How do I know if there is still glass in my foot or not?

Question

I stepped off my stairs and onto a piece of glass as I turned. It stuck into the ball of my foot (right at the bottom of my big toe). I got a big piece out and couldnt see more but even with a bandage and socks on I still feel a pinch, not a "got a cut" pinch but "is there something in there?" pinch. I dont want to make the wound bigger but I dont want to leave a piece of glass in there-if there is one. How can I tell without re-opening the wound? Any ideas?

Answer 1

When I was 16 I was in a bad car wreck. I had over a 100 stitches in my leg. There was several pieces of glass in my leg. After it healed I noticed something sharp trying to cut its way out. It was a piece of glass. The doctor went ahead a cut it out. Then a couple of years later the same thing happened. Only this time it cut its own way out. The doctor told me that usually your body will try to expell a foreign object. If I were you I would just go ahead and go to a doctor and let them get it out. The location of your wound is going to be irritated with every step. So leaving the glass in there could be painful. More than likely the glass will rise to the surface and come out on its own.

Answer 2

I have been there. I know exactly what anxiety you are going thru. I give you a brief history. Hopefully it helps. I stepped on an already broken wine glass while walking on a white ceramic floor at a guest's party. A sharp pain went through my spine. Bleeding, the whole bit. I took out many fragments, and was satisfied that there were no pieces left. No further pain. But..... guess what? A year goes by, a corn like thing has developed in that area. My doc told me it is too late to do anything because it may be so tiny, the surgeons will miss it, I may end up with a possible severed nerve in my big toe (that's where the glass fragments were - under the big goe) and he advised me to leave it alone. Wish I had not listened. That happened 4 years ago. I am still walking around, no pain but the corn is getting bigger, numb in that area and the skin is growing very funny in that area, very hard and no feelings. I competitively jog regularly and I cannot afford to be in bed for too long. My advise? get it checked early. Be completely satisfied that all the fragments are out. Otherwise, you will have problems later.

Answer 3

Sorry. But my idea you have to re-open the wound to get it out. My mom always does this to me when I get big splinters.

The things you need for this is:

1 foot that has something inside it

1 pin

1 sterilizer

1 pair of tweezers



Directions:

First, you sterilize the pin. Next you re~open the wound with the sterilized pin. Then you find if you have glass. If you do, take it out with the pair of tweezers and dispose of it.

But I always do it when I first get it. I don't know if it works on closed wounds.

Or you can just squeeze it out. But I don't know if that will cause an infection.

Answer 4

See a doctor. I once did the same thing. Doctor said glass doesn't x-ray, so,he made the wound larger and fished around in there. Sure as can be he found more glass. Good luck.

Answer 5

I would get it checked by your doc. It's possible you still have a tiny piece in your foot. The tiniest sliver of glass can cause a lot of pain.

Answer 6

An Xray would show if you had glass left in your foot

Answer 7

i know some old egyptian way
get a peice of soft rock or stone put some oil on it but must we hot heat the old and then put the stone in the oil and put it on ur wound dun let it be very hot so u dunt get burnt it will decay the glass in there or will get it v near 2 skin so u can get it easy
hope u get well soon my laidy
i would like 2 chat so add me on msn : [e-mail]

Answer 8

i would look into it with a microscope or go to sleep and then when you wake up the next day if it hurts you probaly do or you could get twizzers and just poke them around and if they hit something and you didnt feel it on your foot then you know you got something in there.or you could call a docter

Answer 9

I've gotten the pricks from a cactus in my hand before and someone told me to put glue on the area and let it harden. After it is hard "carefully" pull it off; it took all of the pricks out - maybe it would work for glass, I don't know to be honest with you, but it might work.

Answer 10

when it starts to get infected you'll know.. seriously though, it will be v.painful to stand on if there is glass. opening up the wound again is the only way - if u want to be doubly sure, ask a professional (your GP, a nurse) to have a look.. its not worth getting an infection over.