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I just stepped on a not terribly rusty yet, nail!

 
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I just stepped on a nail that went deeply into my foot, is there anything I can do for it beyond scrubbing it well and applying a plantain, nasturtium tincture poultice?
 
pollinator
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Sounds like you have done as much as you can do; keep it clean and covered so new germs don't get into the wound.

If you haven't had a tetanus shot in a while, consider a booster. Tetanus has nothing to do with rust specifically, it's caused by a bacteria that's widely present in the environment but causes illness when it proliferates in deep puncture wounds that are difficult to truly clean.

 
Lexie Smith
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I’m telling myself that, because it was sitting in direct sunlight and away from any animals, nothing too horrible should be on it but I really don’t want to fool with getting the tetanus shot I know I need.
 
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Injuries to feet can be a bit frustrating because we walk on them!

I'd recommend daily bandage changes to keep an eye on the wound and how it is healing. Keep an eye out for inflammation and swelling.

I'm unsure how big of a nail it was but consider what it passed through (Shoe/Sock?) might of pushed material into the wound.

I agree with what was said prior and hope you heal quickly.
 
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Ledum Palustre 200c is the homeopathic remedy for this. Should be available from the nearest health food store or the like. Amazon can get it there in a few days.

"Employ Ledum 200, every 4 hours or so [2 or 3 pillules, or drops of tincture, by mouth], until the puncture wound appears very much better. Then, continue to utilize Ledum 200, once daily for three weeks post-injury, as some literature has shown that Ledum can help guard against tetanus."

Myself, wife, and 6 kids have recourse to this remedy several times a year. We've never had an infection from a puncture wound yet, and some have been pretty bad. We use this for tick bites as well. This is all in addition to as much first aid/cleaning as necessary and possible.
 
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You could try a soak of pine needle with or without sap infusion.

A pad soaked with St John flower infused oil over the wound may also help.

Also please think about a trip to a Doc in a box for a booster, if its ten years or longer ---Pleaseeeeeeee!

Do keep a close watch on the wound.


Peace
 
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I usually walk bare-foot and stepped on something rusty a few weeks ago. I was a bit worried but it healed with zero complications. I would say go to bed by 10pm for the next 7day or so, so that your body can do its healing thing, and don't stress about it too much, just take it easy.

While there was no complications infection, I was fully prepared to go to the doctor and get some antibiotic/etc if things went south, and I would have just followup with some water kefir/milk kefir and dips into a local pond/watering hole to rebalance my body biome once I healed up.
 
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Eeek,  I got a nail stuck in my foot this winter.  

Steps I took:
- wash really really well.  
- sanitize (I use hydrogen peroxide but other things work)
- then I put something on and around the skin - for me, it's usually iodine as this works magic on livestock, I've started using it on me too.

After that, I put my foot up until the blood stopped flowing while I reviewed blood poisonings symptoms and other complications.  Took extra care to keep it bandaged and clean until the wound closed up.  Checked on it every few hours for the first two days, then twice a day from there.  Thankfully there was no complications.  But I've known people die from blood poisoning and it is NOT a nice way to go, so it's good to keep an eye on any flesh wound.  

So basically the same thing I do for a sheep.  
 
Lexie Smith
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Oh I definitely went for a tetanus shot, thanks!
 
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Ouch!  I don't have much experience with this kind of thing, but I'm going to throw warm salt water into the ring, for what it's worth.  I'm assuming this won't cause any nail-related rusting, naturally.  It rarely goes amiss, I think, and I really want you to recover fully.
 
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