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Greetings and Ola'
I researched the forum postings - hoping to find insights /shares by someone who experienced a deep-puncture wound and what had helped, how strong pain-level, time to heal, etc.
As I wasn't lucky finding collective pilgrim wisdom and hope to be forgiven to pose a question on this subject.
background:
YIKES ... I am pretty pain-tolerant, not-accident prone, in professional life i was trained to work with very sharp tools/blades and definitely am not careless, and walked camino sans a single blister (true story) - but this puncture foot wound has catapulted me into a new realm of pain experience (perhaps i was thus far more of a burns, scrapes, cut-wounds sorta girl, and am familiar with those healing processes, but now utterly clueless about deep puncture wounds, and frankly am blown-away how frigging painful this is, and every micro movement triggers more pain.)
- a long, hard thorn (inch or longer, probably black-thorn bush or other prunus shrub) went through the soles of my shoe/sandal and pierced into the ball of foot below the two smallest toes.
- Intense instant pain, muscles seems to cramp, swelling of front part of foot into toes, etc.
- I seemed to have succeeded in removing all organic matter and the entry wound area is clean and not 'ragged' or torn. ER doc confirmed my findings.
- used disinfect wipes, anti-biotic creme, arnica, hypericum, ledum, rescue-remedy, pain-meds, whatever i could think of.
- I spent a few hours in the ER, was told to rest, elevate foot, observe if swelling or reddening spreads towards or above ankle (i.e. then return to ER) and 'let nature takes its course'. no icing or warm-packs recommended either. but to continue w/ arnica creme for e.g.
Thus, my question is - based on your experience (perhaps also from your military/police work, medical observation, garden work, etc) What could be expected in the healing process, timing, etc ? Today I can move about a wee bit better than yesterday. So, there is a slight improvement. And i can move toes a few millimeters back'n'forth without hitting the ceiling. That's improvement as well.
Still - when/if 'walking' it's veryyyy snail-paced. Using my Camino poles indoors too as I don't have crutches.
(ah, am a non-smoker, no NCD or any other illnesses that would impair wound-healing)
one 'invention' which proves to be helpful I am happy to share: as due to swelling, no shoes/sandal fit, but i don't want to move about barefoot or plain socks, I composed an impromptu 'wooly shoe'.
Thank you for your time and consideration. Very best wishes - and blessed Pentecost weekend to one and all.
- Using one pair of thick wool socks, and a pair of silicon insoles (Laurie/peregrina2000 might remember our '2014 discussion' of the benefit of those beauties
) - i wear the right sock on the right foot, place the TWO silicon insoles over the socked sole of foot, then pull the other, left sock, over the right foot as well, and voila' - the hobbles and wobbles are a wee bit less painful.
Saluti
C
I had to look up what a Blackthorn bush is and found this in a 2003 Guardian article:
"Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) is not poisonous but probably twice as dangerous. It is considered to be bad luck to bring the blossom indoors, mainly, I think, because the crown of thorns was reputed to be made from blackthorn. If so, ouch. The thorns are very long and very sharp and have a habit of breaking off under the skin and then going septic. I also, by the by, read that Black Rod, he of the door-knocking in parliament, is so called because he carries a knocking rod made from blackthorn. Case proven."
View attachment 76029
Yikes. If pain doesn't resolve, think I'd return to ER for an Xray to make sure a piece of that isn't buried deep. Warm, moist heat may help while healing. Best wishes!
Yeah, the papers end case studies I read last night say that thorns do not show up on x-rays.MRI would be better.
Its very interesting to me that silicea helped and you had taken other homeopathic stuff as i am a personal believer in it. Apart from that, the possibility of tetanus, and infection, and blackthorn reaction issues , whch would be my concerns ( already mentioned by others) my only other personal recourse personally would be to a poultice of some kind to help draw out anything in the wound - but i stress thats only what i would try for myself. I am not recommending it . silicea has the same effect so maybe it would be unnecessary.UPDATE:Mucho Thanks to one and all who were so kind to take time, consideration, and offered their suggestions, links and insights. It truly helped me to assess and gauge all this much better.
Even just the affirmation that deep puncture wounds are very painful is helpful.
And yes, apparently a small nerve was struck as well as per ER doc. Luckily No findings of remaining fragments inside wound, time will tell ... good news is there is no 'liquid leakage' of any kind or colouration.
AND ... late afternoon yesterday i remembered reading about another homeopathic remedy "Silicea", said to help the skin to expel splinters and such. Thought it might work in this situation as well, and after taking a dosage of those globuli, i was thrilled to notice that the pain-level dropped considerably within 10-20 minutes after 45hrs of very strong pain /discomfort.
Was stunning to observe how swiftly it changed for the better. And am much relieved as I still hobble and wobble about, but def more mobile, less agony.
[a caution though w/ this remedy: it's said that Silicea is also known to help loosen other fragments under skin/inside body. So, for folks w/ dental implants, screws in bones, etc ... might be advisable only to take Silicea after consulting a homeopathic doc. Who knew? Interesting topic for sure.]
Again, thank you much for your generosity of spirit! C
MRI would be better.
I punctured my foot outside of Logrono and spent a long, painful day before reaching Najera. The local hardware store sold me a cheap plastic basin and shears. I made an insole for my shoes and walked another twenty days. P.S. My brother, an orthodist said "Stop go home". So much for wisdom of a baby brother.Greetings and Ola'
I researched the forum postings - hoping to find insights /shares by someone who experienced a deep-puncture wound and what had helped, how strong pain-level, time to heal, etc.
As I wasn't lucky finding collective pilgrim wisdom and hope to be forgiven to pose a question on this subject.
background:
YIKES ... I am pretty pain-tolerant, not-accident prone, in professional life i was trained to work with very sharp tools/blades and definitely am not careless, and walked camino sans a single blister (true story) - but this puncture foot wound has catapulted me into a new realm of pain experience (perhaps i was thus far more of a burns, scrapes, cut-wounds sorta girl, and am familiar with those healing processes, but now utterly clueless about deep puncture wounds, and frankly am blown-away how frigging painful this is, and every micro movement triggers more pain.)
- a long, hard thorn (inch or longer, probably black-thorn bush or other prunus shrub) went through the soles of my shoe/sandal and pierced into the ball of foot below the two smallest toes.
- Intense instant pain, muscles seems to cramp, swelling of front part of foot into toes, etc.
- I seemed to have succeeded in removing all organic matter and the entry wound area is clean and not 'ragged' or torn. ER doc confirmed my findings.
- used disinfect wipes, anti-biotic creme, arnica, hypericum, ledum, rescue-remedy, pain-meds, whatever i could think of.
- I spent a few hours in the ER, was told to rest, elevate foot, observe if swelling or reddening spreads towards or above ankle (i.e. then return to ER) and 'let nature takes its course'. no icing or warm-packs recommended either. but to continue w/ arnica creme for e.g.
Thus, my question is - based on your experience (perhaps also from your military/police work, medical observation, garden work, etc) What could be expected in the healing process, timing, etc ? Today I can move about a wee bit better than yesterday. So, there is a slight improvement. And i can move toes a few millimeters back'n'forth without hitting the ceiling. That's improvement as well.
Still - when/if 'walking' it's veryyyy snail-paced. Using my Camino poles indoors too as I don't have crutches.
(ah, am a non-smoker, no NCD or any other illnesses that would impair wound-healing)
one 'invention' which proves to be helpful I am happy to share: as due to swelling, no shoes/sandal fit, but i don't want to move about barefoot or plain socks, I composed an impromptu 'wooly shoe'.
Thank you for your time and consideration. Very best wishes - and blessed Pentecost weekend to one and all.
- Using one pair of thick wool socks, and a pair of silicon insoles (Laurie/peregrina2000 might remember our '2014 discussion' of the benefit of those beauties
) - i wear the right sock on the right foot, place the TWO silicon insoles over the socked sole of foot, then pull the other, left sock, over the right foot as well, and voila' - the hobbles and wobbles are a wee bit less painful.
Saluti
C
GASP! and shudder.I had to look up what a Blackthorn bush is and found this in a 2003 Guardian article:
"Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) is not poisonous but probably twice as dangerous. It is considered to be bad luck to bring the blossom indoors, mainly, I think, because the crown of thorns was reputed to be made from blackthorn. If so, ouch. The thorns are very long and very sharp and have a habit of breaking off under the skin and then going septic. I also, by the by, read that Black Rod, he of the door-knocking in parliament, is so called because he carries a knocking rod made from blackthorn. Case proven."
View attachment 76029
Yikes. If pain doesn't resolve, think I'd return to ER for an Xray to make sure a piece of that isn't buried deep. Warm, moist heat may help while healing. Best wishes!
The absolute best thing to speed healing is Calendula. Calendula cream or ointment will do but if you can, get hold of fresh flowers and make a strong tea to bathe your foot with. Arnica pillules will help the internal bruising and swelling.Greetings and Ola'
I researched the forum postings - hoping to find insights /shares by someone who experienced a deep-puncture wound and what had helped, how strong pain-level, time to heal, etc.
As I wasn't lucky finding collective pilgrim wisdom and hope to be forgiven to pose a question on this subject.
background:
YIKES ... I am pretty pain-tolerant, not-accident prone, in professional life i was trained to work with very sharp tools/blades and definitely am not careless, and walked camino sans a single blister (true story) - but this puncture foot wound has catapulted me into a new realm of pain experience (perhaps i was thus far more of a burns, scrapes, cut-wounds sorta girl, and am familiar with those healing processes, but now utterly clueless about deep puncture wounds, and frankly am blown-away how frigging painful this is, and every micro movement triggers more pain.)
- a long, hard thorn (inch or longer, probably black-thorn bush or other prunus shrub) went through the soles of my shoe/sandal and pierced into the ball of foot below the two smallest toes.
- Intense instant pain, muscles seems to cramp, swelling of front part of foot into toes, etc.
- I seemed to have succeeded in removing all organic matter and the entry wound area is clean and not 'ragged' or torn. ER doc confirmed my findings.
- used disinfect wipes, anti-biotic creme, arnica, hypericum, ledum, rescue-remedy, pain-meds, whatever i could think of.
- I spent a few hours in the ER, was told to rest, elevate foot, observe if swelling or reddening spreads towards or above ankle (i.e. then return to ER) and 'let nature takes its course'. no icing or warm-packs recommended either. but to continue w/ arnica creme for e.g.
Thus, my question is - based on your experience (perhaps also from your military/police work, medical observation, garden work, etc) What could be expected in the healing process, timing, etc ? Today I can move about a wee bit better than yesterday. So, there is a slight improvement. And i can move toes a few millimeters back'n'forth without hitting the ceiling. That's improvement as well.
Still - when/if 'walking' it's veryyyy snail-paced. Using my Camino poles indoors too as I don't have crutches.
(ah, am a non-smoker, no NCD or any other illnesses that would impair wound-healing)
one 'invention' which proves to be helpful I am happy to share: as due to swelling, no shoes/sandal fit, but i don't want to move about barefoot or plain socks, I composed an impromptu 'wooly shoe'.
Thank you for your time and consideration. Very best wishes - and blessed Pentecost weekend to one and all.
- Using one pair of thick wool socks, and a pair of silicon insoles (Laurie/peregrina2000 might remember our '2014 discussion' of the benefit of those beauties
) - i wear the right sock on the right foot, place the TWO silicon insoles over the socked sole of foot, then pull the other, left sock, over the right foot as well, and voila' - the hobbles and wobbles are a wee bit less painful.
Saluti
C
Oh how brilliant. Never heard of that bread version of poultice. Another cherished item in the bag of tricks’n’wonders.My Irish mother-in-law would have applied a bread poultice by pouring boiling water over bread then placing this over the wound as hot as the patient could bear before bandaging and leaving overnight. The relief next day was wonderful as the poultice drew out any nasties.
I had to look up what a Blackthorn bush is and found this in a 2003 Guardian article:
"Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) is not poisonous but probably twice as dangerous. It is considered to be bad luck to bring the blossom indoors, mainly, I think, because the crown of thorns was reputed to be made from blackthorn. If so, ouch. The thorns are very long and very sharp and have a habit of breaking off under the skin and then going septic. I also, by the by, read that Black Rod, he of the door-knocking in parliament, is so called because he carries a knocking rod made from blackthorn. Case proven."
View attachment 76029
Yikes. If pain doesn't resolve, think I'd return to ER for an Xray to make sure a piece of that isn't buried deep. Warm, moist heat may help while healing. Best wishes!
It would appear that there is no good scientific evidence to support these grand claims. See: https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-235/calendula and https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-721/arnica.The absolute best thing to speed healing is Calendula. Calendula cream or ointment will do but if you can, get hold of fresh flowers and make a strong tea to bathe your foot with. Arnica pillules will help the internal bruising and swelling.
It would appear that there is no good scientific evidence to support these grand claims. See: https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-235/calendula and https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-721/arnica.
The absolute best thing to speed healing is Calendula. Calendula cream or ointment will do but if you can, get hold of fresh flowers and make a strong tea to bathe your foot with. Arnica pillules will help the internal bruising and swelling.
Back in the days I'm referring to it was plain white bread - this was before sliced bread even. We'd never heard of such fancy bread as mixed grain.Oh how brilliant. Never heard of that bread version of poultice. Another cherished item in the bag of tricks’n’wonders.
May i ask what kind of bread is required for best effect ( i.e. plain wheat bread or a mix-of grains? Or does it not matter?)
Many thanks to all for great suggestions and pointers , c
There is, however, scientific evidence that placebos work. Unfortunately, they only seem to work when people don't consider them placebos. If people let themselves believe you when you discredit them, they lose the real benefits they were bringing.It would appear that there is no good scientific evidence to support these grand claims. See: https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-235/calendula and https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-721/arnica.
Super - thanks for clarifying. Didn't want to presume... appreciate the response. Cheers, CBack in the days I'm referring to it was plain white bread - this was before sliced bread even. We'd never heard of such fancy bread as mixed grain.
yikes - that was the sort of scenario i had envisioned simply based on the pain in the first few days.Back when I was in Army training near Boston I took a walk in the woods wearing (stupidly) just sandals. Stepped in a stick and got a puncture wound in the arch of one foot. It hurt quite a bit so I went on sick call after a few days to see what was wrong. The medic probed around in the hole for a while, pronounced it empty, and gave me a topical antibacterial cream. A few days later when it began to swell noticeably I squeezed the spot and out popped a decent-sized twig. So ya' never know what's still in there.
one of my swiss docs here pointed me to a books and articles regarding findings that placebos even do work when declared as placebos. fascinating stuff..There is, however, scientific evidence that placebos work. Unfortunately, they only seem to work when people don't consider them placebos. If people let themselves believe you when you discredit them, they lose the real benefits they were bringing.
So pay no attention when people seek to discredit those remedies that you know are working for you.
I live and learn. Maybe its because people have learned how effective placebos are, so even when they know they are placebos they expect them to be effective. That seems to be the case according to the study described in the second article. They needed the added education on the benefits of the placebo for it to work.one of my swiss docs here pointed me to a books and articles regarding findings that placebos even do work when declared as placebos. fascinating stuff..
here are some
A placebo can work even when you know it’s a placebo - Harvard Health
You may have heard of the “placebo effect,” in which people taking an inactive drug as part of a study actually experience an improvement in their symptoms. As it turns out, the placebo effect ...www.health.harvard.edu cheers - cPlacebo effect works, even when you know you've been given a dummy pill
The placebo effect works even when people know they are taking a dummy drug, scientists have found, in a breakthrough that could lead to cheap medicines which work by the power of suggestion alone.www.telegraph.co.uk
In the particular circumstances in which I alerted members to an alternative source of information about the efficacy of a homeopathic treatment recommended by another forum member, this appears to be advice that is itself best ignored. My reasons for thinking this are:So still pay no attention to the people who are trying to discredit the remedies that are working for you, unless you can convince yourself they will continue to work as placebos.
(emphasis added)The absolute best thing to speed healing
(product) is commonly used for wounds, rashes, infection, inflammation, and many other conditions. However, there is not strong evidence to support the use of (product) for these uses.
placebos won’t work for every medical situation—for example, they can’t lower cholesterol or cure cancer. But they can work for conditions that are defined by “self-observation” symptoms like pain, nausea, or fatigue.
The one thing I would contribute is this: don't let the wound weal off too quick. (Having a sealed off pouch of infection is bad.) DH impaled his knuckle on a yucca (Spanish Dagger for those who know) and his hand swelled up like a baseball. The word from our GP was, besides a refresh on the tetanus shot) soak it in hot water from time to time--I forget the interval--and pour hydrogen peroxide on at the end of the soak. He said the knuckle joint has poor blood flow by nature and so one wants to both increase the blood flow and also bubble out any particle from the dirty thorn. By extrapolation, you might want to soak the foot in hot (not quite too hot for you) water for like 10 minutes or so, then pour peroxide over and cap off with antibiotic ointment. I can't remember the exact type but the triple stuff is what I mean. After a few days, should clear up. HTHUPDATE:Mucho Thanks to one and all who were so kind to take time, consideration, and offered their suggestions, links and insights. It truly helped me to assess and gauge all this much better.
Even just the affirmation that deep puncture wounds are very painful is helpful.
And yes, apparently a small nerve was struck as well as per ER doc. Luckily No findings of remaining fragments inside wound, time will tell ... good news is there is no 'liquid leakage' of any kind or colouration.
AND ... late afternoon yesterday i remembered reading about another homeopathic remedy "Silicea", said to help the skin to expel splinters and such. Thought it might work in this situation as well, and after taking a dosage of those globuli, i was thrilled to notice that the pain-level dropped considerably within 10-20 minutes after 45hrs of very strong pain /discomfort.
Was stunning to observe how swiftly it changed for the better. And am much relieved as I still hobble and wobble about, but def more mobile, less agony.
[a caution though w/ this remedy: it's said that Silicea is also known to help loosen other fragments under skin/inside body. So, for folks w/ dental implants, screws in bones, etc ... might be advisable only to take Silicea after consulting a homeopathic doc. Who knew? Interesting topic for sure.]
Again, thank you much for your generosity of spirit! C
I live and learn. Maybe its because people have learned how effective placebos are, so even when they know they are placebos they expect them to be effective. That seems to be the case according to the study described in the second article. They needed the added education on the benefits of the placebo for it to work.
So still pay no attention to the people who are trying to discredit the remedies that are working for you, unless you can convince yourself they will continue to work as placebos.
spot on! (at least for meSo still pay no attention to the people who are trying to discredit the remedies that are working for you, ...
I had to look up what a Blackthorn bush is and found this in a 2003 Guardian article:
"Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) is not poisonous but probably twice as dangerous. It is considered to be bad luck to bring the blossom indoors, mainly, I think, because the crown of thorns was reputed to be made from blackthorn. If so, ouch. The thorns are very long and very sharp and have a habit of breaking off under the skin and then going septic. I also, by the by, read that Black Rod, he of the door-knocking in parliament, is so called because he carries a knocking rod made from blackthorn. Case proven."
View attachment 76029
Yikes. If pain doesn't resolve, think I'd return to ER for an Xray to make sure a piece of that isn't buried deep. Warm, moist heat may help while healing. Best wishes!
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