DD fell from a swing on saturday, bent her little finger back really hard. She is not a complainer, but was in a LOT of pain. However, he finger didn't seem particularly bent, little bit of of alignment, but not much and so was her other finger, they all seem a bit crooked! We were camping, with a nurse, who checked, said that she didn't think it was broken as she was moving it without being in agony, although she did cry (not like her). She did the moving thumb to fingers exercise and she could move her little finger reasonably well although not to her thumb, and she complained it hurt a lot.
It was swollen, in particular around the knuckle, and very red. My friend strapped it with some tape but felt it was ok, but probably bent the ligaments back really badly. Over the course of a couple of hours, she developed some bruising, and then said she heard a clicking sound as she moved her fingers, follow by more pain.
Much discussion about whether to take her to local hospital to check it out, consensus (against my better judgment) was that hospital would not do much as it's a finger, even if it was broken which it seemed DH and friend, and others didn't think it was. And I felt like an over anxious mother.
My nurse friend said she wondered whether it might have in fact been partially dislocated after DD said it clicked and felt like it moved. Asked what I thought as the swelling was really quite bad, with some dark bruising coming out, but not at the tip, it was largely at the base of the finger and up towards the second knuckle joint of the middle of the finger.
Still, the view was if it was dislocated and had gone back into it's correct position they wouldn't do anything.
She swam and dived in a swimming pool yesterday with it strapped, said it hurt, and felt cold and funny in the water, but that she could push the pain to the back of her mind (she has always had a high pain threshold especially if it means she can carry on with something).
She has struggled to use that hand to get dressed, can't bend it back without lots of pain, but has some mobility in it. Today she has complained of pain, quite a lot of it, but got on with things. She went diving (lesson), at her own insistence, but after, complained it hurt.
It is quite dark and swollen still, in particular around the knuckle. I am not happy with it really.
DH insists it's not broken or dislocated as otherwise she would be in much more pain than she is. He actually refused to let me take her to the hospital and created a huge scene, telling me I was simply indulging myself by taking her (not sure what he meant by that, don't like the implication), and she would miss her tea, and muck up the start of us trying to get their bedtime routine back after the summer holidays. He said he will take her to our GP tomorrow, with DS in tow, and if he said she needs to get it checked then he will take her (he won't, I will, as he hates hospitals and he will have DS while work, so once I finish work I will take her, we both know that). He said that it can wait another day.
Am I being an over-anxious mother? I expect he is right that they won't do anything, but feel I would prefer to know if there is a break. And I hate to see her in pain and not being able to do anything to help. I expect they won't give her pain relief any differently that I have already, and they will strap it, like I have already.
Is there anything else they would do if there is a break or if it was dislocated?
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Children's health
treatment for a possibly dislocated (and put back into place) little finger - hospital?
PavlovtheCat · 01/09/2014 20:31
Thank you 
I think so to 
(re DH).
I will tell DH to bypass GP in the morning and take her straight to A&E.
Is A&E better than MIU for finger breaks/dislocations? MIU website says they can deal with simple limb fractures. They are both the same distance from us, so in terms of ease, no major difference, and the local hospital has a good children's A&E and the waits don't really seem hugely different.
Take her to hospital. Sounds either dislocated or broken to me.
DH took her to the GP 
who said it was a sprained ligament and to strap it and keep an eye for a week, if not improvement in pain/swelling then take her to MIU, rather than A&E. Pretty much everything I thought the opposite of! He said it might be there is a little chip where it might have dislocated but he doesn't think it's broken.
I really, really don't agree actually. DH is like 'you are not a doctor, you have not had medical training, he has and has been a GP for years and years'. But. It's very, very bruised, and the bruising goes down into the palm of her hand a little, it's really quite swollen, especially at the knuckle, and when she splays her fingers she can't spread the little one outward, although she can bend it toward the palm reasonably well now.
It also seems daft to wait a week and then take her for an x-ray, on a school day, versus just bloody well taking her now and ruling it out. But, The Boss has spoken, guided by the GP and he remains of the opinion that I would be taking her to alleviate my own worries, which is about me, not DD. Which, may be true, but I don't like the idea that she might have damage going on that can be assessed now, not next week.
ligaments do bruise badly. I thought I had broken a bone in my hand punching a bloke back who was attacking me, X-ray at A&E gave me the all clear. My hand was a lumpy funny coloured mess for a while.
I have also dislocated both little fingers bloody horses. They were x rayed, popped back in by the nurse after I fainted (bloody massive needle with local anaesthetic!) then splinted for a few weeks. That took a while to feel "right" I think a nerve was pinched when one went back- I had the coldness, and a funny sensation down from my elbow to that finger. That joint still swells for no apparent reason as well and can be painful.
Hope she is feeling better soon. And you. Ignore him 
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