Purple Finger

[Jaquta]

Hi.  I also are not sure whether this is the most appropriate forum to ask this question.  ??

My mother has one purple finger.  She says she's had it for about one month.  It doesn't appear to be a bruise.  When she presses down on it it takes a while to spring back.  Her other fingers appear normal.  This finger is the one closest to her thumb and the discoloration seems to be spreading downwards towards her thumb.

My mother is currently overweight although over the past week she has been exercising and watching her diet and has lost about four pounds.  She is approximately 195 pounds and is about 5 foot 2 inches.
My mother has severe head injuries, has broken her back, has had pulmonary emboli (the size of tennis balls), has had significant internal injuries (perforated duodenum/ jejunum, etc), plus other stuff.  She has had a history of fainting (but none recently).  She did have a blood clot in her leg recently which then became infected.

Does her finger sound like anything to be concerned about?  She was concerned it could be diabetes.  Several years ago when she was proactively trying to lose weight she had her homocysteine level checked and it was 15 (I'm not sure what the units are, ?m/mols.)

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
J

[Jaquta]

Dear Dr Beckerman

I don't know if you are interested in an update but I felt obligated to give one anyway.
I spoke to my GP today.  He has asked that I follow up with my T (whom I see on Thursday) about a referral letter he sent nearly two months ago requesting an independent specialist review.  The referral was also forwarded to the clinical director and clinical nurse manager whom have yet to respond.
I spoke to the clinical director some months ago myself and he seemed non-committal.   He even said that within the scope of the system I was irrelevant.
While none of this bodes well for me I hope that the review is consented too.

Things are still challenging for me but your post helped put things in perspective a little for me.  My mood has slumped a little and I need to watch I don't get too depressed.  Sorry for the major meltdown on your forum.

My resolve for the moment is to be kind to myself (should read be patient with myself) and to just focus on one area to work on.  I think I was becoming increasingly overwhelmed by the sheer number of changes that needed to be made.
I think I may also have perceived your optimistic, energetic and cheerful approach to mean that change was easy and so I oversimplified my issues and felt like a failure when I didn't/ couldn't achieve.  Life is all about learning.

My weight goal still stands but my fitness goal has been lowered to encompass an off-road triathlon in April next year.

Thanks for your advice and for this opportunity to learn more about myself.

Jackie

[Jaquta]

Dear Dr Beckerman.

Thanks very much for your response.  I've passed the information on.  My mother has a tendency to procrastinate about her health issues (possibly through embarrassment at her weight and perhaps also because I access my GP regularly).  I guess she will address it when she feels ready too.

I guess in some respects her and I are a lot alike.  I've procrastinated over follow-up oncology tests and appointments.  Plus I haven't had an opportunity to follow-up other issues with my GP like you suggested I do.  It's ironic that nothing is resolved when I see him so frequently.  Or perhaps that is why they aren't??

Thanks again for your time and input.

J

[James G Beckerman, M.D.]

Given her history of multiple blood clots, her purple finger is worth having checked out by her doctor, as there is a possibility it could represent decreased blood flow from a blood clot.  There are certainly other causes, like bruising, effects of blood thinners, and vascular spasm, but seeing a doctor seems like the next step.