I have a piece of lead stuck in my hand. . . .:-(?

Question

Yesterday I accidently jabbed myself with a mechanical pencil and there's a little piece of lead stuck in my hand right under my thumb.

I tried getting it out with a needle and peroxide, but I think it's too deep. Ummm. . . what should I do?

Answer 1

First, pencil leads are not made of lead (the mineral.) They are made of graphite, which is not poisonous. However, the fact that it's red is not a great sign. Soak the hand in a warm-water and epsom-salt solution, like you would soak a sore foot. Leave it there for a while, then gently push on the lead from underneath where it is, to work it out the same way it went in.  Do this more than once if you need to, until you can see it coming out again. If this doesn't work, you will probalby have to go to a doctor to have it removed.

If it stops hurting and is no longer red, then it probably won't hurt to simply leave it alone--I had a piece of pencil lead in my knee for about 15 years before it finally just got absorbed and disappeared.

Answer 2

If you've already tried to remove it, and now it's turning red I think it's time to call the dr. You don't want to introduce any more germs to it and YES it can and will get infected.