is there a nurse..or doctor in the house..i have a question

[amelia]

last night i was running stairs and i tripped and fell forward. my toe kind of went one way and my foot kind of went the other way. i think i might have broken my big toe. i've always heard that there isn't much to be done for that, so i just took a warm bath and put it up on a pillow. i had a very hard time sleeping and this morning the top of my foot hurts up to my ankle.

should i go to the emergency room? or just take some aleve and try to hold off until monday when i can see my regular doctor?


the emergency room will cost me $50 that i don't have..and the reg. doctor will only cost me $15 that i don't have.

 

[riff]

That's a tough call, Amelia. If it needs to be set somehow and you don't go, they will have to break it again.

But then, like you said, there is very little to be done about it.

Maybe you should just stay drunk all weekend.

 

[patient1]

Until nursefreaky or someone else arrives... tape it ( this is like an ace bandage, not tightly) to the next toe, it sort of serves as a splint. Motrin or Nuprin is great for swelling.

 

[amelia]

Maybe you should just stay drunk all weekend.

as tempting as that sounds..i don't think that's a good idea for me this weekend...my neice is visiting..

 

[amelia]

Until nursefreaky or someone else arrives... tape it ( this is like an ace bandage, not tightly) to the next toe, it sort of serves as a splint. Motrin or Nuprin is great for swelling.

ok..good suggestion..i have some of that white first aid tape...

 

[riff]

Well, I am sorry about your toe. I busted mine last year and hobbled for 2 weeks- I hope that doesn't happen to you. I hope it is just a light contusion.

Speaking of toes, it calls to mind something an old man told me once:

"The sight of a broken leg doesn't make a sore toe feel better."

He was right. Try not to think of your toe if you can help it.

 

[Mae13]

*Nurse reporting in*

You're right Amelia, there isn't a damn thing to do about cracked/broken toes usually...they just hurt for a while, ugh

'Buddy taping' it to the next toe is definitely good, ice and elevation and rest for the first 48-72 hours as often as you can, antiinflammatories (motrin is usually best, but aleve works too!).

If you're having a lot of pain/bruising/swelling at the top of the foot, it can sometimes indicate the damage is higher up, possibly in one of the foot bones. You can get point tenderness with that, where it seems like one spot is excruciatingly tender, instead of just a more generalized pain/soreness.

Hrm, what else...open shoes if you have to wear them. Make sure you're not losing sensation and the toe isn't getting cold compared to your other toes!

Ummm...that's all my poor, tired triage brain can rack up now, I hope you feel better soon though!!

mae

 

[amelia]

Re: *Nurse reporting in*

Ummm...that's all my poor, tired triage brain can rack up now, I hope you feel better soon though!!

mae

thank you..that's kind of what i figured..i'm glad i didn't go to the emergency room...it does suck to be clumsy

 

[erosman]

My experience - and I am not a doctor: moderate foot injuries just take time. The worst part is when you take pain killers that make you feel good enough to do something stupid, then the injury can get worse. I use to go to the emergency room for the braces and x-rays (parent's insurance). Nowadays, in my house, with my teens, I move the foot or injured appendage carefully, noting any pain and specific sore spots. I use the R-I-C-E method (Rest-Ice-Compression-Elevation as much as is comfortably possible). I stay away from pain meds. They mask the 'goodness' of the pain, that is telling you to take it easy. And...I keep tabs on the progress. If there isn't significant improvement in 48 to 72 hours, then it's off to the emergency room.


just my 2 forinth

 

[tigerjen]

Go to the walk-in clinic if there is one nearby you........
I wouldn't be going to the ER for something like this
unless it was life-threatening or damaging, because
if you were up at the ER around where I live, you'd
be waiting a zillion years before finally someone saw
you.......they take the most critical cases first......

Try the walk-in clinic thing......

 

[Saint Peter]

as tempting as that sounds..i don't think that's a good idea for me this weekend...my neice is visiting..

If you decide to stay drunk all weekend get you neice in here.

(or get your neice drunk and send her in here)

Anything to help,
SaintPeter

 

[RhumbRunner13]

When you pull out on it, fairly firmly, but not enough to cause excruciating pain.....do you fart?

Rhumb

 

[amelia]

When you pull out on it, fairly firmly, but not enough to cause excruciating pain.....do you fart?

Rhumb

*ahem*

 

[JerseyBoy]

hopefully you've been using lots of ice on it to keep the swelling down...keep popping those tylenol. Perhaps it's only a bruise...hopefully.

And what are you running in barefeet for?

 

[Guest]

Is there deformity/ is the toe crooked or do you feel a popping or crunching when you move it? A big toe fracture can be serious so please if you are pain keep off the foot and keep it elevated. Call your doctor so she/he can put you on the emergency appt list. Alternatives to ER is to go to an urgent care place. Sorry for your pain it could just be a sprain but those hurt like the dickens too.

 

[amelia]

And what are you running in barefeet for?

i wasn't in barefeet..i was wearing my little flip-flop athletic things...



(yeah..yeah..i know...that's worse)

 

[amelia]

Is there deformity/ is the toe crooked or do you feel a popping or crunching when you move it?

it looks fine..it hurts when i move it..or stand on it..but..i don't hear anything...

 

[glamorilla]

ow.

get to a doctor anyway just to be extra careful.

 

[RhumbRunner13]

Amelia, can you move it with your foot muscles, even a little? Try "spreading your toes, flexing it down and up as much as any pain allows. If you can move it , it is very likely that you only "jammed" the toe. Ice, elevation and restricted use is good advice. If the pain and swelling doesn't go down or is increasing over the next 24 to 48 hours, get an x-ray, you may have damaged a tarsal.

If it's jammed, hot soaks and gentle massage after 48 hours will help, maybe not the toe, but it just feels so good!

Rhumb

 

[freakygirl]

Your best bet would be to find a dr to check it out. Always better to be safe than sorry.

I've seen toes that were broken bad enough to warrant a visit to the dr. I've seen toes that healed on their own and needed to be re-broke to be properly fixed.

Right now Mr Freakys mom is fighting a problem with her foot that was caused by a broken toe. It is so badly damaged that it will require surgery to correct it. She hadn't gone to the dr either because she'd always heard that there was nothing that could be done for a broken toe.

While most cases don't require dr care.. some do.

It's your call.

Good Luck and I hope your foot feels better soon.