Poisoned Prickle

What has kept a small boy and his mother waiting firstly for 2 GPs and after hours clinics , followed A&E for 8 hours, followed by a hospital ward for 2 days- a "small" prickle that refused to part company with knuckle.
The small boy with the big prickle was cutting thorns off a branch so that it would not prick him, and the branch got its final revenge. The plant won!
In the photo you can see the offending "foreign body" on top of the place where it was removed. On second viewing it doesnt look nice!
Kept me blipless for 2 days, but a childs hospital ward is no place for idle camera pointing, besides I was always too tired to see straight anyway.
Home now and catching up on life...