Smashed Finger Remedies

Did you use actualy super glue or was it DermaBond? casue superglue can cause gangreen (spelling?) I have heard, but DermaBond is made for skin and cuts.

I understand not wanting to use oral antibiotics unless necessary, but what about an antibiotic ointment? You can use Neosporin, or dr can prescribe a stronger one.

K., comming from a certified manicurist, I would get your son into the doctor. That is not jumping the gun. Super glue works well in most issues but in this issue it does sound like he got a preaty nasty infection, witch is to be expected with little ones crawling on the floor and putting their hands in their mouths and such. Also if the fingernail is comming off it could be ripping the skin under the nail where you can't see it and that could be where the infection is entering too. It is really hard to say with so many factors, but at this point I would really take him into the doctor so he could be looked at and treated by a professional. If there is an infection I am sure you would feel much better as a mother and I don't think a week is rushing to antibiotics at all. I think you did the right thing in watching the injury !
I might also add one other bit of advice that also works with shots too... when the doctors worked on my daughter from a youg age I found it helpful for me to sit on the table indian style (legs crossed) and put her right in the middle of the hole facing out. This always made her look at everyone else when the shots were happening or when they took blood or anything. I also had a better hold on her (me being only 5 foot tall with a small build). When the yuckies were all over I turned her around and she got her hugs and kisses from mommy and I always told her what a brave girl she was. This made things much easier for us, she knew what to expect and then what she got afterwards. She is 31/2 oday and it is still working. The only reason why I am mentioing this is for the first 6 months of her life she had a condition where they were doing blood tests almost weekly and I had to find something that worked for her and me too. This last spring she had her tubes put in her ears and as she was waking up from the drugs she started freaking out. I climed in the bed got into position and problem solved. The nurses couldn't believe it worked so fast. I wish you the best of luck ! C. B.

K.,
Poor little guy! I think that, since his finger is showing signs of infection, you should take him to the doctor. My son scraped the top of one of his fingers and we just took care of it like any other cut... even cleaning it w/ hydrogen peroxide and putting an anti-bacterial topical cream on it when it first started to get infected. When we finally took him to the doctor, he had a raging staph infection, which is treated with more than just penecillin... takes a special antibiotic and close observation. I'm not saying it IS staph, but it COULD BE. I would take the better safe than sorry route. Of course, lots of hugs and kisses are also in order! Good luck!

You might try putting something clean in the water for him to play with that will make him want to keep his hand in the water. Or, if he is interested in books, get some good board books and read to him while he soaks his hand. Board books are pretty invincible, but I have also seen books made out of plastic sort of stuff similar to the stuff them make floaties out of (maybe only were around when I was a kid?). maybe he has a little plastic toy figure with arms and legs that "has to soak his hand and needs your son to show him how to be good and keep his hand in the water"

I would definately take him to the dr. If it's infected, it could get worse faster for a baby than for yourself. Tell the dr. how you feel about antibiotics.

Sounds like a trip to the pediatrician is most appropriate.

Good luck
*K

If his finger is red and swollen, it is probably infected, and should be seen by a doctor. It is important to have it treated and only a doctor can say if it needs antibiotics. Don't let it go! Infected cuts can sometimes lead to blood infections if left untreated and can be deadly, literally!

Maybe when ur already giving him a bath u could get him to soak his hand in a bowl of the epson salt for a min or so.Or maybe soak a washcloth in it and wrap it around his finger while he's napping for a few minutes?

Red and puffy? Superglue? First thing you should have done was wash the injured area. Bandage it as swelling was going to happen and apply ice to help with the swelling. If the skin was broken to the point you felt you had to superglue it back together, a trip to the doctor should have occurred. Neosporin is an appropriate topical antibiotic to apply on broken skin and then cover it. Red and puffy is an indication of infection. Get him to the doctor. Superglue is used by medical providers, but it is medical grade stuff.
If you son loses his nail, he will need a finger cup to protect the nail bed from further injury. Epsom salt baths are a good way to draw out infection, put you sealed things up. He may have to have the injury lanced to allow things to drain. Again, go see your doctor.

baby gloves help my girl had stitches at that age i bandaged and dressed the wound the same way u did n put gloves on her or socks

If it's red & puffy, there's some sort of infection brewing... If the glue is keeping the wound completely closed and there was some bacteria in there, it could get nasty. I would call the doctor, depending on HOW red & puffy it is. If you're going to soak his hand, though, try doing it right before nap time, while you're holding him/doing your bed time routine. If he's sleepy, he might be more inclined to hold still. Or, while he has his hand in the water, say if he can hold his hand still in the water until you count to 10 (slowly), he can have one M&M, fruit snack, etc., then repeat.

You can try giving him homeopathic Hypericum and Calendula in pellet form. Also Calendula in tincture form diluted in some water and get it on the cut. These will all rapidly heal the injury and now infection of skin and nerves as well as any shock. I wouldn't put super glue on it anymore.
Liz

That sounds like a bad infection and I would take him to the doctor. If the infection gets into the bone, you are looking at something much more severe than just taking anti-biotics.

Also, for future reference, my little girl got into the garbage a couple weeks ago and cut her finger on a soup can. When I went to the store to get something for it I asked the pharmacist what they recommend, specifically if I can put the skin adhesive on it, and she wouldn't recommend it because it wouldn't be good if she ingested the adhesive by putting her finger in her mouth.

Good Luck and I hope he gets feeling better soon!
M.

I just want to sorry for jumping to the conclusion that a doctor had not been involved yet and the superglue was from the doc they saw. Anyway I would call the doc back and see if they want you to come back in.
How is it a rush to antibiotics if you have already waited a week and let it get infected? Go to the doctor so they can clean it and maybe give it a stitch since superglue isn't a medical supply, it is going to hurt a lot more now that you have waited then if you would have went in the first place. They might have to give a shot right in the cut - ouch. Next time use neosporin and a bandaid for a home remedy.

I know some docs do recommend Super Glue for minor cuts. Here's what I read after a quick search: "For a safer wound-healing glue consider Dermabond. The anti-bacterial form of the substance 2-octyl-cyanoacrylate is approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) for skin wound closure." Here's some more info on the treatment of minor cuts and scrapes. (http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/injuries/a/abrasions.htm)

Red and puffy means an infection (just red alone means infection) -- I understand not putting neosporin on every cut and scrape, but the second I see skin around it turning red that's the time to put the antibiotics on. Infections spread quickly and since it is puffy that is a red flag that it has already gotten bad. I agree with taking him to your doctor right away.

I love homeopathy and alternative medical treatments, but if there's one thing I've learned it's that western medicine is always best for acute conditions such as infections and traumatic injuries. Infections need to be taken down right away before they spread throughout the body. Don't be afraid to use your doctor for things that might not seem so big to you -- I've taken my son to a doctor for things I thought I should be embarassed about and found out I headed off something bigger at the pass!

I highly recommend the book "Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child" by Janet Zand. It applies all sorts of remedies to common childhood health problems: herbal treatments, homeopathy, acupressure, nutritional supplements, and dietary guidelines, as well as conventional medical treatments. It's a great way to navigate when to use alternative treatments and when to go to a doctor. Good luck!

P.S. My instincts would tell me that superglue is not good for a child -- I believe that you're not supposed to touch or inhale it -- I would try to avoid it. That's my completely unprofessional opinion. :-)

As a mother and a pediatric nurse I understand not wanting to use antibiotics unless necessary. You can try using a warm compress, soak a washcloth in warm Epsom salt water and then wrap his finger with the washcloth and sit him at the kitchen table with crayons and paper to keep is other hand busy. You need to soak/use compresses several times a day for about 20 minutes for this to work, which with toddler is near impossible. If the swelling and redness get worse or you son seems in pain, you need to take him to the doctor right away. There are many dangerous bacterial infections and it sounds like he does have an infection. A health care professional would need to look at it to make determine the best treatment. My son once had and infected finger I tried soaks and ended up taking him to urgent care in the evening to get it drained. That doctor decided to start him on antibiotics, but in the morning his finger was more swollen and painful so I brought him back in to see his pediatrician, who drained and cultured it. It ended up being strep, which would not have cleared up with out antibiotics and could have caused other health problems. So my point is, try the warm compresses, but please take him to the doctor if the swelling or redness increase, because sometimes things can be more serious than they appear.

Also I know some doctors are still advising the use of hydrogen peroxide, however there are better wound cleaners such as hibiclens. Hydrogen peroxide also kills the body's own natural defenses. Young children can have sensitivity to neosporin and may need different antibiotic ointments.

I swear by hydrogen peroxide for cleaning wounds. If you use it right away to clean the owie, then cover it with a band-aid for a day or two, you almost never get an infection. Yes it stings, but far less than alcohol, and the bubbles it makes serve as a good distraction.

If for some reason you DO get an infection, flushing with peroxide once the wound is open helps to clean out all the pus. My husband is notorious for skipping the initial cleaning, so we're often cleaning out week-old cuts that have gone red and swollen.

Having said all that, if the wound is big enough, you really should see a doctor to get it properly cleaned and closed. If a wound gapes open and can't be easily pinched shut, it probably needs stitches. If a wound goes through all the layers of skin and you can see the yellowish subcutaneous fatty layer, you might need stitches.

I highly recommend Young Livings Essential oils. Young Living because I trust there purity. I would use melrose oil on his finger. You can order the oil on line at young livingd web site, but I think you have to sign up with them first. After everything is said and done at this point you may not be able to get the oil for two weeks. But even if you can't get it in time for this incident it would be great to have on hand for later.