How can you tell if something is infected?

[BertieBotts]

Sorry for the yuk question. DS has got a graze on his toes, I think he may have dragged his feet on the floor while in the buggy (possibly with my XP as I didn't notice him injure himself) - as he does this sometimes with shoes on. It's sort of in between his big toe and the one next to it, on the inside near the ends of both of them.

It's been over 2 weeks and the main part of the graze has healed but the bit between his toes has all blistered and still looks sore. He doesn't mind me touching it and hasn't been rubbing it etc. I have been trying to keep him barefoot as much as possible when at home to minimise it getting sweaty in a sock etc.

I showed it to the HV a week and a half ago and she said it looked fine and just to bath him normally by way of cleaning it, which I have been, but just wondering now whether it might be infected as it's taking so long to heal, and the blister.

I was thinking of taking him to the GP in the morning to get it checked over but don't know whether I am overreacting. It doesn't smell or anything like that.

[MrsDinky]

Can you just see the practice nurse for minor things like this? I have taken my DCs to see ours many times for things that I have worried are too trivial for the GP.

If the blisters looked like they had pus inside rather than clear liquid, and the area surrounding was hot or red or itchy I would suspect infection. Could he have picked up athlete's foot? My DD got it when she was about 2 and it did get infected.

[BertieBotts]

I might be able to, that's a good point. I think he might freak out though, he has only ever seen the nurse for his vaccinations, and he is terrified :( Although may be the case with going to the doctor in general. I suppose I can ring up in the morning and see if the nurse is available, I don't know whether she is only in at certain times.

It's not really a blister with liquid in it's more just dry dead skin looking like a big popped blister, and dark red bits which look a bit like scabs (but could be blisters filled with something? Don't want to poke it around too much!) All the skin seems quite tough and hard which I assumed was just because it's on the foot, but I don't know now. I suppose I should get it checked out just in case anyway.

[Sidge]

If it hasn't healed in 2 weeks and looks blistered it could be infected (hard to tell without looking though!)

Usually infected wounds are red, warm/hot and slow to heal. They may be mucky, oozing or have pus in them.

The other thing is that if it's between his toes he may have developed a fungal infection in the broken skin - have you got any Canesten you could put on it?

Otherwise take him to see the practice nurse, I'm one and we're pretty expert at assessing wounds

[Iloveautumn]

Prob a bit late to reply but ds had an infected elbow a few weeks ago and it was really obvious it was infected:

-it was incredibly tender/sore to the touch - ie he hit the roof if he banged it on anything

• it looked yellow and pussy
  

• it was all red around it
  

• it was hot to the touch (I had an infected foot once and the doctor's test was whether it felt hot - heat equals infection.)
  

Doctor took one look at ds' elbow and prescribed antibiotics - said if it was left any longer it would swell up... I don't think you get very long when there is any infection before it gets really bad.

Doesn't sound like your ds' foot is infected, but if I was you I would get a nurse to take a look.

[nannyl]

i have had a (severly very nearly put me in hospital) ankle, knee and hand (3 seperate things)

the pain quickly goes from a "bit sore" to UNBEARABLE.... (my hand was so painful at 3am i wanted to go to A&E but couldnt grip steering wheel to drive there) it gets bright red and a ring round it which grows so quickly you can almost see it grow and the whole area is very very hot