Save That Finger Tip

After 10 years of hospital and clinic work, I'd seen it all, gashes, burns sores, blood galore and the occasional death. I've never flinched, felt faint or thought twice of it. It was always just part of the job to attend to the problem at hand. None of this prepared me for my own child's bloody wound that had me woozy, trembling and on the edge of losing consciousness.

Aidan had an accident at school today during their motor skills (commonly known as PE). He collided with one of his classmates while on motor boards (balance board with wheels). Although he managed to walk away from this collision, he walked away with a badly lacerated left pointer finger. Some graphic details coming up, so if you're faint at heart stop reading now...his finger tip was literally filleted open all the way down to the first metacarpal joint so the pad of his finger was dangling. When I first saw the wound I didn't see the finger pad that was laying amongst the bloody paper towels somewhat separated from his finger attached only by a mere centimeter give or take, that I thought he had lost a part of his finger.

Keeping it together but struggling at this point, as I knew my son was depending on me at this time to handle the situation. I bundled up my ashen shock-ridden first born and got him in the van. Thankfully his pediatrician's office is able to function as an ER for accidents like this. After I phoned them they told me to bring him in and they would determine whether he needed to see the hand surgeon. We arrived, they quickly attended to him and determined that bone, joint and ligament were all intact so they would be able to manage his care. They thoroughly cleansed it, inserted injections of lidocain, pulled over the flap and sutured it closed. I stood there and braced him throughout the entire ordeal. He was so brave, a few screams during the cleansing and injections and lots of tears but, it could have been much worse.

As for me, I was struggling to keep my tears at bay and trying to keep my chin up. Surely I wouldn't want poor Aidan to think he needed to console me at his time of need. Motherhood has taught me plenty of lessons including this one: Despite my ability to be reticent at the sight of physical trauma, my own offspring's blood loss can breakdown my state of composure in about 5 seconds flat.

His prognosis, good, he should have full function of his finger in no time. Stitches to be removed in 7 days if all goes well.