Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Check for swelling. Respond to a fracture. Clean the wound. Assess the lacerations. Look for tendon injury. Evaluate the fingernail.

Answer: Your finger will likely swell no matter how hard you hit it. This is the most common response to such trauma. If the hit wasn't too forceful, your finger may just swell for a couple of days. If the only symptom you see is swelling, place an ice pack on your finger to help relieve the swelling and pain.  You can take over-the-counter pain medication to help relieve the pain as well. An NSAID (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB) or naproxen sodium (Aleve) can help relieve the inflammation and pain. Take as directed on the packaging.  You don't need to see a doctor unless the swelling won't go down, you develop serious pain or numbness, or you can't move your finger all the way in or all the way out. If the swelling is really bad and you are in extreme pain, you may have fractured your finger, especially if you hit your finger quite hard. If your finger looks contorted and is extremely sensitive to the touch, you likely fractured your finger. This may be accompanied by bleeding skin or a smashed fingernail. If you think you have a fracture, seek medical attention. You need an X-ray and the doctor may give you a finger splint or some other form of treatment. Do not put a splint on your finger unless a doctor tell you to do so. If your finger is bleeding after you hit it, you need to clean the wound so you can assess the damage. If there is visible bleeding, cleanse the wound with running warm water. Run the warm water over the wound with the run-off going down the drain, not back into the wound. Then, using a gauze pad, cleanse the entire wound surface with Betadine or other cleansing solutions.  Put pressure on your wound for a few minutes to slow the flow of blood, which will help you assess how deep the wound is and if you need to see a doctor. If there is excessive bleeding or squirting blood, seek medical attention immediately. Once you've cleaned the wound, you need to evaluate the finger for any lacerations, or cuts. The wound still may bleed a little while you check, which is fine. Lacerations often show up in the form of tears or flaps of skin on the surface of your finger. Any obviously destroyed tissue or any skin that has been torn off and left a raw bleeding finger pad needs to be examined by a doctor. Lacerations may need to be stitched if the wound is 1/2 inch or larger. However, if there is a section of completely destroyed skin, it is unlikely to be salvaged.  Many doctors will still suture damaged or destroyed skin over the raw finger pad as protection while new skin grows back over the area. The skin will them be removed once new skin has formed. Lacerations may be shallow and stop bleeding soon after you get them, especially if you didn't hit your finger that hard. If this is the case, wash the wound, put antibiotic ointment on them, and wrap them with a bandage. Since your hand and fingers are an intricate system of muscles, tendons, and nerves, it's important to examine your finger for signs of tendon injury. Tendons connect muscles to your bones. Your hand has two types of tendons: flexor tendons, on the palm side, that bend the fingers; and extensor tendons, on the back of the hand, that straighten the fingers. Cuts and smashes can damage or even sever these tendons.  A torn or cut tendon in the finger will make it impossible to bend your finger. A cut on the palm side of the hand or near the skin folds at the joints of your fingers may signal injury to the tendon below. You may also feel numbness due to associated nerve damage. Tenderness on the palm side of your hand may signal an injured tendon. You may want to request a hand surgeon if you show any of these signs, as repairing the hand and fingers can be a very intricate process. If you hit your fingernail with the hammer, there may be significant damage to it. Look at your fingernail and assess the damage. If there is a small blood blister underneath the fingernail, there is no need to see a doctor. Just ice the wound and take over the counter medication if there is any initial pain. If the pain lasts for days, if the blood blister takes up more the 25% of your fingernail, or if the blood is causing significant pressure under your fingernail, seek medical attention. You likely have a subungual hematoma.  You may also find that a portion of the fingernail has become detached or has been cut. If you have a significant cut in the nail bed, seek medical attention because you will likely need stitches. If you don't get it treated, the cut may prevent nail growth, cause the nail to grow in a distorted manner, or cause infection. If the fingernail is partially or entirely gone, seek medical attention right away. This is a serious problem and needs attention. The fingernail may be removed or stitched up until a new, healthy fingernail can grow back. This can take up to six months.


Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Gather and purchase your materials. Remove loose plaster. Screw down any loose lath to the studs underneath. Apply your plaster patching compound to the hole. Apply a second coat with your trowel. Allow the patch to dry completely. Reproduce any wall texture if your walls are textured. Prime and paint your patch.

Answer: Get your supplies together before you begin. To fix a lath and plaster wall you will need:  A plaster patching compound A large joint or finishing trowel Sandpaper Coarse grade screws for wood and fine grade screws for metal. Choose screws that are 1-1/4" to 1-5/8". You will need to remove all of the damaged area while making sure to not expand the damage. Gently remove any cracked or loose plaster, moving out from the center damaged area until all the plaster you encounter is secure. Use sheetrock screws but if the lath is cracked add wide thin washers to the screws when screwing down the lath. If some of your lath is damaged so much that it will not hold up plaster, you will need to replace it. This is the rough in coat, so the surface of the patch should be a bit below the surface of the wall and does not need to be sooth. Allow this layer to dry for a bit, until the surface is slightly firm but not hard. The consistency of this layer of plater patch should be like peanut butter. This coat should stick to the first one but the goal here is to give the surface a smooth surface that is level with the wall. This layer of patching compound should be just slightly thinner than the one underneath. This will allow you to more easily smooth out the surface with you trowel. Sand the surface with 220 grit sandpaper if you did not get the surface smooth enough with your trowel. Getting a completely smooth surface with a trowel will take a lot of practice, so don't be discouraged if you need to do a bit of sanding on your first try. Matching texture can be very difficult since it is usually machine blown. However, you can also get aerosol cans of texture in home improvement stores. To texture patches stick a stiff stipple brush in plaster and apply to finished and dry patch. If necessary, after it sets up a little, trowel over it to flatten high spots. Always use a good primer or a paint plus primer on plaster walls, as it will protect the wall and saves on cost of finish paint.


Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Tell your doctor about any allergies that you have. Make sure your doctor is aware of any underlying conditions you have. Inform your doctor if you are pregnant. Make your doctor aware of any other medications you're currently taking. Tell your doctor if you are taking any herbal medicines. Let your doctor know if you don't think Cephalexin is a good choice for you.

Answer:
Do not use Cephalexin if you are allergic to it. In most cases, if you have a known allergy to Cephalexin, you probably will also be allergic to other cephalosporin antibiotics.  Some of the examples of cephalosporin are cefaclor, cefadroxil, cefdinir, cefditoren, cefixime, cefprozil, ceftazidime, and cefuroxime. If you notice, cephalosporin drugs start with 'cef'. Remember this and you will be better prepared to avoid this drug. Also tell your doctor if you are allergic to penicillin or amoxicillin. You may have a higher chance of being allergic to cephalexin. You should not take Cephalexin if you have certain underlying conditions. Some medical conditions or diseases may also stop you from taking Cephalexin. These diseases may include kidney and liver disease, colitis, diabetes and malnutrition. Most of these diseases alter your body's ability to metabolize Cephalexin. For example, Cephalexin contains sugar, so you might not want to take it if you have diabetes. There have not been many studies about the effects of Cephalexin on unborn babies. Therefore, it is best to discuss alternative options with your physician if you are pregnant. Cephalexin should only be taken by pregnant women if there is no other choice. If you are taking any other drugs aside from Cephalexin, let your doctor know about it. There is a chance for drug interaction – meaning taking another drug may affect the effectiveness of Cephalexin.  For example, some vaccines that contain bacteria such as typhoid and BCG may be affected by Cephalexin. In addition, some studies show that Cephalexin can interfere with the effectiveness of oral contraceptives. So if you are taking Cephalexin while taking pills, you might get pregnant.  Other drugs that may interact with Cephalexin are Coumadin, metformin and probenecid. Certain herbal medicines may interfere with the effectiveness of Cephalexin, so it's important to inform your doctor of any herbal medicines or supplements that you are currently taking. If you feel like there is a reason that you shouldn't take Cephalexin, it's a good idea to tell your doctor. Your doctor may either reduce the dose or switch you to a different drug entirely. Special tests, such as a skin test, can also be done to determine if you can safely take the drug.