I had a hawthorne thorn stuck in my foot.

So most of you are aware of hawthorne trees. I believe they are in the same family as black locust. They have 2-3in thorns all throughout the branches.
Well, a while back, I was in my backyard and stepped on a hawthorne stick that had fallen on the ground. I wasn't wearing boots as I wasn't really doing anything in particular. The thorn went through my tennis shoe and broke off in my foot.
I went to a few different doctors and no one was able to 'find' the thorn, dispite the fact that the thorn was quite large. Eventually, after waiting a while to let it "work it's way out", it started looking like I was going to need major surgery. I tried epsom salt soaks, prid, menthol relaxing rubs, foot baths, and a bunch of other things. I was still able to walk with a slight limp and it didn't hurt me too much, it was very uncomfortable.

Here is the MRI that I finally got. Check out the red circle.


I went into an exploration surgery and again, the doctor was not able to find the thorn. I had a large cut and about 5 stitches. After the surgery, the incision just didn't want to heal, despite me taking really good care of the wound.

One day after wearing my boots for a few hours (splitting some wood), I took off my boot and saw a little dark thing sticking out of my recent incision. Sure enough, it was my splinter! It was a full half an inch.
It was in my foot for a year. I still have it. Nasty little bugger.

 

What an ordeal to endure for that long! Nasty. I’m surprised it didn’t get seriously infected soon after it got lodged in there. I think that would’ve almost been preferable to limping around for an entire year. You must be pretty relieved now that it’s out. Time to eradicate the ones in your yard before it happens again

 

Hate to ask you the bill they sent ya for their missed mess.

 

That’s hardcore man!!!!

 

Yeah, those trees got cut down fast.

I could function pretty well, I even did my regular 3 mile run after skipping a few weeks.

The Dr. I first saw was not mentally ready to grab a knife and cut it out. I told her I had an inch of wood in my foot and she freaked. She wouldn't do the surgery without an MRI. By that time, it had healed over and I needed a different doctor. The guy I eventually found did invasive surgery on ballerina feet, I figured he was probably pretty good. He was willing to pick up a knife but it was so deep that he wasn't able to find it, even after cutting at my foot for an hour. The next step would have been a full surgery with anesthesia and the works. This time around, it was only a few co-pays but if I had to get another operation, that would have been pretty expensive.

 

Does that mean you'll now tip toe through the hawthorne patch? Sorry JackHammer i couldnt resist. Scary that it was in that long and Dr's didnt want to touch it. I hate the medical profession. Glad its out.

Plenty of experience with splinters here working on the roof most of my life. Had one once go in on the palm side of a finger under a callous and didnt even know it was there until a couple weeks later when i had some peculiar pain. A good squeeze and out shot the splinter and some nasty puss.

No hawthorne around here that i know of. Plenty of BL. Honey locust's are the thornless hydrids.

 

Yeah bro. I wear my big-boy boots and walk lightly. Every hawthorn in reach got leveled. There are still sticks around and they are finding their way into the burn barrel.

 

What shoes were you wearing when it got you?

 

Thin walled house shoes. Went straight through the canvas on the side. I was watering the garden or something like that and got distracted by something in the brush so I walked over. Oops.

 

JackHammer - Had a similar experience a couple years ago when a splinter by the firewood pile went up in my foot. Tried all the home remedies like you did, even tried the Amish one of keeping a fatty piece of raw bacon on it trying to draw it out. (That did not work, but had every dog in the neighborhood seemed to like me). Finally after a couple months of painful walking, took my wet socks and boots off after a rainy hike, and there it was sticking out! Removed it, about 1/4" long, problem solved!
Glad yours is out!

 

My wife has gone to the Dr to get them removed for the top of her head, at least once. I’ve had the two-week festering, but nothing like your experience. I’ve cut and stacked at least an acre of this stuff, and am nearly rid of it. My handling strategy evolved to dicing and handling a lot of small pieces that didn’t have to be grasped as firmly. Now, with the grapple, I do as few cuts as necessary. They will go through tractor tires, although I have not had that happen.

 

Dang, that’s nasty! I know what it’s like to have one in a finger for a day or two but not that huge frickin thing. I don’t think I could have dealt that long.

 

Got one in my front yard, I learned to respect that tree really quick.
I hate picking up all the branches it sheds too.. Half tempted to cut it down, but the birds love it and it is pretty at times.
You know how it came about its name right? when they prick you all you can yell is awwwthorn

 

Yeah, something about the moisture opens up the skin. I guess raw bacon would have moisture and salt. Hopefully I won't need to try that.

 

Yeah, I had to fill up the mower tires with that green goop stuff. Many thorns have gone through.

 

I've been running a bunch of that stuff through an auto-feeding wood chipper lately.
It doesn't go easy though - it tries to pull you in with it. I've lost my gloves several times.
Some of the thorns survive the chipper though so it may go on a burn pile instead.

 

Yeah, I had the same issues. I just have a small chipper and that stuff did not like to go in.

 

Ouch!