My son fell yesterday at school and scraped up his palms pretty good. There are like three or four spots where it looks black and dirty even though I washed it as best as I could - kind of looks like little spots were gauged out. Should I take him to the pediatrician? Or just let his body do its thing and heal?
I would not take him to the doctor for this, I would just keep it clean and keep an eye on it. If any signs of infection develop, that is the time to contact the doctor. I hope he isn't too uncomfortable.
Edited to add: please do not use hydrogen peroxide on any cuts/abrasions http://www.advancedtissue.com/debunking-myths-wound-care/
You can have him soak in the bath tub or in a bowl of warm water with some epsom salts in it.
For scrapped palms, use some tweezers (sterilize them first) and pick the gravel out.
Then rinse the wound and clean it.
Follow up with neosporin and/or bandaids.
Growing up we'd get scrapped elbows, knees and hands fairly constantly.
Mom used Bactine or Mercurochrome (can't get it anymore), bandaged us up and sent us right back out to play.
We never went to the doctor unless bones were broken or we needed stitches.
you know...if you have to ask the question....you already know the answer...
why didn't you call his pediatrician and ask?
Did the bleeding stop? if the bleeding does NOT stop when you take pressure away? He needs Urgent Care/ER.
Is there a scab over it today? if there's still bleeding today? I'd take him in.
1. If the bleeding won't stop when I release pressure? We go to Patient's First
2. If the head was bonked? We go to Patient's First
3. If they can't make a fist or bend an appendage? We go to Patient's First
Why do I go to Patient's First? Well - they have EVERYTHING there - and I don't have to wait long to be seen. My boys have been taken care of there every time. We don't get billed an ER visit. I don't have to be fit in with the pediatrician and they give our doctor's all the treatment information.
I would also recommend soaking in maybe a little soapy water for about 10 minutes. Maybe let him play with something to pass the time and get the water swirling around to help loosen any dirt that might be there. And then watch to make sure it heals well. Also, keep it covered to make sure no new dirt gets in there.
One thing not mentioned is: has your son had his tetanus shots? Especially if he fell outside, he could get an infection. When I was pregnant with my first, I missed the curb due to snow. I went to get checked because it was high risk but the doc was more concerned about my hands being scraped up. I got a shot in that visit because I had no idea the last time I had one.
You know, if your doctor has a nurse advice line, you can always call and ask for advice. When in doubt, the nurses can always tell you what to do to treat an injury and if your child needs to been by a doctor. I would start there.
Why don't you just pick up the phone and call the doctor/24 hour nurse line and ask?
I would keep it clean with hydrogen peroxide and put some aloe on it for healing.
Basically what everyone else said and put Polysporin on it.
My boy is rough. He gets bad scrapes like this a lot. Unfortunately I'm use to it, and its more like a trophy to him now days. I never took him to the doctor for stuff like this for more than one reason. One- he didn't care to go. Two- I don't stress about smaller things.
ooh my!! with my having 4 boys? I can tell you this is one of those times I would have put him in the bath tub with epsom salts and let him soak it out.
If there are pieces of turf you can't get out? I would call my pediatrician and ask how they would get it out. Tell them what I've done so far and figure it out with them.
You might want to have him see the school nurse. Did he see her at the time and have his scrapes looked at? If the injury occurred on school property during regular school hours, there should be a report of the injury anyway. That's a good first step.
You might consider having him soak his hands, in plain water, for several minutes (10 or more). Boil the water first, then let it cool to a comfortable temperature, and have him soak. If he's little, give him something to do in the water that will keep his hands in (little Lego guys swimming on the bottom of the sea) or if he balks, let him watch something on tv while his hands soak. It may be that there is a bit of gravel or dirt that got deeply embedded, and soaking will help loosen it. You may have to have him repeat the soaking if it seems to help.
