Anyone else dealing with glass fragments still in their body years after a crash?

Yes, I had something similar after my accident — tiny fragment in my forearm that the ER basically ignored. My doctor gave me the same "your body will wall it off" speech. I ended up asking for a referral to a plastic surgeon who specializes in soft tissue stuff, and she was way more willing to actually DO something about it. It took persistence but it's worth pushing.

So the "encapsulation" thing your doctor mentioned is real — your body does form scar tissue around foreign objects sometimes. But that doesn't mean it always works cleanly or without complications. Chronic inflammation, granulomas, ongoing nerve irritation — these are all legitimate reasons to pursue removal. I'd document every symptom with dates and specifically ask for a referral to a general surgeon or plastic surgeon. Bring up the phrase "symptomatic foreign body" — that's the clinical framing that tends to get doctors to take action rather than just watch and wait.

Whatever you do, make sure you're tying ALL of this back to the accident in writing with your doctors. Insurance companies love to argue that ongoing treatment is "unrelated" to the original crash once enough time has passed. Get your physician to document explicitly that the fragment is a direct result of the collision. Don't let them quietly bill it as a separate issue.

Jumping in here because I used to work on the claims side of things. If there's an open injury claim or even a potential one, the at-fault party's insurance should be covering reasonable and necessary medical treatment — and removal of a fragment causing documented symptoms absolutely qualifies as that. The tricky part is "documented." Every appointment, every complaint of pain, every symptom needs to be in your medical records clearly and consistently. Gaps or vague notes are what adjusters use to deny or minimize.

Stop waiting for your primary care doc to change her mind. Go get a second opinion, period. Find a surgeon — even just a general surgeon — describe your symptoms, and ask them to evaluate it independently. You're allowed to do that. You don't need your current doctor's permission to see someone else.

I just want to say — trust your body. You know something is wrong. "It's not dangerous" and "it doesn't affect your life" are two very different things, and your doctor seems to be conflating them. You deserve to feel comfortable in your own body. Keep advocating for yourself. 💙

I don't want to be dismissive but I'm curious — did the X-ray confirm it's definitely glass? Some materials don't show well on X-ray and glass specifically can be tricky. Have they suggested an ultrasound or CT to get a clearer picture? I'd want to make sure everyone is certain of what they're looking at before jumping to removal, just because any procedure carries its own risks depending on where exactly it's sitting.