I think I'm going to faint.

[Maddy McCall]

My son just had an accident on his dirtbike. (He's eleven, and I supervise his use of the bike, in case anyone is going to scold me for being negligent.)

He wrecked on the gravel driveway. He's ok, except for one wound. He has a hole in his knee about as big around as a quarter, and about 1/4" deep. It's like the skin and flesh were just scooped out by a big rock. It isn't bleeding much, and I have no idea how it could be stiched up.

I think I'm going to faint. He isn't even crying. (He's boasting that now he has a cooler injury than his skateboarder friend :wtf: )

I just put some antibiotic cream and a bandaid on it. Did I mention that I think I'm going to faint. :dizzy:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

1. Watch that thing and get him to ER pdq

WIth a wound that deep, he could get an infection into the bone resulting in osteomyelitis

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

2. Watch that thing and get him to ER pdq if it gets red

WIth a wound that deep, he could get an infection into the bone resulting in osteomyelitis

[Maddy McCall]

5. Thanks, NSMA.

I'll certainly keep an eye on it. It's right under his kneecap on his knee.

It's certainly very close to the bone--the patella and the tibia.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

Actually, that's worse because there's poor blood supply there

do you have anything remotely like a 24 hr clinic? If not, get him to the doc in the morning, but for tonight SOAK that thing in betadine scrub...iodine is nature's best antibiotic/antifungal

[Maddy McCall]

16. No, we don't have any late-open clinics.

Only the ER, which would probably take until tomorrow morning, considering when I went a couple of weeks ago for the bites under my arm, I sat in the ER for four hours before they saw me.

I'll take him to my doctor tomorrow. He's a great guy, and he adores my kiddo.

And I'm going to borrow the betadine from my mom. she's driving it up here as I type.

Thanks.

:hug:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

26. OK good..and MAKE him soak it in that

and tell him I said "STFU" if he gives you any grief.

Clean the tub with a bit of bleach to disinfect it then get his whole knee area down in there with the betadine on it and soak it for a good half hour..then bandage it

[skygazer]

3. Sit down

Breathe deeply. Put your head between your legs. Relax. Ahhhhhhh......

Kids. Ain't they great?

[Maddy McCall]

8. Great for giving their parents heart attacks.

When he was a baby, I was soooo overprotective. These days, I pretty much let him have the run of the land...we've got a pretty nice chunk of property here (Thanks dad), so he gets to tool about as he wants.

I keep telling myself, I could keep him under my wing until he's 18, but he'd never grow up. So I let him go.

But when things like this happen, I reconsider the "under the wing" thing.

:cry:

[skygazer]

17. I remember when my son learned to ride his bike

He was about 7. I helped him for a while then he wanted to try on his own. He started riding along the dirt farm road we lived on, turned to wave in triumph to me and headed straight toward the hay truck which had an open tailgate that was just neck height! I shrieked and pointed, he turned and JUST ducked in time, crashing in the process. Luckily he was going slow.

It was about a year before he got on the bike again. I was NOT complaining!

[Maddy McCall]

19. Jeesus!!!

My god, that could have REALLY hurt him. Your story just gave me goosebumps. :scared:

[skygazer]

21. Then you may not want to read #20

[MADem]

4. You might want to take him to the doc

A quarter inch deep, as big as a quarter? He might need a butterfly on that, seriously....

Call your local MD and see if he/she can't squeeze him in. That can be handled in an office.

[Maddy McCall]

6. No docs open tonight.

Only the ER.

Plus, I'll have to fight him to take him, because he says it doesn't hurt.

He's up in his room singing "Pretty Fly for a White Guy" right now, playing a video game. :shrug:

[HuskiesHowls]

10. My son wiped out about the same age,

except instead of a hole in his knee, he wound up taking about half his right ear off, and scraping up the whole right side of his face. We did take him to the ER, and about 3 hrs later, they released him, after sewing his ear up, and covering the side of his face with some kind of cream.

The best part of this whole story: Although he looked absolutely TERRIBLE, he just HAD to go to the local minor league baseball game that night. And, to make it even better, he recognized the owner of the team, sitting about 3 rows in front of us, and proceeded to go ask the gentleman for a job, right then and there!!!

Kids are great, its amazing the things they can live through!!

[Maddy McCall]

12. Yes, kids are great.

Very resillient.

But I can't figure out for the life of my why there's a competition among boys his age to see who can get hurt the worst.

Little buttholes, they are. Gonna drive me back to drinkin'! :D

[MADem]

29. First thing tomorrow, then?

Not to be a nudge, but that seems like a large wound. It'll put your mind at rest, anyway.

[Maddy McCall]

31. Yes, I promise.

First thing tomorrow AM.

:hug:

[redqueen]

7. Ay yi yi!

Kudos to you for not fainting... that sounds awful.

I would definitely call my Ins. Co. and beg for permission to go to the ER. I'm an overreactive type that way.

He's only 11?! Good luck with the next few years! :o

[Maddy McCall]

9. Yeah, he's only 11.

I don't have to call the insurance to take him in. I can go ahead, but if I insist, I'll have a battle on my hands, because HE insists that it doesn't hurt, that it's ok.

[redqueen]

22. I can see that it might not hurt.

Just some pressure right now, probably only hurts if he messes with it... but if it gets infected, then it'll hurt.

Lucky you having that kind of insurance... we're both lucky to have it, really. Hope it heals up well and soon.

[Spinzonner]

11. Among other things

Has he had his Tetanus shots up to date ?

Anything that large - not to mention material being ground into the wound - has non-trivial infection risks.

I agree with others, don't play wound roulette with this. Better to be oversafe than very sorry.

[Maddy McCall]

14. Yes, his tetanus shots were updated when he slid down the...

driveway in the mud a couple of years ago, leaving a 2" long slit in his other knee.

He did require stitches for that one. IT was obvious.

I appreciate your and everyone else's advice. I promise to keep an eye on it and to get him to his doc tomorrow morning.

:hug:

[Misunderestimator]

13. I agree with everyone else... too much risk with a deep wound...

drag him kicking and screaming to the ER.

[n2mark]

15. He needs to go to ER

[Maddy McCall]

18. I'm going to follow NSMA's advice...

gonna soak it in betadine and then pack it with antibiotic ointment, and then to our regular family doc tomorrow morning.

Thanks for caring. :hug:

[Misunderestimator]

28. I would most definitely defer to her advice...

and do keep checking it. :hug:

[Maddy McCall]

30. If I take him to the ER tonight, it will be midnight or after before we

are through. And then there isn't anywhere to get prescriptions filled, if he needs antibiotics.

I wish we had an after-hours clinic, but we don't. :(

But I will certainly take him to the doc first thing tomorrow AM.

By the way, after reading your message, I called him downstairs and asked him to let me look at his knee again, and told him that we may need to go to the ER.

The little turd laughed at me and said, "Mom! It isn't even HURTING."

Kids. :shrug:

:)

[Misunderestimator]

32. Well, the betadine is a great idea...

that's what my (doctor) dad always slabbed on us in such situations. Then he'd take out the needle and start stitching. :scared:

And tell your kid... :P from me... (and he should be glad he didn't have my father stitching him up right now :))

[radwriter0555]

35. He's right, it's fine. Keep it clean, let is scab up, it will be a GREAT

'war' wound for him to brag on and pick as it heals and itches.

Seriously, you don't need a trip to the ER or the doc. It's a deep scrape. Just keep it relatively clean until it scabs over.

He'll pick it a few times, make it bleed, it'll be COOL!

[skygazer]

20. Oh, here's another story of my son

When he was about 6, he and his sister were by the fence petting the horses. His sister stuck her finger in a knothole in the fence post, then took it out and walked away. Jon then stuck HIS finger in the knothole and walked away, forgetting to take it out first. *SNAP* I was in the barn and I heard it - sounded like a twig breaking. I got outside and his finger was at about a 45 degree angle sideways.

That was an ER visit. And I wonder why I have gray in my hair. ~sigh~

[Maddy McCall]

24. Growldgne'ae.

How did you not faint? What's your secret? What multivitamin do you take.

I dub thee Mother Supreme of DU. :scared:

[uppityperson]

25. yeow!! n/t

[uppityperson]

23. Wait for the phone call "Mom, I'm ok". Heart sputters...

And why are you calling to tell me this?
Because I'm in the emergency room but I'm ok, just ran a stopsign on my bike and hit a van.
And why are you in the ER?
Well, I need some stitches. Will you come get me?

[Maddy McCall]

27. Whoooo.

You guys are freakin me out. Is this what I have to look forward to?

:scared:

[skygazer]

33. In a word, yes

But most of them survive it. Most of us do, too. Of course, we go through a lot of alcohol and tranquilizers but there's something to be said for that as well.

I AM good in an emergency. When Jon broke his finger, I knew his father would freak out if he saw it but I needed the car keys to get to the hospital. So I had Jon (who barely shed a tear; after the first shriek which I think was occasioned more by the sound it made than anything else, he spent the rest of the time poking at it and showing me how it just kinda wobbled - Me: Stop doing that! Him: But, mom, look how neat it is!")

Where was I? Oh, year, I had Jon wait outside while I went in and casually said, "Oh, dear, I need the car keys." "Why?" "Oh, just have to run one of the kids into town." "Why?" "Ummm, errrr...." And that's when Jon came in.

After I resuscitated his father, I was able to get him to the ER. It was a long day.

[uppityperson]

34. Naw, wait until he starts driving. You'll make it, you're doing fine.

Then you get that phone call "hi mom", hi how are you doing? "I'm fine and no one got hurt but the car's in a ditch"
Turns out that something broke as turning a corner at 20 mph which was good because we found the bondo on the frame at the repair shop. Turned out the frame was broken on both sides from a previous accident and not fixed right a couple owners ago.

Anyway, parenting isn't for sissies. You sacrifice and love them and they break your heart but it will all be ok. At some time they get hurt and you might be there, and you might not, but it will all be ok. You sound like you're doing great. He sounds like a very active kid and things will always happen. Hey, a cool knee scar to show the other kids and a girlfriend/boyfriend later on. Wow, how lucky can he be?