To take my son to GP? Splinters

[Fabiagracefawndorn]

My 3 y.o. son had unfortunate landing on a fence today resulting in dozens of tiny splinters stuck in his palm, I tried vinegar but I can't get them out. I have counted more than 30, some are barely visible to naked eye, but still deep though

It doesn't look infected from that piccie and if they are near the surface and not bothering him would just leave and let nature take its course they will work out or the skin eventually disappears as it is worn off etc. Regular baths for him and a good play. Unless they do become infected. (I would think it would show as redness in the area first before pus etc. )

Not a nurse but no a big believer in digging stuff out to be honest think it leaves more room for infection!!

Just leave them.Unless they are infected they are doing no harm .

I'm not sure just leaving them is a good idea or not.

I told my son to leave his splinter, it's been 4 years and it's still there.

Also I have a tiny shard of glass in my finger from about 2 years ago and and occasionally when I accidentally press on that area it feels like a needle stabbing me and sends me 3 foot in the air.

I can imagine lots of tiny splinter on a little persons hand doing the same.

Not all splinters make their way out, believe me. I always thought they did until I saw what happened to DS.

Hope hes improving bless him!

Soap and sugar poultice.
Grate some bar soap in a dish and add an equal quantity of granulated sugar.
Add a small amount of warm water and mix to a paste.
Apply soap and sugar mix to his hand/splinter area and cover with clean cloth and bandage.
Inspect, wash and change poultice daily until splinters are drawn out.
Very, very old fashioned remedy ...but, it works.

I would totally be at that with a needle. Get a wee bit of the skin up & they will come out easily. They are not deep at all.

Don’t dig around yourself!!

Follow medical advice and go to GP nurse!!

Whatanabsolute
Re. The little bit of glass in your finger-I’d get that out if I were you. I had the tiniest sliver of a piece of a Pyrex casserole dish in my foot a few months ago. I went to the GP after a few days as it really hurt when I put pressure on it. He removed it in a few minutes. It was hard to believe that such a tiny piece (it was actually difficult to see it!) could cause such discomfort. It might be worth mentioning it to your GP when you go next time.

Procrastination I'm far too much of a wuss for that!

Seriously, though, it’ll probably be just a few minutes of discomfort. Far better to put up with that rather than what you’re describing every time you put pressure on your finger! At least, mention it to your GP, and see what s/he advises.

Daily baths in as not a water as he can manage and mag sulphate in between.

WhatAnAbsolutePenis Not wishing to panic you, but when I went to Minor Injuries with a splinter of glass in my finger, I was (to my amazement) triaged straight in to the Doctor (past all the people in the queue)
When I asked why, she explained that tiny bits of glass can do a lot of damage if they work their way into the bloodstream - so they need to be removed asap..!

Oh bless him, poor little thing.I have no sound advice but I do hope you manage to find a solution before having to go to the GP.

Plasters..... I’ve found with my little ones plasters encourage the splinter to the top and then they come out when the plaster is pulled off or are so near it’s easy to get then out. I can’t guarantee that this wouldn’t happen without the plaster but it seems to do the trick. Don’t dig!

I'd have had them out in 10 mins with a safety pin, easy-peasy. Stick it in under the body of the splinter and flick it out. Never once had an infection (and I'll admit to not sterilising the pin first!)

Everyone will shout at me for this, it’s not hygienic but it works for us. Ds14 had a handful like this when he was 5, from running his hand down a fance and dp gets them all the time from work. I actually ‘suck’ them out. Yep myself. I find I can feel the tip with my tongue, and if I gently suck and move the tip, they pop out slightly, I can then the splinter between my teeth and pull it out🙈. But this tends to be when it’s just happened or within a few hours. His little palm may be too swollen now (although it may not look it), and the splinters too embedded. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Poor little mite, I remember the pain ds was in😔

No nurse or GP is going to dig these out (I’m a GP). Leave them and keep encouraging lots of water play and use mag sulph paste overnight each night.

Poor baby. It looks sore. Hopefully they will come out soon. If my DC get splinters I always leave well alone, as long as they don't look swollen or infected.

Thank you guys!

I have decided to wait a bit longer (and see how it goes )

Thank you Ilovemangoes
For now it's not inflammated at all, no signs of redness, so I think I'll try to bath him a lot and use magnesium sulfate overnight as suggested..

Blister (hydrocolloid) plasters work really well, you can leave them on for several days and they reduce pain too.

Thank you all so much for your replies. I just wanted to post the update that my son showed me his palm today and said "look no more ouch" we used magnesium sulfate paste overnight and warm baths during the day. One buy one they came out, there was no pus. Thank you once again guys.

Old thread I know, but my DS2 got about 30 splinters in his arm yesterday. This thread has been really useful! Dr didn’t want to get them out as so tiny and would traumatise DS! I’ve got mag sulf which we started last night and will persist with this and warm baths. Fingers crossed. Thank you!