posted by Kronos

Isn't that what they used to close up cuts on boxers years ago?

I can't assume that there are no health repercussions from using CA to close a wound (burns like a mother sometimes), but I have used it numerous times (manual labor does have its disadvantages, as well as being a pretty darned good home chef that likes to keep his knives sharp!) with no ill effects so far. If I get cancer or something in my hands, then I'll know where it came from. I'm sure there's a website that will tell you the dangers in using CA glue in an open wound.

CA glue was developed by the US Army to close up wounds on soldiers in battle. Unless used in extreme doses, it'll be fine. Just another technological innovation from the military

[TaurusV]

Funny that you should mention that you got a blood blister from practicing a Jaco song because that exactly happened to me about a month ago. (I was working on blackbird by Jaco though) I let the blister go for about a week and then I drained it out but left the extra skin on top for about a day, then I removed the top skin. I was playing without any pain that day. I also noticed that the skin on the finger was a lot tougher than it was before. Happy to hear I'm not the only one who Jaco's amazing style of playing inflicted pain.

[middlebit]

You can 'pop' the blister by puncturing it by a threaded needle - the thicker the thread/yarn, the better it will absorb the blood/puss/other bodily fluid. Just let the thread pass through your blister and watch it soak all that goodness out of there!