About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Coping and support
By Mayo Clinic staffCoping with a serious burn injury can be a challenge, especially if it covers large areas of your body or is in places readily seen by other people, such as your face or hands. Potential scarring, reduced mobility and possible surgeries only add to the burden.
Here are some ways to help you cope and feel more in control:
- Acknowledge the pain. Burns can sometimes cause chronic pain. Some people try to pretend their pain doesn't exist. In the process, they may actually make it worse. You may have more success in coping if you affirm that your pain isn't imaginary and make necessary adjustments to accommodate it.
- Get educated. Find out as much as you can about what to expect during recovery. Educate those around you — including family and friends — so they can recognize, acknowledge and support your efforts in dealing with the burns.
- Find a support group. Consider joining a support group with other members who have had serious burns and know what you're going through. You may find comfort in sharing your experience and struggles and meeting people who face similar challenges. Ask your doctor for information on support groups in your area or online.
- Sheridan RL. Thermal injuries. In: Wolff K, et al. Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2974407. Accessed Feb. 1, 2010.
- Singer AJ, et al. Thermal burns. In: Marx JA, et al. Rosen's Emergency Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/linkTo?type=bookPage&isbn=978-0-323-05472-0&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..00060-8. Accessed Feb. 1, 2010.
- Morgan ED, et al. Treatment of minor thermal burns. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 1, 2010.
- Rice PL Jr. Emergency care of moderate and severe thermal burns in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 1, 2010.
- Burns. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec21/ch315/ch315a.html?qt=burns&alt=sh#. Accessed Feb. 4, 2010.
- Burns: Avoiding household burns. American College of Emergency Physicians. http://www3.acep.org/patients.aspx?id=25990. Accessed Feb. 3, 2010.
- Mass casualties: Burns. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. www.bt.cdc.gov/masscasualties/burns.asp. Accessed Feb. 4, 2010.
- Claypool DW (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Feb. 22, 2010.
Find Mayo Clinic on