Buried Splinter

[TromboneAl]

I know it's a little silly to post this, but I seem to have some small foreign object in the tip of my index finger. I first noticed it when scrubbing a pan with a copper scouring pad, so it's either a small piece of copper, or an earlier splinter than the pad pushed on. I dug around where it looked like it went in, and couldn't find anything.

This is a pain for playing piano and using the computer.

It's been there for a week or two. Anyone else had this? I figure I'll either hope it will go away, or try to located it by probing and then dig it out.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Cover the area with a coat of Elmer's Glue. Allow it to dry fully. Peel it off.

If it's a tiny splinter and not totally buried under the skin, that should do it; otherwise it may need a bit of attention or just time, so it can form a little pustule and you body can push it out.

Perfect cure for Prickly Pear Cactus contact, too, but the way.

 

[W2R]

That's a long time to have a metal splinter and it sounds painful. I don't know what I'd do, in your situation. Have you tried soaking it in water for an hour or so? Maybe it would work its way out. Other than that, I don't have any suggestions.

Edited to add: Rich's ideas, which I hadn't seen when I posted the above, sound like the way to go. Hope they work.

 

[LOL!]

Elmer's sound too slow. Would super-glue work?

 

[TromboneAl]

The skin is completely healed, so it's completely buried.

 

[TromboneAl]

Elmer's sound too slow. Would super-glue work?

I could superglue myself to a spoon or something, and then when they take me to the emergency room, I could say "Oh, by the way, there's a splinter in there, could you remove that while you're at it?"

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

The skin is completely healed, so it's completely buried.

Maybe, but even a tiny splinter can do this. You might either check it with a strong magnifier or just try it to see if it works.

 

[simple girl]

Soaking a long time in water worked for DH when he had several splinters in his feet. They didn't immediately come out, but within the next day or two they seemed to just disappear.

 

[Amethyst]

I work outside a lot, and get splinters all the time in my hands, fingers, and sometimes, inexplicably, in my feet (I always wear shoes and socks outdoors, but stuff can get down inside the socks). Usually I can get splinters and thorns before they're buried, but not always. Soaking in warm water is always worthwhile.

My body does one of two things:
A) Forms dead skin pocket around the foreign body and new live skin under the dead pocket, which takes about 2 weeks, and results in the foreign body "suddenly" (usually when I'm bathing) appearing on top of my skin (takes about 2 weeks, and is painless except when I hit the splinter while typing, etc.), or
B) the faster but nastier "festers its way out" (spot is swollen and hurts for a few days, then - there is no nice way to say this - splinter bursts out).

I have never had a splinter take up permanent residence. I get a tetanus shot every 5 years. Good luck - splinters can be maddening.

Amethyst

 

[haha]

You may be going werewolf. I had what I thought was a splinter on the palm of my hand. I sterilized a needle in Clorox and went to work. To my surprise I pried loose a nice black curly 1" hair. Got my tweezers and detached it. A month or so later I found the same on the sole of my foot.

Grrrr.

Ha

 

[W2R]

You may be going werewolf. I had what I thought was a splinter on the palm of my hand. I sterilized a needle in Clorox and went to work. To my surprise I pried loose a nice black curly 1" hair. Got my tweezers and detached it. A month or so later I found the same on the sole of my foot.

Grrrr.

Ha

Are you serious? !!! Men are so hairy - - maybe you are serious.

That story is enough for me to break out in song: "I enjoy being a girl..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plUwmfOhxeE

 

[Helios]

Oldetymy cure, buy some PRID, which is a wax based form of ichthamol ointment. Put it on at night,bandage, draws out the splinter.
Looks bad, smells bad, works good.

 

[calmloki]

You may be going werewolf. I had what I thought was a splinter on the palm of my hand. I sterilized a needle in Clorox and went to work. To my surprise I pried loose a nice black curly 1" hair. Got my tweezers and detached it. A month or so later I found the same on the sole of my foot.

Grrrr.

Ha

Ha, you tantric master - hair on the palm I've heard of. On the sole of your foot? Dang!

Thanks for the set up.

 

[ksr]

I think I'm a splinter magnet. I get them all the time, especially in summer when I'm always doing something in the yard.

If they don't come out immediately, this is what I do - I take a new, tiny safety pin and dip it in rubbing alcohol. Then I dig around a little with the pin to try to open up a space for the splinter to emerge. I can usually push the splinter out from there. A little unpleasant, but it usually works for me.

 

[bbbamI]

Sorry Al...you're going to have to amputate.

 

[Telly]

At least for me, my system dissolves most buried splinters, if they are in deep enough that they don't reject themselves out over time. Small splinters of steel, wood or plant stalk, etc. seem to dissolve. Maybe it's my acidic nature

A true copper splinter can take a looong time to dissolve, I know, I got one years ago. A single strand from a small-gauge stranded wire.

I don't know if those copper scouring pads are really copper, or just a thin plate of copper over steel. Could try a magnet on one to find out.

A small bright light, like a red LED keyfob keyhole-finder can make a good illuminator. Press it onto the side of the finger about ~90 degrees around from the splinter entrance point. The red light passes through the body really well. And the point-source effect of the LED allows you to aim it around. If there IS something still in there, should be able to see a small dark spot by moving the LED around.

DO NOT use a good Laser Pointer instead... lest you inadvertantly illuminate someone's foot one or two states away

 

[sailor]

I have never had a splinter take up permanent residence. I get a tetanus shot every 5 years. Good luck - splinters can be maddening.
Amethyst

I have a permanent residing "splinter".
I think it's been below the surface of my shoulder blade for about 25 years.
It's a short piece of graphite from 0.5 mm pencil a friend accidentally stabbed me with.
This thread reminds me that I should send her Happy New Year wishes and tell her I still carry her pencil with me

 

[Trek]

Perfect cure for Prickly Pear Cactus contact, too, but the way.

YouTube - leaving las vegas prickly pear.m4v

 

[Westernskies]

T-Al, sorry to hear about your owwie...

I usually dig around a buried splinter as deep as I can stand with a sterilized needle or exacto knife, then slather it with antibiotic ointment and a band aid- the splinter is usually lying on the surface the next AM...

If that doesn't work, I see that Dr. bbammI has proposed an alternate course of treatment.

 

[travelover]

I got a wood splinter in my thumb two+ years ago and could not get it out. A hard area was formed over it , though it was still tender for about a year. I'd forgotten about it until now and I can still fell the lump if I search for it, but it is no longer sensitive. Wish I had better advice.

 

[ratface]

Might need an out patient appt?

Hi Al

Several years ago while drilling in steel I finished the task and then knelt down on the concrete floor to sweep up the metal shavings. BIG MiSTAKE. Imbedded a metal splinter in my right knee cap. Was there for years and the pain was excrutiating when kneeling on that knee. Finally went to a orthepedic guy and he dug it out. Told me to draw a dot on the spot with a marker the day of surgery. Woke up it was gone. Said it was right where I had indicated. The sooner you get it out the happier you will be, funny how such a small thing can be so irritating. Yours is probably an outpatient thing in the doctors office. Go get it out.

 

[TromboneAl]

Thanks for the tips.

Mine must be very small. I used the LED trick with my high-intensity LED bike taillight, which was neat, but I didn't see anything definitive. I did some more surgery without any success. I think I'm just going to live with this for a while, the occasional pain is only annoying at this point.

 

[kyounge1956]

Soaking a long time in water worked for DH when he had several splinters in his feet. They didn't immediately come out, but within the next day or two they seemed to just disappear.

This is a good suggestion. I used to work on a land surveying crew, so I used to get blackberry thorns in my fingers if there was any brush-cutting to be done. Sometimes I could see them and get them out, sometimes not. Long soaking in hot water (e.g. washing a big sinkfull of dishes by hand) will often get rid of them, but if the skin has completely healed over the splinter, probably not. If it's well in there, you may have to visit the doctor to get rid of it. Might be worth it if it is really bothering you.

 

[ls99]

Sorry Al...you're going to have to amputate.

Don't have to cut. It will fall off by itself

 

[bbbamI]

Don't have to cut. It will fall off by itself

Sorry Al...we don't mean to amuse ourselves with your pain...