You'll be ok, and you should consider it as a kind of cleansing fire that came and made you new again. Once you heal you'll be better than ever and able to smile all the time whenever you want to because nothing will ever get you down lower than a Snickers bar can raise you up. At least I hope that that's what happens, and if it does, send me an email and I might pour boiling water on myself.

Aloe.

I whipped off my pants and immediately applied ice...

Well, if you're interested in a new boyfriend from MeCha, you have the attention of all us guys now ;-)

(Sorry about the blisters. Honey is GREAT for burns and is sometimes even used in hospital burn units. It contains all kinds of vitamins and nutrients that speed up healing. Just don't tell iconomy--she hates honey!)

(BTW, honey also has so much sugar that it somehow kills bacteria rather than feeding it, making it antiseptic as well as healing.)

Oh wow, that just took me back to childhood trauma, four-year-old making Jello, pouring hot sticky on my shirtless tummy, it burns it BURNS IT BURNS.

I'm sorry to hear about it, Specklet, can I recommend (on preview, second the recommendation of) aloe gel to soothe it? It helps the skin grow back. But if you have a hairy belly like me (you probably don't, but if you do, more power to ya) the hair might fall out and grow back patchy. Do not scratch.

I have an idea! How about peppermint sun tea? Does it even work? Because then you can have peppermint iced tea, which I've never had but sounds good, and I think it would soothe the heart without endangering the skin.

I second the honey recommendation. It should work well for you. I hope your heart and your tummy heal soon!

Cleansing fire, gotcha.

Honey, oh yeah. I'll smear it all over my stomach. Slowly. Then I'll lick my fingers.

Aloe, yes, and I've been using calendula gel as well.

Hugh, I was actually going to ice the tea (which is why I foolishly poured it into a glass pitcher), which is yummy and soothing and so good on a hot summer night. But I think sun tea is the way to go here...

Honey, oh yeah. I'll smear it all over my stomach. Slowly. Then I'll lick my fingers.

And take pictures, yeah?

You might also look for a tea tree oil balm. I use it for burns and cuts all the time, it's quite effective for me.

neosporin too, if you don't have aloe or other stuff. putting a cold compress on it will help it not hurt too. (and look how many of the boys here want to kiss it and make it better--you go girl!)

Best of wishes for your heart...I'll never be quite the same after this one, but at least this time I'm not drowning the sorrows in whiskey. Peppermint tea sounds perfect.

I just poured honey all down the front of my shirt and pants because it seemed like such a good idea. It was!

Now the volatilities I was working on are all sticky, and probably less volatile for it.

Do frogs like honey? It would be neat to be covered in little frogs the way people cover themselves in bees for photos. Just saying.

Hugh, you'd need docile swarming frogs or a queen frog placed on your chin to attract the hoards, as this is how it works with bees...

Schyler, yeah, I went on the wagon for this one. The last thing I need is lots delicious depressants.

I'm all in favor of local anesthetics for burns -- Lanacaine, or something else that contains a member of the -caine family.

I had a really bad burn on my fingertips once (touched the stove to see if it was hot --- it was --- and I heard my fingers burn before I felt them) and kept them on ice for a long time. Since then, I've sworn off the ice therapy. I think that when your nerves thaw out, they hit you with at least 4 times the pain you would have had, just as revenge or something.

As for the aching heart, I recommend beer, chocolate, and good movies.

I have no real medical advice but I did want to wish you a speedy recovery, for your stomach and your heart.

What LeeJay said.

Also, don't worry too much about the heart thing - all men are scum anyway, as you know.

now you can date that guy from work!

docile swarming frogs

I have nothing to add, really, but I just wanted to reiterate that phrase, which makes me very happy.

Good luck with the tummy and the heart.

For the Burn:

Aloe
Tee Tree Oil
antimicrobial creams
Here's what the good doctors at MotherNature recommend.

Here's some other folk remedies...none of which I really recommend if you have access to a drug store:

Milk (1st degree burns only)
Honey (from the grocery store - 1st degree burns only)

If you have blisters, do not use unsterile honey or milk, or any other product that would normally be found on a sandwich or in a bowl.

Rumor has it that Yellow mustard will stop it from scarring. Seems to me that the vinegar in mustard would be pretty bad juju.

Some folks swear by Willard Water, but I have my doubts.

For the Heart:
Strong, milky sweet coffee
Dove Milk Chocolate
Really good Red Wine
Friend with a good smoke connection optional
Novel. Russian works best for me. It's hard to be depressed about your life when you're reading the Russians. They do depression WAY better than we ever could. :)

Big hugs. Here's a virtual one from me to get you started! {{ U }}

I vote that Psycho run the MeCha Nursing Home/Orgytarium/Soylent Green Supply Co. when we're all ancient. : >

why wait until then

Thanks all!

The heart is still achy, but the burn (although it looks absolutely ghastly) doesn't hurt that badly. It's all blistery and red, but not big enough for me to go to the doctor. I've put a honey dressing and gauze on it, and am moving gingerly. I think the honey helped immediately...

As for the heart: last night I made my famous quesadillas with tons of garlicky guacamole, read House of Leaves, and watched Six Feet Under. There might have been some sort of smoke involved.

And I (carefully) made iced peppermint tea with raw cane sugar.

now you can date that guy from work!

Ohhh sure, you can bet he was the first person I told that I was free and available!