Er, my finger looks like it is going green. <pic!>

[RedLarvaYellowLarva]

Excuse brief typing - finger v sore!
My finger has been sore since Sunday. Swollen and red. Throbbing. I do not remember hurting it. Noticed yesterday a small green dot at the pain centre, and it is bigger and greener today. Photo not really doing it justice but gives some idea.
Should I bother the GP or ride it out a bit longer and see if it just goes away? Any idea what it is? Basic infection I can fight off myself or something to worry about?!
Aware picture looks a bit pathetic!

Lol, Evans!
I haven't got any dettol in. :(
Currently doing the warm water thing.
Will update for sporners if I do pierce it!

Stick some tomato on it, wrap in tape to keep firmly on finger, at least until you can see a pharmacist.
It draws the pus out.

No tomatoes in. Will ketchup do?
I've seen the pharmacist. She said GP tomorrow.

Oh I had this the other week! Throbbed & red, felt hot & had a green patch! Weird!

I stuck a sterilised needle in it & pus popped out (yay!), no foreign body, just gunk...and that was it, all good again...bit disappointing really, I was hoping for at least a splinter!

My ex once did this with the hot water thing, it burst in the water and it all came out in a big long line. Single best sporn moment of my life.

Come on, get the needle out!

ketchup?

No, if anything it must be a free range organic vintage variety Waitrose tomato...

It works, I had those a lot as a child and my Grandfather taught me the tomato trick.

The warm salty water thing is pure magic. I used to get these in my big toes all the time, and after a good soak I'd be able to get the pus out. Only once I needed antibiotics.

I had one the day I got married. My DH squeezed it out at schippol airport. It hurt like buggery. Ah, happy memories

Looks like Whitlow, and may need antibiotics. GP will sort it.

You lot are terrible! Haha! I think just wait and see the GP. You probably can sort it yourself but run the risk of making the infection worse.

I get these. I usually sterilise a needle with a lighter, soak my finger in hot, salty water, lance it, then soak it again. No problem.

WANT to lance, but think I am too chicken.

Lance! I did and now I have a non-green finger

You know when posters are talking about using needles? Do you mean actually through the nail?!

remembers sewing machine lessons at school plus the thumbnail I sewed. Cries at the memory

Is it really weird that I kind of want one of these?!

Dh had this and the doctor made a hole in his nail using a straightened out paper clip heated red hot in a lighter! Burnt a hole through the nail with ease and let the pus out - apparently it didn't hurt at all! Might be easier than having to press something sharp on it.

Dh had this and the doctor made a hole in his nail using a straightened out paper clip heated red hot in a lighter! Burnt a hole through the nail with ease and let the pus out

Crikey! the things you learn on MN .

No need to lance through the nail. You can see in the picture that she can get to it through the side of the nail (yes, I clearly spent too much time looking at that picture )

LadyTrevelyan I think as long as you only go through the nail and into the pus it wouldn't hurt, there's just the risk of over shooting and going into the nail bed, which is probably what you did with the the sewing machine (ouch...)

Yes, looking again it does look like it's right at the edge where it's lifted anyway.

The single best moment of our holiday three years ago was dsil showing me her huge red and green finger. She was on abs, but it hurt like a bugger. I unselfishly volunteered to doctor it. Hot water salt. The nail had gone soggy, and when I punctured it a wad of hard pus hit the mirror followed by a stream. I pretended to be squeamish, but God, it was lovely.