To be concerned about my toe

[Ihaveaquestionn]

Solid oak bar stool fell directly across my toes today.

I have EPIC bruising, pain I can only compare to childbirth and a weird tingling/numb feeling underneath the toe.

Pain is currently so bad I can’t sit still or think about anything else despite having taken paracetamol and codeine.

I have iced and elevated it most of the day.

My husband says there’s no point having it seen as they will just advise rest and ice. Thinks I’m over reacting.

admittedly I have health anxiety so am imagining worst case scenarios of blood clots, losing my toe, the bone being broken and not healing properly and causing problems down the line

Pic attached and any advice/reassurance welcome

You could have fractured it. They might give you Codeine for pain which is stronger than paracetamol or things you can buy over the counter.

I am not generally one to say go to A&E but you will need an xray and a lot of walk ins (if you even have one, we don't) don't x ray and will send you to A&E anyway.
Its awful, DH spent 7 hours in our new "flagship" A&E recently but it might be the best option

I had a similar injury. When it didn’t improve I went to minor injuries for an xray. It was reassuring to know not broken. Treatment was to strap it with tape. I’d definitely get checked out it’s what minor injuries or walk in centres deal with.

The way you describe it was exactly what happened when I broke my toe. Since it wasn’t the big one there wasn’t much to be done, if it had been they’d have given me a boot (I fell downstairs so thought best to get checked out as thought I’d snapped something in my foot). Otherwise I found crocs to be a lifesaver with plenty of cotton wool!

Please go to A&E. I know it's a pain in the arse to wait god knows how many hours, but please go.
I had a similar injury 30+ yrs ago, couldn't get medical treatment because of where I was at that time. I now have arthritis in that joint, it never quite healed correctly and it does affect my life. I wish I could go back and do things differently. Big toes are suprisingly important.

Thanks all - walk in today then!

It just feels so rock solid underneath it would make sense that blood has pooled there or whatever people have been saying.

Will keep you all updated.

Weirdly it’s not excruciatingly painful when I’m moving around, only when I stay still!

You do need to get it seen, so glad you're going to gerlt medical attention.

Your big toe is different to your other toes, it's important it heals properly if it is broken as it can cause ongoing problems if it doesn't.

Not particularly impressed with your DH's attitude if I'm honest - you've potentially got a broken bone and he's refusing to help you, that's not normal OP.

Any other toe, I'd say don't bother. But your big toe is really important for the structure and function of your foot/balance. Hope you get seen quickly!

That little piggy goes to the market to fetch the shopping whilst the other little piggies sit about on their arses. The big toe is a big deal. Hope it’s ok x

First of all: I promise you will not get a blood clot or lose your toe! You can stop worrying about that right now. It won't happen.

It's also highly unlikely that it will heal 'wrong' somehow. I understand why you're worried, especially because it's your big toe (plus I know how much it hurts) but please try not to panic.

It probably is broken but the treatment for a broken toe is exactly the same as the treatment for a badly bruised toe. If you went to A&E they probably wouldn't even x-ray it. They usually just tape it up for you and advise you to keep it elevated and iced.

I broke my toe a few years ago and the advice was to keep your foot elevated as much as you can, ice it to reduce the swelling, and tape it to the adjacent toe with a bit of padding in between to stabilise it. I just did it myself, but if you don't feel confident about that, then give your GP a call and they'll tell you whether to go to them, or go to a minor injuries clinic, or go to A&E (although A&E would be a last resort really).

You can take over the counter painkillers for it. Bear in mind that you can take paracetamol and ibuprofen together, if one isn't doing the trick on its own, or you could try cocodamol if you're really struggling.

I sympathise hugely because I know it really does hurt! But I promise you a broken toe is not as serious an injury as it sounds and you don't need to worry about any long-term issues or freaky complications.

Maybe a haematoma under the nail?
My son fractured his finger and had a haematoma under his nail. He had to have the nail 'trephined' through to release the trapped blood. Instant relief of pain. I think it was a something like a heated paperclip they used for the trephination.
Anyway, make sure you go to a WIC with X-ray facilities OP.
Good luck

Go to a walk-in centre (with x-ray facilities) to have it assessed. Big ties are managed differently to other toes. & for people saying otherwise, some people retain movement despite having a fracture

@KreedKafer It probably is broken but the treatment for a broken toe is exactly the same as the treatment for a badly bruised toe. If you went to A&E they probably wouldn't even x-ray it. They usually just tape it up for you and advise you to keep it elevated and iced. …. Simply not true! Your big toe is the stabiliser for your balance - a suspected fracture of the big toe will be xrayed due to the vital part it plays!

Good luck OP. Even if the walk in doesn't have an X-ray you may be lucky and it will do what ours does and 'fast track' you for one at the nearby hospital, rather than having to wait to do everything all over again - even if you do have to go to two places.

For everyone saying it doesn’t need looking at why do you think the advice from the nhs should be ignored?

Weirdly it’s not excruciatingly painful when I’m moving around, only when I stay still! That might make sense if it's blood pooling - the circulation back to the heart works better when you're mobile.

I have an appointment at a walk in clinic with x ray facilities at 4pm today - I will keep you all updated. Thank you for all the advice and reassurance.

Glad you’re having it looked at.

Update: was seen very quickly at the walk in, had an x ray and I have broken my toe - one “big” break and a couple of smaller ones, hence the swelling and bruising.

Its strapped up, I’ve got co codamol and a very impressive boot to wear for the next few weeks.

Big thanks to everyone for your replies, you convinced me to get it checked and were very kind regarding my health anxiety, which would have really taken over if not for this thread.

(Husband has apologised for the record!)

Thanks for the update and though I’m obviously not glad to hear you’ve broken your toe, I’m glad you did go and get it looked at and are now having the right treatment. I hope you have a quick recovery.

Oh dear OP
Good job you ignored your husband.

I would definitely get this checked. I broke my big toe in a similar accident and it was excruciatingly painful. Hospital taped it up in a spica plaster which helped hugely.

Thanks for the update OP. Glad it’s been sorted and that your DH has apologised.
gosh several breaks is not minor

Really happy to hear your update, although obviously it's not great news. At least you know what you need to do for the best recovery and your husband had the grace to apologise. I understand it can be difficult to control the anxiety when you are anxious about your health. Especially as there's lots of information on the internet and it's hard to know if it's relevant for your situation. However I would encourage you to trust your gut and seek professional advice as soon as possible in the future. It will make it easier for you to control your anxiety if you know exactly what it is and how it's going to be treated. Much better than what your brain can imagine, that can be truly scary and frightening. I hope you're given a bit better support from your husband, regardless of if it was or wasn't broken, he would have helped you by being available to get you to the walk in centre. Good luck with your recovery x

Glas you've got it sorted. It'll mend in time.
I've known people not get things checked and have worse problems down the line.