WAY OT: stepping on rusty nail

Hello All, I stepped on a long and very rusty nail yesterday...NOT a pleasant experience. I had on sandals and the sandal slid to the side so none of the sandal material went into the puncture. Went immediately to the ER as I knew I had not had a tetanus shot for years. They gave me one, did xrays, soaked the foot in betadine and put me on large doses of two antibiotics. I was just doing some reading online (sometimes a dangerous thing to do) and I am finding sites that say you should see a foot and ankle surgeon within 24 hours, even if you went to the ER, for a thorough cleaning of the wound. Yes, I am freaking out a bit and thought perhaps someone here might share their insights/thoughts, please?

I have soaked it in betadine again today, as instructed in the ER, and will continue to watch the wound closely for signs of infection. Anybody else here that executed this wretched maneuver??? Thanks for your input!

Jeanette

It might depend on whether they saw anything in the xray or not. When my STBX got a nail through his hand, he did have to see a surgeon because there was still some debris in his hand. I am pretty sure it wasn't within 24 hours though. I am sorry that happened to you, it sounds very painful!

Jaylee, thanks for your response. I know they did not see anything in the xray so that is good, I hope. Yes, it is tremendously painful..I lost my balance a bit and my foot was sliding to the side so the nail entered in the arch of my foot near the side. OUCH

Jeanette

I am sure they would have referred you if you needed follow up. You still might want to follow up with your regular doctor.

Puncture wounds are nasty because they are both deep and very difficult to clean out. Did it bleed? (Limited bleeding is good as it flushes out foreign material.

Do keep that careful watch for signs of infection. If you're not sure, err on the side of caution. And go sooner rather than later.

And while a tetanus shot was appropriate, the rust on the nail is immaterial.

jdm2857 wrote:Puncture wounds are nasty because they are both deep and very difficult to clean out. Did it bleed? (Limited bleeding is good as it flushes out foreign material.

Do keep that careful watch for signs of infection. If you're not sure, err on the side of caution. And go sooner rather than later.

And while a tetanus shot was appropriate, the rust on the nail is immaterial.

Yes, it did bleed and a bit more than I would have expected so perhaps that is a good thing. In fact, it is still bleeding a bit, not quite through the dressing I have over it, but I can see it a bit. It looks good so far, but I know I have to keep a very close eye on it.
Just curious..why is the rust on the nail immaterial? I always thought if it was a rusty nail it was worse somehow. Is that a myth??

Jeanette

It is widely believed that rust has some connection to tetanus, which is not true. That is all that I meant by my not-so-clear comment.

Jeanette, I just wanted to say that I hope you heal very quickly! Ouch!!!

I worked construction for over 20 years, and put more than a few nails through my feet and hands.
So long as it's not infected, you'll be fine without any followup visits. If it does become infected, or it starts to hurt more after a couple of days, then of course go see your doctor again.

DreamOn wrote:Jeanette, I just wanted to say that I hope you heal very quickly! Ouch!!!

Thank you, DreamOn! I hope so too.

Komodo wrote:I worked construction for over 20 years, and put more than a few nails through my feet and hands.
So long as it's not infected, you'll be fine without any followup visits. If it does become infected, or it starts to hurt more after a couple of days, then of course go see your doctor again.

Thanks, Komodo. In construction..yes, I imagine you did go through this many times! It is really hurting this morning but I just did this Saturday afternoon, so I am going to just watch it and see how it goes. With all the antibiotics I am taking, it ought to knock infection away, I would think.

Jeanette

Smart move to go to ER.
I worked with someone who thought he was too tough to go to ER for a small injury. He got tetanus - it is not a fun thing to get. He was off work for almost 2 months and dragging his sorry ass around for many more.

Sorry to hear that and hope you heal quickly. That has to hurt! They did put you on antibiotics, so this should prevent infection. Keep soaking it and take all of your antibiotics as directed.

rosie

BlackSpinner wrote:Smart move to go to ER.
I worked with someone who thought he was too tough to go to ER for a small injury. He got tetanus - it is not a fun thing to get. He was off work for almost 2 months and dragging his sorry ass around for many more.

Blackspinner, Yes I know the type! From what I was told about tetanus yesteray, he was lucky to have anything left to drag around. BTW, I hope you get your computer back quickly.

rosiefrosie wrote:Sorry to hear that and hope you heal quickly. That has to hurt! They did put you on antibiotics, so this should prevent infection. Keep soaking it and take all of your antibiotics as directed.

rosie

Thanks, Rosie! I will definitely take all the antiobiotics;something like this scares me. My hubby and I have been remodeling our house (ourselves) and the DH is not really good about picking up after himself..ergo the board with nails on the ground. I am doing a daily soak with the betadine but dont really know how long I need to keep that up. Seems almost as though it would inhibit a scab from forming.

Jeanette

ouch! that must have really hurt!
Well, you got your tetenus shot, that is so important.. I bet it will be okay, just keep an eye on it for swelling, redness, discharge.. even a clear
discharge..

My husband stepped on a sliver of wood when we were remodeling, and he had to also have a tetenus shot, you can get it from anything, or just have
an open wound and contact some dirt that has it in it..


My dog got tetenus this way. It was from our front yard which years before was once a horse pasture, so pretty much all the soil around our yard is probably
contaminated.


Here is a little note I got of the web about where one might find the spores readily:
This is particularly true with manure-treated soils, as the spores are widely distributed in the intestines and feces of many non-human animals such as horses, sheep, cattle, dogs, cats, rats, guinea pigs, and chickens. Spores can be introduced into the body through puncture wounds