Cookies!

::drools::

Hivemind help, please? I think I got a piece of glass in my big toe back in August. (I think glass rather than splinter, because I never found a splinter, and a glass broke in my mom's kitchen a few days before my toe starting hurting.)

I tried to dig it out, Stephen tried to dig it out -- at one point there was a big honking hole in my toe. (It's in the fleshy part you step down on.) A callus has formed where it healed, but now it hurts again -- as in, I apply pressure by stepping down and I feel like a needle or other sharp thing is being driven into my toe.

What do I do? I don't want to attempt to get it out myself again, since that was *such* a success last time, but it seems dumb to go to the doctor for this. Any home remedies? Can I soak it out? ::adopts wee small voice:: Help?

AmyLiz, soak it is warm water and epsom salt. It should help to draw the glass out.

If it were me, I'd go to the doctor. I get fearful of infection and the like. Though, I run to the doctor for all sorts of things, so I am a big scardy cat. However, in my defense, my doctor is on campus and I don't have to pay a co-pay. Ahem, but we're not talking about me!

See, the soaking sounds sensible (or at least the most appealing) but with the callus there, I don't know if the glass could escape.

I hate going to the doctor, Nora, even though my guy here is nice. But he's just an internist. Don't doctors get all twitchy when they have to actually cut you open, even in a small way? I can imagine him telling me I have to call someone else, and blah blah BLAH blah blah...

It would be red and swollen if there was infection. I second sj's suggestion on a soak with epsom salt. I might also try lots of rinsing in hydrogen peroxide. I've gotten foreign matter to bubble to the surface that way, too.

I'd exhaust home remedies before going to the doctor. But I've cut all kinds of things out of my calloused feet before.

I want cookies. I'm out of read-to-bake dough and too lazy to make my own. But since I'm going to the grocery tonight, I'll have to remedy that situation.

I apply pressure by stepping down and I feel like a needle or other sharp thing is being driven into my toe.

Well, the glass is working its way out, so soaking should definitely help.

I once had a very large splinter come out three months after it went in to my thigh, and the sensation was similar to what you're describing.

Soaking in warm salt water. And then, when that doesn't work, the doctor.

AmyLiz, soaking will soften the callous. If the object is sharp, it should work its way out.

and too lazy to make my own

C'mon, Cash! Cookie dough takes ten minutes. Flour, sugar, butter, ta da!

Dear stomach:

I took quite a lot of time, energy, and care to make you a yummy lunch of no-mayo, no-sugar chicken salad with roasted red pepper vinagrette, coarse chopped olives, and shallot- don't bitch to ME that it isn't a meatball sub or burrito or some other carbtastic item. It's healthy, it's delicious, SO DEAL WITH IT. No, I will not buy you a candy bar. I don't care that it's cold and grey out.

Love, Nora