Almost a month ago, my six year old son’s fingertip was smashed in a door and cut off. He was taken to the hospital, where the tip was reattached and we were told there was a 50/50 chance of it taking. It didn’t.
Last week, after the doctor told us the tip would eventually fall off like a big scab, I explained to my son that his finger may look a little funny when all is said and done. He seemed a bit freaked out by the word “scar”…thanks a lot Lion King…so I had to think fast to reassure him.
I pulled up my left pant leg and pointed to a scar on my shin, where thanks to a menacing 7th grade bully, I had the most painful wound of my life.
I had just entered 8th period science class, and was approaching the teacher’s desk which was perched on a stage with metal trim all around the top edge. As I was passing said bully, he stuck his foot out and tripped me. At the place where two metal pieces joined together to form a perfect point, my skin was pierced. I fell, shin first, into the corner of the stage. The hole it left went nearly to my bone.
I then showed him the bottom of my foot. My family had been tearing down my Grandmother’s garage, when I stepped down onto a board that had a long nail sticking out of it. The nail went through the sole of my shoe, right into my heel. My cousin and I went to the emergency room together, because shortly after I pulled off my bloody sock, she swung an axe directly into her shin.
After that, I displayed the mark on my right forearm where I once slashed myself with a wallpaper scraper. It left quite a scar, because instead of going for stitches I wrapped up the wound with paper towels and duct tape.
I explained to my boy, that although these things hurt at one time, the scars they left behind don’t hurt me at all now. But, by the look on his face, I don’t know if I reassured him or frightened him even more.
Because I like to twinge in discomfort…tell me folks, what was your most painful injury?
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BusyDad
Oh no… I’m sorry to hear that. That kind of thing is toughest on you when you’re young. But I’ll tell you what totally works for a boy with scars: it’s his “superhero mark.” Like every good superhero, he needs to have a distinguishing characteristic. A missing fingertip is good for that. That’s where the laser shoots from.
Fury used to have some little doohickeys on his ear. We used to call it them his “bonus features.” We eventually got them removed, and he actually was sad that he no longer had “bonus features.” Can you tell we like wo watch DVDs?
Christine @ Serenity How?
For some reason this reminded me of one of those Lethal Weapon movies where Mel Gibson and Renee Russo were showing each other their scars. Now it’s official. I. am. weird.
My right knee is permanently scarred from all of the skinned knees I got as a kid. Whenever I see it I think of being little again, running around and having fun. It seems like all scars have a story to tell.
Immoral Matriarch
I’m actually not sure.
I’ve had a lot of injuries.
I’m covered in scars.
I do have one on my arm that’s particularly annoying because the skin is so damaged that it can’t be tattooed over and it completely distorts what I want for my sleeve.
I had an extremely hot curling iron fall on my arm when I was 12. It actually sunk down into my arm and stuck to my skin when they were pulling it off, then melted the skin that was still attached to it when it was off within seconds.
Amy
I love the superhero mark idea!
Let’s see other than natural childbirth, which left mental scars, I have one on my shin from when I fell off the handlebars right into a guardrail that sliced open my leg. Yeah, that hurt a bit.
chefmom
Poor kid!!It makes him unique! My worst was cutting my pointer finger to the bone, while cutting a bagel. I still have nerve damage 15 years later!
McShowoff
Wow! We really do go through hell sometimes as kids. I have many scars from the misadventures of my youth. But my most painful injury had to be at age 24 from a drunken backflip attempt which I actually landed, but only after bouncing off my knees and chin simultaneously on the concrete floor of the Raccoon Lodge. I split my chin which would need stitches but I would not get them because I waited till the next morning to go to the emergency room. I had some kind of trauma to my kneecaps that left some kind of deposits on both. And most painfully, the impact on my chin forced my bottom teeth into the back of my two front top teeth. They didn’t fall out, but they were forced so far forward that I ended up with a bruise on my cheek. I couldn’t touch my teeth for two weeks, let alone eat anything solid, and I would often wake up screaming in agony anytime my mouth closed. Had a root canal and caps because the teeth turned purple eventually from all the blood from my swollen gums. Good times.
I don’t drink any more in case you were wondering.
meleah rebeccah
aaawww….oh no….that poor little bean.
I feel so bad for him.
CANT HE CATCH A FRIGGEN BREAK ALREADY?
My worst scar is the 198 stitches that go across my midsection from hip bone to hip bone.
Misty
i am truly sad to hear this… bless his heart…
Smart A$$ Mom
I have a few scars, but nothing hurt like breaking my tailbone. That hurt.
Stacey @Real World Mom
Ouch! Sorry, I’ve got nothing that compares to your adventures!
I’m really sorry there wasn’t better news for your son. Since he is a boy, I bet he’ll be thinking it’s pretty cool soon though! Hugs to you both!
amy t sharp
poor babe… I have scar on forehead from spinning like Linda carter near a stone hearth in my superwoman underoos. I wanna kiss his little finger 🙁
Amy J.
Wow…I definately think it was reassuring even though you don’t think. Kids like to know what’s going on – when you lie or avoid the truth, I think it’s much harder on them.
Your injuries have mine trumped…but I have 2 that I can think of.
One was riding on back of brothers bike and him telling me not to look back (his friend was behind us) – well did I listen? Nope – leg in back wheel of spokes and I’m not sure how far we skidded. The scar on my ankle looks transparent now to the bone.
#2 was me being stupid (because I just was stupid lol) – decided to try to slide down railing at school (omg, embarrassed to tell this)…needless to say, I fell but caught the rail with my hands -3 floors up! Couldn’t hold any more, fell all 3 floors – no scars, but when I fall on my left knee or right elbow (or hit either or)— it is painful enough to bring me close to passing out.
More than you wanted to know – I should have blogged it LOL
Amy J.
Oops….sorry but omg mcshowoff, amy t, (woohoo wonder woman!), and amy (how many amy’s can you have in 1 day!) LMAO @ yours!!! Too funny!
Jamie E
yeah, about three years ago I was in labor, it wasn’t going well, now I have a huge scar and a sweet little boy to show for it….then about 16 months ago, a similar experience, um, seriously other than those-
My sister and I were in charge of the kitchen. It was before 2nd grade for me and my sis is four years older. As she was draining the mac n cheese I stuck my hands in the next sink to rinse off the wash cloth, she flipped out because I was too close and some how she over poured and my forearm on the left was burned from wrist to elbow. The worst parts were getting the skin peeled off weeks later, and also having to wear a cut off knee high sock even after it healed to prevent burning. I still have all my moles and no real scar.Pretty amazing actually.
Lisa
Poor li’l guy!
And poor you 🙁
My worst injury was when my chin spilt open–I still have stitch scars.
Rachel
I got tingle chills reading this.. yeek.
Let’s see: When I was 7 my brother pulled a rug out from under me and I hit my head (eyebrow) on Granny’s cedar chest and split my head open. I got to see right inside my head, yuck.
Princess aged 20 months, fell and slashed her wrist open on glass and broken rocks, I got to see her bones and tendons… that was a horrible parent moment.
Poor boy, he’ll be super proud of his scar later on in life 😉
Birdie
poor babe…it’ll make a good story when he’s a dad too I suppose. He’s got photos to accompany the whole thing! Ewie…I got the heebiegeebies, Momo!
My worst wound was bought & paid for. I had a septoplasty to try & rid mysefl if daily sinus heads that never ever go away. They chiseled away at the bone and did some other things up in there, then packed my nostrils with gauze that was to stay there just long enough for all the blood and fluids to dry & cement it to the lining of my newly wounded nostrils. That hurt like a buggar coming out. It hurt before too. I thought I’d drown in my saliva & blood with all the swelling and gook and the fact that I’m clostrophic and couldn’t breathe through my nose. Once me husband looked over at me and said “Oh my gossh, your eye’s bleeding! The pressure was causing hte blood in my nose to spring from my tear duct every time I swallowed. I wouldnt’ wish that surgery on my worst enemy. Worst thing was that it cost a small fortune it didn’t help a thing. I shoulda gotten a boob job.
Xbox4NappyRash
I was dropped on the bridge of my nose onto a kerb when I was 7 or 8, it did not look good.
I also grabbed some barbed wire while trying to climb a fence once, only lose my footing and fall, the barbed wire refusing to let go of the palm of my hand….
Stella
Poor kid!
I think you and I were separated at birth with all our scars and injuries! And of course our love of John Denver!
My worst?? I have this scar under my right nostril…it kind of looks like a booger hanging out of my nose. I did it in Kindergarten. I was racing on my bike with my sister and I was on the inside, close to the curb. She kind of veered into me and I ended up falling into the curb. Upon falling my bike and my body were propelled forward at the same speed that I was going when upright. The curb ripped off most the flesh under my nose and on my chin. They could not repair it because there was nothing to repair. They just had to clean it out and bandage it. Now people continually tell me that I have something under my nose and then hand me a tissue.
PG
poor sibo fali. sounds like it will be mostly cosmetic? so long as he can still mash a video game controller it’s all good.
My most painful injury? hmmm. might be one of my many many severely sprained ankles. Or perhaps the time my older brother punched my two front teeth in and they had to pry them back into place with a tongue depressor as a level and my bottom teeth as the flucrum
Bec
I broke my foot once, attempting to kick some moron in the groin. Alas I was standing too close and got nothing but shin. In true primeval “show no weakness” style I stood firmly on both feet, finished the confrontation and walked away without limping despite horrendous pain.
Later my foot swelled to twice it’s normal size and turned the most horrific shade of blue I’ve ever seen. It still hurts when it’s cold.
It’s not really an accident, but my most painful experience was having my c/s. The epi stopped working half way through. Second to that, having my epi put in, it took an hour and a half and he hit bone twice OMG! Third to that was when they took the fricking drain out. That bastard felt like it was sewn in.
Jo Beaufoix
Oh poor little man. Hope he does ok. My most painful injury, erm, falling down the stairs at 32 weeks pregnant with Miss M and breaking the toe next to my little toe on my right foot. It hurt. Miss M was fine, but my toe was very sore. I have weak ankles too so I often turn them and that really hurts, but otherwise I have been fairly injury free. Touch wood.
Heather
OK, I do have some scars but they are nothing compared to some of these. I cringed reading these comments. So let me tell you about two of the worst in my family.
My dad once had his left foot almost cut off at the ankle with a chainsaw which my uncle had rigged to not turn off, and he DROPPED IT on my dad’s foot. We were in the boonies in Indiana and he had to be air lifted back to Cincinnati. He got to keep the foot but you can tell that even now, almost 30 years later, it hurts him and looks like a Frankenstein scar.
Second one is more emotionally painful. When my daughter was about 3, her grandmother had a cat that got into it with one of the dogs. My daughter was to close to the cat and the cat actually jumped onto her head, leaving gashes in her cheek, side of her head, arm, and back. They had to mummy wrap her at the hospital to hold her down for the stitches and the male tech who was holding her head was crying. She’s still scarred even though we’ve used Mederma and several other products to try to reduce it and is self conscious about it. I still have nightmares.
Sophie
I once broke my toe. I stubbed it on the ironing board, which makes for a very romantic story (housework related injuries always do).
I then applied ice liberally to the toe to try and stop the swelling. So my broken toe also ended up with freezer burns.
Holy Crappers
Lost 2 fingers when they were smashed in a steel door, I was 7
They were able to reattach my middle finger on my left hand, but lost half of my ring finger.
Don’t remember much but one thing I do remember, I got lots and lots of gifts and my parents got a nice settlement from the recreation center !!
AlisonH
Running through a storm door, thinking it was ajar as I pushed against the glass in my nine-year-old dashing hurry. Slashed myself from fingertips to elbow. They were picking a lot of glass out in the ER.
Poor kid. I’m so sorry about his finger!
Bee Repartee
I’m reading these with a hand over my mouth…
OUCH
OOoooohhhhh
ooooooh!
I rocked on a rocking chair with one foot each on the armrests. I fell face first into a coffee table and now I have a one inch scar through my eyebrow.
If it wasn’t for eyebrow pencil, I’d look like a lame Vanilla Ice.
Manager Mom
Sorry to hear about your son… we have not had to deal with a super-yicky accident yet, although I did almost bite off my kid’s finger messing around with her. It’s a little harder to explain THAT at the ER than the car door incident.
I have escaped most physical injury as well. I would say my most painful injurie(s) are all from the multiple times I was dumped by my idiotic college boyfriend.
No, I don’t know why I kept getting back together with him.
Toni
I have lots of very stupid injuries, but the most painful injury might have been breaking my finger playing football as a kid–knocked the finger perpendicular to the rest. Of course, that didn’t hurt nearly as much as when the doctor moved it BACK……
Angie
LOL! ROFL! *gasp* I *gasp* CAN’T *gasp* BREATH! *gasp* I love all these horror stories!!! Here’s my little contribution:
When I was about 7 years old, I was playing tug of war with a friend of mine (she was at least 3 years older than me). She had the brilliant idea that I should stand at the top of the steps to my deck (for leverage maybe?) and since I was 7, I did it. WELL… I came CRASHING down the steps on my TEETH! There was blood gushing out of my mouth and my Mom almost fainted when she saw me. My two front teeth soon died, turned brown and disgusting, and FINALLY (after school pictures-of course) fell out. I was really missing my two front teeth for Christmas that year…
Here’s one from my son:
Ashton Loves his scooter. So much so that he decided he needed to ride it anywhere and everywhere he needed to go (he was 3 at the time). So, he was in the house riding his scooter, I was in the house chasing after him telling him to “GET OFF THE SCOOTER!!!” I finally caught up to him, grabbed the handle bars of the scooter, and Ashton (thinking I was going to grab him) jumped off his scooter and landed ear first onto the sharp edge of a table. Yeah, there was tons of blood, he almost passed out, and his ear was slit into 2 pieces. They had to reattach the pieces at the ER and sew it back together. Poor kid, the ear is so hard to numb, he felt most of it. He does have an awesome scar though! I could tell you more, but this comment is long enough–whew!
Ed (zoesdad)
Poor little guy. I’m not so sure your scar stories helped. They kind of scared me. I like the superhero mark idea. That’s cool.
As for my scars–hell, I’ve got nothing on any of you guys. I’m gonna go juggle my chainsaw and an axe and I’ll get back to you.
Mr Lady
Just think how lucky he’s going to be in college when his buddy asks him how much he owes him for the PBR and he can hold up his middle three fingers and, without a word, say $2.75.
NukeDad
I split my head open 8 times before I was 10 years old. My wife says “That explains a lot”. Football in the house: 2 times; coffee table and fireplace. Jumping out of a moving shopping cart: 1 time. Tripping over something while walking in the dark: 4 times (Hey, I had a small bladder, OK?) and 1 time climbing under some bleachers. Call me Captain Klutz. At least I outgrew it; well, unless you count blowing out my ACL playing dodgeball at 41 years of age.
O My Blog!
I am so sory to hear about your son!!
Here’s mine for ya…I had sliced my pointer finger through the side and thru the nail on a meat slicer, while the machine was OFF and I was cleaning it.
I used super glue after the spurting (yes, it spurted-it was weird) stopped but should have had stitches.
Nail grows in funny a little bit now.
Corey~living and loving
I’m sorry to hear that he will lose the tip of his finger. 🙁
When I was 8ish, I jumped off a wooden coral and landed on a board with a nail on it. I punctured my foot and broke a bone. It was awful.
Ok, Where Was I?
I can’t believe you asked for such things. Ok, so I have a scar on my chin from landing on it, not my hands, while playing basketball. Blood practically splattered the whole floor. And now there’s a whisker growing out of it that I have to pluck.
Heather
OK I’m going to add another comment because I find this all fascinating. (Go figure). When my daughter was a baby and I actually lived with her dad, one time a tried to fix a broken aquarium and the trim was off the top. I got out of bed in the dark, and somehow tripped on it, rebroke it and sliced off the front of my chin. I fell into the debris and also sliced my toe and the back of my upper thigh. I had to get stitches. To this day my mom thinks he pushed me into the aquarium and I have no idea why.
I also once was using a utility knife to cut some cardboard and just as my dad said “heather be careful or you’re going to cut off your finger” I laid open the side of my thumb. My brother was the only one at home with a car, and he’d just been in an accident so his doors wouldn’t open. He let down the top and I had to jump in like something out of Dukes of Hazzard while holding a towel on my bleeding hand. I damaged the nerve.
Ezekiel
I thought I’d share mine because it is the same as your boy’s. When I was four the tip of my left ring finger got caught in a door and it was clipped off.
The doctors didn’t even try reattaching it, they just built up the edge as best they could to save the nail and bandaged me up.
It was useful when I was learning to tell left from right cause I just ran my thumb along my ring fingers.
Glancing at my hands you won’t see that anything is wrong, but my left ring finger is shorter and it sort of curves around towards my pinky. I used to call it my talon.
He’ll get used to it and by the time he is 10 he won’t give it a second thought. You might not be so lucky, I know my Mom is still upset by the whole thing, 23 years later.
Melisa
I have been very, very lucky. The only things I can think of are:
1. When I was 13 and was walking a little too fast (okay, running) near a pool and when a fell onto the ground, I fell right on my knees but slid. I have scars on both knees from that.
2. Last summer, my son was cutting the grass and called me outside because he needed help adjusting the height of the blade. Forgetting that he had just turned the mower off, I didn’t think about how hot the engine area was and burned my forearm when my arm bumped into it. I have a scar the size of two quarters from that.
I think that’s about it! Yay me!
Mrs. Schmitty
I have a small scar on my right hand that is only about a 1/2 inch long. When I was about 10 years old my sister and I were playing with a girl in the neighborhood. We were behind her grandmother’s garage and I noticed it was time to go home. The girl did not want us to leave so she had put her leg up and prevented my sister from getting by. I went to push her leg down and as I did she held up a pair of scissors she had been cutting leaves with. I jammed my hand down on the points. It went really deep. Her grandmother placed one of those teeny bandaids on it and my mother, thinking the cut was nothing, almost passed out upon checking it.
Bean
I have heard the story before about when you and your cousin went to the ER together but, for some reason, this time I could NOT stop laughing! I can’t read that last sentence with the bloody sock without cracking up. My mom laughed, too (the apple doesn’t fall too far…). And mcshowoff … we laughed at that one, too (I haven’t read them all)!
My most painful would be my “Meijer Foot”. I was shopping for wood shelves at Meijer about 19 years ago and a large one fell off the shelf vertically, right onto the top of my foot. I almost threw up from the pain.
We all have scars; some show, some don’t. They help make us who we are. 🙂
Jolly Green Dad
Ok, most painful incident. I was playing soccer for physical training one morning in the Army, went up to head the ball. While I was in the air, I was bumped and when I landed I hyper-extended my knee and completely tore my ACL. I re-injured it twice before I finally had surgury. Ouch!
Laura
I suffered a dog bite to the face when I was in 4th grade. I was stunned and didn’t realize that there was a gaping hole in my face until I looked down and saw all the blood on my shirt! My parents rushed me to the E.R. where I was treated to twelve stitches. I still have a scar (despite my father’s insensitive suggestions that I go for plastic surgery), but it is barely noticeable and is often mistaken for a dimple.
Virginia
No, please, no superhero thing with the scar. He shouldn’t feel embarassed, but it is nothing to feel proud of either. I’d say buy him a tennis racket instead, or teach him to saw, because he can truly do anything with a missing fingertip. I am thinking Matthew Perry and my tennis teacher, who started playing AFTER he lost three whole fingers in a car accident and eventually became a pro…
Just let him know that he is normal and that he is beautiful.
Virginia
Jaina
::shudder:: I’m all queasy now. My most painful injury? They’re both pretty stupid. First one was right before 9th grade I was dancing around with my little brother and swung my foot into slide (you know, the little plastic orange and blue ones?) and broke my little toe. Who knew such a tiny thing could hurt so badly?
Another time I was running up the stairs to drop something off at my dad’s office. I tripped up the stairs (yes, up!) I didn’t even realize I was bleeding till I got into my dad’s office and sat down. I split my knee and got it butterfly bandaged. Ugh, talk aout queasy. Ironically, we were on our way to the “Healthy Check Up” for our insurance. I took the elevator for several months after that.
I hope your little guy feels better about it soon!
Bee
My grandfather had a farm. When I was 3 I crawled into the pig pen and a ginourmous pig started chasing me. My uncle picked me up and started running then tripped. I was sent flying into a construction area where a nail went right thru my lip.
I still have a scar.
nola
I am so sorry to hear about your son’s finger. You handled that perfectly. We all have scars. My worst injury was a broken wrist followed by surgery to screw a plate to the bone. Ugly and very painful. Will never be perfect.
Geeks In Rome
The great thing about scars is they hark back these incredibly vivid memories of where you were, what you were doing…
It’s scary to think how casual we are about our scars today when now we know how freaked out our moms must have been!
most painful: slipping on ice and landing on my chin; my bike lost its brakes as I was careening down a hill so I tried to slow down by veering into a hill — end up crashing and landing on top of the handlebar which felt like it pierced my gut. It didn’t, but left a nice deep scratch since the hollow metal bar didn’t have a protective rubber cover.
coolest scars: had 30+ plantar’s warts on my feet and toes dug out/cut off with a surgical knife. So the bottoms of my feet are a constellation of white scars and one toe looks like a rat gnawed half of it off.
Some kid at Montessori school stabbed me with a blue, ballpoint pen on my index finger knuckle — I have a permanent “tattoo” there of a blue blob, but I like to tell people is an artistic rendering of a flea.
LiteralDan
Scars are awesome– someone needs to make sure he understands this. I don’t even know my most painful injury– I love them all equally. Someday, he may be blessed with such a quandary.
Laski
50!!!
OK, I have scars everywhere. I was one of THOSE kids.
And, I love to show them off. Yeah, one of THOSE kids, too.
BUT, my most painful was falling down the stairs . . . on my butt. Bruising my butt bone, but at the time I was sure I had shoved my spine into my brain and my organs into my neck.
This was the first time I think I ever saw my life flash before my eyes. I actually started thinking about what my funeral would look like and if my underwear were the cute ones or the granny grey ones. Pitiful.
transfattyacid
I’m sorry to hear that your son’s finger has not healed:(
My most painful injury was probably when I jumped in a ditch as a kid and there was a bit of wood under the water with a 6 inch nail sticking out of it, and the nail went right through my foot.
It hurt a lot more than when I broke my wrist in three places doing the highjump, when I jumped right over the mat and landed on the grass. On the positive side I did manage to clear 3’9″ – I was 8 and was only about 3’5″ tall.
imgladyouasked
I have a scar on my left thumb from when I was like 8 or 9. I was making pudding, the kind that you have to cook. And as I was poring it into little bowls to cool some splashed over onto my thumb and burned me.
I also have the scar of having two c-sections but no one but my hubby sees that scar.
soapy
I was jumping rope (jumproping?) in my basement when I was around 7 or 8 and fell on the corner of an open metal toolbox. Gouged my chin. Blood gushed out everywhere (you know, those head wounds) and I remember picking up a white telephone to call someone. Don’t remember much after that, but I still have the scar.
So sorry about your little guy. Maybe he can think of it as a superhero super special finger. I dunno. Sorry, darlin.’
I love your shin bone story. Yikes! Jerk! Middle school…weird things happen to kids in middle school. All those hormones and all. What the heck was that bully thinking? I wonder how he felt afterward. I wonder if he thinks about it now (or if he has kids and thinks about it in a completely different way…).
Cookie
OMG! These are some horrible scar stories. I don’t have anythign too severe on me, but it isn’t harder when you have to watch your children suffer? My son almost tore his ear off this week. The ER glued it back on. Good thing my in-laws are coming into town tomorrow so they can see what a great mother I am :S
Dawn/cookie @ The cookie jar
Rose
Oh my. I really wanted to stop reading that, but I just couldn’t… urg. (And the whole wife of a personal injury lawyer side of me wanted to sue the school for having something so ridiculously dangerous in place. Oy.)
My favorite scar story was from a summer long long ago, when my friends and I had sneaked into the pool of the neighboring country club because they had a water slide and we didn’t.
It was an old metal contraption and as I went down it I turned and the back of my knee was sliced open by the edge of the slide. I didn’t notice until the lifeguard pulled me out of the water for bleeding everywhere. Then we had to make something up for why we couldn’t be taken to the infirmary…
This stuff only ever happens to me… can’t ever break rules without karma raising her ironic head.