Yesterday afternoon, I stepped on a sewing needle (on the carpet), which went all the way though the sole of my shoe (crocks knock-off) and about 1/2 inch into my foot (estimated based on how much of the needle was in the shoe when I took it off.) I removed the needle and put it back in the pin cushion where it belongs, then limped into the bathroom to wash my feet and shoes.
My feet were quite dirty when I stepped on the needle (I'd just come in from the beach; the kids were still outside arguing over who carries in which bag) but it bled profusely at first. It stopped bleeding at some point while I was washing it in the bathtub. I washed both feet with a tea tree oil soap and rinsed my shoes with plain water, then stepped on a cleanish towel (only used last night for my hair, and the cleanest thing I could grab from the tub) rather than the sandy floor. I also washed the "crocks" with the same tea tree oil soap and have only been wearing those shoes since then, since my other shoes may be dirty on the inside.
I put ice on the area for about 30 minutes last night, as it looked like it was forming a bruise (specifically,it looked like the outermost part of the skin healed first, while the deeper part of the wound was still bleeding.) I'm not worried about tetanus because it bled so profusely at first, and I'm pretty sure the bleeding was forceful enough to wash out any grains of sand that might have gotten in there. I don't see any signs of infection, but I'm using antibiotic ointment on the area 2-3 times a day anyway.
There are basically two things I want to know: what's "normal" in terms of how long a wound like this takes to heal, and if there's anything I can do to promote healing. Should I be resting or exercising it? Using ice or heat or neither? Any supplements (topical or internal) that might help? Should I be doing some kind of "anti infection protocol" as a precaution?
My feet were quite dirty when I stepped on the needle (I'd just come in from the beach; the kids were still outside arguing over who carries in which bag) but it bled profusely at first. It stopped bleeding at some point while I was washing it in the bathtub. I washed both feet with a tea tree oil soap and rinsed my shoes with plain water, then stepped on a cleanish towel (only used last night for my hair, and the cleanest thing I could grab from the tub) rather than the sandy floor. I also washed the "crocks" with the same tea tree oil soap and have only been wearing those shoes since then, since my other shoes may be dirty on the inside.
I put ice on the area for about 30 minutes last night, as it looked like it was forming a bruise (specifically,it looked like the outermost part of the skin healed first, while the deeper part of the wound was still bleeding.) I'm not worried about tetanus because it bled so profusely at first, and I'm pretty sure the bleeding was forceful enough to wash out any grains of sand that might have gotten in there. I don't see any signs of infection, but I'm using antibiotic ointment on the area 2-3 times a day anyway.
There are basically two things I want to know: what's "normal" in terms of how long a wound like this takes to heal, and if there's anything I can do to promote healing. Should I be resting or exercising it? Using ice or heat or neither? Any supplements (topical or internal) that might help? Should I be doing some kind of "anti infection protocol" as a precaution?
