Blackthorn Stick

I got a splinter over a week ago, and have been unable to remove it. Go ahead, name a remedy or trick to get the darned things out, and I'll bet I've tried it... peroxide, soapy water, poking with a needle, epsom salts, table salts, tar ointment, poking it with a needle, bacitracin ointment, water, poking with a needle... oh, did I mention poking with a needle? My poor thumb is so sore! Yesterday I went to see my physician who, after poking and prodding with her fingers, determined where the offensive-piece-of-something-sharp might be, shot me with novocaine (no matter how much they tell you the stuff is buffered to decrease the sting, don't believe them) and incised the pad of my thumb and dug around a bit... to no avail. What's next? Probably a visit to the orthopedic surgeon if it doesn't come out on its own.
I took an x-ray at work today, and it is clearly visible and in a perpendicular-to-the-bone position which explains why it hurts SO much to press anything on that area. It also shows that it is imbedded deep in the tissue, which explains why after 8 days of poking it and looking for something to haul out there's nothing visible.
The rule of the day is "Wear Your Garden Gloves" whenever you're working outside, no matter how much or how little you're doing, or how long you plan to be outside. I recently got a dozen pair of Galeton nitri-flex gloves, enough to carry me through a couple of days of outside work. They are machine washable and should last a long time.
Blackthorn Stick comes from the New England Fiddler's Repertoire.