Sunday, February 7, 2010

My son smashed his finger in my jewlery box. The nail is raised at the cuticle and black underneath. Doctor?

At the cuticle the nail is raised and looks like a bubble. Should I take him to the doctors or will the nail heal by itself?My son smashed his finger in my jewlery box. The nail is raised at the cuticle and black underneath. Doctor?
You should at least call the doctor, especially if he is having a lot of pain. If there is bleeding under the nail the doctor can relieve the pressure.My son smashed his finger in my jewlery box. The nail is raised at the cuticle and black underneath. Doctor?
I did that to my thumb with a door about 18 months ago (don't ask). It'll turn some pretty colors before it's all healed - purple, yellow, lime green ...





Keep it clean.





Get an alumasplint at the drug store. (If you can't find one - near the gauze and tape, usually - the pharmacist will know what you mean.) Keep the finger protected. It'll take a few weeks, or maybe a bit longer, for the broken spot to grow out to the end of the finger (so you can trim it off). (If he's very young, you might have a problem getting him to keep it on, but it'll be tender, so show him that he won't keep hurting it if the splint stays on.)





You could go to the doctor but, aside from a tetanus booster (to keep his malpractice premiums down), I doubt the doctor will do much more.
I would definitely see a doctor to be safe. It does sound like there could be bleeding under the nail. Better to have the doctor release that pressure now than to have your son wake you in the middle of the night because he's in excruciating pain.
It will heal on it's own. Just put some neosporin (to promote healing and keep from infection) and a bandage over it. If it doesn't look better in a few days, see a doctor. I dropped a battery on my toe when I was 5 and the same thing happened. He will get over it. Make sure he doesn't mess with it or it will irritate it.
Take him to the hospital - they'll remove the nail after they've numbed the finger. A new nail will grow in its place but it'll look different to the others. If you feel that it CAN be saved, put his hand in a bowl of clean, warm water and add a capful of Dettol or similar, swish it about to clean the wound then dry carefully. Put some antiseptic cream on it and wrap securely with a clean bandage. Repeat the wash / cream steps every day and keep your eye on it for signs of infection, he may be lucky and keep the nail but if it won't heal its better coming off. Good luck.
bloodblister underneath and the nail will most likely heal itself or fall off...
it will heal faster and be much more comfortable for him if the blood is drained, I've had finger tip bruising and punctures and it can take months for everything to sort itself out 100%


therfore anything one can do to speed things along...

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