Need advice asap re: puncture wound. Please!

[sapientia]

My 14 yo dd was sliding on the floor in her socks saturday night, got a really large splinter right at the bendy base part of her big toe. I removed the splinter, let it bleed some, peroxide, antibiotic ointment. Next day it is swollen (trauma swollen) so we did peroxide soaks, vit. c, garlic. Wasn't worrisome. Today, it has a red place on the top of her foot at the base of her big toe...that is worrisome to me. I have been doing plantain poultices, vit. c, garlic, echinacea tincure on the area. It seems a bit better. (I circled the red area to see if it spreads. So far it hasn't spread, but there is a small area in the red that is hard and hot.) But the poultices have seemed to remove a lot of swelling and some of the redness. It's not oozing. She does not feel run down or sick.

I plan to take her to the walk in clinic nearby for antibiotics in the next three hours if there is no more significant change. Mainly cause I don't want to wait till late this evening and have it get weird and streaky and have to go the e.r.

I don't want to have to do antibiotics!...she is sensitive to them! (she hasn't had them in 7 or more years) and I really want to heal this naturally. However, I will take her in if need be.

I am seriously freaking out about this. Please give me perspective. Any other natural means? Anything homeopathic or herbal I am missing? please help!

[sapientia]

No one has btdt?

What about colloidal silver on the site? or rubbed on her skin on the reddened area? Does anyone think that will help?

[SandyMom]

If it were me I'd try goldenseal powder on punctured area and give her some olive leaf capsules internally. If there's no fever then I don't think there's too much to worry about - but if in the next day or so it's getting worse - not better then I'd go in. (Olive leaf is a broad spectrum antibiotic and it won't strip the gut flora like abx)

Good luck!

[Panserbjorne]

initially for puncture wounds in homeopathy we use ledum or hypericum.  given the location I'd be quicker to go to hypericum.  I'd also do a clay poultice with some colloidal silver in it (or just clay if you don't have the silver) three times a day.  that will help draw things out nicely and has a slightly different mechanism than plantain.

after that I'd be looking at the presentation in terms of a remedy.   heat with redness and pain is a decent indication for belladonna in cases of infection.  HTH.

You can certainly still communicate with your doc even if you opt out of the abx.  if it gets streaky you certainly should.

[sapientia]

well thank you both-but despite best efforts I took her to the doc. It was looking better last night but this morning it was worse. The doc was great and didn't even give me a hard time about not getting the tetanus shot.

So far, she is feeling better.