Needle jammed completely under my skin - how dangerous is this?

[Anonymous]

There was a sewing needle (or perhaps a pin) in my bed and I just jammed it really hard into my leg. It's completely under my skin. I could feel the end of it some and tried to dig it out with a splinter remover/lance thingy but can't get it. It feels like it is digging in deeper now and I cannot get it out. Is this dangerous? Can I just wait and hope it will move closer to the surface later or do I have to go to urgent care or a doctor to get it out? I've dealt with splinters and such before but always there was something you could grab and pull it out. I'm worried it will just disappear into my fat or muscle and then move around my body and cause trouble elsewhere, or infection.

[Anonymous]

I would go to urgent care

[Anonymous]

Unless you are on a remote island with lush tropical beaches and only have a few days left before returning to civilization where you can get to an urgent care, I can’t see why on earth you wouldn’t be headed there tomorrow.

[Anonymous]

What angle did it enter at? How long a pin?

Yes urgent care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What angle did it enter at? How long a pin?

Yes urgent care.

I don't know.. now I'm thinking it didn't go in at all. I think it just jabbed me and left a bump that I thought was the pin head. There's nothing there now. If a pin was under my skin I should be able to feel something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What angle did it enter at? How long a pin?

Yes urgent care.

I don't know.. now I'm thinking it didn't go in at all. I think it just jabbed me and left a bump that I thought was the pin head. There's nothing there now. If a pin was under my skin I should be able to feel something.

I imagine it would be painful, and that it wouldn’t so cleanly and neatly disappear under your skin - unless it’s very small? Is the area tender to the touch?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There was a sewing needle (or perhaps a pin) in my bed and I just jammed it really hard into my leg. It's completely under my skin. I could feel the end of it some and tried to dig it out with a splinter remover/lance thingy but can't get it. It feels like it is digging in deeper now and I cannot get it out. Is this dangerous? Can I just wait and hope it will move closer to the surface later or do I have to go to urgent care or a doctor to get it out? I've dealt with splinters and such before but always there was something you could grab and pull it out. I'm worried it will just disappear into my fat or muscle and then move around my body and cause trouble elsewhere, or infection.

Wait what? You think a sewing needle is going to take a fantastic voyage all around your body?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There was a sewing needle (or perhaps a pin) in my bed and I just jammed it really hard into my leg. It's completely under my skin. I could feel the end of it some and tried to dig it out with a splinter remover/lance thingy but can't get it. It feels like it is digging in deeper now and I cannot get it out. Is this dangerous? Can I just wait and hope it will move closer to the surface later or do I have to go to urgent care or a doctor to get it out? I've dealt with splinters and such before but always there was something you could grab and pull it out. I'm worried it will just disappear into my fat or muscle and then move around my body and cause trouble elsewhere, or infection.

You think it might work its way all through your body, maybe get to your heart and kill you? What an imagination.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a sewing needle (or perhaps a pin) in my bed and I just jammed it really hard into my leg. It's completely under my skin. I could feel the end of it some and tried to dig it out with a splinter remover/lance thingy but can't get it. It feels like it is digging in deeper now and I cannot get it out. Is this dangerous? Can I just wait and hope it will move closer to the surface later or do I have to go to urgent care or a doctor to get it out? I've dealt with splinters and such before but always there was something you could grab and pull it out. I'm worried it will just disappear into my fat or muscle and then move around my body and cause trouble elsewhere, or infection.

Wait what? You think a sewing needle is going to take a fantastic voyage all around your body?

Um... Yes... I have heard that needles or other foreign objects can in fact move around the body.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What angle did it enter at? How long a pin?

Yes urgent care.

I don't know.. now I'm thinking it didn't go in at all. I think it just jabbed me and left a bump that I thought was the pin head. There's nothing there now. If a pin was under my skin I should be able to feel something.

I imagine it would be painful, and that it wouldn’t so cleanly and neatly disappear under your skin - unless it’s very small? Is the area tender to the touch?

Yeah it's a very skinny needle or pin. The skin in that area does look weird today and it is sensitive but that could be all the digging with a lancet I did last night.

I did go to urgent care this morning just to check it out. Am waiting now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a sewing needle (or perhaps a pin) in my bed and I just jammed it really hard into my leg. It's completely under my skin. I could feel the end of it some and tried to dig it out with a splinter remover/lance thingy but can't get it. It feels like it is digging in deeper now and I cannot get it out. Is this dangerous? Can I just wait and hope it will move closer to the surface later or do I have to go to urgent care or a doctor to get it out? I've dealt with splinters and such before but always there was something you could grab and pull it out. I'm worried it will just disappear into my fat or muscle and then move around my body and cause trouble elsewhere, or infection.

Wait what? You think a sewing needle is going to take a fantastic voyage all around your body?

Um... Yes... I have heard that needles or other foreign objects can in fact move around the body.

Like…when they’re swallowed. A needle stuck just under the top layer of your skin is not migrating anywhere.

My two cents: you did not get a needle embedded in your skin. You got poked with a needle and your health anxiety took the ball and ran with it.

[Anonymous]

Ok I'm just grossed out at the thought. Why *wouldn't* you go get it removed? Please do it for the sake of this anonymous person who is clearly more squeamish than you.

[Anonymous]

Op here. I do not have the time or energy to flip around with health anxiety. I did get an x-ray which showed a needle embedded in my leg. Urgent care doc referred me to a general surgeon as it was too deep for him to feel comfortable getting it out. Last night it was closer to the surface of my skin but it has burrowed in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok I'm just grossed out at the thought. Why *wouldn't* you go get it removed? Please do it for the sake of this anonymous person who is clearly more squeamish than you.

It we as more a question of how urgently it needed attention. Turns out the ER wouldn't have been.inappropriate, just St would have probably waited all day.

[Anonymous]

Please remove all sewing needles from your bed.