Medical advise needed, Steel chip embeded in wrist

Danny D · Mar 13, 2008

I was striking a steel wedge with a hammer. A chip about 3/16" across came off the corner of the wedge, went through the cuff of my glove and embeded in my wrist. It is below the skin I would say almost 1/4". I put a rare earth magnet on it but its not moving. It does not hurt at the moment and I dont think it hit anything important. I can still feel my pulse and no tendens seem to be involved. I would hate to spend five to ten thousand getting it dug out at in a surgical suite. I think the biggest wory would be infection. How many of you all have taken your work home with you, so to speak? I have an embeded chip in my forehead from years ago, but so far it haaas not not efffectedd mmme... annny. Thanks, Danny

SamH · Mar 13, 2008

Danny D said:
I was striking a steel wedge with a hammer. A chip about 3/16" across came off the corner of the wedge, went through the cuff of my glove and embeded in my wrist. It is below the skin I would say almost 1/4". I put a rare earth magnet on it but its not moving. It does not hurt at the moment and I dont think it hit anything important. I can still feel my pulse and no tendens seem to be involved. I would hate to spend five to ten thousand getting it dug out at in a surgical suite. I think the biggest wory would be infection. How many of you all have taken your work home with you, so to speak? I have an embeded chip in my forehead from years ago, but so far it haaas not not efffectedd mmme... annny. Thanks, Danny

If you don't do anything about it, your body will take care of it. It will eventually push it out. I had a piece of the sole of my shoe get shoved up in my foot when I fell off a ladder onto a 2x4 with a 16 nail in it. The hole never closed until I pulled the piece out. Of course instead of paying 5 to 10K for the operation, you could spend about 2k for an MRI. That should get it out...LOL

brock · Mar 13, 2008

Body metal

Danny, the metal must come out. You are risking infection by leaving it in. Go to the doctor as soon as possible and have it removed. A local general practitioner should be able to dig it out with no problem. They will probe around through the entrance area to find it then use hemostats to grip it and pull it out. A tetnis shot will b given and possibly a prescription for some antibiotics. A doctor visit her in Mich. is around $160.00. A shot will be around $75.00. If you leave it in you will probably get an absess with infection and end up in the hospital emergency room at a cost of several thousand dollars. If you are concerned about the doctor cost just call your doctor and ask the office staff how much it might cost you before you go in.
Brock

dsergison · Mar 13, 2008

if it were my thigh, I'd go digging.

there arent any non-important things in your wrist though. go to a dr.

Polaraligned · Mar 13, 2008

Those damn wedges are dangerous. My brother had same thing. Local doctor took it out right in his office. Call some doctors and explain the situation to them. I am sure you can find one to remove it fairly easily.

Scott

jim rozen · Mar 13, 2008

"I can still feel my pulse..."

If that stops you might want to contact an undertaker.

Seriously. Have it looked at.

Jim

David Carlisi · Mar 13, 2008

I don't know about it coming out on it's own, I was breaking up a 1/2-13 tap with a hammer (Don't ask.) and a piece flew into my left thumb. That was 7 years ago, and it is still in there. It only hurts when I apply pressure to the exact location, so I am going to leave it alone.

Peter Neill · Mar 13, 2008

Drill and tap it 10-24, then screw a little eyehook in there for when you need a little somewhere else to hang things.

Obigatory Medical Advice: Use a stainless steel eyehook, and try to avoid getting dark sulphurised tapping fluid in the wound.

Peter

(seriously, get it seen to, and have a tetanus booster)

Dave P. · Mar 13, 2008

Had a very similar one about 3 years ago.
Doc took 2 x-rays to locate it, numbed it up, probed with
needle and made one tiny cut. Pulled it out with hemostats.
Was about 30 minutes total. Total cost was $330.00, and
I sold it to my work comp carrier.
It was about 1/2 in deep and had hit nothing of value
about 4 in. above my wrist.
Dave

Motomoron · Mar 13, 2008

Don't bother seeing a doctor unless you use that particular arm.

Kidding aside, don't toy with hands and the bits that hold them to your body. See a Dr. ASAP.

Bobw · Mar 13, 2008

I had a pebble stuck in my palm(maybe .070 diameter), the real fleshy part by the thumb when I was a kid, it took almost 3 years to come to the surface, and it wasn't very deep.

A few years ago, I had a nice chip in the bottom of my foot, couldn't find the sucker, it was about a month, then one day it really hurt. Took a look and there was what looked like a big old zit on the bottom of my foot, gave it a squeeze, and out popped a bunch of puss, followed by a nice shiny chip.

I'll go digging in my fingers and my palms with nail clippers or an exacto, but I wouldn't mess around with my wrist, I'd get that one taken care of pretty quick, with an actual real doctor, and I hate doctors, but I would go.

smallshop · Mar 13, 2008

If you don't see the doc for the wrist I'm gonna say that forehead chip DID affect you. It will be a couple hundred bucks tops.

This is the stuff they're real good at. They know where all the guywires and tubing are. You'd just be guessing....

s.s.bobk · Mar 13, 2008

It should only be a couple hundred bucks! However, if it is a couple thousand, Guess what! You needed it anyway! and you will surely be glad that you did. I know a guy how almost lost a hand because of the very same thing. Infection is nothing to play with!

tnmgcarbide · Mar 13, 2008

if you pull it out , i can help you to sew it up.........hmmm , now where did i leave that damned
needle and thread......

Jim Shaper · Mar 13, 2008

I had a sliver stuck in the first joint of my pinky right at my palm. It was in there about a week before it swoll up, pussed, and allowed ejection. I had felt it enter, but couldn't see it. Unfortunately, it remained infected for another week after removal and wasn't pleasant.

I'd see a doc for something you know is in there but can't get out on your own. You're looking at maybe an hour's visit. Well worth whatever they charge you - as others have said, it won't be much.

USMCPOP · Mar 13, 2008

That big and that deep, I'd say I'd find a doc that would dig it out without too much fuss. When I was a teenager and running barefoot, I had to dig a piece of broken glass out of my heel with one of those little Zippo pen knives. It didn't hurt, but cutting into the bottom of my heel about 1/4" was creepy. Think Tetanus!

beckley23 · Mar 13, 2008

You've got one of the finest hand clinics in the country at Jewish Hospital, here. Take a trip down to the hand clinic, it's right off of Chestnut and Brook in the Jewish Medical Complex. Yes it's gonna cost. I cut my finger last spring and couldn't get the bleeding to stop. I took the trip; 1-1/2 hours later and 6 stitches I was out of there with a follow up 2 weeks later.
Harry

kenh · Mar 13, 2008

Maybe a trip to the Emergency room would be the answer.

(stumble in, holding wrist, groaning)

Danny D · Mar 13, 2008

I did talk to a Doctor and will go see him in the morning. This piece may be just too big to leave in. Even if it healed with no problems it may give me trouble from now on.

patooyee · Mar 13, 2008

Man, it's only 1/4" deep??? I don't go see the dr. for anything that isn't embedded in bone ... for what you're talking about I'd just dig around with a razor blade knife until I find it ... seriously ... now if its near major blood veins I can see seeing a dr.

J. J.

Medical advise needed, Steel chip embeded in wrist

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