Hunter's Moon Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 On Feb. 1st I posted about a small, black object that went into the heel of my foot. I tried getting it with tweezers but it went in deeper. No matter how or when I tried getting it out, it kept going in and it now covered by a layer (layers?) of skin. I can still see it, but it is beyond my grasp. Whenever I try picking the skin around/above it, it feels like it is being pushed in deeper (like I stepped on it again). My mom went to the pharmacy and they don't have drawing salve. (I don't think it would have worked anyways because it isn't wood, I think it is either a piece of plastic or the tip of a pencil. Some days I can lightly walk on the heel of my foot, but sometimes I'll step down just right and have to walk on the ball of my foot (which causes my bad ankle to swell and hurt). It isn't infected, it is kept clean, just a bit of dry skin on my heel which I've been putting cream on to soften it so maybe the object would push through. I know, probably should have gone to the doctors sooner, but that is two bus rides and about a 3 hour journey (because the darned buses) Our car should be fixed soon, so we'll be making an appt. All this week I've been having mini panic attacks imagining what they'll have to do to get it out. I've been looking online and lots of people say they numb your foot (WITH A SHOT!!!) and then dig it out. Anyone have an experience with this? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ondreeuh Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 I don't know that I've ever had a sliver that deep, but I have been able to get deep ones out myself. First, soak the foot for a while in a tub of warm water (at least 30 min). Wipe down the tweezers with alcohol to sanitize them and wipe the spot on your foot. Use the tweezers to gently pull the layer of skin off the spot where the sliver is. Then gently squeeze UNDER the sliver like you're squeezing a pimple. Hopefully it will pop right up and you can grab it with the tweezers. Then dab a little Neosporin and cover with a band-aid. Let me know if you try it, and if it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 My oldest had to get a splinter removed when she was 4 yo. They strapped her to a mummy board, but I'm sure that won't be necessary for you. :D They numbed her toe, cut the splinter out, and put a band aid on it. It really wasn't a big deal at all. You can ask for a topical anesthetic before the shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Would something like orajel for the teeth numb the area a bit for you to try to get it out after soaking it? I don't know if it will numb anything besides gums. Or you could keep ice directly on it before trying with tweezers again in order to numb it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter's Moon Posted March 20, 2011 Author Share Posted March 20, 2011 I don't know that I've ever had a sliver that deep, but I have been able to get deep ones out myself. First, soak the foot for a while in a tub of warm water (at least 30 min). Wipe down the tweezers with alcohol to sanitize them and wipe the spot on your foot. Use the tweezers to gently pull the layer of skin off the spot where the sliver is. Then gently squeeze UNDER the sliver like you're squeezing a pimple. Hopefully it will pop right up and you can grab it with the tweezers. Then dab a little Neosporin and cover with a band-aid. Let me know if you try it, and if it works. I'm going to go try now. The last time I tried though, the sliver would go in deeper. I can barely touch the skin above it because it feels like it is being pushed back in. I'll try it though, I didn't trying the pushing from under thing yet. Have no clue how long it is though. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter's Moon Posted March 20, 2011 Author Share Posted March 20, 2011 My oldest had to get a splinter removed when she was 4 yo. They strapped her to a mummy board, but I'm sure that won't be necessary for you. :D They numbed her toe, cut the splinter out, and put a band aid on it. It really wasn't a big deal at all. You can ask for a topical anesthetic before the shot. Ha, I wouldn't be too sure. I hate people touching my feet, with a needle even more so. Would something like orajel for the teeth numb the area a bit for you to try to get it out after soaking it? I don't know if it will numb anything besides gums. Or you could keep ice directly on it before trying with tweezers again in order to numb it. I'll try the ice, not sure if we have any orajel around here... Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpidarkomama Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 My daughter had a piece of glass shoved way up in her heel that we couldn't get at at all, or even see. The doctor said he could numb it and cut into her heel, but he said if it's not too bothersome she could just wait until it eventually came out on its own. Her heel hurt a little from time to time, but after about 5 months it came out. She thought that was much better than cutting into the heel!! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter's Moon Posted March 20, 2011 Author Share Posted March 20, 2011 Well, I soaked the foot for 30-45 minutes and then gently picked at it with a sterilized needle (our tweezers don't have skinny tips) and every time I tried to open the skin it would push the object in farther :glare: I applied some Bag Balm (the stuff used on farm animals for dryness and dry skin in general) and will continue this regimen for a few days and see if it'll push through the softer skin this way so I can grab it. I'll give it until the car is back on the road (1-2 weeks) and if it won't budge, off to the doctors :auto: My daughter had a piece of glass shoved way up in her heel that we couldn't get at at all, or even see. The doctor said he could numb it and cut into her heel, but he said if it's not too bothersome she could just wait until it eventually came out on its own. Her heel hurt a little from time to time, but after about 5 months it came out. She thought that was much better than cutting into the heel!! :) While I don't want someone cutting into my heel, I cannot imagining continuing to walk this way. I can't put full pressure on my heel because it is right in the middle of the heel where all the weight is distributed. So, I have to walk on the ball of my right foot most days which causes my already messed up ankle to swell and throb. I think also if I knew what it was, I'd be more inclined to give it time but since I think it might be the tip of a pencil, that worries me a bit. I'm glad it came out on its own for your daughter though! My father stepped on a piece of glass and it was in his toe for months and finally came out on its own. Glass is no fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 I know someone who was in a car accident and got glass in her foot. they couldn't get it all out, and it slowly worked it's way from the bottom of her foot up. 10 years later it came out the top of her foot. My next door neighbour has glass in her foot from a smashed glass (new years party one year ago). because it was a crystal class, it shows up on an x-ray ( the lead) . She had an operation to have it removed, the surgeon couldn't find it, and didn't want to keep on cutting until he did, so she still has glass in her foot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzymom Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 If it is a regular pencil, it is not anymore worrisome than any other splinter. I've had a pencil point in my palm since I was a kid and have been surprised to find it is not that uncommon! (Perhaps more common for those of us with brothers...) The splinter will probably migrate out on its own over time. One of my sons fell in a thorn bush last year, ending up with dozens & dozens of splinters. We pulled some out, doc pulled some out, and to this day one will pop out from time to time! I think the bigger issue for you is that the placement of the splinter is causing difficulty. Since you have made attempts and it is not letting you grab it, it is probably time to head to the doctor. Once it is out, the doc can clean it and be certain there are not any stray pieces to cause problems down the line. Hope it pops out quickly!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 I'm by no means a splinter expert, but have been called on by many roommates and friends to get one out. I use a prolonged hot water/salts soak (30 min), getting the person to lie down firmly (these are usually on the bottoms of feet where the victim, er patient, can't get at them), and I use an 18-gauge needle designed for cutting into skin (i.e. lab draws), and put on magnifiers and start gently cutting back the dead skin with a sweeping motion, not a digging one. After I've gotten a sufficient enough of a hole widened, then I put the needle in to "flip" out the offending object. Tweezers can help, but not often, and make them very sharp-tipped. One trick for the squeamish: scream. I tell them to say whatever they want, but not to move. JUST DO NOT MOVE. If you spend the time screaming, it distracts you, and after you find out how little it hurt, it becomes, well, funny. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicheleinMN Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 When I was in college I stepped down on some mechanical pencil lead (that really old thick kind). It went straight into my heel. The more I dug out it the deeper it seemed to go. Like you, sometimes I could walk on it, other times I could not. I ignored it as much as I could. Finally, months later, I looked at it and it was white and sore to the touch. I stuck a needle in to break the skin and it all came out. It never got read or hot, so I just left it alone. Eventually, my body got rid of it on it's own. (Took a very long time, though.) HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandamom Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 >>>>I think also if I knew what it was, I'd be more inclined to give it time but since I think it might be the tip of a pencil, that worries me a bit.>>>> Don't let it worry you, too much. It is fairly common for pencil tips to get caught in skin and stay there. I till have some in my knee from when I was 7-10 years old and I'm 41. My dh has several pencil points. He also has glass from an accident when he was in his teens and it still occasionally work itself out. Watch for infection is about the only advice I can give you. I hope it feels better soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I wonder if you can make a dough nut shaped bandage for it to protect the area? I don't know if this would work or not, but I would try this: Get some mole skin (soft, thick, material that is used to protect bunions and other parts of the foot that rub on shoes). Cut a few 1 1/2 inch squares, and then by folding them in half, cut the center out. Stack a few to create a thicker bandage. Then put them on the foot, with the splinter in the middle. They may be enough to offer a bit of a cushion around the splinter to make standing easier. I have seen mole skin at dollar stores but even in a pharmacy it is only about $4 a package. There are also bandages premade for various blisters, bunions, hammer toes and other foot issues that may have 'dough nut' shape precut. One thought may be the bandages that are premedicated with salicylic acid for warts. You could cut the medicine center out, and just use the band aid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momofeat Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Another thing you can try: After soaking your foot in soapy water for 30 minutes or so, rub gently in a circular motion with a pumice stone for awhile. Then soak again. Repeat cycle. That's how we always get splinters out for my middle dd. It's slow going, but it works for her! I'm not sure that she's had any as deep as yours, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer3141 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 My husband is a doctor and he's the flipping meanest splinter remover on the planet. Get your mom or your best friend to help!! But avoid the doctors for the love of cheese!!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 My grandma would clean the area, like others have suggested, and soften the skin, like others suggested, then pour a bunch of peroxide into the place with the splinter. Her theory was that all the bubbling would help push the splinter out. Sometimes it took 2 or 3 tries, but it always seemed to work. She did this quite often as my grandpa was a farmer who always seemed to have splinters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Another idea. A plantar wart often presents itself with a black dot: it's a damaged blood vessel. They are very painful to walk on and feel very deep. You sometimes start to feel them surprisingly suddenly: they've been there but you haven't noticed them, then one day they start to hurt. We use banana peel for plantar warts. Put on a tiny square of banana skin, soft side towards your skin, then cover with a band-aid. It might take a couple of months of doing this every night (keep it on during the day too if it's not inconvenient) and in the end the wart peels out of its hole. It's worked for both my boys. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I had a hair splinter in the bottom of my foot a couple years ago. That hurt so bad! I ended up sterilizing an x-acto blade, putting ice on my foot, and slowly cutting through the layers of skin. It took a while, and several applications of ice, but I got it out. My DH didn't believe me when I said I had a hair in my foot, but sure enough, it was my son's hair from when I cut it in the kitchen one day. I also have a pencil lead in my knee from elementary school, like a PP. It has stayed put all these years. I've had the local anesthetic in my big toes before. I preferred the ice method! I'd rather give birth without drugs again than have that shot in my toe. I can still feel the pain if I think about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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