ipod attacks human

June 30, 2007 12:00 AM

The dock for my second-generation ipod shuffle was on the floor next to my bed and I stepped on it this morning. Oh my god, the pain...

For those of you who don't know, the dock has a very substantial connecting pin sticking straight up. I now have a 3/4 inch deep puncture wound on the ball of my foot, between the first and second metatarsals. Not much blood, and it doesn't look too bad, but when I pulled out that connecting pin I thought I might die. It's still throbbing like hell an hour later.
I had a tetanus shot two years ago, so I'm good there. I can walk VERY gingerly if I put all my weight on my heel. What should I do to clean it aside from soaking my foot in warm salt water (is that even a good idea)? Should I hobble around on my heel, or dig out the crutches? Do I need to go to the A&E today or can I wait til monday and try to get in to see my regular doctor? Will the doctor be able to do anything besides tell me to keep it clean and keep an eye on it?
Sorry for the freakout, I've never had more in the way of injuries than a sprained ankle and a few small cuts and scrapes.

For those of you who are wondering, the ipod dock is fine. I wiped off the blood and it's now sitting on the desk looking innocent. The bastard.

posted by Wroksie to health & fitness (13 comments total)

Better go in right away. A deep infection can be hell to treat, and if you wait till Monday, your doc will be cutting the wound back open to drain it. Go go go!

I always look at my Shuffle dock with great suspicion, and am very careful where I put it, because what happened to you is what it looks like it was designed for, with the whole "charging and syncing the iPod Shuffle" as a secondary use.

Sorry that happened! Ow! Now, go!!!
posted by The Deej at 12:06 AM on June 30, 2007

Deep puncture wounds can cause deep infections and lots of pain. If that had happened to me, I'd clean it up as best I could, then monitor it and see if it got better or worse over the course of the next 24 hours; and if it got even slightly worse, I'd be seeking competent medical help.
posted by flabdablet at 12:08 AM on June 30, 2007

BTW I go barefoot every chance I can, so I've had my share of Things stuck in my feet. Most of the time they're fine. But if they're not fine, you don't want to leave them to fester for more than a day or two.
posted by flabdablet at 12:09 AM on June 30, 2007

I've had all kinds of stuff 3/4 of an inch or more into my foot, including broken glass and rusty nails.

It's not a big deal as far as I can tell, and I've never been to a doctor about it.
posted by Mr. President Dr. Steve Elvis America at 12:25 AM on June 30, 2007

Like Mr. President, I've had all manner of untreated penetration wounds like that and I'm still alive. I am, however, very stupid. You'll likely survive just fine, but the smart thing to do would be to have a physician see to it. I doubt you'll die before Monday. Treat the wound with whatever antiseptic you have. Rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide will suffice for the time being.

But do keep a close eye on it. Undue redness, tenderness or inflammation are signs that it's time to seek professional medical help.
posted by lekvar at 12:34 AM on June 30, 2007

IANAD. Ouch, puncture wound first aid. If the pin was really wide I'd consider seeing a doctor, but probably I'd just irrigate and cover with Neosporin.
posted by BrotherCaine at 12:34 AM on June 30, 2007

IANAD, even though my Mefi handle says so.

There's a good chance you'll be just fine (this is from personal unlucky barefoot experience, which is a couple of nails, oystershells, and glass.) However, i've had a very shallow infection on my foot before, and was hell. Your wound is deep. Keep a good eye on it, and if things get even kind of worse, what flabdablet said.
posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew at 12:46 AM on June 30, 2007

Undue redness, tenderness or inflammation are signs that it's time to seek professional medical help.

Just wanted to repeat this because it's bloody good advice. You're fine for now but keep watch, see how it is tomorrow. Don't let it fester if things change, don't mess with it too much if it's healing nicely.
posted by shelleycat at 1:19 AM on June 30, 2007

You want to keep it open long enough to let it heal from the inside out. I find that soaking it twice or three times a day in hot water with Epsom salts then keeping it wrapped so it doesn't dry out and scab over does a good job. Avoid cremas or anything that would clog the wound up. So basically the opposite of how you would treat a scrape.
posted by fshgrl at 2:30 AM on June 30, 2007

For foot injuries, sometimes putting a donut shaped pad around the area can enable you to walk. I've only used this on my heel, so not sure how well it would work on the ball of the foot. Basically you put a dense foam piece with a hole cut out of it over the injured area on your foot. In the US these can be bought at the drugstore. Cover the wound with a dressing of some sort so you don't get anything in there.

If you have any trouble wiggling your toes or bending your foot, you should go to the doctor right away.
posted by yohko at 4:56 AM on June 30, 2007

Frog gig in the foot.
Doctor said I had to have antibiotics, because if it hit the bone you can get infection in it very easily. I'd go today so you can them started before it gets ugly, because you can't tell if it's going to until it does.
posted by unrepentanthippie at 10:26 AM on June 30, 2007

I've been told by doctors that any wound on the hands or feet needs extra special attention, because those areas tend to get dirtier than others. Put a dressing on it and wear a clean sock- you don't want anything getting up in there.
posted by MadamM at 12:32 PM on June 30, 2007

Reasonably good advice above, but I want to stress that if you have the ways and means there really is no reason not to drop in to an urgent care clinic (or your family medicine) and have them both glance at the wound and give you a shot. (Yeah, antibiotics are over prescribed, but this is a case where you want them.)

I'd only consider treating it myself (and going to the doctor later if it got worse) if I were broke and/or uninsured (which I have been all too frequently in the past.)
posted by wfrgms at 10:02 AM on July 1, 2007