# need HELP - baby's finger infected & lots of green pus



## MamaRabbit (May 26, 2005)

10 days ago one twin squished the other's hand in a plastic drawer. It cut her finger in the top crease of the inside of her finger (not sure how else to describe where). There was a bit of loose skin which I pulled off, and it didn't look too bad. 3 days later, her finger, just the middle section was red and the cut in the crease was starting to scab but it did hurt. I asked a nurse friend of mine to look at it that day. She pushed some clear pus out of it and said to clean it very well with betadine and put a bandaid on it since she kept wanting to put in her mouth.

So I thought it was better. Last few days less swollen but still swollen and red with a weird scab.

Then last night, I walk into the room just in time to see one twin squish the other's hand in the drawer. AGAIN. Same hand, same finger! So last night at day 9, the scab is ripped open and gobs of green pus is coming out. So I guess maybe it was a good thing to happen again or I would've never known it was so infected. Last night we cleaned it out with soap and water, put on betadine, let that dry, put on some antibiotic salve, and then a bandaid.

This morning she won't let me touch it and seriously I do not even want to open the bandaid because I'm afraid of what I'll find. I don't want it to spread to her hand or blood stream. No fever or anything like that for now.

10 days of this and not better. I can take her to a ped if I need to but really don't want to. English is not the first language for most of the doctors and communicating about something like this would not be easy, especially if I want to avoid antibiotics.

What can I do? I know when I got an infected stye on my eye that a tea bag on it helped. Could that draw out the infection? What about waiting til she naps and putting her hand in a bowl of warm tea? I have a few homeopathics but not sure what would help with this. I have very few options here!


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## seemfrog (Mar 30, 2006)

Hot compressess help draw out the pus.
If you live in a moist environment that makes infections on cuts a lot more frequent and harder to avoid.

don't have much more to offer, I'm sure someone else will!


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## mamaverdi (Apr 5, 2005)

Ouchy! What kind of healing things do you have on-hand? Which homeopathics?

The betadine really will damage more than help IMO. Just soap and water, letting it air over night. Change bandage 3 x per day, clean, apply salve or some such...

Do you have an EOs?


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## ASusan (Jun 6, 2006)

Hot compresses or soaking in as hot water as she can stand. Dry off and cover. Soak 6+ times a day.

Epsom salts have drawing properties, so if you have those, add some to the soaking water a few times a day.

Don't know about homeopathic advice.


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## MamaRabbit (May 26, 2005)

Homeopathy I have: arnica (tablets & oil), belladonna, pulsatilla, nux vomica, mag phos, chamomilla, antimonium, apis mell.

I do have epsom salts, raw honey, tea bags, tea tree oil, neem oil, aloe, witch hazel. ETA: breast milk too of course


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## mamaverdi (Apr 5, 2005)

I would try: arnica, pulsatilla, and chamomillia. If it becomes red and hot I would do belladonna.

I would wash/soak it in epsom salts, then put on tea tree oil, and cover during the day. Changing it, washing it, and treating it again at least 3x.

Hot compresses while it's clean and bandaged can be used and should be.

The idea should be to get it to drain, keep it clean, help it heal with other things.

Also, increase her vitamin C.

If it hasn't healed with very direct agressive treatment, or if she suddenly becomes listless or begins running a fever, I would definitely attempt communicating with docs and getting antibiotics. Can you call the consulate to help with translator?


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## Jojo F. (Apr 7, 2007)

Cover it with your raw honey







Honey is amazing!!!


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## MamaRabbit (May 26, 2005)

OK, sounds like a plan. I think i'll go straight to belladonna. Soak with epsom in hot water.

For tea tree oil, should i put it on straight or dilute with something like aloe?

I'm willing to do abx if it's really bad, and if it gets to that point I think I'll go to the international hospital with good english! I can speak pretty well, but medical stuff is beyond me!


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## MamaRabbit (May 26, 2005)

I tried soaking, but it's hard to keep a screaming baby's hand in the water. So did as best as could there. Dried really well. Decided to put the honey (couldn't find the tto in the house!) on the bandaid and back on the hand. Gave belladonna as well and will continue to do over the rest of the day.


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## mamaverdi (Apr 5, 2005)

Can you soak the rag in epsom salts and hot water, ring it out, and hold that on the baby's hand?

Honey is awesome too. I dilute everything except tto and lavender oil.

I would give the other remedies WITH the belladonna. Pulsatilla is specifically for yellow green stuff....ick. Arnica for trauma/injury. Chamomillia is good for healing as well as infection as well.

Sounds like you have a good plan!


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## MadameXCupcake (Dec 14, 2007)

They still nursing?
I put my breast milk on everything it always works!
Infected eye, diaper rash, stuffed nose, etc


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## mamaverdi (Apr 5, 2005)

This hasn't been our experience...that it works on more serious wounds, but we don't have the best health happening here.


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## prettypixels (Apr 13, 2006)

That scares me. How can you tell when the infection spreads to her bloodstream? I don't know how you could determine such a thing at home. Personally I'd take her to the doctor even though you don't want to.


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## MamaRabbit (May 26, 2005)

Well I'm giving it a day to show a lot of improvement and if not I'll take her in. She's showing no signs of illness and I think an infection that severe would show up.

I've managed to soak her hand 3 times in the last 12 hours. DH came home and figured out that a deep narrow plastic cup to stick her hand into while I nurse her works for about 5 minutes of soaking. The honey seems to be working and no more pus is coming out. When she wakes up in the morning, I'll be able to get an idea of how it's healing. Bandaid is off for the night.


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## mamaverdi (Apr 5, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *prettypixels*
That scares me. How can you tell when the infection spreads to her bloodstream? I don't know how you could determine such a thing at home. Personally I'd take her to the doctor even though you don't want to.


In an older usually healthy child, it is easier to tell if they are getting sick or not. Infections do not spread that quickly in gen'l to the blood stream. Treating aggressively and seeing if there is improvement is normal medical advice (some we received just this weekend when we did go to our doctor).


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## Missa (Mar 19, 2008)

prettypixels,

My daughter had an infection that spread to her bloodstream. It came on pretty fast too. One minute she was running and playing and the next she was tired, cranky and just not herself. SHe started running a really high fever and then she started shaking and that's when I took her to the hospital. This all happened in 2 or 3 hours. I thought she had an allergic reaction or something but they said she had sepsis so we had to do a series of antibiotic shots, one for 3 days plus 10 days of oral. Wasn't fun that's for sure.

We were at Wal-greens that day or the day before and she was in the cart (nasty germy carts, lol), she ended up scratching her eye and had a red area from it, the doctor said that's probably how the infection got into her bloodstream since she had no other cuts or issues.

MamaRabbit,

I hope you're able to get the infection under control and your little one is improving.


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## luluandbeans (Nov 11, 2008)

My husband is a nurse and I had him read over your story.

His advice is to get to see a doctor asap.

If that infection gets into her bloodstream it can take as little as 8 hours to kill her and you might not see any symptoms.

He's seen too many patients on his ward who are awaiting heart transplants because of blood born infections.

In your situation, especially with such a young child, I'd be at the Emergency Room.


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## MamaRabbit (May 26, 2005)

Ok, updated.

At the 24 hour mark I could only squeeze a tiny bit of pus out and it wasn't as red. By that night, after a long hot bath it was more open and soft but definitely cleaned out. I did bandaid with honey again.

This morning at 48 hours it looks like it's starting to close and is nowhere near as raw. I'm keeping an eye on it due to her wanting to suck on it, stick in things, and her twins love for slamming fingers in drawers. I am so thankful it did get injured again or we wouldn't have known what was really going on. Comparing hands, if it were on an adult it would've needed stitches!

I'm not sure if we're completely over it yet or not as we weren't sure the first time, but we'll continue with the honey and soaks.

Thanks everyone for your input/advice!


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