Splinter Under Fingernail Any Ideas?

[Tarot Farm]

While feeding a large bale of grass hay, I accidently ran a splinter of stiff, dry grass (could be a grass seed, like wild oats) under my fingernail. I looked at it and did not see anything, but a slight red streak where something had slipped under the nail. That was two days ago. Yesterday it got sore and everytime I bumped it one something, it hurt like there was something still stuck in there. I cannot see anything there, but the grass hay is very light in color, so there might be something still stuck or broken off under the nail.

Last night I cut the nail back as short as possible to get a 'good look' at the
sore spot. I cannot see anything, just a little redness along that side of the nail. I put some of the black pine tar drawing salve on it last night and this morning when I woke up it was throbbing! I tried to 'squeeze' it from the back of the nail forward to pop anything out...nothing but some clear looking ooze came out with a bloody tint to it.

Should I keep trying the drawing salve, or???? The throbbing is driving me crazy....plus, I am a big sissy when it comes to fingernails or toenails; a hangnail or 'quicked nail' puts me over the edge...

[Mutti]

Well,first you jump up and down and scream 'cause it really hurts...then you try to see it with bifocals...duh,no go. Then the tweezer route....then soak in Epsoms salts and it finally puffed up enough to get out with tweezers. I'd keep on doing the drawing salve and I feel your pain 'cause I got a mean wood splinter last week...can still see the blood track halfway down my nail !! DEE

[NJ Rich]

I had a splinter that went under the nail and downward. I couldn't see it under the nail. It was sore for a couple of days but not too tender. After about a week it started to get very tender. Hitting it or trying to put my hand in my pocket hurt alot.

The entry hole had closed over the splinter. I used a sharp pick to open the hole and pushed under the area and the splinter popped right up and I could grab it and pull it out. It was 3/8" long. No wonder it hurt. The entry hole over your splinter may close also and you'll need to open it before you can get it out.

I agree with soaking your hand in Epsom Salts with as hot a water as you can tollerate. I would stop using the salve since that may stop the puss from forming that would help get the splinter out as happened to me. If it is a hay spliter it may just keep breaking off in pieces and the deepest piece may stay in your finger.

If you get an infection and see red lines moving up your hand and arm get to a doctor. Yes a small infection and some puss will help get the thing out. This is a , "Darned if you do and darned if you don't" situation.

What is the name of the Pine Tar Salve? Where can I get it?

[MELOC]

i had one of those from firewood. i feel for you, lol. i tried trimming back as far as i could. i could not get it right away. it grew out a little bit and i was able to get to it with nail clippers in a few days.

[Jan Doling]

I'm not sure if they are the same but my folks used Ichthamol (sp?) salve which was black like pine tar and smelled about as bad, but had great drawing power.

[Quint]

You know I had something like this happen once. I ran a splinter deep under m finger nail and couldn't get it out. It hurt for a month or more. Finally my fingernail turned green. Yes green. I decided I had to get it looked at. The doctor got this little drill like instrument and zipped a hole in my fingernail. I'll leave the results to your imagination but I could use the words "fountain", "high velocity", "chunks" and "eye-watering stench". They put me on antibiotics and it cleared up in 10 days or so.

[Tarot Farm]

Originally Posted by Mutti

Well,first you jump up and down and scream 'cause it really hurts...then you try to see it with bifocals...duh,no go. Then the tweezer route....then soak in Epsoms salts and it finally puffed up enough to get out with tweezers. I'd keep on doing the drawing salve and I feel your pain 'cause I got a mean wood splinter last week...can still see the blood track halfway down my nail !! DEE

I have the jumping up and down part covered really well. My voice is a little hoarse after the screaming....I do both every time I bump that darned thing!
It would not be so bad if it did not 'thump' with every heart beat! I have been soaking it and using the drawing salve very faithfuly!

[Tarot Farm]

Originally Posted by NJ Rich

I had a splinter that went under the nail and downward. I couldn't see it under the nail. It was sore for a couple of days but not too tender. After about a week it started to get very tender. Hitting it or trying to put my hand in my pocket hurt alot.

The entry hole had closed over the splinter. I used a sharp pick to open the hole and pushed under the area and the splinter popped right up and I could grab it and pull it out. It was 3/8" long. No wonder it hurt. The entry hole over your splinter may close also and you'll need to open it before you can get it out.

I agree with soaking your hand in Epsom Salts with as hot a water as you can tollerate. I would stop using the salve since that may stop the puss from forming that would help get the splinter out as happened to me. If it is a hay spliter it may just keep breaking off in pieces and the deepest piece may stay in your finger.

If you get an infection and see red lines moving up your hand and arm get to a doctor. Yes a small infection and some puss will help get the thing out. This is a , "Darned if you do and darned if you don't" situation.

What is the name of the Pine Tar Salve? Where can I get it?

The drawing salve seems to help the puss push out the splinters and things.
I really have had good results using it before.

I know all about the red lines going to the arm, as I had that happen after I was biten by a snake.

I got the salve online, from "Soaps and Sundries".
The salve is called, "Old Fashioned Pine Tar Salve".
The web site for them is: www.soapsandsundries.com

[Tarot Farm]

Originally Posted by Quint

You know I had something like this happen once. I ran a splinter deep under m finger nail and couldn't get it out. It hurt for a month or more. Finally my fingernail turned green. Yes green. I decided I had to get it looked at. The doctor got this little drill like instrument and zipped a hole in my fingernail. I'll leave the results to your imagination but I could use the words "fountain", "high velocity", "chunks" and "eye-watering stench". They put me on antibiotics and it cleared up in 10 days or so.

I really did not need to hear that! I am suspecting that something like that is going to happen here if it does come out in it's own, or with help of the drawing salve.

I smashed a toe nail once and the Dr used a little drill to 'tap' into the trapped blood under the toenail; it fell off later on and a new nail grew back in...crooked of course.

[Tarot Farm]

I tried to dig around under the nail a bit and I can see a red streak where the darned thing is 'buried'. If I keep it open, it relieves some of the pressure and the throbbing is not as bad.

Last night I had someone help DIG, and I do mean dig after the splinter. Well, I trimmed the nail back as short as possible, then we pulled the nail up a bit and sure enough we could see something 'dark and evil' stuck under the nail, but it looks like it went in under the nail and then turned down deep into the finger. No way to get tweezers on it, so we tried to loosen it with a sterile needle until it starting bleeding too much to see. I could sure tell when the needle touched it! Hopefully the splinter will come out through the crater we left.

[mpillow]

My mom went to ER for her splinter like this last Summer

A shot of lidocaine? and a little drill and pull...

Got any ambesol for cutting teeth/toothache? Might take the edge off for a home job....then two shots of whiskey one to soak in and one to drink