Is there a doctor (or healthcare professional) in the house?

JeepinJarhead03 · **Posted:** Mon Apr 06, 2009 5:22 pm

youch, tip of a finger is a bad place to do that to

i'd get it checked out and I avoid doctors like the plague

if it was just a undernail bleed causing the pressure that would be an easy fix, called a paperclip and a ligher (cringe

)

JeepinJarhead03 · **Posted:** Mon Apr 06, 2009 5:41 pm

im not a medical pro or anything but i've done ungodly things to my fingers

sounds like you busted the vein that runs under your finger and the swelling is pressin on a nerve

should take a few pics and shoot them to 0311_Doc

i trust Corpsmen more than i do doctors :lol:

jeepkj02 · **Posted:** Mon Apr 06, 2009 5:57 pm

I accidentally shut the rear glass gate on my pinky finger last fall, didn't completely heal until last month. The nail will eventually fall out and regrow.

TAHOE · **Posted:** Mon Apr 06, 2009 6:05 pm

Sounds like you just damaged all the tissue in the finger, busted all the small blood vessels. Even if you did break it which I doubt, they basically would just splint it, but I doubt that since you smashed it. If you can ice it every so often and take you anti flams, I think it will be alright, but will hurt for a time to come. I hit my ring finger on the side of the chair May 08 bending it sideways, it swelled up pretty bad, I may have broke it or popped a ligaments. I could move it, but it hurt horrible for at least a month, took about 4-5 monts before it didn't hurt all the time. It's now April 09 and it still aches once in awhile, especially in cold weather weather/rain.

oddball · **Posted:** Mon Apr 06, 2009 7:46 pm

I have a bone saw if you need it.

Hopefully you have insurance, if so, go have it checked out.

Jeep4me99 · **Posted:** Tue Apr 07, 2009 6:25 am

if you dropped 20# on it and even if you don't see feel a complete fracture there may be a small fracture of the bone. Taking a needle to the pad of the finger will not eleviate the swelling.

Swelling in the fingers/toes does take a bit longer to drain as the smaller blood vessels can't clear the fluid as efficiently. They also get compressed due to the swelling. 2 things to try:
--lightly massage the finger, pushing the fluid back towards the hand. kinda like jackalacking your finger off, but only push back towards the hand. begin with light pressure and only increase to what can be tolerated.
--wrap your finger. this is tough due to the narrow size and proximity of other digits.

If it is broke, but it is not a compound fracture, they won't really have to set it (only an xray will tell for sure though) and will give you one fo those finger splint things. Might at well get one now to help immobilize it. Pretty sure you can get them at a CVS or something similar.

Best idea: Get it checked.

tommudd · **Posted:** Tue Apr 07, 2009 11:56 am

yellocoyote wrote:

A little more ROM today... decreased pain. Still a lovely shade of blue. :roll:

I did tape it for compression benefits overnight, and was able to tolerate more icing. Maybe that's what is helping. Will try again tonight.

I need to live in a padded room - the back to back injuries I've had in the last month are insane. :evil:

Thanks again!

I am sure the hubby would be more than happy to attach a few old mattresses from the Salvation Army to the walls of a spare room and I am sure he will slide some lunch meat sandwiches under the door every few hours :roll:

and there you go. Of course he may really get to liking that :shock:

If we do not hear from you by Christmas we'll start asking questions :twisted:

though

chefdab · **Posted:** Thu Apr 09, 2009 12:46 pm

Many years ago I dropped an 18x24" polypropylene cutting board edge first on the big toe of my left foot. I was only wearing sneakers at the time. It didn't really swell up right away. It took a couple of hours. I finally broke down and went to the ER where they x-rayed it. It wasn't broken but the swelling against the nail was what was causing all the discomfort. So they actually drilled a hole through the top of the nail to relieve the pressure. The impact permanently damaged the root of the nail though. I had to have a podiatrist cut out and treat the edges so they wouldn't grow back, otherwise I would have endless problems with ingrown nails on that toe. And now the nail is two or three times as thick as all my other nails. Unless you want something like that to happen, I would get it checked out. At least I can cover mine with a sock. (Oh and by the way, I only wear steel toe shoes to work now.)

dog_party · **Posted:** Thu Apr 09, 2009 3:12 pm

I am not a medical practitioner by any stretch of the imagination, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night, so...

The only time I've completely lost a nail is when I had the under-nail contusion that had to be "drained" with a paperclip and a lighter (seriously, the doc in the emergency room used this tactic...and he borrowed MY lighter to do it!).

I have had my fair share of injuries, including smashed fingers and toes. As a matter of fact, I'd have enough "fair share" to cover my neighbor, my wife, my dogs, and a few of our friends...so they should be covered. I'm not clumsy per se...just active. :-)

Anyway, I've had decreased nail growth following an injury, but only one complete loss. The impact was focused entirely at the base of the nail, causing the aforementioned under-nail contusion that was later drained. Since it was all the way at the base of the nail, I had the wonderful pleasure of waiting for the whole thing to grow out and then wait for the new nail to grow in. Quite the lovely experience, let me tell you (sarcasm).

Usually, when the impact is spread over a larger area, I have only had decreased growth of the nail. For about a month the nail grows really thin. But it has always thickened back up.

I hope your healing continues as well as it seems to have been progressing this week!

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