The thought of changing the bandage was terrifying. I got the idea that the bandage was acting like stitches--holding everything in place. I decided to keep it on for a little while longer.
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Nearly Sliced My Finger Off
The thought of changing the bandage was terrifying. The lesser cut on my middle finger was smarting like crazy with the lightest of touches. The cut on my index finger was protected for now and not hurting much. That would all change once I exposed it.
Just in the nick of time, I was advised to wait one more day to change it. I didn't need much convincing.
April 8, 2009 - I got the idea that the bandage was acting like stitches--holding everything in place. I decided to keep it on for a little while longer.
April 10, 2009 - I've been keeping my hand elevated above my heart and I haven't been trying to use it. That was working okay until this morning. It started throbbing and hurting, no matter what position I held it in. By evening, it had gotten worse. I knew it was time to take a look at it.
I gathered a new pad and bandage, some triple antibiotic ointment, and my camera. I spread the ointment over the pad in advance. When I started unwrapping the old bandage, I began to feel relief from the pressure and pain. That's when I realized the bandage had been tighter than I had thought. The pad underneath was firmly held in place by a whole lot of dried up blood. Considering the relief I was feeling, I decided against removing it. I wrapped the new pad around the old one, just in case the ointment could seep through, and wrapped the bandage around them both.
April 12, 2009 - Day six. There were a few times today that I let my hand drop below my heart. I quickly brought it back up when I realized it, but I noticed there was no feeling of blood rushing to my finger. Of course it was only a second or two each time, but in days past the pressure had been immediate. The cut on my middle finger is now pain free.
April 16, 2009 - Day ten. I removed the bandage today. I had to soak my finger to get the original pad loose. It was stuck pretty good. It took a little skin off with it. My finger was very waterlogged and there were indentations, likely from the pad. It was hard to tell where the cut started on the top because of the many grooves. The cut almost looked jagged, which I know it wasn't. The underside was easy to make out. I was very impressed with the way it was closed. Perfectly even. I noticed blood beginning to come to the surface, so I quickly wrapped it again with ointment, a fresh pad and bandage. Afterwards, there was some pain again, probably from the fresh loss of skin. I think I should have kept it wrapped for at least two weeks.
April 18, 2009 - Day twelve. Still a little pain--tried loosening the pad a little, which helped some. Managed to get a few pictures, but they weren't too good.
April 20, 2009 - Day fourteen. Changed the bandage, took some pictures. Less pain when I move my other fingers. Both ends of the cut seem to be healing slightly. I tried to stretch my arm and was hit with a major stabbing pain before I even straightened it completely. I won't be trying that again anytime soon.
April 23, 2009 - Day seventeen. Changed the bandage. Got some more blurry pictures. I am now able to use my other fingers to grip things without feeling the cut pulling. I'm not doing that too much, though. I can also turn my hand and lower it without feeling the blood rushing to the cut. Not doing that much either. I figure the less I do, the quicker it will heal.
April 27, 2009 - Day twenty-one. I can use the other fingers on my hand to grip and carry light things. Anything with much weight to it is still not possible without feeling like I'm pulling the cut apart. It's closing up nicely, but I can't go without a bandage for even a minute or it starts throbbing and feels like it will open back up. I'm pretty sure I cut through a nerve. Sometimes when I lower my finger, it will jump up and down, like when the doctor checks your knee reflex.
I took a good look at it and I think I was really lucky not to have lost the top portion of my finger. I decided not to put the pictures of it online. They didn't come out very clear, plus they're kind of gross.
May 4, 2009 - Day twenty-eight. I'm pretty sure most of the deeper portion has healed. I'm able to use my hand quite a bit more now, but I still feel it when I turn my hand to some positions, when I raise it too high or lower it too low. There's a pressure on the tip sometimes, especially if it gets touched, as if it were being squeezed and the blood circulation was cut off. I noticed my fingernail has not grown at all. There's some redness and bruising, but no signs of infection. The surface area is slightly open and tender. I have not attempted to bend it yet. I keep it moist with antibiotic ointment and covered still at all times.
May 10, 2009 - Day thirty-four. Yesterday, I decided to stop putting ointment on and take the bandage off. The surface area was being pushed apart by swelling. I was worried about the color and about very little circulation, so I started holding my hand down by my side and rubbing the finger gently to circulate the blood. The color improved. I soaked in Epsom Salt for about twenty minutes and washed my hands often. I kept attempting to bend my finger and by bedtime, I could bend it slightly at the middle knuckle. The swelling was keeping me from bending it too much, though. I haven't been taking antihistamines because histamine is supposed to be necessary for healing. Since the cut appears to be healed underneath, I took an antihistamine to try to reduce the swelling. I wrapped it loosely to protect it during the night.
This morning there was obvious improvement. Some swelling had gone down and I can bend it a little more. I can even get the top knuckle to bend very slightly. Maybe it's my imagination, but the fingernail seems to have grown some overnight. The wound area is still very numb and sensitive to touch. Near the fingernail, it's a purple-ish red color. I'm going to keep my hand low, keep exercising my finger and take antihistamines.
May 12, 2009 - Yesterday I put the bandage back on. Trying to bend my knuckle caused too much pain and soreness that was even spreading to the other fingers. Sometimes I would catch my finger involuntarily trying to contract. Today, it feels much better.
May 22, 2009 - Six and a half weeks later and it's looking like I will never have full use of my index finger again. I took the bandage off again yesterday and it seems I'll be able to keep it off this time. The entire top portion of my finger feels numb and tingly when touched, starting right at the middle knuckle. Bending the top knuckle is not possible beyond a slight curve and bending the middle one causes pain.
I should have let the doctors do their thing. I didn't realize I could have permanent nerve damage. I was trying to avoid the immediate pain of having them examine it and stitch it up. Stupid! I thought the only concern would be an ugly scar.
On the plus side, I did a pretty good job with keeping it closed and moist. There won't be much of a scar at all.
July 31, 2009 - My finger bends a lot more, but not all the way. It has stopped bothering me so much when it is touched. The fingernail underneath was cut and has grown out about half way, leaving a ridge where the cut is, and flattened nail toward the bottom. It looks a little strange.
Years later - It took a few years, but my finger kept improving until finally I got full use of it back. The fingernail has even become rounded again. I can bend my finger at the top knuckle just as far as the index finger on my left hand. It's still a darker color around the scar, but it's very tough to notice that. The tingling and numbness has also gone away. I'm happy with it.
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