whoa, swollen finger still a bit swollen...

[CTyankee]

anybody know how long it takes a swollen finger to subside?

Banged my hand slipping/sliding into a pool...didn't take rings off ring finger in time and had to go to the ER the next day to have them cut off...that was almost 3 weeks ago...

still a bit swollen and feeling that way...wondering if I did permanent damage by not removing rings immediately (NOTE: don't wait to remove them if injured). Ice didn't do it.

PA in ER didn't mention how long it would take for the swelling to go down...it's no big deal but I am wondering if this thing will be forever, now that I am older...

[Warpy]

1. Naw, if you managed to crack a bone it will take about 6 weeks

before it's completely healed. Just give it some more time.

[CTyankee]

3. The PA in the Er was very thorough in examining my finger for a break.

No break. I just waited far too long to get the finger taken care of. And I should have removed the rings IMMEDIATELY after the accident happened instead of waiting and then trying so desperately to use ice to shrink the swelling...ack...

But I guess I coulda cracked the bone a bit...funny, it wasn't that bad a fall, a slip, really. as I was trying to put my feet into the water (I was fully dressed). The pool had a vinyl liner that was deceptive...it looked like stone in an in ground pool. I thought I was stepping on stone but of course the water made the vinyl very slippery and I went sliding in...

[Warpy]

6. Sometimes hairline cracks are hard to spot

so it's not unheard of. You could have screwed up a tendon, too, and they take nearly as long to heal.

[libodem]

2. Sounds like it might have gotten broken?

6 weeks usually knits a bone back together. A bad sprain is supposedly as bad as a break. So I'm thinking still about 6 weeks.

[CTyankee]

4. thanks. that's possible...

[libodem]

5. Kind of funny

Warpy and I showed up at the same time with a similar take. We're good.

[Chemisse]

7. It wouldn't have occurred to me to hurry and take rings off injured fingers.

Now it will.

[CTyankee]

9. I actually KNEW this from a finger swelling caused by two mosquito bites on my hand a few years

ago. I was in the presence of a doc who is a family friend and he advised me to take my rings off immediately or "they will have to cut them off in the ER."

How stupid could I be?

[BlueToTheBone]

8. If you don't have any abrasions, try arnica gel

This heals deep muscle tissue. It is amazing. You can find it in any health food store or maybe drug stores too. You will start healing within 24 hours.

[CTyankee]

10. thanks. The bruise went away and my finger is a normal color, but still larger than the

corresponding digit on my right hand. And I can still "feel" it a little bit.

[BlueToTheBone]

11. You'll be amazed at the speed with which the injury heals.

It is one of 3 things I keep in my medicine basket.

[CTyankee]

12. I'll look for it. I don't know how I do it, but I manage to bang myself up due to stupid moves

lately...before the ring finger disaster I managed to bruise my toe just walking around London in late May...i still has a funny color underneath the polish is have on it so as not to scare me when I look at it...

[BlueToTheBone]

13. That's why it's a major item in my kit

because I am a klutz perfected. I broke my knee cap last summer and between the arnica gel and comfrey compresses, my knee healed in record time.