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382218 tn?1341181487

skin infection on knuckle

I left it a little late in the evening to post this, you east coasters and mid westerners are probably off to dreamland by now.  However if anyone is up and has any idea about this I would appreciate it.

I dropped and broke a bottle of Corona a week ago Friday so 12 days ago.  In picking up the broken glass I managed to sustain a very small cut vertically across my ring finger on my right hand.  It's probably less than 10mm long.  It bled some but stopped after a short time.  I cleaned it put polysporin and a clean bandaid on it each day for 3 or 4 days.  As it was no longer open I didn't bother continuing with the bandaids.

I knew it would probably cause me some trouble as it is my dominant hand, and I kept banging it against hard surfaces as I went about my daily routine.  Today I banged it on somenthing, don't remember what, and it really hurt, and i realized that the area all around the cut is tender and swollen.  It is still closed, and it seems there is an infection under the skin.  The area is has like a pale grey cast to it.  The swelling and discolouration is only right around the cut, right on the knuckle; it hasn't spread outside of that small area.  To press on it, it feels mildly tender, I wouldn't call it painful.  However I am mildly paranoid about skin infections spreading and would hate to regret not doing something about it before it worsens.  

Just curious if anyone has experienced anything like this and at what point you consulted a physician, if you did so.  I don't want to waste anyone's time but if it is infected, I don't know that it's possible to resolve itself without antibiotics?  Can keeping it clean and avoiding re-opening the wound suffice or do you htink I need a Rx?
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382218 tn?1341181487
Mary --- I just got home and read your message and the scenario you described is exactly the kind of thing that concerns me.  I haven't seen a dr ... yet ... but may decide to go to outpatients later when it won't be so busy.  I did find out that my GP will see walk-ins from 9 - 11am but no guarantee that there won't be a long wait as he's fully booked and squeezes walk-ins wherever he can.

I did talk to my pharmacist and showed my knuckle to her.  She said that she sees no sign of infection, said it isn't warm, red or streaky under the skin which is what I should be looking out for.  She thought the discolouration and tenderness was more likely bruising.  She suggested keeping a bandaid on it to protect it even though it's not open, oozing or bleeding.  Now it actually looks a little better than it did this morning.  

So I'm in a watchful waiting stage...I won't let it go more than a day or two if it's the same or worsening and will be careful about banging it into things to give the bruise a chance to heal, if that's what it is.

My husband is typically the calm voice of reason, seems to instinctively know what's a crisis and what's a false alarm.  So I asked him if he would see a doctor or go to emerg for it if it were him, and he replied "oh I'd let my f***ing finger fall off before I'd sit for hours waiting for a doctor."  Okay so maybe not as much of a voice of reason as I thought!   lol.   :)

Thanks for the replies, I do appreciate the concern and I absolutely won't ignore this, I promise!
Helpful - 0
1045086 tn?1332126422
Go to the doctor and get an antibiotic!  Today!  Hand surgeons are the specialists who rarely wait overnight to observe swelling or signs of infection to see what develops.  It's a gamble with too high a risk and too little benefit.

I have a friend who cut her index finger with a kitchen knife while preparing food.  She cleaned it well, used antibiltic ointment, and closed it with butterflies.  She was worried about possible scarring so put a splint on to keep the finger from bending and re-opening the cut.  She didn't call or go to the doctor.

Within a few weeks she had been to her primary doc and been sent immediately to the ortho surgeon.  Infection had invaded the joint at the middle of her index finger.  The bone had already been completely destroyed.  Her first surgery removed the joint and surrounding infection.  She took antibiotics and wore a splint on the painful and useless finger for a couple of months anticipating a joint replacement would be done last spring.  

Spring, summer and fall surgeries each found infection still present.  More internal cleaning and antibiotics followed.  She had to settle for joint fusion late this year.  The pain is finally lessening and the splint will be shed when healing is complete.  Her dominant hand index finger is permanantly fixed in a curved position.

When there is ANY amount of bleeding it means the skin has been broken and bacteria have had an opportunity to enter.  It sounds like your cut was close to or over your knuckle.  The trip for bacteria from skin to knuckle is very short.  The trip for antibiotics from blood to bone is long and difficult.

Yup, go get the antibiotic and do it now!  

Hope your mishap has a non-event ending.
Mary
Helpful - 0
382218 tn?1341181487
Thanks Shell.  It's no worse, no better today.  I tried to call my GP and of course I can't get through.  There are a couple of walk in clinics in town though I dread the idea of sitting for hours with people sneezing and coughing all over the place.  I'm going to stop in at the pharmacy ask my pharmacist what they think and if there's anything non RX that might help resolve it, though I have a feeling I am going to end up in one of those germ laden waiting rooms before this day is done!
Helpful - 0
198419 tn?1360242356
Guuuuuuuurl! Call the doc, and get an antibiotic ASAP. Definitely doesn't need an x-ray unless you broke it (think you would know that thought, i.e.,  different pain, and distortion of shape, etc).

Hope you are up! You don't need a blood infection Woman!

(((Hugs))))
Do tell how you make out please........
Helpful - 0
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