How can you tell if your skin healed over a foreign object?

Question:

Two nights ago a three pronged fishing lure hooked me on my left thigh. Two prongs were in my leg. A friend helped me pull it out, but now as I look at the lure, I notice that one of the prongs is broken and missing the tip (with the barb). I can't find it anywhere, and one of the holes in my thigh is more swollen than the other. Does anyone have any ideas on how I could find out if it is still inside the wound without getting an expensive X-ray? My doctor says he can't cut into my leg to try and remove it without KNOWING it's in there. Please help and thank you!

Answers:
You can usually feel it or see it. The infection will actually carry a foreign object to the skin's surface and get rid if it for you (like a splinter). I've had a lot of puncture wounds from dog and cat bites. DON'T poke at it - you might drive it deeper. DON'T bandage the wound - pick off any scab and keep an antibiotic or aloe cream on it to keep the skin soft and the wound open to drain. I wouldn't let the doc start digging around unless it gets really bad. Look out for any areas that are really hot or red. If you see red streaks developing near the wound, that could be blood poisoning - unlikely but very serious. If you see that or if you have a fever over 100 degrees, definitely get to the doc or the emergency room. Otherwise, it should heal on its own. And it wouldn't hurt to go on oral antibiotics for ten days.

Other Answers:
no way really to find out, except by xray.
If there IS something foreign in your body, your white blood cell count will be shooting up over the next few days, and the wound will not heal, b/c of the inflamation due to the foreign object.

feel it, and see if you can feel the tip, feel for tenderness, and if it still doesnt heal, u def need to see a doc you have an uncontrollable urge to sign up for government benefits that wasn't there before hahahah now c'mon that was funny

Take a magnet and put it on the hook of the lure and see if it is attracted to it. If it is, then put the magnet on your skin to see if it attracts anything under your skin. CAUTION! Test it on the lure first! Magnets have different strengths.. however hard it takes to remove the magnet from the lure is the same amount of force it will take to remove from your skin IF there is still a prong in there. In other words, if it is a very strong magnet, it will take considerable force to remove it from your skin, and will pull the prong outward as you try to remove it, so it COULD hurt a lot, but you might also just get the prong out on your own that way.

More Questions and Answers

The consumer health information on youqa.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.
The answer content post by the user, if contains the copyright content please contact us, we will immediately remove it.

How can you tell if your skin healed over a foreign object?

Health Resources