In Stitches

My wife is luckier than my mother. The proof? My wife was just a few feet away when our son dropped the glass penny jar. When he fell on the glass the resulting cuts required only three stitches. My mother, on the other end of the luck extreme, had just stepped into the shower about the time that a neighbor kid pushed me into a metal box fan at the end of a hallway in her house. The fan was missing its grill and my little hand hit the spinning blades like carrot sticks in a Cuisinart. I ran home with an index finger split like a peeled banana. My mom’s relaxing bathing ritual was interrupted in a moment reminiscent of the shower scene in Psycho.

My soaking wet mom rushed me to the neighborhood doctor as I screamed bloody murder the entire way. Fortunately a very good pediatrician saved my finger. 32 years later that same doctor put three stitches in the knee of our son. My son’s needs were not as obvious as the circumstances of my own personal horror story. Yet my wife asked the same question many of you will have to ask someday: “Do you think it needs stitches?” Chances are you will stand there like we did, looking at your crying child while wondering if a SpongeBob Band-Aid will do the trick. When the moment comes and the answer isn’t obvious there are a few simple rules to follow.  

When a cut occurs think C-C-C-B.  Chill, Check, Control, Bribe

• Chill out. Calm everyone down – you, your spouse, and your kiddo. I know this is easier said that done. However, you can’t really help the situation if the situation is out of control. Calm down.

• Check. Examine the wound and determine if it needs stitches (see below).

• Control. Try to control the cut to stop the bleeding.  Cover the wound with gauze, sterile dressing or even a clean paper towel.  Apply pressure, elevate if possible, and try not to kill yourself if you decide to drive like a bat out of hell to the nearest doctor.

• Bribe. In route to the doctor get your kid’s mind off the obvious.  My son was eventually distracted from the pain by a triple bribe as we drove. He stopped crying when we promised him Cheesesteaks for dinner, a future trip down the toy isle at Target, and a stop for ice cream on the way home.  

You need to go for stitches if:

• The wound is really deep or if you can see bone on areas without much fat, like fingers or toes.

• The wound is gaping and has a gap more than 3/16 of an inch long. That’s just a bit wider than a matchstick.

• If you can"t get the edges of the cut to stay together.

• If the edges of the cut are jagged.

• Mom or dad is freaking out and second guessing themselves.

Once sewn up you can expect to keep the stitches between 3 to 14 days depending upon which area of the body was injured. Handle the situation well and your kid won’t even remember the experience when they grow up. Freak out and they will remember it vividly 32 years later.