Day 40 (2/9/11) - Update from Gavin's Finger Checkup

Today we took Gavin to the outpatient center at Johns Hopkins Hospital for a followup appointment with an orthopedic hand specialist.  Much to our relief, she was really pleased with how well his finger is healing.  She said the small fracture in the bone at the tip of his finger should heal on its own over time.  She also warned us that it may take up to 6 months for his fingernail to grow back and told us to expect it to be lumpy and unsightly at first.  Lumpy and unsightly sure beats it permanently missing!  Since his bandages have been removed and he's free to resume use of his finger, the stitches should begin to dissolve in the next couple of days.  The only surprising news was the effects we should expect as a result of the crush injury.  I guess I was so focused on the fingernail avulsion and actual cut to the soft tissue, that I never even considered the impact that the crushing or "squishing" would have.  Apparently, when his fingertip was smashed in the hinge of the security bar, it damaged the small blood vessels at the tip of his finger.  According to the doctor, it may take as long as a year for these capilliaries to be repaired.  Until then we should expect him to have some loss of sensation in that finger, although he'll probably not be able to communicate that to us given his age.  And, due to the restricted blood flow to the fingertip, he's more susceptible to frost bite until the blood vessels fully heal.  We followup with her again in a month, but she reitereated how pleased she is with his healing, especially given how uncooperative children that age can be!   

One funny story from the appointment, as Mike was holding Gavin's arm still while the doctor started to cut off his bandages, he felt a strange bulge in Gavin's sleeve.  He asked the doctor to wait while he investigated what was causing the lump on his arm.  Mike reached down Gavin's sleeve and pulled out a green plastic army man!  Guess Gavin was hoarding it in case he needed to entertain himself!

Gavin points out the display advertising the Marburg Pavilion ("deluxe accommodations more reminiscent of a five-star luxury hotel than a hospital" offered at a premium price) to let us know he expects that for his next hospital encounter!  We suggested that he just avoid any hospitalizations or urgent ER visits altogether (at least for the forseeable future)! 

When I asked Gavin to show me his hurt finger for a picture, he animatedly pointed to it (as if it weren't obvious) to show that the gauze and bandages were finally taken off!  And, true to form, every day for the past week, he has thrown a fit every time I tried to put a plastic bag and rubber band around his hand to keep it clean and dry.  Tonight, he was very upset when I didn't put a protective bag over his hand for dinner or his bath.  He kept pointing at the bag on the kitchen/bathroom counter and then pointing at his finger and grunting.  He was not satisfied until I put a Band Aid on his finger.

Here is a closer view of his finger.  I'm still getting used to the sight since I never really examined the initial injury (and by "examined," I really mean I never looked at it since I had to avert my eyes to keep from fainting or getting sick!).  Today he was being pretty cautious with his finger, using it very gingerly when playing.  Tomorrow, I'm sure, he'll have forgotten that it was ever hurt!  You know, I hear there's a special place in Heaven for moms of boys...!