I stepped on a long, dirty and rusty nail

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a participant who stepped on a long, dirty, and rusty nail, leading to concerns about pain, potential injury, and the need for medical attention. Participants explore the implications of the injury, including the possibility of broken toes, infection, and the importance of seeking professional medical help.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses significant pain and concern about potentially broken toes, questioning the effectiveness of home treatment.
  • Several participants strongly advise seeking immediate medical attention, citing risks of infection and the need for a tetanus booster shot.
  • Some participants highlight the importance of health over work-related concerns, suggesting that income should not take precedence over health.
  • There are mentions of personal experiences with similar injuries, emphasizing the seriousness of the situation and the potential for complications like blood poisoning.
  • One participant notes logistical challenges in getting to a hospital, including distance and family reluctance, while others stress that these should not deter seeking care.
  • Concerns are raised about the inadequacy of topical antiseptics for deep wounds, with suggestions that deeper cleaning and professional evaluation are necessary.
  • Some participants express frustration at the original poster's delay in seeking help, questioning their priorities in light of the injury.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

There is a strong consensus among participants that medical attention is necessary, although the original poster expresses hesitation and logistical concerns about going to the hospital. Disagreement exists regarding the urgency of the situation and the best course of action given the circumstances.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention various symptoms and risks associated with untreated puncture wounds, including infection and the need for specific medical treatments. There is an acknowledgment of the potential for complications, but no consensus on the immediate next steps for the original poster.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for individuals seeking insights into the importance of medical care for puncture wounds, the risks associated with neglecting such injuries, and the varying perspectives on health versus work-related priorities.

heartless
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Hey peops,
Today I stepped on a nail at work, and I skewered my foot. I felt it inside. I could continue to work, walk and the like despite the pain, but right now the pain has increased exponentially, and I can baraly walk, or rather scarcely-barely walk. I hydrogen peroxided the wound however the thing is that it doesn't hurt me at all, what really hurts me are two smallest toes, and I feel like I broke them, and after all I've broken my bones several times and I know the pain, and it feels like that. I don't know what to do. Family says that it'll pass away 'til monday, however I don't think so. I need it to stop for Monday, because I want to continue to work, because as the guy said, if I keep on good work, I'll be allowed to work with boilers, you know - doing pipes and operating some strange machines. I can't afford them because those machines are quite expensive, and I need experience with them for sake of satisfaction. So guys and girls, do you have any ideas what to do with the pain, how to cure, and be well on monday?
Great thanks for any kind of help and replies!
 
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heartless said:
Hey peops,
Today I stepped on a nail at work, and I skewered my foot. I felt it inside. I could continue to work, walk and the like despite the pain, but right now the pain has increased exponentially, and I can baraly walk, or rather scarcely-barely walk. I hydrogen peroxided the wound however the thing is that it doesn't hurt me at all, what really hurts me are two smallest toes, and I feel like I broke them, and after all I've broken my bones several times and I know the pain, and it feels like that. I don't know what to do. Family says that it'll pass away 'til monday, however I don't think so. I need it to stop for Monday, because I want to continue to work, because as the guy said, if I keep on good work, I'll be allowed to work with boilers, you know - doing pipes and operating some strange machines. I can't afford them because those machines are quite expensive, and I need experience with them for sake of satisfaction. So guys and girls, do you have any ideas what to do with the pain, how to cure, and be well on monday?
Great thanks for any kind of help and replies!

Ignore what everyone besides myself are telling you. Go see a doctor. NOW.

One of my friends stepped on a pitch fork. It wasn't a pretty sight.
 
I'm no biology expert but I think perhaps you have damaged the tendons to your smaller toes. the best thing to do is go to the doctor because you'll at least need a tetanus booster shot and they'll be better ale to treat your foot. If you're worried this will affect your income I say what's more important? Your income or your health.

Anyways hope it heals soon.
 
Go to a doctor, obviously. :rolleyes: You're vulnerable to all sorts of infections, not to mention tetanus, which can be fatal.

...not to scare you or anything, you just need a vaccine booster and you'll be fine.
 
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Doc, x-ray, tetanus booster shot, take doc's advice from there. Kind of a no-brainer, wouldn't you think?
 
First a tetanus shot, but you could have some nerve damage, an infection could set in which could become gangrenous, you could lose your foot.

GO TO THE DOCTOR NOW!
 
Go to a doctor! The consensus here is overwhelming.
 
Why are you still online??
For your life, get yourself to the hospital, or call 911 or something.
 
Calling 911 is excessive. Go to the ER of course, but don't burden the ambulance system if you don't need it. Also bring some light reading, as there is often waiting.
 
  • #10
You wouldn't put a bandaid over a knife stab-wound so why aren't you at the doctor right now?

Oh my god you're still online and not in the ER.
 
  • #11
heartless said:
I hydrogen peroxided the wound

Read the label. Topical antiseptics aren't intended for deep or puncture wounds.
 
  • #12
Pengwuino said:
You wouldn't put a bandaid over a knife stab-wound so why aren't you at the doctor right now?

Oh my god you're still online and not in the ER.
Maybe he's gone into shock.
 
  • #13
I think after these replies he ran to the ER in so much haste he left the PC on :wink:
 
  • #14
He's finally logged off. I hope he makes it.
 
  • #15
Depends if he's walking or taking a taxi.
 
  • #16
GET OFF THE NET heartless!
 
  • #17
Nice job kid, you take it like a real man :approve:

Go see a doctor, but you didnt run around with your head cut off like pengwuino would...:rolleyes:

He makes threads when he burns himself making pizza, how pathetic. :rolleyes:


You could always pull it out with the backside of the hammer. :devil: Hard core! Just kidding :wink:
 
  • #18
Well... I can't just go, I can't go myself, and my parents don't want to for various reasons. (One of them is they think it'll be over in a few days.) It takes too much time in a hospital. I once twisted my ankle and it took me entire day for x-rays, cast and all others. Hospital is an hour-long drive from here.

If you're worried this will affect your income I say what's more important?

Doesn't insurance cover hospitalization?

Thanks for replies. I think I'll wait until tomorrow with this. We'll see how it goes.
 
  • #19
Well, nice to have met you. Rest in peace.
Blood poisoning isn't something to ignore.
 
  • #20
Rust in peace? :smile:
 
  • #21
Damn you americans and medical insurance. Whats wrong with the NHS :wink:
 
  • #22
If you get any of the following symptoms of blood poisoning, you need to get to the hospital FAST. As in EMERGENCY:

Symptoms may develop suddenly and can include the following:

fever,
chills and shivering,
rapid breathing and headache,
nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea,
low blood pressure and possible loss of consciousness,
skin may feel pale, cold, and clammy,
delirium and/or depression

Treatment is then needed within hours.
 
  • #23
heartless said:
Well... I can't just go, I can't go myself, and my parents don't want to for various reasons. (One of them is they think it'll be over in a few days.) It takes too much time in a hospital. I once twisted my ankle and it took me entire day for x-rays, cast and all others. Hospital is an hour-long drive from here.
This sounds pretty serious, I don't care how long the drive is or how long the wait is, if you were my child, you'd already be there.
 
  • #24
heartless:
I once experienced this when I was in the boy scouts on camp:
A friend of mine cut his thumb on a rusty nail. This was out in the woods, so we hoped it should go okay.
A few hours later, his thumb had swollen to twice its normal size, and began to be really sick.
Fortunately, we managed to get him to a hospital in time.

This is nothing to be macho about.
 
  • #25
Obviously health insurance covers emergencies. That's the whole point...
 
  • #26
heartless said:
Well... I can't just go, I can't go myself, and my parents don't want to for various reasons. (One of them is they think it'll be over in a few days.) . . . . Hospital is an hour-long drive from here.
I have have stepped on several nails and a thumb tack in my earlier years. When I did it at home, I went to the family physician. When I impaled my arm an a piece of sharp metal, I went to the ER.

Since it is a long, dirty, rusty nail, you most likely need a tetanus booster, and maybe antibiotics.

As others indicated, topical anti-bacterials work on the outside, not on the bacteria deep in the wound. You need to be concerned about a staphlococcal or streptococcal infection.

heartless said:
Doesn't insurance cover hospitalization?

Thanks for replies. I think I'll wait until tomorrow with this. We'll see how it goes.
Hospitalization is normally covered by insurance programs. You however, likely do not to go to hospital, but rather your family physician - and this should have been done already.

My doctor has emergency hourse - and a puncture wound could be considered an emergency.

Medical Treatment
The wound will be thoroughly cleansed. The doctor may use instruments to look for objects in the wound. You may be given a tetanus shot. Antibiotics may be given to people with diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, contaminated wounds, or deep wounds to the foot. Most healthy people without signs of infection do not require antibiotics.
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/puncture_wound/page7_em.htm

Otherwise -
http://www.lpch.org/HealthLibrary/ParentCareTopics/SkinLocalizedSymptoms/PunctureWound.html
 
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  • #27
I have no idea about medical insurance I'm English :smile:
 
  • #28
Kurdt said:
I have no idea about medical insurance I'm English :smile:
It's called taxes here in Norway.
 
  • #29
arildno, thanks for those symptoms, I'll watch for them.

My grandma has just passed me a rivanol solution and ichtiol ointment, maybe this will help. It says that the former works as disinfectant and the last one, as antiphlebitis, cures infected wounds and so on.
 
  • #30
By the way,
have have stepped on several nails and a thumb tack in my earlier years. When I did it at home, I went to the family physician. When I impaled my arm an a piece of sharp metal, I went to the ER.

Astro, what did they do to you?
 

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