My doctor said I could take my calf stit

Short answer: the honest split is that whether the stitches come out at home is decided by one thing only — whether the wound edges are fully sealed and dry — and you have already pulled once before that, so the safe move on your removal day is a nurse appointment, not the kitchen scissors.

1) What you already tried vs. what to do instead

Pulling a stitch that isn't ready is the one thing that sets the whole rest of this up: pulling opens the seam you were trying to close, and the risk is that the wound reopens and has to be closed again. That is not a reason to panic — small separation often settles — but it does mean you should check before you cut, not after.

Check first (2 minutes, good light, phone torch fine). Look at the line with your own eyes:

• Edges fully together, dry, no gap, no weeping, mild pinkness that is not spreading → it is ready to talk about removal.
• Any gap, any dark or wet patch in the line, edges lifting apart, or a stitch sitting loose with the skin puckered around it → do not remove. This is the same-day clinician branch below.

Better than what you tried: phone the practice or clinic first and ask for a nurse appointment on your removal day. A nurse appointment is usually shorter than a GP slot, and it also gets someone else to look at the seam after the early pull. If they will not see you, say plainly: "I was told I could remove these myself at 8–10 days, I tried early and pulled one, and I want someone to check it's closed before I touch it."

If you do go ahead at home, the safety frame (general practice, not a verified instruction for your wound — follow whatever your own doctor wrote):

• Wash and dry hands, clean the skin *around* the line with soap and water, dry. Gloves or washed hands both fine.
• Wipe the scissors and tweezers with alcohol and let them dry fully. They must be dry before they touch the wound.
• Only ever lift the thread where it lies in the skin, never the raised middle loop — a loop lifted off the skin can carry bacteria into the track.
• Snip on the side with the little knot ends, low down, close to the skin. Pull each stitch out along the line, in one slow steady movement, in the direction the knot points.
• One stitch at a time, stopping to look between each. Stop immediately if the edges gape, the stitch resists, or anything is unclear.
• Pat, do not rub. Once all are out, a dry dressing or a thin plaster, and then leave it alone.

2) Avoid list

• Do not pull a stitch that feels tight, or one you have to tug on. Resistance is information.
• Do not cut anything you cannot see clearly. No "just these two".
• No powders, no talc, no flour, no ash, no peroxide, no alcohol on the open line, no iodine paint, no leftover antibiotics from another time, no buying anything prescription online.
• Do not soak, swim, or sit in a bath with the leg in on removal day; showers are fine, pat dry.
• Do not wax, shave or stretch the skin across the line to "check" it.
• No medication changes. Keep taking what your own doctor prescribed, including anything for the calf itself.
• Do not skip food/water because of it either — this is not a procedure that needs an empty stomach, and fainting on the kitchen floor helps nobody with a school run to do.

3) Red flags — stop the DIY and get help

Call your local emergency number now if any of these are true:

• The wound edges have pulled apart and the gap is opening wider, or bleeding that firm pressure for 10 minutes will not stop.
• The foot or leg below the wound goes numb, cold or pale, or you cannot move the foot/toes.
• The whole calf is swollen, tight or hard, and you feel suddenly short of breath — call rather than walk it off.

Same day, a clinician — do not wait for the removal day:

• Redness spreading out from the wound, or redness plus swelling plus increasing pain.
• Pus, or a yellow/green or watery leaking wound, or a bad smell.
• Fever, chills, or feeling generally unwell.
• The wound was dirty, or soil or a body fluid is still in it.
• Anything still in the wound that you did not put there.
• A calf that is more painful, more swollen or harder than yesterday without a new knock — that one is a phone call, not a wait.

The infection red-flag list above follows the NHS wound page (nhs.uk/conditions/cuts-and-grazes, checked today): spreading redness with swelling and more pain, pus, feeling unwell or a high temperature, or a wound still dirty after cleaning are all "urgent, today" — not "wait for day 9".

A nurse does it instead when: the wound is not fully sealed, any redness/pus/leak, the stitches are the ones a surgeon or ED placed, the calf is a surgical wound with its own discharge note, you have diabetes or poor circulation or take blood thinners, or you simply cannot get the light and steady hands you need. Book the nurse before you decide, not after something goes wrong.

Tonight / today, in about 10 minutes

1. Wash hands. Look at the line in good light (1 min).
2. Photograph it, with a coin beside it for scale and today's date on the photo (1 min). This is the record that gets you a faster "yes" or "no" from the clinic.
3. If sealed and dry: leave it alone. No picking, no testing. Fresh dry dressing if there's a scab that keeps catching on trousers.
4. Write down the date they went in, the date you pulled early, and what you saw, so you don't have to reconstruct it on the phone with a school run going on.
5. Send the clinic message now so the slot is there on your removal day.

Screenshot this — the call or message that gets you a nurse:
> "Stitches in my calf, placed [date], advised removal at 8–10 days. I tried pulling one early — the wound wasn't closed then. It is now [dry and sealed / still has a gap / has redness / leaking]. Could I have a nurse appointment on [your day 9 date] to check and remove? I'll bring my discharge details and photos."

And the one-line version for whoever is holding the school run:
> "Leg's fine, I'm not driving and not lifting anything. If I'm not back by 4, book me into the nurse list tomorrow and the red-card clinic is on the fridge."

What success looks like in 24 hours: no new pain, no spreading redness, the line still closed or cleanly stitched, you still able to walk and do the school run, and a nurse slot booked rather than hoped for. That is a good 24 hours. I am not promising the wound will be healed — it is not, and it will not be today.

The one thing I need from you, and it decides everything above: with good light, are the edges fully together and dry, or is there still a gap, a wet patch or a lifting edge?