FINGER AMPUTATION

My late Aunt lost the tip of her ring finger in a cream separator in the 1920's. In the late 80's she told me it still itched occasionally. Best of luck with it.

In 1975, I bought a brand new Jeep CJ5 that rolled over multiple times.
I had a 1954 M38A1 Army body and frame I was fixing up. I put all the new running gear under the old one. I was almost finished, I cut out an opening in the old army windshield to put the new windshield wipers on.

My neighbor just got back from CO and brought over some Coors in tall cans. Gave me one, he kept yakking about the mountains etc as I worked. I turned the wipers on with my right index finger in the hole. Stamped metal arms that were sharp and worked like large shears.cut all of my index finger off at the first joint and popped the joint apart. But there was enough meat on top they tried to save it.

It took and healed. This was my trigger finger. I had to shoot with the middle pad. It took 5 years to get 95% of the feeling back.

The cold bothered it for a while. I've adjusted.

I hope you recover well.

My Dad was from NW Iowa, some of my Uncles and cousins there are missing a digit from corn pickers.

Yours will be under when they remove it. Since the little one is lesser used it may not give the ghosting effect. The issues I see is those dang keyboards.

Mine healed up in a week or so and other than not much feeling for awhile it did not hurt.

Well good---thanks for the info---it is helpful.
As for the humor---I am kinda different---I may not say anything to anyone else---but I kinda like the pokes.
Boys and gals, this life is short. I have been fortunate. It is what it is and I am choosing to have the amputation rather than go thru 6/8 weeks of antibiotics and the still have to have it cut off.
Hell, I figger that I am near the end of my row ahyhow and it seems like a small thing to give up for less stress and puttin up with more doctors.
I am OK with it.
Love ya'll.
Blessings

PS---on the drugs. It takes strong drugs to affect me or pain--just the way I am made. But I have had Demerol a couple of times and I love it. NOW I hope Aspirin will work. I got that New AR that I need to shoot----I do love Demerol, but I will save that to the last soas I can go out with a grin.

Sorry to hear about your accident and wish you a speedy and full recovery. Also try not to use prescription pain medication like oxy, morphine, etc., f you don't have to. The potential for addiction is not worth the risk.

On the bright side, if it were for life's little tragedies you wouldn't have any cool stories to tell around the campfire.

Sorry about your pinky. I don't think you will have much of a problem, first of all you have the right attitude toward whats happening. Means a whole lot. Never lost one but did smash the end of one to a pulp. Ended up with a goofy nail and some odd pains for a while and the cold gets to it worse than the rest. All the best.

Good luck and a speedy recovery,you have got the attitude right and that is what counts.

Is this the finger that had the bone infection, the one you had dug at with your pocket knife?

Lots of people are missing fingers, toes, bits there of. This was especially common in years past when working in certain trades. My father lost three toes at an advanced age. I wish you a speedy recovery but have every faith that you will be fine.

Hapworth said:

Everyone's a little different, but a good buddy who's no cream-puff lost a top knuckle's worth in a shop accident and after surgery it was almost a year before things normalized.

Pain. Nerve damage. Periodic wound site reopening.

Not trying to make for outsized fear -- it appeared livable, and smoothed out eventually, but didn't look like a walk in the park for such a seemingly little thing as part of a digit; bone and nerve pain ain't no joke.

Best to you...

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Yes, that was my experience, as well. I had a construction accident when I was in college, and crushed the end of my ring finger. Looked down and saw the bare bone broken and a lump of meat dangling by a thread. It was a Friday afternoon, and I had a first date with a pretty girl that night. My first thought was, "wow, I hope I can stop this bleeding, I've got that date with Jill tonight..." True story.

Anyway, they gave me the option of reconstructing the finger, or amputating at the first knuckle. I chose the surgery to remake the finger tip, as I didn't want to give up my dreams of being an A-list hand model. Actually had to spend the weekend in the hospital, because it was a dirty crush wound, and they had to put me on antibiotics, and periodically clean and irrigate the crushed finger. Holy God, that hurt!!

A plastic surgeon had to splint the bone pieces together and re-form the finger tip (was a meat lump) and re-make a nail bed. I watched him do it under a local anesthetic; gross, but pretty cool. He thought I was nuts for wanting to watch him do it, but I wanted to make sure he was doing right...

Anyway, that finger was swollen to 3x size for a couple/few weeks. I had the hand in a cast/splint for about a month, and finger in a splint for a few weeks after that.

I'm very pain tolerant, but I have to say, that puppy hurt bad. And it hurt bad for a long time. I remember having to keep the hand elevated for a long time, because if I had my hand/arm lowered, the blood flow into the finger hurt, a lot.

The real bad pain was better after a month, or so, but the finger bothered me a lot in the first year, and even years after. The lingering stuff was nerve related; pain, tingling/throbbing, sensitivity. Things like catching a ball on my finger tip would hurt like hell for years after. The end of my finger would be very sensitive (ache) to cold for years after, and stillis is a little. And the finger would swell when it gets hot. Wearing my wedding ring could/can cause some throbbing.

OP, I'm not sure if you injured the finger tip and it needs to go, or if it's some other medical related amputation. I would think a straight surgical amputation would not carry as much pain and lingering issues...? Finger tips have a lot of nerves, and I had a crush wound, not a slice wound.

Good luck with it, I'm sure your doc can walk you through what to expect with your particular situation.

Prayers for a speedy recovery. At least it's being surgically removed and wasn't taken from you by some terrible accident.

Laketime said:

Poor taste,grow up

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Lighten up, Francis.

A prayer for your complete healing and hope this is all that is required and no additional procedure is necessary.

This thing with the finger has been going on for about three months now.
Yea--it is the same finger that I thought was a hang nail and I dug on with my knife.
Don't know if I injured it or not---if I did I never knew it.
The infection---according to the hand specialist I go too--is "most likely" on the bone. I am not sure what most likely means.
I am hoping that his lancing the "boil" and cleaning it out has cleared the infection---buttttttt, I'm not holding my breath.
It is Friday now and he is sussposed to let me know if I am going to the hospital tomorrow (saturday).
Blessings

Best to you and a safe recovery.

My Father lost half of his "pinky" finger due to a construction accident. His only complaint was that coins would slip out of his hand.
On the humorous side, he used to stick the stub in his ear. It looked like he had his whole finger inside his ear. Made us kids laugh like crazy.

William think about it now you have a story to make up you lost it in the war?

God bless, keep us posted. We still need your Texas wit here.

snubbyfan said:

.........I did get the tip of one of my fingers torn off by a spinning router bit. ...... it didn't really hurt all that bad.
.......Feels weird......

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Hapworth said:

.....Everyone's a little different, ..... almost a year before things normalized.

Pain. Nerve damage. Periodic wound site reopening.
.....

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dmar said:

...I had a construction accident ......crushed the end of my ring finger. ...... dirty crush wound....
A plastic surgeon had to splint the bone pieces together and re-form the finger tip (was a meat lump) and re-make a nail bed. I watched him do it under a local anesthetic; gross, but pretty cool. He thought I was nuts for wanting to watch him do it, but I wanted to make sure he was doing right...

Anyway, that finger was swollen to 3x size for a couple/few weeks. I had the hand in a cast/splint for about a month, and finger in a splint for a few weeks after that.
.....that puppy hurt bad. And it hurt bad for a long time......
......your doc can walk you through what to expect with your particular situation.

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Most likely you'll have an experience more like snubbyfan. There are long-acting local anesthetics that can help get you through the first 1-3 days, the worst time, that many surgeons use.

Hapworth is correct. Everyone is a little different. Some get phantom sensations. Some have more pain than others. But more than likely you'll get through this just fine.

dmar's situation is different in that he experienced a severe crushing injury followed by extensive reconstruction. It's very unlikely you'll go through any long term pain.

Best of luck to you Mr. WilliamLayton. I predict you'll do fine.

Hospital? What you need is a bottle of whiskey, a propane torch and a bowie knife.... I.E. a Wyoming surgery kit. Which is why vasectomies are truly daunting in these parts...

This would make a great golf story! Hope you don't have to do it.

good luck to you sir & prayers for your healing...

Hope it's not the Booger pick'n pinky, that could be hard to deal with!