Should I see a doctor?

Question

Saturday night I stepped on a piece of broken glass and cut the inside of my big toe pretty badly.
The cut is thin, but its deep and is a little over a half an inch long. After I got home from the incident I soaked my foot in warm water, cleaned it out and wrapped it up. All day Sunday I was limping because the pain was so bad.
Today I haven't been limping as badly, and the pain is far less. However, there is a bruise next to the cut, and I'm experiencing some numbness in the toes next to my big toe. I'm hoping thats just because I've been putting more weight on the right side of my foot so that I don't apply a lot of pressure to my big toe.
I've been keeping triple anti-biotic ointment on the cut, and have been wrapping it with gauze. At night I take the gauze off, and just apply the ointment.
Should I go see a doctor because of the bruising and numbness? Also I've noticed that there has been a little bit of blood on the gauze when I take it off.

Answer 1

the bruising could take up to 2 weeks to fully heal.

as far as the numbness-it sounds like it's caused by you walking more on the toes than you normally would.

i would wait to see the dr over the next day or two since you did say that you're pain level decreased quite a bit from yesterday to today. rest your foot as much as possible-if the numbness continues after resting the foot then make an appt to have it checked out.

if you haven't had a tetanus shot within the past 10 years-i would make an appt within the next week to get one and to have the cut evaluated to make sure it's healing ok.

continue washing the cut with warm water and mild soap. apply the neosporin and cover until a scab has formed. change the bandage at least twice a day and try to keep it as clean as possible

the biggest thing to watch for is infection in the cut. if you suspect this, then you need to make an appt asap to see your dr to get antibiotics.
signs of infection are

-increased redness or swelling to the cut area
-cut is more tender,painful,or hot to touch
-the cut is oozing liquid of any kind (not blood-but watery substance that is green or yellowish-brown in color-pus)
-you begin to run a fever of 100.5 or higher
-there is increased swelling to other areas of your foot, making it more difficult for you to walk on it
-there are red lines extending from your toe to the rest of your foot (indicates infection in bloodstream)

if you notice any of these symptoms-report to the emergency room/urgent care or be seen by your dr within 24 hours

Answer 2

You don't need to see a doctor unless it is infected (red around the cut). If there is still blood I would rinse it under icy cold water then apply a rag over it tightly for about 3 minutes. Sqeeze hard no matter how much it hurts. Use iodine or alcohol wipes to clean the wound. All it needs now is a band aide. Preferably a butterfly band aid that wraps tightly. Put antibiotic ointment on the pad part of the band aide. In order for you wound to heal properly it has to have air through the band aid; not a gauze. Leave the band aid on for about a week. If it is inflamed or infected after the week you need to see a doctor. Resist the temptation to take the bandaid off unless the pain is unbearable.

Answer 3

You should see a doctor. Better safe than sorry.
Also, if your cut is still bleeding, and is deep, it might require stitches to heal properly.
There could be other less apparent damage associated with the numbness and bruising that is not worth ignoring.
However good job so far keeping care of it by preventing infection. If there is bruising, the numbness might also be associated with swelling, so maybe applying ice could help with the pain.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

If it's still bleeding tomorrow, I would see a doctor to see if you need stiches. You did say it's deep and it's still bleeding a little after 2 days. Since it's on your foot, you may be reopening the wound when you walk, which can be a problem when it comes to healing.

I'd say it's likely the numbness is from you walking on the side of your foot, but still, glass is extremely sharp and can do a lot of damage, so if it persists, you should see a doctor.

Answer 6

give it another day or two
if still got numbness the do see doctor and check no splinters of glass has infected though dose sound like a clean cut what you did and are doing is the best thing's try and not apply pressure to foot use heel more if have to walk about .

Answer 7

Yes! Glass is maybe quickly cut a nerve or other thing inside your toe, and since still bleeding little, maybe small piece has broken and stay inside and irritate something.

Answer 8

If you have had a tetnus shot within the past 5 years, your in the clear for lockjaw(complications from a wound).Are you sure all the glass is out and you haven,t severed any nerves or tendons?If you are sure you haven,t you might want to see a Dr. anyway to be sure and give you stitches if you need any.

Answer 9

yes, you should see your medical doctor. Too many things are going on that could cause further problems. You've been doing a good job of keeping it clean and protecting it. But it definitely needs medical attention.

Answer 10

u should see a docter just to be safe the cut doesnt sound bad but it still should be look at cuz it can easly get infected