Develop allergies suddenly?

[GlytchMeister]

So I got cut at work because the crappy safety mechanism on the overly complicated box cutters they give us failed.

The cut is on my right thigh, pretty much right in the middle, and is on the front. It's about 2.5" long, and the initial spread of the cut (how much it gaped) was about a quarter inch at its widest point.

Because I was at work and I can't afford to go home, I used some duct tape and an expired gauze pad (all that was available in the company first aid kit) to control the bleeding until my shift ended, then I went home and properly patched myself up.

Unfortunately, the duct tape ripped off chunks of skin, so that's awesome.

I've been taking very good care of the wounds according to what I was taught in Boy Scouts - washed them, sanitized them, put neosporin on them, and covered them with gauze and medical tape.

Well. Here's where it gets interesting.

I've been using neosporin my whole life. I've never had a reaction to it. I've always itched when healing, it's just how it always goes for me. This time, however, the itching was super, super bad. It was driving me nuts.

Today, after work, I was taking off my bandages when I noticed red, raised areas where the neosporin was. And those were the areas that itched the most.

So I took the bandages off, took a shower, and have replaced the gauze and tape with regular band aids now that the bleeding has pretty much stopped. Lo and behold, the itching is almost nonexistent.

Did I just suddenly develop an allergy to Neosporin?

If so, is there a way to reverse that? Failing that, would you lot recommend the alternatives to neosporin or should I just stay away from all that stuff from now on?

Hoping my body isn't being stupid and weird (which wouldn't be a surprise, it does crazy crap sometimes),

Glytch

[AmriloJim]

Some dermatologists now recommend using simple petrolatum on a minor cut to protect it. That avoids contact dermatitis due to an OTC topical antibiotic. Polymyxin and bacitracin, the other ingredients in Neosporin, may also be capable of triggering a reaction (Dermatologic Surgery, Aug., 2013). Read more

[AnotherFairportfan]

Yep, you can (apparently) develop an allergy suddenly - actually, you were silently allergic all along, but hadn't yet been sensitised by (sufficient) exposure.

I had had penicillin more than once, with no ill effects, until, in Navy boot camp, i suddenly threw a full-body rash and painful edema in my wrist sna ankles, and wound up in sick bay for three days. (That reaction was so extreme - even though it was the first of any noticeable severity - that, when i describe it to doctors, they refuse to test me for the allergy, because there is serious risk for me in the test.)

Once one pops up like that, you're pretty well stuck for life with it.

[Dave]

Yes, you may have developed an allergy or related sensitivity to one of the antibiotics. It's not at all uncommon.

When my wife had surgery about ten years ago, her skin surgeon recommended that she use Bacitracin rather than Neosporin (which is a three-antibiotic mix), saying that fewer people develop a sensitivity to it. We've used Bacitracin since then without problems.

When I had a biopsy last month, and then surgery yesterday, both doctors recommended plain Vaseline. I was told that antibiotic ointment was OK to use, but to switch to Vaseline if I developed a rash or itch. The medic said that in recent studies, polymyxin seemed to be the one causing the least number of allergic reactions.

So, I'd say to use Vaseline, or try either polymyxin or Bacitracin single-antibiotic ointment. And, use butterfly bandages to hold the wound closed, to minimize scarring (and rip your employers a new one for not having adequate first aid supplies on hand!).

In fact, I suggest you check your legal rights, and your employer's legal responsibilities over this. It's almost certainly covered under Workman's Compensation as a work-related injury, which means that you should have a right to medical treatment paid for by your employer and should not have to bear the cost of treatment. It may also be a "reportable" injury and/or reflect a safely hazard that needs to be corrected by your employer.

[DinkyInky]

Also, were they Band-aid, or latex-free bandages? I've developed a latex allergy and adhesives allergy that shows up later. The fact you mentioned duct tape usage makes me question that.
To test for sensitivity to the Neosporin, put a trace amount where you DON'T have a gaping wound, like inside an elbow. If you react within a five minute window, that's the culprit. I also recommend getting a topical Benadryl cream(the equate brand is cheap, and it's got a creamier consistency than the name brand, which to me is like a thick paste...and that means you can use less to cover more.), to counteract the reaction, as Benadryl tends to either woozy or hyper most folks in pill/liquid form.

I've had come and go allergies with Neosporin due to my Mother overdoing it on tiny cuts. Spectrocin was the go-to during the decade long avoidance period to clear up the toxicity I had built to it.

For my son, I avoid using anything heavier than Witch Hazel, Peroxide, or Isopropyl Alcohol on anything that stops bleeding after cleaning.

BTW, Glytchie, get a pair of cargo pants for work, buy a $5 J&J first aid box, fill it with your essential first aids, water bandages, compress gauze, non-latex bandages of various sizes, butterflies, paper tape, alcohol prep wipes and cleansing saline wipes. Then empty it and decorate your box, carve your name into it, etcetera. Refill it and go. Not sure if they have lockers there, hence my recommendation on cargo pants to hold it.

PM if you have questions.

[DinkyInky]

In fact, I suggest you check your legal rights, and your employer's legal responsibilities over this. It's almost certainly covered under Workman's Compensation as a work-related injury, which means that you should have a right to medical treatment paid for by your employer and should not have to bear the cost of treatment. It may also be a "reportable" injury and/or reflect a safely hazard that needs to be corrected by your employer.

Except that he works at the Martowalls. They are notorious for getting out of responsibility.

[Dave]

In fact, I suggest you check your legal rights, and your employer's legal responsibilities over this. It's almost certainly covered under Workman's Compensation as a work-related injury, which means that you should have a right to medical treatment paid for by your employer and should not have to bear the cost of treatment. It may also be a "reportable" injury and/or reflect a safely hazard that needs to be corrected by your employer.

Except that he works at the Martowalls. They are notorious for getting out of responsibility.

Ouch - yeah - it looks like they have a terrible reputation. "Self-insured" but they deny a very large number of valid claims, and make life very difficult for their employees who report-and-file as the law encourages.

[GlytchMeister]

In fact, I suggest you check your legal rights, and your employer's legal responsibilities over this. It's almost certainly covered under Workman's Compensation as a work-related injury, which means that you should have a right to medical treatment paid for by your employer and should not have to bear the cost of treatment. It may also be a "reportable" injury and/or reflect a safely hazard that needs to be corrected by your employer.

Except that he works at the Martowalls. They are notorious for getting out of responsibility.

Ouch - yeah - it looks like they have a terrible reputation. "Self-insured" but they deny a very large number of valid claims, and make life very difficult for their employees who report-and-file as the law encourages.

YYYYYUP.

Their report paper has a section saying "how could this have been prevented" and they told me to write "cut away from myself" despite the fact that I wasn't even using the blade, I was using the little metal tab on the butt end of the knife to pry open a box, as instructed.

I got a hairline fracture (judged by level of pain and swelling, as I've had hairline fractures in my feet before) in my foot a few months back... I reported it, and it was supposed to be due to someone else stacking on the unloading line improperly.

I still haven't heard back from them on that. I'm not gonna try and fight them over a little cut that I can take care of myself. Besides, I'd probably end up paying for the medical attention, then getting reimbursed... But I can't afford medical attention in the first place.

I'd be safer with a kabar knife. Those don't have moving parts.

[GlytchMeister]

I know it's not the latex or the duct tape causing allergic reactions - the duct tape ripped bits of my skin off, but there's no sign of allergic inflammation or rash. Same with the medical tape I used with my own gauze and with the band aids I'm using now because everything's healed enough that a big bandaid is enough.

It's the Neosporin.

We have lockers, but at the moment I'm a little too poor to buy any more first-aid equipment, and I don't want to take what I have out of my emergency kit in my car.

And I did big the managers about the woefully understocked first-aid stations... TWO MONTHS AGO. They store-used a box of band aids and put them on an entirely unrelated shelf.

They did not, however, replace the expired gauze, buy more medical tape, buy more antiseptic wipes (the ones available were completely expired and dry), replace the CPR breathing masks, or get more antibiotic ointment.

There are three first aid kits in the back of the store that I can easily access. None of them are more than 20% full, and they are each empty in different ways. So the entire back half of the store has 60% of a first aid kit, tops.

[jwhouk]

An anonymous call to OSHA may be in order.

[DinkyInky]

An anonymous call to OSHA may be in order.

I have other friends that work for that company. They weaseled out of OSHA inspections by greasy handshaking the inspection date and current checklist and making store 200% compliant before they showed up...then never bothered to upkeep it.

There are few exceptions to how that franchise works, but I doubt he wants to move to NWI, and that's if the dipwads at his store okay the transfer to NWI.

[Alkarii]

Wow, I never had that kind of trouble working at Target. Though, the cutters we used had only three parts: Blade, the part that holds the blade, and the outer metal sleeve.

Funny thing though: Of all the times I cut myself, I was cutting away from myself each time, except for when I accidentally cut myself taking a blade out to turn it around.

[GlytchMeister]

This Boy Scout never lost a single corner off of his Totin' Chip.
(I never cut myself, and I was never seen violating the Boy Scout knife handling rules)

The way I see it, the mere fact that I cut myself kinda proves the WalMart knife-handling rules are crap and B) the Standard-Issue Walmart Box Cutters are crap.

And yes, OSHA won't do jack shit. The store management will get scared and make sure the store is compliant, but the moment OSHA leaves, the store will go right back to the old, unsafe and lazy ways.

Another thing I have a beef with? Pallets. Fucking pallets, man. Almost every pallet is a splintered deathtrap, and the standard issue work gloves don't stop splinters at all... They're cheap loose-knit gloves with little strings of rubber on them to make them grippy.
We are not allowed to walk on pallets, but our backroom is so small (store got expanded into a SuperCenter but the backroom is still the same size) and the managers are so bad at managing inventory that the backroom is frequently choked with pallets.
Walking between these splintered deathtraps has given four of my coworkers splinters in their feet... THROUGH THEIR SHOES.

Oh, and by the way, walking between pallets, as we are told to do, has caused three of my coworkers to sprain or twist their ankles. Walking ON pallets is safer, because the tops of the pallets aren't splintery and they won't grab your feet - the edges are the real dangerous places.

I'm lucky, because I already have sturdy high-top leather work boots. Not everyone has those.

And another thing: Walmart doesn't issue you a uniform... Just a vest. You have to buy your own dress-code compliant clothes. And keep buying them. Because this job will destroy your clothing. The metal shelves have sharp edges and corners that will WRECK your shirts. I've had to stitch three shirts shut so far... And all three times, I left a chunk of skin behind on whatever it was that cut my shirt.

I'm about ready to make a suit of under-clothing steel sheetmetal armor, for fuck's sake. I don't get hurt as often when I fight people.

...

But I'm getting paid $10 an hour now, though, so that makes it all better, right?

[DinkyInky]

Wow, I never had that kind of trouble working at Target. Though, the cutters we used had only three parts: Blade, the part that holds the blade, and the outer metal sleeve.

Funny thing though: Of all the times I cut myself, I was cutting away from myself each time, except for when I accidentally cut myself taking a blade out to turn it around.

Target has far better compliance and safety rules set up. My brother did everything but management...supposedly due to being in school, and when they had him train four college kids for management, despite them all being students, and not upping his pay scale, he bad-ass walked out of there after discussing it with corporate, who gave the hatchet to the idiots involved in that whole sordid mess.

Anyway, if there were the least bit missing from first aid, if fire extinguishers were even removed to wash the walls, they ALL got inspected. He liked working there, felt safe...he just hated the two uppity women in charge who liked him a bit too much...

[GlytchMeister]

Ohyeah, fire extinguishers? Yeah, we aren't code compliant at all with those. Several pillars that should have extinguishers don't.

The eye wash stations haven't been properly inspected for several years. I use them frequently because I get pallet dust in my eyes all the time.

And the way Walmart keeps people from calling OSHA? If osha fines the store, it comes out of our bonus checks. Everyone's. Not just for the people responsible.

Yeah.

I'm debating how much I need the money.

[Dave]

Ohyeah, fire extinguishers? Yeah, we aren't code compliant at all with those. Several pillars that should have extinguishers don't.

The eye wash stations haven't been properly inspected for several years. I use them frequently because I get pallet dust in my eyes all the time.

And the way Walmart keeps people from calling OSHA? If osha fines the store, it comes out of our bonus checks. Everyone's. Not just for the people responsible.

Yeah.

I'm debating how much I need the money.

That situation ranks quite high on the suckitude scale! With management attitudes like that, it's no wonder that several states have taken Walmart to court (and won) over employee safety and Workman's Compensation. Cutting employee bonuses across the board, as the result of an OSHA fine, sounds like a difficult-to-prove form of retaliation... sneaky and evil. American free-market capitalism at its worst.

I wouldn't recommend handing in your walking papers until you have another job lined up... but it sounds as if spending some time looking for a healthier employment situation would be a good investment.

Good luck! I have to believe that there are still employers out there who see the value of respecting their people like... well... people.

[DinkyInky]

Ohyeah, fire extinguishers? Yeah, we aren't code compliant at all with those. Several pillars that should have extinguishers don't.

The eye wash stations haven't been properly inspected for several years. I use them frequently because I get pallet dust in my eyes all the time.

And the way Walmart keeps people from calling OSHA? If osha fines the store, it comes out of our bonus checks. Everyone's. Not just for the people responsible.

Yeah.

I'm debating how much I need the money.

That situation ranks quite high on the suckitude scale! With management attitudes like that, it's no wonder that several states have taken Walmart to court (and won) over employee safety and Workman's Compensation. Cutting employee bonuses across the board, as the result of an OSHA fine, sounds like a difficult-to-prove form of retaliation... sneaky and evil. American free-market capitalism at its worst.

I wouldn't recommend handing in your walking papers until you have another job lined up... but it sounds as if spending some time looking for a healthier employment situation would be a good investment.

Good luck! I have to believe that there are still employers out there who see the value of respecting their people like... well... people.

Hence why I mentioned NWI. I know two locations that have a "Corporate can suck it" attitude regarding treatment of employees.

[GlytchMeister]

Oh, believe me, I haven't stopped job hunting.

Problem is, the local economy is crap. Peoria is the location of the World Headquarters of Caterpillar. I'm pretty sure Cat is the biggest employer in the city, if not the entire Central Illinois region. So when Cat is doing poorly, the city suffers. A quick-n'-dirty way to see how bad it is in Peoria is to look at Cat's stock. Check out the 1 year and the 5 year graphs... Cat has been doing pretty crappy... In fact, we hit the low point in late January. Cat is only just now beginning to recover.
Peoria will take longer to recuperate, and Central Illinois longer still.
...
And that's assuming the last month or so trend will continue for the rest of the year or more. A big assumption to make considering we're talking economics.
...
Because things suck so bad here economically, it was hell trying to get a job down here. I was lucky to get a job with Walmart because they had just switched to a new backroom system and shuffled a lot of people around and fired some. I just so happened to apply for a job the moment they needed people.