Crap, my 5 year old just lost his toe in the door.

The poor guy, he must’ve closed the door on his own foot and lopped off the first knuckle on his fourth toe on his left foot. They couldn’t re-attach it so they had to nip the bone and wrap the skin around the little stub that was left. OUCH.

I heard him crying (more like wimpering) in the bathroom and before I got there his little sister came running out and told me he cut his toe and was bleeding.
I thought he had just skinned it on the bathroom door (which has enough clearance to allow a door to close on a toe without too much damage). He’s sitting on the little stool in the bathroom with a kleenex wrapped around his foot. I get in there and sit down next to him to take a look, pull the kleenex off the foot and SHIT, he’s missing part of his toe!! That image will be burned into my head for ever, just a total shocker if you’ve ever seen something like that, especially on one of your own children. Man that scared the crap out of me and I instantly felt the adrenaline rush and by BP go up about 40 points.
First thing I did was yell for the wife to get in there and carry him to the car while I look for the toe. Find the toe by the garage/outside door and throw it into a glass of ice (thanks ER). You will never ever know what it’s like to pick up a part of one of your own children, and I hope you never will.

We race to the hospital emergency room about 5 miles away, I stop in front of the ER doors and run over to the passenger side of the car and grab the boy from my wife’s arms, grab the glass, and run into the waiting area…
There is no-one at the desk :frowning:
Actually, the receptionist saw me standing there (she was in the back) holding my child but apparently making a photo copy of someone elses insurance card and looking for some paper work is more important than a parent holding a crying child.
I yell out, “What do I do about a child with a severed toe??!!”, asking like this is a do-it-yourself ER. Thank god the response was swift, - within ten seconds I was sitting in a wheelchair with a triage nurse pushing us towards the exam rooms.
That first part when no-one was at the desk was the only bad experience there. Everyone else that treated my son was outstanding, from the nurse that kept him, me, our other two children and my wife entertained (kept our mind off his wound) to the pediatrist that closed him up. All very excellent people, beyond reproach. Thank God!
The three year old didn’t really understand what was going on (that someone could loose part of a toe) and the six year old seemed very genuinely concerned for her brother (and wanted to keep looking at his foot). I was pretty cool during the whole thing, especially after they explained to us how they would treat him and that he would be ok. The wife was pretty shook up, though she did finally calm down when they were treating him. She does not handle this sort of thing well.
It was kind of a bummer that they couldn’t re-attach his toe. The pediatrist said it would be too difficult and since it was a toe that isn’t really needed for support it wouldn’t be worth the pain and possible infection to re-attach, plus that would require a specialist and numerous hours in the OR with no guarantee. It was a pretty clean cut for a door. Shit.
I couldn’t really sleep last night. We got home around midnight and he started to feel the pain about then, so we gave him the Tylenol with Codiene, that seemed to work. He’s sleeping right now. Man, he was sooo good in the ER too, he just held his foot and then did everything they asked him to do. The IV, the tetanus shot, the needles in the foot, everything. He only wimpered once. He’s a great kid with a big heart. He’ll just have one smaller toe the rest of his life, but his heart makes up for that. He’ll be fine. Just stay the hell away from that garage door!!

BTW, our cat had four kittens as this was going on. I’ll start a kitten thread a little later, as time permits. Today I’m going to stay home from work and make sure he’s OK.
Here he is resting. And two kitty pics too.

Two things:

  1. I am sooo glad he’s all right. Your story brought tears to my eyes. Hug him tight.
  2. He’ll get over it and, being a boy, he’ll be the cool kid, who everybody wants to see the weird toe of.
  3. Congrats on the kitties? :wink:

Poor little guy. :frowning: Glad he’s okay. I had a scare when I was younger - got a finger caught in an elevator door, but aside from the sheer terror shaving off a year or two of my life, no damage was done.

Glad he’s ok. Poor little guy.

I hope you told him you were calling a “toe” truck. :slight_smile:

Just a little levity…

Oh God!

Those are cute kitties.

What?

I like the juxtaposition of the Superman and Pooh blankies with the “owie” foot.
Poor kid. He’ll be fine. Kids bounce back, and as Anaamika said, before you know it he’ll be the kid with the weird toe that all the other kids want to see.

Cutie kitties, too.

Only two emergencies? The roof couldn’t fall in, too? No sink hole opening up in your back yard? It all happens at once, doesn’t it. :slight_smile:

See how these things “get out of hand?” Discovery Hub - News & Technology

Poor little fella! I’m glad he’s ok Uncommon Sense. In the meantime he’s got this cool boot/shoe thing to wear (that’s my inner five year old boy thinking) and a neat injury to show off. He needs ice cream and all that kind of stuff that makes up a five year old world.

I’m glad I’m not the only one. I’m still sniffly, in fact. I can’t imagine walking into the room to see that poor little fella’s toe.

All of your kids sound like wonderful little people and I’m so glad that he had a decent hospital visit.

Congrats on the kittens too!

I’m also glad he’s going to be alright. However, my inner 21 year old is thinking of all the cool stories he can make up to tell about how it happened (That’s right, I was fighting 3 jackals off with only a nail file and a coat hanger and one of the bastards nipped off one of my toes…Seriously, want to see?)

Poor little guy. He’ll bounce right back, though. Hopefully with a new respect for the door! I’ve got a (guy) friend missing half a finger, and we now use it to scare the children into submission with. They never seem to notice that we’re always changing the story: “Don’t play with fireworks! That’s how Uncle Jonny lost that finger, you know!” “Don’t tease the dog, or you’ll lose a finger like Uncle Jonny!” “Don’t play in the woodpile - Uncle Jonny cut his finger off in a loose woodpile!” (Actually, he lost it making a small bomb in his garage. Idiot.)

(Oh, and I think the second tree picture looks like a mulberry, but I flunked plant I.D. in college, so you probably shouldn’t listen to me.)

Uncommon Sense–how will this effect the Boy’s ability to walk & run?
Was this discussed?

Poor little sausage!

My heart screwed up reading about his misadventure, and I’m glad that he’s OK.

I agree with everyone else that he needs a lot of cuddles and ice cream for being such a brave boy, and little and big sisters need the same for being brave along with him. (Not to mention ma and pa…)

It shouldn’t affect him badly, especially at such a young age. He might need to compensate a teeny bit, but the forth toe (“ring finger toe”) doesn’t do nearly as much as the first two toes or even the pinkie toe. If I had to chose to lose one, the fourth toe is the one I’d pick.

When my then 3 y/o slammed his finger in a door I was SURE that he’d chopped it off. He didn’t but my freaking out and crying was enough. I can’t imagine actually having a piece of my child chopped off inadvertently.

I’m so sorry for your, um, loss. Hope he gets better quickly!

Yikes!

Sorry to hear about Mini-Sense’s toe, I’m glad he’s O.K., sounds like he was quite the trooper.

If you need to have a beer to relax you know how to find me!

I read your thread title and thought “well then…why are you posting here!!!” but now I see you meant “just” as in “last night” :wink:

Looks pretty cool lying there with Superman to protect him. Good thing he has Supermom and Superdad too!

Oh kids! They just do things that make you wonder sometimes! I’m glad he’s okay and he has some new baby kitties to help distract him. Sounds like a very traumatic event…hope he starts feeling better soon!

Oh my God, how scary! I’m really impressed that he was so brave through it all. I remember I had to get stiches in my thumb when I was a year or two older than he is, and I was bawling and screaming. What a little trooper you’re raising!

This little piggy went to the market…
this little piggy stayed home.
This little piggy had roast beef…
this little piggy had… OH MY GOD!!!