Is my cut infected? (pic)

Hello,

This is my first post. I have a cut on the bottom my foot that I sustained on June 13th. It has been healing extremely slowly. I woke up this morning and it would appear that there are some signs of infection. I am not sure though, so I thought I would seek some advice.

If I have to, I am not going to be able to see a doctor until Sunday. (today is Friday) If it is infected I am wondering how best to take care of it until Sunday.

Here is the picture.  http://imgur.com/bAD18.jpg

[spacecadet1963]

Hi if you can not make it to your doctor until monday do this make you a hot soak with some salt in it this will help with the soreness and will help draw out the infection. you may want to be checked for diabeties for you have a slow healing cut. i hope this helps another sign of infection is 1 red streaks 2 green puss oozing out. do you have either ??? I hope this helps

[spacecadet1963]

Hi and make the soak as hot as you can stand it.

[Garnizzle]

I am fairly sure that I do not have diabetes, although I have never been tested to my knowlege. I attribute the long healing time of the wound to the fact that it is on the bottom of my foot more than anything. I am 22 and fairly active and have tried my best to stay off of it but I have slipped a few times and walked on it a little bit more than I probably should have.

Also, I think I made an error when I was letting it heal. It happened at a friends cottage and there were no medical supplies the of any kind. I cleaned it as best as I could with water and soap, but still had to walk around with it in a shoe (with a sock on) for the better part of a day.

When I got home from the cottage I cleaned it as best I could and put polysporin on it with a bandage. I kept a bandage on it for several days with polysporin, but the wound became too moist. So I took off the bandage and let a scab form. And it formed slowly because of the location of the cut. Part of the scab fell off the night before last, and I woke up tis morning and my wound was as pictured.

I've already put hydrogen peroxide all over the wound, and it bubbled pretty good and in the picture you can see there is a bit if a blister. This drained when I was putting hydrogen peroxide on the wound. I put polysporin on the wound and bandaged it.

I was thinking in a few hours I would put hydroperoxide on it again and rebandage and continue doing that every few hours. Is that too much?

Thank you for your reply.

[Garnizzle]

Also I havent put it in hot salt water at all. Is this still beneficial 20 days later?

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Thanks for writing to the forum!
Generally such wounds that do not heal are called no-healing ulcers in medical term. They could be due to underlying infection, low supply of oxygen to the wound that is reducing the healing process, underlying diabetes, or due to underlying dermatitis. Also diabetes leads peripheral neuropathy, atherosclerosis etc which make wound healing troublesome.
Wounds heal slower in diabetics or smokers or alcoholics who have been drinking for a long time. So these have to be ruled out.
Pressure on the wound is another cause. Hence you will have to wear foot wear that has soft comfortable soles.
Until you can consult your doctor, keep the wound clean, apply local antibacterial cream and keep it open for as long as you can or wear  air porous bandage when you go out.
Hope this helps. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!