Swollen toe??

[Moonhawk]

Last night my 4th toe on my right foot started to swell up. It is visibly red and at least 1.5x its regular size. I can't flex it anymore, it has a burny itchy feel. If I put my feet up, the color and swelling both lessen greatly, the burn/itch feel stays but gets much better also, and I can flex it like normal. But after about 15 minutes of sitting or walking, it gets swollen again.

I don't remember dropping anything on it or stubbing it in the past 24 hours, this started maybe around 7pm or 8pm last night. There's no visible bite mark or cut. It seems reddest on the left side of the toe when its elevated, but when it gets swollen you can't tell a difference. 

Is this something you'd go to the doctor for? It doesn't *hurt* hurt, but I don't like the idea of leaving something so visibly wrong unattended to, unless this sounds like a common issue I've never encountered before. 

[Acadie]

Any chance your shoe was irritating that toe? 

The other things that occur to me are spider/bug bite or infection.

You could try drawing a circle in pen around the outermost red area, applying Bacitracin or Neosporin and seeing if it gets any worse. 

If it does get any worse--or if you have the feeling you should get it checked out--I'd call primary care or visit urgent care. We've come home from the doctor with a prescription for antibiotics (either ointment or oral, depending on the issue) so we could take the wait-and-see approach with the script in hand. Much easier to run out to fill a prescription at 9 pm than try to figure out then where you can be seen. 

[whitestavern]

Any chance it could be Covid toe?

[Acadie]

1 minute ago, whitestavern said:

Any chance it could be Covid toe?

That's a great point. I've had two teens with Covid toe and it didn't cross my mind!

Both my kids experienced swelling, redness and itching with Covid toe.

[Moonhawk]

Didn't wear shoes yesterday. I thought about spider bite but there is not obvious circle or "worse" part except when it's been elevated a while the left looks a bit redder, but not by much. its the entire toe and has just started to creep into the foot proper about half inch in the last 20 minutes (while I was up and making lunch). 

I'm vaccinated but I suppose it could be Covid toe? I'll look at photos online to see if it matches. 

eta: Covid toe seems to span more toes and start at the top, and look a bit more blistery to me. This is just the one toe and it's the entire toe, all the way around (both sides, not just top).

Edited June 16, 2021 by Moonhawk

[Acadie]

If it's crept a half inch onto your foot I'm leaning more toward the possibility of infection and would see the doctor. That's a fairly quick change and it's important to rule out staph infection.

Hope you get some answers and feel better soon, Moonhawk!

[klmama]

I'd try to get it evaluated today, if possible.  Regardless, I'd eat garlic several times today - garlic bread, raw garlic between apple slices, etc.  One of my dc had a growing staph infection that wasn't getting better with antibiotics, and adding garlic turned it around.  (Garlic is a natural antibiotic, antiviral, and antifungal - not always strong enough to handle infections alone, but it can help.)  

Edited June 16, 2021 by klmama

[Katy]

I've seen too many staph infections go from "that's weird" to "Needs ICU!" that any change that quick would have me going to urgent care.

[Laura Corin]

I've twice had infections in the nailbed at the side of the nail. After a couple of days it drained and started to heal.

[Pawz4me]

It more commonly affects the big toes, and I think you'd probably have quite a lot more pain, but -- gout?

[JFSinIL]

You need to have it looked at, sounds like an infection. Cellulitis, probably. You'd need antibiotics.  Gout I think it would hurt too much to walk.

 

Edited June 16, 2021 by JFSinIL

[catz]

I'd be pretty patient watching something like a stubbed toe or a wasp sting, etc.  But swelling without known cause would have me at urgent care pretty quick!

[katilac]

3 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

It more commonly affects the big toes, and I think you'd probably have quite a lot more pain, but -- gout?

I don't think gout without severe, intense pain is a thing. But I'd definitely be getting it checked out. 

[Moonhawk]

Thanks everyone. Took the advice and drove out to the urgent care. By the time I got there (50 min drive) the red was a farther onto my foot. It's an infection and I've gotten antibiotics started. 

Edited June 17, 2021 by Moonhawk

[mommyoffive]

23 minutes ago, Moonhawk said:

Thanks everyone. Took the advice and drove out to the urgent care. By the time I got there (50 min drive) the red was a farther onto my foot. It's an infection and I've gotten antibiotics started. 

So glad you went and got checked out.   Hive to the rescue.   I hope it heals quickly.

[El...]

Ouch! I hope you feel better quickly. I'm so glad you went to have it assessed.