Foot still won't heal

[Scarlett]

I injured the top of my foot a week ago and accidentally took the skin off a bit of it. I scratched it in bed with my other foot when I got too hot. My concern is that it still really hurts and is red around the wound and yellow around the edge. It still oozes a bit (sorry to be gross). I am on my 4th day of antibiotics, and I can't wear my shoe as my foot swells up and goes blue-ish. I don't know whether to use Savlon/Sudocreme (doesn't seem to have helped) or cover it up, or leave it exposed to the air.
Any ideas what to do next? It just doesn't seem to be healing.

[Sqad]

It really doesn´t matter whether it is covered, whichever is more comfortable for you.

Try and keep the foot elevated and see the weekend out.

Give the GP a ring on Monday as he may well need to take a swab for culture to identify the organism involved.

[Buenchico]

Most doctors would probably like to see products such as Savlon banned from sale. (Anyone who has ever done a first aid course will tell you that antiseptic creams can do more harm than good, because they inhibit the body's repair processes, and should never be used except under medical direction).

4 days of antibiotics isn't long. When my foot suddenly started swelling up, a few years ago, the doctor prescribed a fortnight's course of antibiotics. I went back a fortnight later because there was still some heat and swelling present. He wasn't at all surprised because he said that feet infections often take quite a long time to clear up, so he gave me a further fortnight's course of antibiotics. The doctor still wasn't surprised when I appeared in his surgery two weeks later with a lingering 'hot and tingling' feeling in my foot. It was only the third two-week course of antibiotics that eventually dealt with the problem.

While I've been typing this, I've seen that Sqad has just posted, suggesting getting the infection checked out again by your GP. While that's obviously sound advice, I don't think that you'll have anything to worry about.

Chris

[bednobs]

i'm intrigued -how did you know what sqad had written in time for you to add it to your post??!!

[ummmm]

Two screens...

[Buenchico]

Bednobs:
I saw Sqad's post come up under 'Latest Posts', so I right-clicked on the link to it from there, and selected 'Open link in new tab'.

[Eve]

Does the wound feel hot/warm to the touch?

I was going to say keep it as clean as possible and elevated as well. I had a bad bout of cellulitis on my foot which was proving difficult to shift with strong antibiotics so they said to keep it raised above my head for the next 48 hours and it finally started to shift. Think I used stuff like Savlon wound wash to help keep it clean.

Not moving also means I could leave it open to the air rather than trying to cover it to stop it rubbing and hurting on shoes etc...

[Dee Sa]

my hubby is diabetic, he grazed his big toe last October and we still are going to the NHS foot clinic once a week for dressing as it wont heal.
In my opinion [ for what its worth] it is better to keep an iodine spray in your medicine cupboard as they spray this every week on the area surrounding the cut after putting on the dressing. Its called Betadine dry powder 25mg/g topical spray, it cn be ordered at Boots and costs approx £ 3.50.