? about caustic substances and the inside of my nose

[i_feel_like_dying]

Ok this is my first post so, hello everyone.

I have a situation which has been bothering me a little bit. About seven or eight months ago I was sniffing fumes off of a bottle of butyl nitrite. I was on a mixture of xanax, soma, vicodin, percoset, klonipin, a bunch of beer, a bunch of weed and i'm probably missing some things. But anyways, i was inhaling this butyl nitrite and some got on my fingers and inside my nose.

I was so high that i didn't even notice until the next day when i saw the marks on my fingers and it hurt. The wounds on my fingers healed fairly soon after that but the ones in my nose are still there.

I've always been a habitual nose picker so thats how i noticed it inside of my left nostril. That was like seven or eight months ago and it's still there. It's like a painful scab that won't go away. It's starting to bother me a little bit. I kinda think it should have healed by now. I would go see a doctor but I have no insurance.

Hopefully I'll have insurance soon, but till then, can someone here answer this questions. Is it normal that the spot in my nose hasn't healed by now? Can butyl nitrite cause cancer or anything else bad like that? Should I be worried? Have any of you had any experiences like this? sorry if i'm rambling but thats just some shit thats been on my mind for a while. thanks in advance and much love to everybody taking the time to read this

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Alkyl nitrites such as butyl nitrite can definitely burn your skin and mucus membranes. The nose can be slow to heal, but 8 months is a really long time and I would definitely get it checked by a doctor if at all possible. Alkyl nitrites can also depress your immune system, as can other drugs, which might help explain why your nose has been slow healing. If you are picking it that probably does not help.

It might just be a chemical burn that has not healed properly or got infected, but it's not normal for it to take that long to heal. Alkyl nitrites have been found to cause mutagenic changes but whether or not they are cancer-causing has not been fully studied. They can also damage red blood cells, especially if swallowed or applied to the mucus membranes. Research on animals concluded that nitrites deplete cells in the immune system and impair the way the immune system fights infectious diseases. There was a study that found that cancerous lesions were more prevalent in people who used poppers, but it did not determine whether it was actually caused by the poppers or just by the fact that people who use poppers may take more risks (it was a contagious type of cancer).

I have heard of other people getting burns on their nose from poppers, but they usually healed within a couple weeks.

Please see a doctor as we can't tell you what it is or how serious it is. If you are unable to see a health care professional, clean it with saline solution, apply antibiotic cream/ointment, and dont pick at the scabs. And please make sure you are not putting any drugs up your nose.

 

[Beachcat]

I agree absolutely with everything swimmingdancer stated above.

I just wanted to add that you may want to purchase a neti pot and do some consistent flushing of your nasal passages with lukewarm salt water. This could possibly help speed up the healing process and keep your nasal passages moist. I find that my neti pot helps tremendously when I have put too much "stuff" up my nose....they sell them even at chain drugstores nowadays....

 

[i_feel_like_dying]

Thanks you guys. Ima quit picking that side of my nose for a while. I'll try to check out that neti pot thing too. I'll keep yall posted on how this thing is doing. Like I said thank yall a whole bunch for the quick replies.

P.S. Is it safe to put antibiotic ointment inside of my nose?

 

[Swimmingdancer]

No problem, I'll delete the duplicate posts for you this time, but in the future you can delete posts by clicking "Edit", then "Delete", then selecting the delete toggle and clicking delete.

As for applying the antibiotic, don't stuff a ton up there, just apply a thin layer to the sore. You can put it on a Q-tip and gently swab the sore.