To seek medical advice over a cut finger?

[PrinceAndPreach]

So at about 8am this morning, DS cut his finger on a bit of sharp metal by our tap (not sure how it got sharp, it’s about 12 months old).

Since then, the cut won’t stop bleeding. It’s a large pinprick size cut but still superficial.

There is blood EVERYWHERE! He won’t stop rubbing it on his clothes etc. Won’t allow a plaster

My bathroom looked like a crime scene and downstairs, there’s now pricks of blood absolute everywhere. He just won’t allow a plaster or for us to apply pressure to get it to stop

How long is too long before it needs medical attention or will this just never end? I’m probably over thinking this 100% but gosh, I can’t stop the blood!

It’s not gushing, to be clear. But still actively bleeding

DS is running about like a maniac and despite a lot of encouragement to chill, he won’t.

Severe learning disabilities mean he doesn’t know why it happened, why it’s bleeding (not sure he knows what blood is), and why it won’t stop

So reasoning won’t help here. Can’t persuade him to sit down quietly with a tablet etc. He is constantly on the go and it’s a bloody nightmare literally

I don't think time in ED will be helpful, he'll run around there, possibly be distressed by other patients and the environment then they will try and fail to put a plaster on it and you'll leave feeling worse. Unless you think there's a foreign body in the wound - in which case sounds like he'd need sedation to examine it. Just do whatever you can to calm him and reassure.

Not sure how getting medical attention would be helpful in your situation unfortunately. If he won't let you apply pressure or put a plaster on it then it seems unlikely he will be more amenable to getting treatment by a medical professional.

I would just continue to do anything you can to get him calmer and then apply a plaster.

Thanks so much. I just really wanted reassurance that it doesn’t matter that it won’t stop bleeding, since it isn’t a serious cut

NHS advice is anything that won’t stop bleeding after x amount of time needs medical attention but I thought surely not for a small cut?

Because he can’t speak, and he’s incredibly nimble so never actually been seriously hurt, I really worry! I start imagining he has a clotting disorder and all sorts lol

He's been bleeding for 4 hours, is it bleeding because he's picking at it?
Have you got an urgent care facility near you, rather than an a&e? It might be quieter.

@CherieBabySpliffUp he hasn’t picked, it hasn’t begun to scab at all. He just keeps rubbing it off as soon as he remembers it’s there, every minute or so - so I imagine not initial clot is having a chance to form

The key thing that’s made me ask is, I use to pick a lot as a little girl and nothing would ever bleed non stop for hours on end! (I’m sure I would’ve loved that lol)

Will he allow you to wipe it quickly and put vaseline over it? Or any way he would keep his hand raised for a couple of minutes in some sort of game?

I'd be worrying about clotting disorder too, but it may just be he's nicked a capillary.

@PrinceAndPreach has your dc ever had a tetanus vaccine?
If he has just keep trying to put a plaster on it and if it's still bleeding in a couple of hours maybe see minor ailments as they can glue it (if nesscary) rather than bandage/plaster it and he may tolerate it better.
If he's not had a tetanus you'd be best to take him to minor ailments aa he may need one due to cutting it on a metal tap (very small risk but better safe than sorry)

No. He will just wipe it straight away :/

Nothing you can possibly do beyond getting 2 or 3 people to physically restraint him until it seals

Can you put his coat and gloves on and out for a walk for an hour? Blowing a gale here so deffo glove weather!

I thought it was part of routine childhood vaccinations? If so then definitely

He is now 7 years old though and I think the last one was at 3.5

It is really mild here! And he’s never worn gloves, ever. He won’t tolerate it

But it’s a great idea! Thank you

It is but not everyone vaccinate their dc so always best to ask also wasn't sure of his age

I accidentally juggled a knife at Xmas from the knife block and stabbed it point down in the top of my foot. It was a small Cut, but deep. It bled half the day, it was fine whilst I sat still, but as soon as I moved, any clotting gave up and off it went. I got through lots of plasters and eventually after watching a TV show for a couple of hours it finally stopped. It sounds really similar, in a place where it's moving/catching/being rubbed all the time. I don't think you need A&E for it, and they will advise you to put a plaster or a bandage on it, is there any level of distraction that will make him sit down for a bit, TV, games, reading? That may help it a bit.

Buy steri strips. My husband had a v v v deep cut across fingers and a&e said would he prefer stitches or steri strips? He went for steri. I said we could have done that at home!!!

Tbh, if he hasn't put a plaster on and keeps rubbing it deliberately it isn't getting a chance to heal. How much blood is coming out?

It will look like there's a lot more blood than there actually is. It will have a chance to heal over once he goes to bed.

Try micropore tape or steri strips.

Pharmacy will sell them,

Harder to get off than a plaster.

It's pretty normal for small cuts to bleed if they don't get the chance to clot.

It's him wiping it that's keeping it bleeding not anything else so I don't think the guidance applies.

My darling (reactive) dog lunged suddenly (long story, not one of his good days) and in an effort to successfully hold him the skin ripped off my index finger from the mid joint to the nail at varying degrees of depth as the lead was initially pulled through my hand.
It bled like a geyser all the way home. DDog seemed to know he had f*cked up.
Plasters just seemed to make the surrounding skin look zombie like. DH kept telling me to ‘let the air at it’.
Does your DS have something that they really like that would be a significant reward for time spent ‘not touching’ the wound?

I personally do not think this is anything to worry about.
NHS website gives that advice assuming you have put on a plaster and applied pressure already and are not wiping it every five minutes.
Tetanus is very unlikely with a bleeding cut, the blood washes away infection. Its actually a sharp cut with no or little minimal bleeding that is most likely to transmit tetanus.
Will her wear glove puppets or something fun for a bit to give it the chance to heal?

You can get spray on plasters. I use the elastoplast one. It stings but will stop the bleeding and he won’t be able to take it off. Less traumatic than going to A&E etc

I’ve never heard of this! Great shout, thank you

I think given the significant SEN usual advice around a&e is not particularly relevant and you (knowing the nuances of his needs) are best placed to decide. It's unlikely to be a 'normal' a&e issue for Joe blogs but for a person with learning difficulties it might be needed. My brother (with severe learning difficulties etc) has to be prescribed paracetamol because he won't take a tablet that the doctor hasn't given him and told him to take, whereas the rest of us just pop to Tesco and pick some up. Is it possible that your son won't tolerate a plaster from you but would a 'doctor'?

The bleeding is obviously annoying as it's getting everywhere but other than a plaster not much A& E can do. I would however be ringing nhs 111 for advice re tetanus. Even though he's had his vaccines they may want him to have a booster given his last does would have been the pre school dose at 3/4 yrs old. It's really important to get a booster within 48hrs of an injury if advised to make sure of full protection.

If it’s not deep I wouldn’t worry. Anything from fingers and mouths seems to bleed about twice as much as from anywhere else! If it’s a lot of blood, and if it’s deep, obviously get medical attention. But if it’s clearly a small, shallow cut I wouldn’t worry.

You need to press on it whilst holding it up in the air for a few minutes and then stick a dressing on it . I got bitten by a hamster and had a similar puncture that bled like you’d never believe .