Is this your symptom?
- The skin is punctured by a pointed narrow object (wood splinter, fishhook, glass sliver, needle or skewer)
Causes of Puncture Wounds
- Metal: nail, sewing needle, pin, tack
- Pencil: a pencil lead is actually graphite (harmless). It is not poisonous lead. Even colored leads are not toxic.
- Wood: toothpick or splinter
- Glass
- Plant Matter: thorns from garden bushes or spines from houseplants, such as cactus
Problems with Puncture Wounds
- Retained Foreign Object. This happens if part of the object breaks off in the skin. The pain will not go away until it is removed. It can be hard to tell if this has happened. If you are not sure, contact your doctor.
- Wound Infection. This happens in 4% of foot punctures. The main symptom is spreading redness seen 2 or 3 days after the injury. Do not ignore.
- Bone Infection. If the sharp object also hits a bone, the bone can become infected. Punctures of the ball of the foot are at greatest risk. The main symptoms are increased swelling and pain 2 weeks after the injury. Contact your doctor right away.
When to Call for Puncture Wound
Call 911 Now
Go to ER Now
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
|
Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
|
Self Care at Home
|
Call 911 Now
- Deep puncture on the head, neck, chest, back, or stomach or genital area
- Passed out or are feeling light-headed, dizzy or faint
- You have become breathless
- You think you have a life-threatening emergency
Go to ER Now
- Bleeding that won't stop after 10 minutes of direct pressure
- Puncture on the head, neck, chest, or stomach that could be deep
- Tip of the object broke off in the body or is still in the wound. Caution: do not attempt to remove a large object yourself. It may cause severe bleeding.
- Loss of movement or feeling in part of the body that that has been injured
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
- Puncture into a joint
- Feels like something is still in the wound
- Can't stand, put weight on the injury or walk
- Needlestick from used needle (may have been exposed to another person's blood)
- Sharp object and the setting was dirty (such as parking lot or dirty water)
- Dirt in the wound is not gone after 15 minutes of scrubbing
- Severe or increasing pain
- Wound looks infected (spreading redness or red streaks)
- Weak immune system. Examples are: diabetes, sickle cell disease, HIV, cancer, organ transplant, taking oral steroids, kidney problems.
- Fever or chills; feeling hot or shivery
- No past tetanus shots
- You think you have a serious injury
- You think you need to be seen, and the problem is urgent
Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
- Last tetanus shot was more than 5 years ago
- You think you need to be seen, but the problem is not urgent
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
- You have other questions or concerns
Self Care at Home
- Minor puncture wound
Care Advice for Stomach Pain
What You Should Know About Stomach Pain:
- Mild stomach pain can be caused by something simple. It could be from gas pains or eating too much.
- Sometimes, stomach pain signals the start of a viral infection. This will lead to vomiting or loose stools.
- Watching your child for 2 hours will help tell you the cause.
- Here is some care advice that should help.
Lie Down:
- Have your child lie down and rest until feeling better.
Clear Fluids:
- Offer clear fluids only (such as water, flat soft drinks or half-strength Gatorade).
- For mild pain, offer a regular diet.
Prepare for Vomiting:
- Keep a vomiting pan handy.
- Younger children often talk about stomach pain when they have nausea. Nausea is the sick stomach feeling that comes before they throw up.
Pass a Stool:
- Have your child sit on the toilet and try to pass a stool.
- This may help if the pain is from constipation or diarrhea.
- Note: for constipation, moving a warm wet cotton ball on the anus may help.
Do Not Give Medicines:
- Any drug (like ibuprofen) could upset the stomach and make the pain worse.
- Do not give any pain medicines or laxatives for stomach cramps.
- For fever higher than 102° F (39° C), acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) can be given.
What to Expect:
- With harmless causes, the pain is most often better or gone in 2 hours.
- With stomach flu, belly cramps may happen before each bout of vomiting or diarrhea. These cramps may come and go for a few days.
- With serious causes (such as appendicitis), the pain worsens and becomes constant.
Call Your Doctor If:
- Pain becomes severe
- Constant pain lasts more than 2 hours
- Mild pain that comes and goes lasts more than 24 hours
- You think your child needs to be seen
- Your child becomes worse
Extra Help - Worried Stomach:
- Help your child talk about events that trigger the stomach pain. Talk to your child about how to cope with these the next time around.
- Help your child worry less about things she can't control.
- To treat the pain, help your child get very relaxed. Lying down in a quiet place and taking slow deep breaths may help. Make the belly go up and down with each breath. Then try to relax all the muscles in the body. Think about something pleasant. Listening to audios that teach how to relax might also help.
- Make sure your child gets enough sleep.
- Make sure that your child doesn't miss any school because of stomach pains. Stressed children tend to want to stay home when the going gets rough.
- Caution: your child should see her doctor for an exam. Do this before concluding frequent stomach pains are from worrying too much.
