Yet another ER visit

[Sailorsong]

Today was a busy day for me again. I had to take my truck in for service and since I was already 1/2 way to the VA ER I headed up there due to an inflamed and very sore index finger.  I was actually surprised at how quickly I was going through the ER. Reminded me a lot of when I have been to an ER due to heart attack of bee stings. I checked in and was immediately taken back to the triage nurse. She took one look at my finger and said it was an ingrown nail and sent me off to the OPD (Don't have the slightest idea of what that stands for) clinic where surgeons take care of things like that. So 1 half hour after getting to the VA I was checked into the OPD clinic to have my finger worked on.

I did have to wait about 2 hours while there as the clinic was standing room only when I got there. I was seen by a young PA that was going through training in the department and an older Surgeon. When the Dr. asked the PA what she thought it was she told her Paronychia and the Dr. concurred. For those not familiar with that term it is an infection of the fold of tissue around a nail. My case was fairly acute and they informed me they would need to cut open my finger and drain it. When they doctor was having me sign the consent form she said that there are really no risks since the finger was already infected and besides I really had no choice. Both the PA and I laughed at that one. After all how often can a doctor make that kind of statement. LOL

While waiting for my finger to get numb I was talking to the PA and doctor about some of the weird things with me like that if I don't watch a needle being stuck into me I will pass out and also that some of my nerves are not where they are suppose to be. Of course they didn't believe me. So they started to cut open my finger and I'm jumping around in pain. Yes one of the nerves in my finger was not in the right place and didn't get numbed. So the doctor gave me another shot where I told her I was feeling the pain and we were again ready to go. She also commented that she has never had the problem of a nerve being missed like that in her career. So they now both believed what I told them about me being weird.

They spent about 1 hour cutting my finger open from the first knuckle to the tip and draining it out. They also took a culture to find out what had infected my finger.  I'm also on an antibiotic since I take an immune suppressant drug for my MS.

I also seem to have gone through a short lived pseudo flare during this. the right side of my face went numb for a while and when I first got up after they finished working on my finger it felt like I was trying to walk on ice even though the floor wasn't slippery at all.  By the time I finished flushing the opening under HOT running water ( which didn't feel hot at all since by then my entire hand was numb) the slippery floor was back to normal as was my face.  

  Surprisingly I am not really having any pain in that finger. I can feel the pulse in my finger and an occasional twinge of pain from that one nerve that was originally missed and that is about all so far. But I guess after all of my bouts of TN, MS Hug, and the other MS pain I have had for the last 20+ years this is nothing.

  So overall this experience at the VA was very good (other than getting my finger cut open that is LOL). Both the PA and doctor were very nice, professional, and caring. The doctor went through all of my medications / supplements to make sure there would be no conflicts with the antibiotic which is something I've never seen any other doctor do. Speaking of antibiotics this one contained a warning I have never seen before. It states to not lay down within 10 minutes of taking the medication.

Dennis

[SarahL2491]

Let us know how its doing!  If anyone fusses, tell them God invented fingers before forks and you are re-living your childhood LOL

I'm having my first full day after a 4 day flare and feeling better, Diesel is actually on the deck and leaving me alone, so know I am feeling better.  

Now to get your finger better.  Can you "pad" it more so the bumps to it don't hurt more?  Sounds like when I cut my finger tip off 2 years ago, I was 6-8 weeks with it bandaged up and boy did that hurt……so know how you feel……….its still numb on the end!

[karryon55]

I'm with Sarah on suggesting you pick the food up in your left hand & eat with your fingers. If your at home nobody can see other than the fly on the wall. :-)

I hope you are improving.

Karry.

[SarahL2491]

Sorry the finger is still giving you a hard time but glad it didn't infect the bone.  Is this the same finger that you were dealing with way back when?  They told you it was sprained or something like that?  My memory is on the blink today.

Guess you are going to use the fingers on the left hand and just eat with them!  Nobody will look!

[Sailorsong]

Karry,

  How true about the fingers. I'm also right handed and it is the right index finger. But probably even more true with an index or thumb than the other fingers as they are used the most. Writing, going to the bathroom, getting dressed or undressed, picking up a cup or glass. You name it and it probably involves the thumb and index finger.  But what is also a pain ( literally) is that I keep bumping it against things which is very painful. Tonight when I finished filling my tank with gas without thinking I went to put on the gas cap with my right hand. Of course I ended up bumping my finger against the door and was seeing stars for a while.

  I've lost a couple of dinners because of the challenges of trying to cut things with my left hand in the month I have had this infected finger.  Yes it has been a month that my finger has been infected and I almost wish the doctor would just cut it off so that I don't have to deal with this any more.

I'll keep you informed.

Dennis

[karryon55]

I am glad the pain isn't too severe this is always reassuring to hear. I hope with stopping the Cellcept your body can fight the infection more readily. It's just keeping a close eye on it I guess.

The hard thing with fingers is that they never get much rest because we need them in daily life. When I was still in pain with my right thumb, I was trying to cut up an old joint of beef for my dog & being right handed it was challenging. I didn't get far because it went up in the air & on the floor where my dog swooped in & snatched it lol. I was having a tug of war with a dog & he wasn't letting go. He ended up swallowing half of it rather than give it to me lol. I was worried it would get stuck in his belly. He doesn't usually see food like that so I think he thought he'd never get that chance again lol.

I lost so much tissue from my thumb but it is so fascinating how we grow back the identical finger prints & knowing our prints are unique it is mind boggling really. Cool. :-)

Keep us updated Dennis.

Take care.

Karry.

[Sailorsong]

Yes just an ordinary X-Ray. The doctor told me that the X-Ray isn't the best way to see if the bone was infected, but would show if it was compromised and required further investigation.

I haven't needed to keep my hand elevated at all. I do have constant pain in the finger, but it is below the level of pain I have constantly due to MS so it really doesn't bother me much. I can also bend the finger, but not fully due to swelling, without pain. The only time the finger really bothers me is when I try to cut something like with a knife or fork, or bump it against something.

I was the one that brought up my MS drug last time. She then told me she had meant to have me stop it last week but forgot to tell me. I'm PPMS and there is no real treatment yet for that. My Neuro has me on the CellCept in the hopes it will slow down my progression.  But who really knows if it is doing that or not. It isn't like I can watch my progression with a clone of myself to see if it is doing that or not. LOL

It has been a little over 48 hours since the doctor worked on my finger and it still doesn't feel or look any better to me. But at least it doesn't seem to be getting worse.

Dennis