Dr. Timothy K. Durnin - 7/31/2008

Question
small puncture wound top of foot just below base of 4th toe,on piece of metal mesh. No problem until today, awoke with lump at area,not red,not painful. Pushed down on lump and it "went away" only to return about 4 hours later even larger. Now all of foot swelling.  Emptied sac like lump by pushing down on it again.  Had foot x rayed for foreign body (negative). No fever or other signs of infection. Swelling gradually worsening.  What can this be? am i doing more harm by pushing down on lump to get rid of it?

Answer
Hi Sandi,

I would definitely keep an eye on it and make sure a physician monitors the site for sepsis. Keeping the area drained with pressure can be beneficial as long as it is kept sterile. The fluid can be synovial fluid or lymphatic accumulation from the puncture. These things an turn ugly, fast! I am surprised they didn't give you a 10 days?worth of Cephlex, go back to the Dr. and get it worked up properly or you might end up with a bone infection. Waiting until you run a fever or other obvious signs of infection might prove costly, the sooner it is treated properly the better.


Good Luck!

Dr. Timothy Durnin