Please help, medical people.

[CarolDanvers]

Second day of holiday and I have just noticed this on my child which she tells me has been there for almost two weeks! She’s autistic and was too scared to say as she hates going to the doctors or hospital. I have health insurance thank god! But is there anyway I can treat this myself without having to go to the doctors? There’s a pharmacy not far away I can go to. In Spain if that helps.

Is it hot and sore? Looks a bit infected. How did she do it?

It might be a good idea to take her to the pharmacy and show them?

Hot compress? Looks like pus needs to come out

Witlow?

Magnesium sulphate paste on a plaster and see if that draws it out. And yes a pharmacist may be able to advise xx

My husband gets these!

He normally lances them himself which I realise is not ideal for a child. The relief is immediate though apparently!

Ok, we are going to the pharmacist now. See what they say. It’s not massively painful she says but it looks awful. Worse than that photo shows it.

Pharmacy will be able to give you advice for free and possibly sell you something OTC relatively cheaply. If they say she needs a doctor then your holiday rep will be able to put you in touch with whoever they recommend.

Pharmacists in Spain are highly competent. Go get it looked at. Don’t let it spoil your hols.

No holiday rep as all booked myself but hotel are lovely and helpful so will be able to help if necessary I am sure. Off to pharmacist now!

It is a whitlow - I had the exact same thing last year. I went to the GP and they said a bit of infection must have got in under the cuticle. They gave me antibiotics and it healed up. Eventually (as the nastiest bit of infection was round the bottom of the nail bed) I lost the nail.

That's a fantastic colour DH had one like that going on holidays years ago, the pharmacist gave him magnesium sulphate and it sorted it.