Would you take the child attached to this finger to the doctor...

[Twinmom]

...even if it doesn't seem to hurt him (unless you mention it, of course! ;)) He slammed it in a door. Seems to happen alot around here! :glare: I wouldn't worry except it seems so swollen.

 

Thanks!

 

 

[beansprouts]

Poor kid, that looks very painful! He may lose the fingernail. I don't think a doctor will do much more than prescribe an ice pack and Ibuprophen.

[Amy in Orlando]

Poor baby. I'm with Cindy - ice and Ibuprofen. My youngest something similar and that's all we got out of a doctor's visit.

[shalom22]

Personally speaking as one of those kids (of course many years ago). I slammed my finger (actually the very same finger) in a car door, lost the nail and it didn't grow back right, but anyway, unless it is causing a lot of pain, ie: could be broken type of pain, I wouldn't worry about it too much. The swelling is most likely from the blood collecting under the nail. The nail will shed off at some point. You could try and poke a hole through the nail (very gently) to relieve the pressure.

 

I have lost several toe nails and the one finger nail through my childhood. I am sure my mother didn't think I would make it to adulthood with all of my fingers and toes.

 

Here's to a quick healing.

[Twinmom]

Thanks...that is reassuring. I was afraid it might be broken, but he's running around just fine so I wasn't sure.

 

I'm not kidding you when I say the kid screamed at the top of his lungs for 45 minutes after it happened! It didn't actually look that bad at first, so I was less than sympathetic...he tends to be a drama king! Did the ice pack thing, but he wouldn't leave it on. Next morning, this is what it looked like! I felt suitably chastised. :o

 

Right now, I've got one of the twins missing a fingernail and a toenail, and DS7 looking like this! We are a motley crew. :D

[Twinmom]

Oh, and this is my kiddo with ectodermal dysplasia, so when the nail falls off, it will be years before he gets another one!

 

Forgot to mention that the other twin actually cut off the end of his finger in a door (thanks to the twin currently missing two nails!) and had to have it surgically reattached. What is it with these boys and doors, anyway? :banghead:

[ncmomo3]

My sympathies. That looks soo painful--poor little guy.

[Jen R]

I second the suggestion to lance the nail. I've had to do that to my son's nail before. A couple of years ago my dd jammed hers at ps and a week later shut the same finger in the car door. Her nail didn't look like that, though. My son is the one that does that all the time. Several years ago he pinched his between a car engine and the inside of the car.

[Twinmom]

How exactly would I safely do that? That is, if I can pin him down. One look at a needle and I think he'd have a coniption fit!

[Remudamom]

You'd have to use a needle. I wouldn't do it unless it started hurting, which it might after the blood builds up. Dh went in to the doc once to have this done, and the doc said it was the most fun he'd had all day. Didn't even charge us!

[Lolly]

Solution to the door/finger problem. Put towels, even handtowels will work, over the doors so they will not close. I kept them in the door joints while my kids were little. My dear mother came and took all my towels down and washed them for me. She soon found out why they were there and put them back up.

[teamturner]

Forgot to mention that the other twin actually cut off the end of his finger in a door (thanks to the twin currently missing two nails!) and had to have it surgically reattached. What is it with these boys and doors, anyway? :banghead:

 

Yes, when my twin boys were just 2 they were playing such a sweet opening and closing door game and saying "hi" to each other (even have a video of that part). Both me and my dh were nearby when we next hear screaming and one of the twins is holding the door shut w/both hands, leaning into the door. The one inside the closet had his thumb in the door jam (the part by the hinges) and about 10 hours at the ER later, ds had to have his thumbnail surgically reattached so that the new thumb nail could grow in. To this day, whenever I hear doors slamming a come in shouting to stop playing with the doors! I agree, what is with twin boys and doors?? :tongue_smilie:

[elegantlion]

Ironically I had my thumb slammed in a door as a kid. I was on vacation with my best friend and her older brother did it. I think we gave their mother gray hair overnight. It hurt like the dickens and the nail fell off.

 

I just relayed that story to my ds and his friend the other day as they were goofing off with the door. the threat of nails falling off was enough for them to stop.

[Twinmom]

You'd have to use a needle. I wouldn't do it unless it started hurting, which it might after the blood builds up. Dh went in to the doc once to have this done, and the doc said it was the most fun he'd had all day. Didn't even charge us!

 

Oh, that's just sadistic! :lol: I think I'm going to avoid the needle...he'll stick it in MY finger when he sees it!

[Twinmom]

Solution to the door/finger problem. Put towels, even handtowels will work, over the doors so they will not close. I kept them in the door joints while my kids were little. My dear mother came and took all my towels down and washed them for me. She soon found out why they were there and put them back up.

 

Most excellent idea. I'm going to do that tomorrow! Thanks!

[Twinmom]

Yes, when my twin boys were just 2 they were playing such a sweet opening and closing door game and saying "hi" to each other (even have a video of that part). Both me and my dh were nearby when we next hear screaming and one of the twins is holding the door shut w/both hands, leaning into the door. The one inside the closet had his thumb in the door jam (the part by the hinges) and about 10 hours at the ER later, ds had to have his thumbnail surgically reattached so that the new thumb nail could grow in. To this day, whenever I hear doors slamming a come in shouting to stop playing with the doors! I agree, what is with twin boys and doors?? :tongue_smilie:

 

OUCH! Geez. That must have REALLY hurt!

 

My DS managed to literally cut his finger completely off just above the first knuckle. Severed it right through the growth plate. I knew it was bad, but I was in denial. I told the doctor I was going to be sick, really I did. Still, he found it necessary to pull the whole finger back and show me how it was only connected by skin. :ack2::svengo: We're still paying off his bill...:D

[teamturner]

Wow! After reading what Lolly said about towels on the tops of doors, I remembered that that is what we did when they were younger after that happened. Now that we have a 2 yo again, perhaps it's time to put the towels back in. :glare:

[LadyR]

My son's fingernail looks EXACTLY like that. He fell outside about 3 weeks ago and cried for at least an hour after that. His nail is still black and raised in the nail bed. It doesn't hurt anymore and his nail is growing. Hopefully it will look normal once the black part grows out.

[ereks mom]

BIL & SIL took him to the doctor. It was broken and the tendon was detached. Three weeks in a cast. And he's a thumb-sucker to boot.

[TraceyS/FL]

I had a customer that was in a wheelchair with some massive nerve damage from getting her fingers slammed in a van door in highschool. She damaged the sympathetic nervous syndrome :(

 

My DH would tell you to drill it - he's pretty good at it ;) He says once you do, the hurt is about all gone!

 

Here is hoping you can avoid it - and that the towels work!

[Christine]

...even if it doesn't seem to hurt him (unless you mention it, of course! ;)) He slammed it in a door. Seems to happen alot around here! :glare: I wouldn't worry except it seems so swollen.

 

 

Oh! I so did that 2 years ago! One of our old windows crashed down on my thumb! (The day I was leaving for a 12 hour car trip to my folks with me as the only driver. It hurt so bad all day . . .)

 

It was my thumb and it seperated at the base, but didn't fall off for quite some time. (oooh, gross!) It got to the point I was cutting the back end of my nail, but the front end was still attached, and the new nail was growing in place. . .went through a lot of bandaids (so as to not snag it and rip it off).

[jenn-]

I must be the oddball here, I say take the child in. It looks painful and I think it needs to be drained and x-rayed just in case.

[mommaduck]

Looks just like mine did when a friend slammed a base housing door on mine when I was a kid. I lost the fingernail. Nothing to be done other than pain reliever.

[Doran]

That looks so painful!! I guess you're fortunate that he's not complaining, given his drama king status. I wanted to tell you how funny I thought your subject line was. Just made me giggle -- until saw the finger to which the child is attached, that is!

 

Here's a site that might help you decide what to do. You think you could do the paper clip or needle trick when he's asleep? If that finger were attached to a child of mine, that's what I'd be trying. :001_unsure:

[StaceyinLA]

Once that pressure is relieved, it will feel TONS better anyway!

[paula j]

I'd just keep ice on it and watch it. If the swelling doesn't go down it may have to be drained.

[Firefly65]

When exactly did this happen? Well, how long before the photos were taken? I did the same thing to my finger when I was fourteen. My finger ended up having multiple fractures on the tip, but there wasn't anything they could really do about it. I had to have a tetanus shot because I was overdue for it anyway. And I did lose the fingernail as the new one grew up under it.

 

My daughter has lost several fingernails and just slammed her thumb in the car door last week, so we're expecting another loss. I guess the only thing that worries me is the swelling. If it is old blood beneath the nail, then I am not sure they could drain it. That's why I ask how long before the photo was taken did the actual injury occur.

[Amy in NH]

My kids used to run around slamming doors despite my repeated warnings, until I showed them the pencil demonstration. Have them all watch while you slam a pencil in a door. Don't be gentle, give it a good slam. It will shatter. I told them that's what would happen to their fingers. That cured the door slamming pretty quickly.

[beansprouts]

How is he doing today, Twinmom?