I broke my pinkie toe and/or my foot(I think it broke because the pain is so bad Id like to cut it off!) just below that last night. My concern is that it may require a Dr. just because Im T1. I know they don’t do much for this, so is it okay to just let it heal on its own, should I watch out for anything? Its quite black/blue, but not really swollen, and I cannot put weight on it. Thanks for any thoughts…
Well, I also did the same thing about 10 years ago. And, did not go to the dr. Nothing happened and it healed fine, but in retrospect I think it was an unwise move. You don’t want to set yourself up for future problems by not having it heal properly.
If you have a podriatist get in touch with him/her immediately (yes, they will teke emergency calls on weekends), and if you don’t get yourself to the nearest emergency ward without delay. A painless x-ray will determine what if any damages have occurred, and with proper care you can be back on your feet in no time at all. Without proper care youy are asking for serious trouble.
Thank you for your response. I am only putting it off for the fact that Im a Mom with a one year old and a three year old and sitting in an ER dosn’t sound fun on a Sunday Afternoon. Do you think it could wait to see my Family Dr, on Monday?
Outch!!! I don’t think there’s much they can do for a broken pinkie. I’ve broken my right little toe twice and my left at least once. Plus this year, a fingertip and and finger. Believe it or not I’m not a klutz. I had no broken skin and no issues with healing. You probably won’t have any issues either - but I’d still see a diabetes knowledgeable doc right away. Because if you do get an infection, it could be catastrophic.
ouch sounds painful, i would go to your family doc or an urgent care.
I will just sort of echo what others have said here. the biggest concern is worry about it being broke. i do suggest a podiatrist I have one because of multiple foot injuries, so if you do not have one it is a good time to get one. I would not do an ER visit, my suggestion is to tape it to the adjacent toe and get an appointment. It will heal just fine in all likelihood, but it is good ot have a podiatrist you cna call when you have a more serious issue.
rick phillips
As an anesthesia technician/diabetic, I am going to save you a lot of time and money. You could go to the hospital and have an x-ray, etc. Buddy tape it to the next toe. Get some adhesive tape and tape the two toes together, and side by side. Take Advil, or the generic, for the pain. Keep it elevated and put ice on it. You will be fine.
Get an x-ray of it and if it needs to be moved into position have that done. Buddy tape is the means. Also DO NOT wear flip flops or any other type of shoe that does not give it support. The best is to wear that horrible boot. It’s worth it. I broke my little toe 2 years ago - that was an easy call on being broken - it was going in a different direction (didn’t hurt for whatever reason and I don’t have as much feeling in it now - not diabetes related at all). It’s not common to get it infected since the skin doesn’t typically get cut open. Best to have it checked. Not fun to spend money on something so simple but better to make sure. Your foot doctor may even have the means to take care of it. My MIL went that route (her toes were broken but in place so she went 2? days after she fell, I had to go right away to the ER when it happened to me).
BEST! And sorry that happened to you!!
K
Thank you all! I called my mom last night who had more than her fair share of broken toes and foot so I am styling in the BOOT today. When she brought it over yesterday I thought she was crazy that this could help any, then I put it on. OMG! What a difference. Its ugly and heavy, but it keeps me from putting all my weight on it.
I will call my Doc today, and let him know about the boot I already have and hope that all is fine and it will just take time. Im newly T1 and still have to learn what I need to look for with injuries. Again, Thank you to all who took the time to ease my fears. Its nice to know I have a place to turn to in a time of need. Enjoy your Monday All!
KEEP FEET HEALTHY!!!
Feet are the worst to break, esspecially toes. I broke 3 on my right foot at the same time. The 3 middle one. Doctor just gave me antibiotics and pain killers. The toe nails now groe in 4 seperate pieces for one nail. Kinda wierd. Just keep an avid eye on what your foot is doing. If it starts to not hurt when it still should be hurting, see a doc. Maybe go to get the antibiotics too.
Thanks for that. I am going to watch it very carefully. It hurts like he** right now so I suppose Im headed in the right direction. There isn’t any open skin to worry about infection, I was only worried about the T1 Dx and how that has any effect on my mishap or mis step. Ha!
The buddy tape needs to be changed every so often. I can’t remember…every other day? Ask your doctor to make sure. Also just to be on the safe side - clean the area well when you change the tape - you won’t get internal infection without a cut but you can invite fungus if you are in contact with stuff like that. Not an issue for most women but being diabetic we are prone to it and unfortunately we tend to hang around men who find fungus common! Just a heads up on that.
I’m sure talking to your doctor will help on what to do and to look for.
I ended up being in the boot / shoe for 8 weeks. Think I was told 6 weeks but it felt better to be in it longer.
Best!!
K
I know where you are coming from! I had to fly out for vacation soon after my accident also. Interesting to have them take you from one plane to another in a wheelchair. Glad that’s not the norm for me!
Great that you had a good vacation 
K
If the break is a simple “carpal” fracture, you are probably right. However, some breaks are of the metatarsal bones, and that may require fixation to heal properly. The best thing to do would be to consult with a podiatrist who would take x-rays and give advice concerning the particular problem.
Ouch! I definitely sympathize, because apparently I totally lack adequate spatial awareness to know where my left little toe is, and in the last 5 years I’ve broken it once, cracked it once, and merely (ha!) bruised the heck out of it yet another time – in fact, I’m currently recuperating from the crack, which I did about 2.5 weeks ago.
First, general advice: at least call your doc, and see if they want you to come in for an exam and/or x-ray. They’ll probably want to at least check it to make sure everything’s in alignment, but if it seems in alignment from the visual/manual exam, they may skip the x-ray because it doesn’t really change the treatment (this happened to me with the actual break – the doctor was quite certain it was broken, but there was no need to spend the money to confirm). Treatment, whether it’s broken or cracked or merely bruised, is to tape it, either to the adjacent toe or to the side of the foot, depending on your foot configuration, and to keep from applying weight to it until it stops hurting to do that.
Now, specific concerns for a diabetic – I can think of a couple. First, if there’s no break in the skin, infection risk isn’t really a concern, but the same factors that produce slow healing in the skin can also product slow healing of bone (because poor circulation affects both). Normal healing for a broken toe should have you able to put weight on it in 2-3 weeks, but pain up to 6 weeks is normal; if your healing seems to lag substantially behind that, then you might want to make another call to your doctor, who may want to have another x-ray to see what’s going on. Second, it’s possible that you might have some nerve damage from the injury that would create numbness in the skin of the toe and the adjacent part of the foot; although this wouldn’t be the same thing as diabetic neuropathy, it would still create the same concerns about not noticing a wound, and then if you got a wound the usual slow-healing concerns would apply, so you’ll want to make sure you inspect that portion of your foot regularly; also, when your doctor is testing your feet for signs of neuropathy, you’ll want to be sure he knows about the injury so that’s taken into account. Finally, I’ll note that pain is a stressor, and so you could potentially have a slight temporary rise in your blood glucose, which would be something to look for, or at least to keep in mind if you’re seeing unexpected numbers and trying to figure out why.
I figuered out my surgars were running high due to the pain when I hit it yesterday and about half an hour later I felt weird and tested, it was 300. I haven’t seen 300 in a long time!
Thank you so much for the advice. I suppose I should now call…It is awful black now, spreading up the top of the foot from the pinkie toe. The pain is doable, I had a 9 lb 8oz baby all natural and survived, I think I can do this darn pinkie. It helps that Im at work most of the day, its a desk job. Rather than being at home with my babies for now, at least I can sit more here.
I will (and have) kept a very close eye on this. The joys of being T1 keep comming!