foreign body in sole of foot ... what to do?

[roisin]

ds2 (9) cut his foot on the beach on Saturday. He didn't mention it until we got back to the car, so I thought it wasn't serious. When we got back he soaked his feet in the bath and gave it a good wash, and said it was OK. Scar about 8mm long in the very middle of the sole of his foot.

Today he says it's hurting and the area around it is starting to go pinkish/red as though there is some infection. The scar does not look very clean and I'm worried there is something still stuck inside.

He's had a long soak in the bath tonight and says he wants to just leave it for a couple of days and see what happens. Tomorrow he has got swimming with school.

Do you think it's OK to leave it for a couple of days and see if it gets worse or better?

tea tree oil?

I'd check it in the morning and if more inflamed (draw round current red with marker) then I'd take him to gp to be honest

I'd put some antiseptic cream on it and see how it is in the morning - if it gets worse, take him to the GP. If there is something inside it might come out by itself (or not...) - but it will be very sore and inflamed and he might need antibiotics. Poor ds2.

Ds got some glass in his foot just before Christmas a few years ago. We went to A&E and they xrayed it and found some glass in it. He had to have gas and air while they took it out. So I'd get it looked at I tihnk, on the basis of my experience.

Btw, when ds did it we couldn't SEE the glass, it just hurt him. They said 'we'll xray but often you can't see glass so it might be pointless' - luckily it DID show up, which meant they got it out.

this is the kind of thing my MIL would be chasing him round with a bread poultice

but then again if he had a cold my MIL would be chasing him round wtih a bread poultice

in fact, my MIL is quite mad, DH has a deformed joint on his foot due to his arthritis causing his big toe to bend inwards at a virtual right angle ... she said we should force it back, bandage it in place ... and put a bread poultice on it

eww at bread poultice! Sounds medieval!

bread poultice

Thanks all. I think I'm going to have to get it checked out tomorrow, aren't I?

I think one problem is he has a very high pain threshold and rarely complains about pain at all*, so I'm concerned that this must be serious as he has admitted it does hurt. He's not limping though.

*He had the first of 3 ops recently to remove a birthmark. The "full depth of skin" was removed 45 min op and he has a 4" scar. Apart from one dose of paracetamol in the hospital he had no other pain killers: he said it was fine and he didn't need any!

I would take him to A&E. They will look at it, X-ray it (possibly), clean it and dress it. Your GP should tell you to take him to A&E anyway. Give him some ibuprofen in the mean time.

Sunday evening is normally very quiet in A&E.