# Wounds from rusty nails



## Sanza

I stepped on a rusty nail today, and even tho it didn't go deep it's throbbing like crazy. Of course I still worked, and I've gotten some advice from some oldtimers that remember the natural remedies. 
Soak it it sour milk
Soak a crust of bread in boiling milk and use that as a poultice
Soak it it whey -this one comes from my 84 yo mother that said she used that on me when I was young and it healed without getting infected.
Does anyone else have any other remedies besides the salted water one?
Thanks


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## LovPRQueen

I don't have any remedies but maybe consider a tetanus shot if you haven't had one?


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## RevJack

You could need an antibiotic injection into the hole if it pushed dirt up in there.


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## NostalgicGranny

Sanza said:


> I stepped on a rusty nail today, and even tho it didn't go deep it's throbbing like crazy. Of course I still worked, and I've gotten some advice from some oldtimers that remember the natural remedies.
> Soak it it sour milk
> Soak a crust of bread in boiling milk and use that as a poultice
> Soak it it whey -this one comes from my 84 yo mother that said she used that on me when I was young and it healed without getting infected.
> Does anyone else have any other remedies besides the salted water one?
> Thanks


Which one was the salted water? Whey? Whey is the fluid left over after your milk curdles or you make butter.


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## Karen

I'm the biggest advocate of natural methods, but when it comes to something like this, you definitely need to seek medical attention.

The problem with puncture wounds is that you can't get to the bacteria that is up inside the puncture site. Even homeopathic studies have shown that soaking, etc. isn't going to get rid of, nor will it draw out, the bacteria from the object you were punctured with. It's too deep and clings to the body of the puncture. 

Plus, you _absolutely_ need a tetanus shot if it's been 10 years since your last one.


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## fordson major

well, best thing i have found with many years experience is soaking in hot water laced with epsom salts! floats out any debris and even glass most times!


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## MelanieV

Tetanus grows in anaerobic conditions and the spores live in soil. It isn't the rusty nail that is the problem so much as the soil it is in. 

http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec14/ch178/ch178i.html



> Symptoms and Signs
> 
> The incubation period ranges from 2 to 50 days (average, 5 to 10 days). The most frequent symptom is jaw stiffness. Other symptoms include difficulty swallowing; restlessness; irritability; stiff neck, arms, or legs; headache; fever; sore throat; chills; and tonic spasms.





> Wound care: Because dirt and dead tissue promote C. tetani growth, prompt, thorough debridement, especially of deep puncture wounds, is essential. Antibiotics are not substitutes for adequate debridement and immunization.


We don't vaccinate routinely.In the case of tetanus, debriding is an absolute necessity. Most adults have antibodies against tentanus anyway, regardless of how many years ago you had a booster. It is more likely to cause trouble in children who haven't been exposed to dirt very often. Using hydrogen peroxide on the wound will both introduce oxygen into the wound and debride it. Then be on the look out for muscle stiffness, or trouble breathing...but that would be EXTREMELY rare. 



> Hydrogen peroxide is less used now as a debriding agent than in the past. When hydrogen peroxide is applied to a wound it combines with catalase produced in the tissues and decomposes into oxygen and water, producing effervescence (Potter and Perry, 1993). The rationale was that this helps to loosen materials that might hinder wound recovery and enables them to be washed off more readily. Six-percent w/v hydrogen peroxide (known as ' 20 volume' solution) liberates twenty times its own volume of oxygen upon decomposition (Thomas, 1990a), and is generally diluted 1 in 3 for the irrigation of wounds. The release of oxygen also kills some anaerobic bacteria such as the tetanus bacillus or Escherichia coli that might otherwise infect the wound. This anti-microbial action of hydrogen peroxide can be amplified 100-fold by the addition of L-cysteine (Berglin et al, 1982).


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## elliemaeg

Sanza, my sil is a physician and when my grandson was visiting, he went to look at our chicks. As he was observing he stepped on a board with a long nail sticking up. The nail went thru his shoe and a long way,until it hit bone, in to his foot. Sil said since it bled a lot then it should have washed out anything that would cause problems and asked if his tetnus shots were up to date.Thinking about the pain that goes with such a wound, I says well, he probably needs to soak it in kerosene because it seems to keep a wound from causing soreness. He looked at me as if he had just been struck by lightning and said " Uh,I really don't think you should put petroleum products on a wound."
Of course it was all I could do to keep from laughing. 
Hope your foot is better.


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## Pink_Carnation

elliemaeg said:


> Sanza, my sil is a physician and when my grandson was visiting, he went to look at our chicks. As he was observing he stepped on a board with a long nail sticking up. The nail went thru his shoe and a long way,until it hit bone, in to his foot. Sil said since it bled a lot then it should have washed out anything that would cause problems and asked if his tetnus shots were up to date.Thinking about the pain that goes with such a wound, I says well, he probably needs to soak it in kerosene because it seems to keep a wound from causing soreness. He looked at me as if he had just been struck by lightning and said " Uh,I really don't think you should put petroleum products on a wound."
> Of course it was all I could do to keep from laughing.
> Hope your foot is better.


I'm confused....why was it funny?


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## MelanieV

Kerosene isn't the worst thing to use on a wound, but if you have an alternative such as peroxide or saline rinse: you might want to try that first. It _is_ an excellent antimicrobial, but is extremely irritating to the epidermis and may be linked to increased cancer risk. There are other things that work better, without as much risk. Seems a pity to waste fuel on a wound if you have something else, though. 

Also, Vaseline is a petroleum product as is baby oil, and many other ointments and preparations.


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## jen74145

A tetanus vaccine wouldn't do much good, it would be the immunoglobin you'd need. 
If it seems inordinately sore or you get redness from it, of course go get thee on antibiotics post haste. Other than that... I'd soak it well, try to air it as much as possible, and keep it dry dry dry.

But then, I avoid doctors like the plague and freely admit it.


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## Gercarson

Everyone who works on a homestead (or anywhere really) should keep up to date with their tetanus shots. Then, pick your home remedy and go with it. They are all about the same because they've worked for the person who recommended it.


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## misplaced

peroxide?


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## dixienc

Something our family has done for generations for wounds that turn into blood poisoning, with the red line climbing, is too take milk and start warming it up, add regular white flour a little at a time until it is hot and thick like toothpaste. Get a clean cotton rag, or a really clean cotton sock, place the paste on the rag/sock and place this over the wound. Tie is up sorta tight, but not enough to cut circulation off, and then sleep on it. I have used this on my 5 children for the last 23 years, my mom used it on all of us kids (4), and so has others in my family. I have also used it on friends who run to me for medical help. It works, as long as you catch it early. If you have severe puss, a fever, or a red line longer than an inch or two run to the doctor or hospital immediately!


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## elliemaeg

pink carnation, I am sorry if my post was confusing. An old remedy for a wound is to soak it in keresene. I only laughed because my young sil has never heard of such home remedies. 

I stepped on a nail many years ago and was told to soak the wound in kerosene and it wouldn't get sore. I soaked it and it honestly didn't ever bother me at all. I wouldn't recommend it for an aneseptic.


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## MelanieV

Rebel Lemming said:


> peroxide?


Yep, it's something that people have been turned away from because in normal situations it can damage the cells, but in the case of tetanus it is INVALUABLE.


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## Ed Norman

MelanieV said:


> Yep, it's something that people have been turned away from because in normal situations it can damage the cells, but in the case of tetanus it is INVALUABLE.


We always kept a big bottle of peroxide on the sink at the machine shop. Every day when you got cut from a metal shaving, you would splash some on it and watch the bubbles. We used to say the bubbles were from the germs screaming in pain.


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