Glass in foot? What to do?

[MeAndTheBoys]

My son broke a candelabra glass cover thing last week.  He cleaned it up as best he could, but missed a tiny shard of glass on the bathroom floor-and stepped on it.  Didn't tell me until a few days later when it was already healed over.

 

So now every step he takes is a little painful.

 

I bought some of those donut-shaped corn cushions two days ago, so he's been wearing those so he won't keep pushing it farther in.  We soaked his foot in epsom salt water last night.

 

I told him that if it hasn't worked its way out by the end of the week, we should probably go see the doctor--he's NOT excited about the thought of someone digging around looking for the glass.

 

Any other home remedies that might get it moving quicker?

 

He's a little squeamish--I told him that when *I* have splinters under my skin, I have tried to use a needle or a razor blade to lift the skin that has healed over it.  He's not going for it.

 

Thanks for any help,

Betsy

[SadieMarie]

I went to a podiatrist for a sliver that had been healed over. Other than, as you say, a needle or razor, I think you are stuck with a doctor. I hope I am wrong though and someone else has a solution. Good luck, digging things out of feet is my least favorite mother/first aid challenge.

[Sisyphus]

Hey, I know this one! Well, maybe. I broke a glass in the kitchen (hate ceramic tile, everything shatters!) when my oldest was 8 ish. Months later he got a sliver of glass in his foot. Same deal, he told me the next morning, thought he got it out, he was getting a drink late at night. Well, he didn't, or not all of it anyway. The dr sent us to a surgeon who did feet, who said to leave it be. Apparently it's really hard to remove glass, because it's so hard to see, and they do more damage trying to get it out. it would grow scar tissue around it and just be there, and that is what has happened, he is now nearly 16. The dr was a military doctor who operated on feet mangled by mines, so I trust he knew his stuff more than your average doctor. Ds could feel it, sort of, but it didn't hurt per se and soon didn't hurt at all. I was shocked how quick feet heal over, though that makes sense they would. He did it at night, and by morning it was closed over.

 

I'd still see a dr, it could be by something important like a nerve or something and so need to come out, but Ds had it in the pad of his foot and it's still there to this day.

[Closeacademy]

DH stepped on a tiny piece of glass and went to the Dr. right away.  It took him 45 min to get it out.  But it was better than letting it set in there and make his foot hurt.

[twoxcell]

My Dd had a piece of glass in her foot. I showed it to her regular doctor and he sent us to a podiatrist. The podiatrist removed it fairly easily. I think I would take him in. Glass in the foot is really painful.

[bettyandbob]

Ooh! Ooh! I did this. Same thing the skin healed over and every step I took was painful. At first I thought I got all the glass out and thought it was just pain from the wound. But it wouldn't go away and felt like I was being stabbed with every step. The was in the ball of my foot. After Saturday swim meet (as a manager running around) I couldn't take it and went to an urgent care/quasi ER. A physician on duty opened it up and dug around until he found it. He was going to give up, but I begged him to keep looking and he found it right after that. I don't remember if the digging around in the ER was painful, but walking had gotten bad so I was desperate.

 

After it healed just fine.

[Ewe Mama]

I did that when I was about 6 months pregnant. I went to the dr who took care of it right there. I tried to get it out myself, but that baby belly made it impossible to get to. It was like playing Twister with a beach ball down my shirt. :)

[Wildcat]

Depending on the size & location, you might want to have him seen. 

 

I got a small chunk of glass in my foot on the outer side by the arch and it healed over quickly. It was summer and I lived in flip flops, so I left it alone as it didn't bother me. A small callous formed over it and it was there for years. About NINE years later, I noticed the callous had gotten a bit bigger, so, me being me, I had to pick at it. Out came the sliver of glass! Now I have no callous and no glass.

 

Only you know where the glass is and if leaving it there will cause your ds pain for the foreseeable future. I feel for both of you. Things stuck in feet aren't fun for either the child or the parent!

[MeAndTheBoys]

THANK YOU for all the help!  Every response told me a LITTLE more that I needed to know to get the full picture :) 

 

He said it was a tiny piece, and he was adamantly against "surgery", so we just soaked it twice a day and put a donut corn bandage on it.  And by Tuesday, he said it "felt like it was being pushed out" and he even felt well enough to go cross country running with me Tuesday night, 2.5 miles, with the bandage--didn't feel a thing.  At that point, he COULD still feel something like a sharp bruise if I pushed on it without the bandage.

 

STarting yesterday, he doesn't feel a thing when he walks on it.  So it has either been pushed out or absorbed into his foot or surrounded by scar tissue or who knows?  I think it came out with the salt soaks.

 

Betsy