ShardFilter: 3mm? glass splinter in pad of thumb. Removal?
December 24, 2021 7:28 AM Subscribe
Overthinking a tiny glass splinter? Yeah I can do that.
So about a week ago, a giant mirror busted in my place. Managed to clean up 99.9% of it, then somehow missed the last tiny shard and cut thumb. I cleaned it pretty quick, thought I got it all out, but maybe not. I put antibiotic oinment on it & a band aid for a few days. Now, on surface of thumb just looks like a dot, but if I press it hurts a bit. No swelling or other discoloration. Can't tell if it's still a piece in there or just healing. Not exactly urgent? and the interwebs says if it's that small, it may just eventually turn into a tiny blister and get purged by the body. Doesn't really look like that's happening yet. Ignore? Urgent care? (there's so many other health concerns plaguing me right now that this seems ridiculous, but you know. Splinter, meet beans. Plus it's the pad of thumb which erg. )
I also know I could try soaking hand in vinegar for a bit and try to remove, but since it's been a week dunno if that's gonna do it, if it's even in there. Not sure how the E.R. or what not would even see it, thought I read you can see glass on x-ray.
So about a week ago, a giant mirror busted in my place. Managed to clean up 99.9% of it, then somehow missed the last tiny shard and cut thumb. I cleaned it pretty quick, thought I got it all out, but maybe not. I put antibiotic oinment on it & a band aid for a few days. Now, on surface of thumb just looks like a dot, but if I press it hurts a bit. No swelling or other discoloration. Can't tell if it's still a piece in there or just healing. Not exactly urgent? and the interwebs says if it's that small, it may just eventually turn into a tiny blister and get purged by the body. Doesn't really look like that's happening yet. Ignore? Urgent care? (there's so many other health concerns plaguing me right now that this seems ridiculous, but you know. Splinter, meet beans. Plus it's the pad of thumb which erg. )
I also know I could try soaking hand in vinegar for a bit and try to remove, but since it's been a week dunno if that's gonna do it, if it's even in there. Not sure how the E.R. or what not would even see it, thought I read you can see glass on x-ray.
If you can feel it there is probably something still there and it's pressing on a touch sensor in your fingertip. I'd work on getting it out. It could blister and eject on its own, or it could scar over and dig in and you'll always feel it in there. If it's a sharp piece of glass it will probably aggravate the tissue around it continually unlike a splinter.
The expert advice is not to do home surgery on yourself but I'd personally do a hot soak and then try to get at it with a pair of really good tweezers and a magnifying glass, especially if you can still see it. Have some antiseptic and ointment on hand and bandage it well.
posted by JoeZydeco at 9:13 AM on December 24, 2021 [1 favorite]
The expert advice is not to do home surgery on yourself but I'd personally do a hot soak and then try to get at it with a pair of really good tweezers and a magnifying glass, especially if you can still see it. Have some antiseptic and ointment on hand and bandage it well.
posted by JoeZydeco at 9:13 AM on December 24, 2021 [1 favorite]
Sometimes when I have a tiny invisible splinter I’ll use an emery board to scrape away the very top layers of skin, either revealing the splinter or letting it fall out. But otherwise, I would suggest that you don’t fuss with it too much or do anything invasive.
posted by gnutron at 9:22 AM on December 24, 2021
posted by gnutron at 9:22 AM on December 24, 2021
There is also a chance that there isn’t anything in there and the pain is scar tissue and nerve damage. How deep was the initial cut? Do you have a very bright light? You may be able to get a view through your finger - though glass may not show.
I agree with regular care and cleaning and seeing what happens, but I am not a doctor, not medical advice. You may be able to call an ask-a-nurse line or other medical advice via your insurance or a virtual appointment.
My experience was in slicing my finger, fairly deep. It felt like there was glass in it for a good 2+ weeks after the stitches came out. Impossible since I didn’t cut it on glass. I had to wait to type or use it properly until it settled after a number of weeks to it’s current state.
posted by Crystalinne at 9:59 AM on December 24, 2021
I agree with regular care and cleaning and seeing what happens, but I am not a doctor, not medical advice. You may be able to call an ask-a-nurse line or other medical advice via your insurance or a virtual appointment.
My experience was in slicing my finger, fairly deep. It felt like there was glass in it for a good 2+ weeks after the stitches came out. Impossible since I didn’t cut it on glass. I had to wait to type or use it properly until it settled after a number of weeks to it’s current state.
posted by Crystalinne at 9:59 AM on December 24, 2021
I am not a doctor, this is not medical advice.
I got a glass splinter in the base of my foot once, and both my roommate and I tried for two days to get it out - but to no avail. (My eyes aren't what they once were, and all our tweezers were crappy.) I tried to cope by wearing my thickest socks, but every so often I would step wrong and it would hurt. I ultimately went to urgent care and got it removed - where I also learned that the damn thing was so small it would have been IMPOSSIBLE for me to get out on my own, simply because regular tweezers couldn't have gotten a purchase. (In fact, it was so small it didn't show up on the x-ray, and the doctor confessed later that he didn't entirely believe me that I had a splinter and was only making an incision to look for it because I was so insistent; but about 90 seconds after making the incision, I heard him grunt in surprise and say "I'll be damned" when he found it.)
That doctor did tell me that sometimes the body forms a cyst around such splinters when it can't work things out on their own; but honestly, the biggest reason I went to urgent care as soon as I did was because it was so damn uncomfortable to the point that walking was hurting that was the biggest motivator for me. It sounds like your splinter isn't in as uncomfortable a place, so you may have a couple extra days to wait and watch and monitor things and see if it comes out on its own. But if you're still experiencing the same symptoms after about a week, I'd at least check with an urgent care nurse to see if there's any reason you might want to head in.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:09 AM on December 24, 2021 [2 favorites]
I got a glass splinter in the base of my foot once, and both my roommate and I tried for two days to get it out - but to no avail. (My eyes aren't what they once were, and all our tweezers were crappy.) I tried to cope by wearing my thickest socks, but every so often I would step wrong and it would hurt. I ultimately went to urgent care and got it removed - where I also learned that the damn thing was so small it would have been IMPOSSIBLE for me to get out on my own, simply because regular tweezers couldn't have gotten a purchase. (In fact, it was so small it didn't show up on the x-ray, and the doctor confessed later that he didn't entirely believe me that I had a splinter and was only making an incision to look for it because I was so insistent; but about 90 seconds after making the incision, I heard him grunt in surprise and say "I'll be damned" when he found it.)
That doctor did tell me that sometimes the body forms a cyst around such splinters when it can't work things out on their own; but honestly, the biggest reason I went to urgent care as soon as I did was because it was so damn uncomfortable to the point that walking was hurting that was the biggest motivator for me. It sounds like your splinter isn't in as uncomfortable a place, so you may have a couple extra days to wait and watch and monitor things and see if it comes out on its own. But if you're still experiencing the same symptoms after about a week, I'd at least check with an urgent care nurse to see if there's any reason you might want to head in.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:09 AM on December 24, 2021 [2 favorites]
The expert advice is not to do home surgery on yourself
I agree with this but will say that in similar situations I usually pull out a fresh razor blade to open up the area and get it out with tweezers and pressure.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 10:23 AM on December 24, 2021 [1 favorite]
I agree with this but will say that in similar situations I usually pull out a fresh razor blade to open up the area and get it out with tweezers and pressure.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 10:23 AM on December 24, 2021 [1 favorite]
I had to have a teeny tiny sliver of a seashell removed from my foot this summer. It crunched when I stepped on it and a tiny shard went in my toe.
I tried to get it out with a needle and tweezers to no avail, and ended up having to go to the local urgent care. Turns out it was in pretty deep and I was very glad the doc gave me a numbing injection!
If you think it's still in there, I would recommend going to the urgent care with COVID precautions.
posted by foodmapper at 11:30 AM on December 24, 2021
I tried to get it out with a needle and tweezers to no avail, and ended up having to go to the local urgent care. Turns out it was in pretty deep and I was very glad the doc gave me a numbing injection!
If you think it's still in there, I would recommend going to the urgent care with COVID precautions.
posted by foodmapper at 11:30 AM on December 24, 2021
Brewery worker here, used to work on bottling lines daily, where glass splinters are a fact of life.
This is the product you want: https://medipoint.com/splinter-out/
Available all over, Amazon if you want.
Very sharp but also flat. Far more successful for me than tweezers and a razor.
I would also advise that you don't fuck with it too much - bottle glass is different than mirror glass, but it can be unpleasant if you break the glass into smaller pieces.
posted by booooooze at 1:15 PM on December 24, 2021 [2 favorites]
This is the product you want: https://medipoint.com/splinter-out/
Available all over, Amazon if you want.
Very sharp but also flat. Far more successful for me than tweezers and a razor.
I would also advise that you don't fuck with it too much - bottle glass is different than mirror glass, but it can be unpleasant if you break the glass into smaller pieces.
posted by booooooze at 1:15 PM on December 24, 2021 [2 favorites]
Seconding SplinterOut. We keep those in our First Aid kit and they are incredibly useful for this purpose.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 2:03 PM on December 24, 2021
posted by Pater Aletheias at 2:03 PM on December 24, 2021
Just want to add epsom salts to the soaking idea. It has the ability to draw things to the surface.
posted by serendipityrules at 2:19 PM on December 24, 2021
posted by serendipityrules at 2:19 PM on December 24, 2021
I press it hurts a bit. No swelling or other discoloration. Can't tell if it's still a piece in there or just healing.
As one who has gone barefoot every chance I get for the last forty years, I have a fair bit of experience with glass in my feet. If there's still a splinter or flake of glass in a wound, the pain on pressing it is sharp and intense and very localised, because it comes from a sharp part of what's embedded actually cutting a fresh wound inside.
If you can't immediately tell that there's something still embedded in there, chances are there isn't. Stop poking it, if you can, for at least five days before checking again.
posted by flabdablet at 7:50 PM on December 24, 2021 [1 favorite]
As one who has gone barefoot every chance I get for the last forty years, I have a fair bit of experience with glass in my feet. If there's still a splinter or flake of glass in a wound, the pain on pressing it is sharp and intense and very localised, because it comes from a sharp part of what's embedded actually cutting a fresh wound inside.
If you can't immediately tell that there's something still embedded in there, chances are there isn't. Stop poking it, if you can, for at least five days before checking again.
posted by flabdablet at 7:50 PM on December 24, 2021 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by DarlingBri at 7:53 AM on December 24, 2021 [4 favorites]