Smashed Finger Remedies

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.

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.

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.

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 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)

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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?

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!

Sounds like a trip to the pediatrician is most appropriate.

Good luck
*K

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.

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"

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!

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.