Marian wrote:
> Um, hi, I'm new here.
Welcome.
> <snip> Shock Trauma intensive care <snip>
Good to hear you survived.
Wait. You're not an axe murderer, are you?
> Even before I had any clue of how
> extensive the damage to my leg was I
> knew it was going to be bad ugly.
With that kind of intro, I'm interested in what actually happened.
> <snip> surgeons finally gave their approval. <snip>
Congrats.
> <snip> June 11th unbirthday
Happy Belated!
[...]
> I've already done well enough on the
> standardized Chinese Proficiency
> Exam that I could enter a Chinese
> university as an undergraduate if I
> really wanted to <snip>
Cool.
Is that Mandarin, Cantonese, other?
> <snip> left the studio with nothing on my
> leg but vaseline based aftercare ointment.
Btdt:
http://www.geocities.com/curt_james/calvin.html
> The afternoon of the second day after the tattoo
> I started getting some ink colors on my sheets.
I slept with my leg outside or on top the sheets.
> Today is the evening of the third day. I've now
> got a bandage
On day three, Calvin saw no bandage. Neither did Hobbes. By then I was
leaving it air dry with the very slightest hint of A&D ointment
smoothed across its surface.
> and extra amounts of wonderfully soothing
> vaseline above and beyond the aftercare
> ointment he gave me
Likewise on the above and beyond action. Actually, none on the above
and beyond. It was the wisp of A&D and nothing else.
> and I'm still seeing some colors when I
> change the bandage.
Stop with the bandages. Again, I was letting my tattoo uncovered and
with only the slightest dab of A&D. Like you, I was seeing some colors
but they weren't on a bandage. Instead the color was in the form of
ink sweats or however you'd like to describe it.
Blood, afaik, initially made the yellow of Calvin's hair appear orange
and I silently questioned that, however kept my mouth shut to the
tattoo artist, iirc.
> Is this normal?
Yes.
> Should I be worried?
No.
(However I really would stop the bandage action.)
> <snip> My skin is really warm to the touch
> at the tattoo site. Sort of like a seriously
> skinned knee which I guess is kind of what it is.
> Not quite hot just really warm. And my ankle
> isn't swollen merely itchy (another reason why
> I added the bandage).
>
> Again, is this normal? Or should I be worried?
I've never experienced what you describe with any of my three tattoos.
Doesn't mean it's not normal, of course.
> <snip> artist told me if I wanted to I could get
> take some antibiotics as a just in case.
Just-in-case antibiotics, from what I've read, isn't the wisest course
of action.
> This not merely being the tropics but also being
> the tropics in China this probably isn't such a
> bad idea.
Otoh, I'm not looking out a window at the tropics in China either.
> (I was also told to only wash the tattoo site
> with clean boiled water.)
That available to you?
> Unfortunately I didn't recognize the Chinese names of any of the
> antibiotics he specifically suggested. I can get just about
> everything except the super fast super new superdrugs over the
> counter.
No FDA interference, eh?
And super fast super new superdrugs? :oD
> Are there any antibiotics which anyone
> here can recommend as prophylactics
> against potential skin infections?
Dunno. Is there a "tropics in China" general equivalent to a family
doctor in your neck of the woods?
Fwiw, it sounds as if the ink sweats (or, yes, however you'd care to
describe that) is normal as ever. I'd give your colorful wound some
air and decrease by bunches 'n bunches the amount of goop you're
applying. No help with the antibiotic advice, however.
Best of luck. Please post a follow-up.
--
Curt