Does this sound infected or am i just healing?

[NannyL]

Ok on Tueday when plugging in a car seat i managed to scrape my knuckle...
it didnt hurt, i didnt even notice it until i was driving off with blood literally dripping down my hand!
I put lots of Witch Dr gel on it etc
didnt hurt at all on wednesday either or Thursday.
NOw the whole knuckle (the knuckel i cut, not all 4) is VERY painful and boiling hot, and REALLY hurts. I cant even move the assocaited finger properly or bend it much either.
the scabby bit looks normal (tho is yellow) but its all dry.
It hurt so much that it even woke me in the night

im trying to decide to i get a Drs appt tomorrow, ( i REALLY dont want antibiotics unless essential) or may it just be healing normally....
afterall to heal our bodys do send more blood (make it red and hot) dont they?...
its just SOO painful and its getting so bad im gonna have to take pain killers before i go to bed, and i dont remember doing that normally!

NannyL, think you know the answer to your own question. Has to be infected, definitely. OW!

Sounds infected to me, though it might still sort itself out.
Have you tried a stronger topical antiseptic like TCP, or surgical spirits? What about Savlon? I don't know about the Witch Dr. stuff.
People used to occasionally lose digits, limbs, from minor cuts like this, so don't feel bad about the antiBs, if necessary, they do have their place.

Can you feel a build up of fluid anywhere. If you have access to sterile needles (my mum is a district nurse so I always do) it can sometimes be sorted by opening up the area, squeezing out the pus and then using antiseptic cream and covering with gauze or a plaster. Hurts though.

is it swollen? It does sound infected

ive just looked and it does seem swollen...

ive put on loads more witch Dr gel (but think ill have a savlon / TCP hunt) The thing is the witch Dr that really stings did not hurt at all (cause its all scabbed over) so i doubt that it will do much as the TCP etc wont get "in" IUSWIM

no access to sterile needles here unfortunatly!

also today general consensus from my mum, sister and grandmother was that it "looked" ok enough!

think they were surpised that i could not use my knife to cut my dinner tho . Definitely got a LOT more painful in the past 6 - 8 hours!

Ok been to Dr... after spending most of last night awke in great pain...

its VERY infected... got antibiotics that should work (if not i'll be in hospital for intravenouse ones, so they better work ) had another tetnas, and im not allowed to drive at least for today.

also taking max dose of paracetamol and inbuprofen to help with swelling and pain!

back to Drs on wednesday to check its all going well, or else go into hosp!

ouch ! Hope it starts to feel better soon.

Moral of the story - if a wound becomes red and painful a few days after it first happened it means it has a secondary infection - either reopen the wound if you can and get antiseptic in it (if it is small - I have done that recently for a splinter), or go to the gp and get them to deal with it.

meant to say - I also had a scrape on my knuckle go septic a day or too later - I was lucky in that it was still open and weeping so I could squeeze it to get most of the gunk out and then get antiseptic on it. Luckily it went away after that.