Treatment for infected finger...?

My 2 year old has has an infected, extremely red & swollen finger nail for approx 6 months. Ive been to the doctors 8 times and shes been prescribed 4 courses of anti-biotics. Ive tried drawing ointment, antiseptic cream, spray, herbal creams, and nothing.

Shes woke this morning and its twice the size of her other thumb, very red and swollen and has dried blood around the edges.

Ive been to the doc when its been this bad and all they say is they have tried everything. They reffered her to a kiddy hospital and there is a waiting list of 17weeks.

Im pretrified it turns into anythin worse ie, septicemia :-/

Any ideas on how i can treat this on my own, as my doctors wont do anything else.

Her finger nail is also very tired and thin.

Please help an worried mum. Thank very much

Thanks to all who answered. I went back to see a diff doc and told him something had to be done, He was shocked at the state of her finger, he gave her a low dose of antibiotics to last 2-3 wks he sed this will clear it. Eventually

Have her soak her finger for ten minutes three times a day in a cup of very warm water with 1/4 cup table salt stirred and dissolved in it. That will do the trick if there is anything to be done without more invasive therapies. Also, ask about hyperbaric treatment. Get another pediatrician, by the way. RN.

.Try a hot bread poultice. Get boiling water ,put bread in it and place it on the infected area,it will hurt like hell but it does work.

Oh gosh, six months? Really that long? I would go to another Dr. - my daughter had an infected hangnail about a year ago, she was just over two, and it only took 3 days before she needed surgery. After a certain point, antibiotics don't do anything. The surgery is really minor, you should be able to just go in (and you should be able to stay with your child), they numb the area, make a small cut that your child won't even feel, drain the infection, and give stitches if needed, though my daughter's incision was so small all they did was put a band-aid over it. It healed up fine in a few days. But infections can be very serious, so if you are sure that's what it is, you need to take your child to a Dr. immediately. They can be fatal if they spread to your bloodstream. If your positive it's an infection, or something more serious and your current Dr. is not helping you, then you should find another, in my opinion. If it is truly as serious and been going on as long as you say, then she may require a more serious surgery, I would suspect. But infections are very serious, and your Doctor should not be turning you away.

The reason that it is still infected is because the cause of the infection is still in the area. It could be nothing more than a speck of dirt but if it is still there it will fester. If there is any yellowing or whitening around the soreness? If so you need to clean this out every time it forms. We used to call them Witlows. Here is how to do it. Let the thumb soak for about 10 minutes in disinfected water. Salt is as good as anything. Then take your little girls arm with her behind you under your arm so that she cannot see what you do. While the thumb is still wet and warm. Squeeze the area with the pus and drain out as much as you can. It will hurt but it takes only five seconds so do not waiver. Just do it. Soak again in very warm disinfected water and wrap in a bandage. Do not use any creams at this stage as this destroys the natural healing process. This is how my mother dealt with the same thing when I was young and it always worked. I have used the same method with my children and they are now using it with theirs.Best of luck

Go back to the childrens hospital casualty right now and demand that something is done. How can anyone be so cruel as to allow a small child to endure this.She must be in some pain.

soak finger in warm water and epson salts every day to drain the posions, then put your antibotic cream on with a bandage.

be sure to take the infection pills ..my friend uses neosporin on all of her kids and wrap it in a bandage...i also heard if it has bacteria,if u soak it in lystereine mouthwash ,it will get rid of fungus and bacteria...but that might be like alcohol to her!...have u tried peroxide?...good luck!