Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Original poster

To not take DS to A&E

178 replies

AtSea1979 · 06/09/2016 19:20

His teacher said to get it looked at but I doubt they'd do anything.

DS might have broken his finger, it doesn't look bent, it's swollen and sore though, he can't straighten the end joint. I doubt A&E would do anything other than splint it which I can do. AIBU not to take him and sit there for hours?

OP posts:

HeyOverHere · 07/09/2016 00:44

Unless you are a medical professional who treats this thing daily, yes, YABU. He is in pain and it is disabling him, and is obviously not just a little thing, so he needs proper medical attention. The nurse is quite skilled--and will probably tell you to take him to A&E.

JudyCoolibar · 07/09/2016 00:56

It can definitely wait till tomorrow. I hurt my finger and assumed it was just a sprain, but a few days later decided maybe I should get it looked at as I couldn't straighten the end joint. It turned out it was mallet finger, with the ligament having torn and pulled out a bit of bone. The MIU put a temporary splint on and a couple of days later I had to go to a hand clinic to have a specially fitted splint, which I kept for 8 weeks - there was a lot of emphasis that I had to keep it absolutely straight, including when changing the dressing. It was a real nuisance, but I now have full use of that finger. If I hadn't had it treated the end joint would have been bent and useless permanently.

So the secondary moral of that story is that four days' delay (in my case) is OK - not ideal, but OK. And for sure another 8 hours delay won't harm your son.

Original poster

AtSea1979 · 07/09/2016 07:08

Thank you for the replies. He's still fast asleep but I'm going to wake him now and see how he's doing. He's slept through so hopefully that's a good sign that is wasn't causing him any pain in the night.

OP posts:

Scribblegirl · 07/09/2016 07:12

DP has a permanently bent little finger due to fumbling a rugby ball catch when he was a teen. He decided to chance not going to A&E as it didn't hurt, but went a few days later when he still couldn't straighten it. They operated but still couldn't fix it and gave him a right telling off for not coming immediately.

I've not RTFT but even with absence of pain, I would go if unable to straighten it.

WinterIsHereJon · 07/09/2016 07:34

just take him to hospital FGS

Lweji · 07/09/2016 07:43

Time wasters are people taking children at the first sign of a fever or something like that.

If there's a possibility of a more serious injury that can't be easily spotted even by a doctor and probably requires an x-ray just in case, then it's not wasting their time.

What you don't want to be is the parent whose child did suffer because they weren't properly checked.
At the very least minor injuries.

KittyKrap · 07/09/2016 07:53

I broke the end of my right hand ring finger a while back, DH thought it was just bruised - despite obvious 'flapping'. I nearly just wrapped it myself but he took me to A&E. Yep, broken. But they gave me antibiotics too just in case it got infected. Take him please.

Original poster

AtSea1979 · 07/09/2016 08:32

Sat in minor injuries. Rang work, don't think they were best pleased as I only started on Monday.

OP posts:

Lweji · 07/09/2016 08:35

I hope he's ok.

But this is why it would have been better to go yesterday at about the time you posted.

Original poster

AtSea1979 · 07/09/2016 08:35

winter do you speak to people like that in RL

OP posts:

alltouchedout · 07/09/2016 08:43

I hope he's okay OP. Also re your work- second day back after mat leave, in a different team and office to the one I'd been at before I went off, I had to call in and say I wouldn't be in at all as I had to take ds3 to hospital. They weren't best pleased either but they knew I didn't have an option and yours will have to understand that too!

Original poster

AtSea1979 · 07/09/2016 08:55

Thanks. X-ray done, just waiting on results now. Triage nurse said 'there's not much they do anyway when it's tips of fingers' so I didn't feel to bad when they asked 'has he done it today' 'erm no Monday eve'.

OP posts:

dowhatnow · 07/09/2016 09:06

Ive been in your situation often. We've been so often and it was just sprained/bruised etc, that I think I don't want to go again and waste NHS time and resources, but if we don't go then this will be the one time we should have gone!

Anyway hope ds is ok.

WinterIsHereJon · 07/09/2016 10:10

I would under these circumstances! Always better to get a child checked over with an injury like the one in your photos.

RoystonVaseySmegHead · 07/09/2016 10:32

Did results come back yet? Was it broken?

throwsandshows · 07/09/2016 10:41

I can't believe how rude some of you people are. Why do you think it's okay to be so very obnoxious. It's fine to disagree with the OP but to start slinging mud and insults is just wrong.

NotBadConsidering · 07/09/2016 10:52

I also can't believe how rude people are. I'm a doctor who works in A and E regularly. Absolutely this should have been dealt with this morning not last night. Even if (extremely unlikely scenario) it's a tendon injury it's well within the time frame for good surgical outcome. No way an orthopod is going to take someone to theatre late at night to deal with anything anyway, would have been put on a list for the next day. You did the right thing OP.

Hawkmoth · 07/09/2016 11:05

My DS hid a broken finger for two days because he thought he'd have to stop going to his football camp. Then he broke a toe on the day of his fracture clinic appointment. Everyone was very nice about it.

In contrast, DD fell off her bike and GPs took her to minor injuries who said she needed an X-ray. I took her to A&E and the doctor made me feel like a complete twat because she was wearing a sling... That the nurse practitioner put on.

It doesn't help that my children can't process pain signals normally. I almost wish they would cry wolf at times instead of not knowing when something hurts.

mum2Bomg · 07/09/2016 11:14

I fell and broke two fingers and a bone in my hand. Had to have an operation and 3 months working from home. Hope it's ok though!

QOD · 07/09/2016 11:23

Oh dear!
👆🏼

6demandingchildren · 07/09/2016 11:56

I'm on the other end my now 22year old ds has a very high pain threshold.
He fell off a stool that was only 1 foot high, he fell onto grass . He was having trouble eating his dinner as his arms hurt, hubby said best get him checked over so off to the hospital we went and even the nurses said it's very unlikely he has broken both.
After not being put as urgent and being waiting hours we finally got an x-ray then escorted straight to a doctor as he had broken both arms.
The day the casts was removed he fell over a broke his right arm in another place.
He has since been diagnosed with HMS.
Hope your son is ok xx

GabsAlot · 07/09/2016 12:07

i meant so what abot him crying wolf before not so what about taking the other child to a and e

ChestyNut · 07/09/2016 12:18

How is DS OP?

Original poster

AtSea1979 · 07/09/2016 12:50

Sorry for not updating sooner, needed to dash to work. DS was fine. Nothing broken. They offered to relieve the pressure but DS refused he said it wasn't hurting that badly, only when people touched it so he'd rather they didn't. So we came away with no treatment. So glad I didn't drag DD out of bed for another one of DS's maybe broken bones.
I told DS in no uncertain terms that I was not happy with taking time off work and paying for parking for him to refuse treatment. No doubt that went in one ear and out the other. Oh well let's hope we have a good run before the next trip there!

OP posts:

Original poster

AtSea1979 · 07/09/2016 12:55

I hope none of the rude people on this thread work in the health profession. They clearly don't pay much attention to a mothers instinct. I think I will learn to trust my instincts a bit more. Sometimes parents do simply know best.

OP posts:

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8