wb, I stubbed my toe on a cactus when hiking in tennis shoes one time. Same thing, I couldn't find it and it only bothered me on occasion, if I hit my foot just right. A year or so later it started getting more sore. I was at the doc for something else and asked her to look at it. She lanced the toe a bit and pulled the thorn out with small tweezers, dabbed the toe with something and I was good to go. FWIW, I'd just wait.

I suspect by now the area is a bit inflamed and sore. The body doesn't wall it off. Macrophages (white blood cells = pus) will attack it and eventually digest it along with any bacteria that can grow in the wound. This is the likeliest outcome. You may from time to time press directly on this area and feel the sticker still there for many months to come.

If the bacteria escape the macrophages a serious infection will occur. If it invades the bone or soft tissues the sore area will expand and you will likely want to get on antibiotics if you are not already on them prophylacticly. It is possible there will be some extreme necrosis followed by the remains of the sticker coming out.

marymcp, how long was your thorn?

Fascist_Nation, I was expecting it to be inflamed today also and surprised it wasn't. When the doctor talked about walled off I think she didn't really want to get into macrophages. Fluid, white blood cells is close enough to walled off for me. Tomayto, tomahto.

Not really worried about it for now.

dunno.

Let me add to the anecdotes:

I've forgotten the circumstances, but several years ago I was gardening and had a splinter stick into my palm at the base of my thumb (between the thumb and the first finger). It was a little less than a millimeter in diameter, and fairly stiff.

When I got inside, the splinter had disappeared. Nothing much happened for a week or so -- no infection -- then one day the splinter was suddenly peeking out of my hand. I pulled it; it came out -- but sometimes that area feels like there's still a little bit of splinter in there.
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An elderly neighbor, many years ago, fell into a large cactus in her home and ended up with a 1/2" spine in her forearm (on the underside of the arm; the spine was under the skin, parallel to the bone). She had a relative take her to the doctor.

When the doctor went after the spine with tweezers, the spine went farther into her arm, and he couldn't find it.

I don't remember if the doctor gave her anything for potential infection, or if she used anything on the puncture, but she didn't have any infection. However, fifteen years later, she told me she could still feel the spine under her skin, inches away from where it had entered her arm.

Years ago there was a black drawing salve called Icthamol ointment. It's been taken off the market here. There is a wimpy variety of that on the market now. It has a different name. Ask your pharmacist if they sell it. I used to sell cactus and I've gotten stuck several times. I feel your pain!

I got an LONG opuntia englemani thorn in my upper arm on the inside and I pulled out a bit of thorn. I thought I got it all out. I never had any pain and all was fine and forgotten. 9 months later i saw a small whitehead pimple there and then I realized when I looked at it with a magnifying glass that there was something hard sticking out of the center. I got a tweezer and pulled and pulled and it kept coming and coming, more and more. 1 1/2"!!. It took awhile to remember the stick from the needle so this mysterious thorn that came out of me seemed to come out of nowhere like I was growing white hard things in my body. It freaked me out. About 10 minutes later I remember the original episode while standing over the guilty plant. That one was a clean cactus needle but my Oreocereus trollii cost me a trip to the doctor and more than one course of antibiotics. That one took a week to puff up infected but boy oh boy it sure did. So keep your eye on it.

I have used cactus itself. Using The mickey Mouse cactus cut off a small piece, slice off all the outside (no thorns) trim down to about 1/8 thick and tape it over the area of the thorn. Leave on over night.
The cactus is a succulent and will suck all the moisture out of that area including any sticker to the surface in the skin. The area will be white and wrinkly. S/B able to remove it then. Used it for rose bush thorns etc.
My farther used it on our avo ranch for our workers who would not go to the doctors w/ that kind of issue. Worked every time.

Wow, that's amazing. I'll have to remember that.

Hey waterbug_guy, I know this is a long shot, as I have not seen any recent activity, but, any chance you might be willing to give me some advice on my pond? I saw some of your other posts and you seem to be super knowledgeable. My problem is how to add a filter to my existing pond. Thanks in advance!

Forgot to say that I am also in Arizona, but, Tucson :)