August vacations are here and bumped heads and skinned knees are inevitable. Many can be prevented by supervising children and creating a child-safe environment. But it’s impossible to prevent every scrape and bruise. Little boys and adventurous girls will get into trouble, no matter what you do.
Most injuries can be treated at home. Although attending to an injury with a screaming, panicky child is not easy, a good thing to remember is that a noisy response is a good sign. A child who is crying and flailing her arms is usually fine. Silence after an accident is bad news.
What should you do if your child gets hurt? First of all, keep calm. Modern mothers panic far too quickly. Your fear will make your child scream even louder. It seems to me that, long ago, mothers were much more sensible and, as long as the child was crying and moving all extremities, they would hug the child, reassure him, keep an eye on him for a couple of hours and go on with their work. Is it the horrible accidents that we daily see in the media that have us uptight about children’s pain? Is it guilt that we do not spend enough time with our child that makes us overreact? This has always been the case with fathers, but now it seems mothers are behaving much the same.
If your child is old enough to explain himself, quietly but firmly and loudly ask him where it hurts. Everyone should know this by now because all the TV shows about emergencies always have the star boy taking charge and asking precisely this! “Where does it hurt?”
If he’s too young to direct you and you do not see an obvious wound, then run your hands down his body, pressing gently on different areas to find out where it hurts. If you can’t find what is wrong and you cannot calm him down, then call the nearest emergency room for advice. This is what emergency rooms are for: emergencies. Apart from the major hospitals, the Ministry of Health has failed to provide adequate emergency room care in T&T, but there are a number of private nursing homes where such care is available. If you cannot afford private care, then maybe it’s time you thought about talking to your area representative about healthcare in this country or changing your voting pattern.
If the injury is minor, proceed with basic first aid. Here’s what you need to know about treating some common injuries:
Scrapes or abrasions
Scrapes hurt a lot because the top layer of the skin has been scraped off, exposing millions of nerve endings. Bleeding, however, is minor. Numb the wound with ice wrapped in a clean cloth for a few minutes. Then gently clean the area with a soft cloth, soap and warm water. Make sure you get out all the dirt. If not, infection can set in easily. Apply antibiotic ointment like “triple antibiotic”, which you can now sometimes get over the counter. If not, ask your family in the States to send it down for you. If the scrape is small, there is no need for a bandage. However, never underrate the psychological value of a plaster to a child. Some children’s pain magically disappears as soon as the plaster is produced. And why not? Magic is real for children.
Afterwards, look for these “Red Flags”. Signs of infection: severe redness, swelling, pus or fever. If these develop, contact your physician immediately. These symptoms usually develop about 24 to 36 hours after the injury.
Cut or laceration
The important thing here is to stop the bleeding. Regardless of the size, press the cut hard with a clean cloth for at least five minutes. If bleeding continues, apply more pressure for another five minutes. When the bleeding stops, clean the cut with soap and warm water and cover it with a bandage. It should heal in about seven to 14 days.
Cuts on the face, hands, breast or genital areas should be seen by a doctor ASAP.
Red Flags: A cut that is more than one-half inch long or is deep or jagged usually requires stitches. See a doctor if the bleeding doesn’t stop; if the area around the injury becomes numb or weak; if the cut is on the face or abdomen, which are likely to scar; if you think foreign matter may be embedded in the cut; if signs of infection appear; or if the cut doesn’t heal within two weeks.
Next week we’ll deal with some other common injuries such as bumped heads and bruises.
