General Medical Question - Urgent - SI Sharp object advice
um i've stuck a sharp object too deep into me calf (leg) and well now its stuck. gone into far. should i start to worry or will it just work its way out.
don'twant to go hosp/doc cos how do i explain i was trying to be a human voodoo.
any advice would be good. it doesn't hurt, its not bleeding and I cant pull it out even trying with tweezers. I think that might have pushed it it a bit more.
Last edited by Aidee : 16-01-2008 at 11:11 AM.
Reason: Potential tool sharing.
I know you don't want to but i really think you should go to the hospital, or at least the doctors surgery as i think if you leave it in it is extremely likely to get infected.
Sorry don't know what else to suggest.
Life breaks most of us in the end, but afterwards some of us are strong in the broken places
~ Ernest Hemingway
You do need to go to hospital to get help. just say you do not want to say what happened.
is it too deep in to get out with pliers?
hope you get it sorted.
As others have said, go to the hospital. It needs to come out, and it's unlikely to come out on it's own. It could get infected, or it could also go further in, rather than come out, and end up doing more damage - you don't want that object floating around in your body poking wholes in this. You don't have to explain to the doctors how it happened - there are other ways it could have gotten there, like maybe you were doing work with that item on the sofa and dropped dropped it, and later sat on it.
Last edited by Aidee : 16-01-2008 at 11:08 AM.
Reason: Removed reference to specific tool.
Emily
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I once fell on top of that tool while it was hidden under a crocheted blanket and got it embedded into me and had to go to A+E. Could you maybe make up and excuse like that? I agree with everyone else, you really can't just leave it there xx
Last edited by Aidee : 16-01-2008 at 11:08 AM.
Reason: Removed reference to tool.
You really need to go to see a doctor either at an out of hours surgery or a+e or something because it will not have been sterile, its gone deep into your body and its a puncture wound. All of these things increase the risk of a nasty infection thats hard to treatand isn't something you can treat yourself. On top of this the item is still stuck in you, doing more damage everytime you move so you need to try and get it sorted out as soon as possible really. Try and make an excuse for it, like others say you could say you've sat on it or something and then then you might not feel as bad about it.
Last edited by Aidee : 16-01-2008 at 11:10 AM.
Reason: Removed reference to tool.
not gone to the hosp. thought id leave it see if it works its way out. it doesnt hurt so its probably better to leave it than to mess it around to much
Its totally up to you but I can say first hand I've seen the affect of things being left in (animal) bodies in my university course and it can cause a lot of problems, often not straight away and they can move around with movement and weeks later can cause abscesses somewhere else that need surgical removal. I really think it would be worthwhile getting it seen to now whilst it is likely to be shallow rather than leave it and have the doctors have a big task to get rid of it at a later date as it WILL (almost certainly)cause pain and problems at a later date-even surgical material left inside a patient which is fully sterile and blunt causes huge problems. It's up to you but my advise is to see a GP even if it isn't causing problems now. I know how scary it might be but it will really be worth it
I have also been thinking the same thing. Do you mean you aren't in agony or do you mean you literally feel no pain from it. If so, can you feel all areas of your leg or are the sensations ANYWHERE down it a bit strange. I'm not sure where abouts it is or infact human anatomy but things like what you've put in your leg can easily damage nerves and if any sensation or control in that leg is reduced you need to see a doctor IMMEDIATELY to get it out to prevent long term severe damage to that leg (ie total loss of feeling to an area or loss of a muscle(s) function) and even if no damage is done yet the potential is there that when it moves.
But like I said previously it is ultimately your decision but its been there a couple of days now and needs a doctor to remove it before something happens. I've seen how cases where a dog had had grass seeds in its paw have caused severe problems as the seed have moved up their leg and come out of their shoulder- I know you might not think this is relavent but thats something blunt in a dogs leg rather than sharp and their physiology in that sense is virtually the same as ours. (and where sterile swabs have been left in a dog after surgery...not a pretty sight).
It is very unlikely to work its way back out. The skin will heal over it and the sharp edge is facing inwards...
Sorry if I sound a bit off with you but I really unsure you know the potential seriousness of this
I agree with everyone else, not only are you risking a MASSIVE infection in your leg, there is also the chance of the item damaging your muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves and blood vessels. The longer you leave it, the deeper it's going to go, and the harder it will be to remove it, and the worse the damage will be.
You ABSOLUTELY need to go to the hospital ASAP.
Well it breaks my heart to see you this way,
The beauty in life, where's it gone?
And somebody told me you were doing okay,
Somehow I guess they were wrong.
Also, there is a chance that scar tissue will begin to form around it, which could cause a large mass your leg that will never go away. Something like that could impair blood flow to your foot and decrease the range of motion for that leg if it's affecting a muscle.
Well it breaks my heart to see you this way,
The beauty in life, where's it gone?
And somebody told me you were doing okay,
Somehow I guess they were wrong.
ok ok i hear you. i've rung the docs and have to go at 11am today.
ive got no pain in my leg from pushin it it but then i have decreased feeling in both legs because i have back problems. i'll let you know later how i got on
i went and ended up with 3 internal stitchesand 5 skin stitches. it was difficult to find as it had embedded itself deeper. i had to go to hosp and have it removed via local and xray. more painful to have it removed than puting in in an leaving it there. dont think its a good idea to do this again. they said if i'd have gone earlier it would have been closer to the surface and easier to find. the hosp gave me antibiotics as the sharp was beginning to go rusty. i was told it would have never worked its way out because it was no longer smooth. i dont think they believed me when i said i had accidently put my leg on it as they saw i had scars on my legs. thanks people lesson learned.
where there is an item like that, especially deep, it is generally advised that you do not try to remove the object yourself as this can cause more damage and also the item may be stopping any serious bleeding.
that said, i'm glad you went and got checked out. hope you heal well.
mand x
Mand, South Wales, Full-time working, single mother to 2 scarily independent girls.
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