my daughter got her finger shut in a car door and now her fingernail is one day from falling off. i'm not sure if this is something i should take her to the doctors for or not. i dont want to go and waste money(dont have insurance) for them to tell me the obvious i would do anyway. please any advise to treat or if a doctors visit is a must.
They grow back.
I dropped a lock on my big toe in a locker room and the nail fell off.
It grew back within a few months.
No need for a doctor visit.
I would just cover it with a dry bandage... that will help keep it from getting snagged, and further protect the nail bed underneath.
I did this a couple years ago too. Youch!
I would put a little piece of gauze over it, maybe some Neosporin, and then wrap it with some of this:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4239986
And yes, I do mean for you to get it at PetSmart! lol It is WAY cheaper and your daughter can pick out her favorite color! I would get the 2".
To the best of my recollection every member of my family has lost a nail at least once. Personally I have lost, err, ten to twenty in my life. They fall off, they grow back. Nothing to worry about.
I slammed my pinky in a car door when I was 8. It turned black, the fingernail fell off, and it grew back over the next couple of months.
No worries...I can't even tell which finger it was. She'll be just fine.
My little guy had his finger run over by his big brother on his skateboard, long story. I just heard the screaming, my sister told me it was hanging on by a tiny edge so she pulled it off. I kept it clean, tried to keep it bandaged (he was a little over 2,) it healed fine and the nail has grown back in less than a couple of months. All with no doctor (but don't pull it unless you have to, just keep it clean and covered.)
You do not need to take her to the doctor unless it looks like the finger is infected. Just let the finger nail fall off on its own. It may take awhile to grow back.
This happened to me as a child too. I don't think there's really anything that can be done. Just let it fall off on it's own. You'll probably notice, depending on how old she is, that there will already be a soft/thin fingernail underneath. It'll be fine. If there's other damage done to the finger...swelling, bruising, bleeding, etc. then I might take her to the doctor, otherwise I don't think a doctor visit is a must.
.
Ow!!! I hope that finger feels better soon.
My husband loses a few toenails every year during demanding mountainous backpacking trips. Some are loose and coming off by the time he gets home, and some take an additional few weeks to finish coming loose. The original damage is generally painful, but the falling off is just the eventual outcome, with no additional pain.
They always finish growing back (from under the cuticle) just in time for next year's trip. The skin over the nail bed hardens somewhat, though it's usually pretty wrinkled and weird looking. That seems to provide enough protection during the grow-out..
Youch! I slammed my finger in a car door and had the nail destroyed too. The best advice I got was to soak my hand/finger/nail in warm soapy water 2-3 times a day. It really helps keep it clean and infection-free!
It happened to me. No need to go to the doctor. Just make sure it's clean and a new nail will grow, it takes a while though so be patient.
