Just dropped an iron frying pan on my big toe. Anything I can do to make it feel better?

Ouch! That sounds painful. You have my sympathy.

Ice to cut down on the swelling. Keep it elevated for the same reason and also to cut down on the throbbing (which is lessened if there’s less blood flow to the area.)

Gravity is not always our friend :)

If you have some Ibuprofen around take some. If it were me, I’d take a starter double dose of at least 3 of them. (even tho the bottle says to take 1 or 2, I know that it’s safe to take more because the prescription version comes in tablets of 400–600 mg. apiece, even tho the OTC amt. is limited to 200 mg. Per tab) I’ve previously had them for dental surgery. Just don’t do it on an empty stomach.

Be sure to go for an X-Ray. It’s really the only way to know if it’s broken.

Oh, man. I would add to the ^^ 600 mg.ibuprofin with 8 oz. water and some food.

Might want to alternate icing and hot compresses. And yes – whatever anti-inflammatory analgesic you prefer.

@gailcalled

You’re right. This is one med you don’t want to take on an empty stomach.

And plenty of water never hurts.

EDIT: I just double-checked the maximum dosage for Ibuprofen and it’s 800 mg. per dose; up to four doses per day (3200 mg) Therefore, you could even take a starter dose of 4, and be ok.

I know that sounds high, but that’s only because the OTC amount is so small at only 200 mg. Per tab.

First off, sorry to hear about your mishap and bet it hurt like hell, huh? @Buttonstc has given you great advice and another hint might include not wearing tight fitting shoes for a while. Also if the skin is broken keep it clean and apply antibiotic ointment to prevent infection. And as always, if it doesn’t start to feel better or gets worse, go see your doctor.

Was the pan damaged?

Thanks all. I was barefoot at the time. My nail is already blackened (I can tell under my polish).

@elbanditoroso No.

@marinelife One thing you may know already is that even if the toe is broken, they don’t do anything except stabilize it. It has to heal by itself.

Ouch!

Ow! So sorry!
Maybe ice it if it is swelling then just sit down and out your foot up, for the next few days.
Yes, nothing that can be done for a broken toe, but you can immobilize it yourself, wrap it snugly but not too tightly nd take lots of OTC painkillers. Maybe soak it in some epsom salts too.

Ow ow ow!
Good advice above, let me add that obscenities, voiced loudly and sharply and often, has been shown to relieve the stress of injury, and maybe reduce swelling.

Swear like a sailor. It’s science!

Actually, what helped the pain subside was laughing. I was reading a forum where people had dropped various things on their bare feet and toes. It was comical how often it happens and how little you can do for it.

I was afraid to swear in case my mother was paying attention in heaven. She was probably rolling on the floor laughing out loud—based on past experiences.

^ Well, at least you haven’t lost your sense of humour. While icing that toe, be sure not to keep it too cold. I always tend to do that when in pain, and at some point, the cold just makes it worse. Feel better soon!

The summer before last I drove a wooden garden stake into my hand. OMG! I am sure the neighbors heard me for several miles. GODDAMN IT!!! %^&=%#@!!!

Ice it until it goes numble (about 15 minutes). Then elevate. When it warms up and starts hurting, ice and elevate again.

If this helps you to laugh a bit more…

Years ago when my marriage was still intact, my wife would occasionally have a bad headache (which we later found was mostly if not wholly the fault of her TMJ problem), and she would describe the pain in the side of her head – to others, often strangers to me – such as, “It feels like CWOTUS whapped me in the side of the head with a frying pan.”

I used to ask her – beg her, plead with her – to please use a different analogy, because although she and I knew for an absolute certainty that I never even raised a hand to her, and I certainly never used implements, and would have been an arrant fool to use her implements, others might not know this. She would toss that off casually as, “It’s just a comparison, it doesn’t mean that you actually did anything. They should know that.”

She really never understood my objection to her phrasing. She’d use it right in front of me, and all I could do was roll my eyes, shake my head and leave the room. That’s when I most wanted to rap her upside the head with a frying pan, to be honest.

Knowing the tenor of many of her conversations and acquaintances, I certainly did not share her faith. I’m sure that a deep background investigation of my character would reveal suspicions of spousal abuse. This is only one of many things that prevents me from running for public office.

PS: Although I would never presume to ask after the condition of the pan, I had to make the assumption from your question that you wanted you to feel better, and not the pan. I can understand @elbanditoroso‘s question.

@CWOTUS and @elbanditoroso Oh, now I get it. (Insert smiley face emoticon here) I was hurting too much yesterday to pay attention to grammar. And I knew it was my toe that was hurting!

I was going to suggest you smash another digit, but I didn’t think you’d see the humor in that answer right after it happened.

I slammed my head in the hen house this morning collecting eggs. The irony, cracked my own damn egg. lol

Tell the frying pan that you are sorry and it will not happen again,