New Year’s eve I severed the end of my left pinky.
It was a small wound as wounds go, but its location made for some of the most excruciating pain imaginable. Think finger held in hot coals and electric socket at the same time (the doc said a bone fragment was pushing against the “live” nerve that picks up all the “signals” from under the fingernail).
Anyway, as a music teacher who makes a living with that finger–teaching daily with piano, sax, clarinet, flute, etc.–I’m eager to help minimize scarring and maximize sensation and toughness. As it looks now, with all the skin of the tip sloughed off and most of it numb, I have no idea whether I’ll ever get a finger print back, or enough tissue integrity to ever really pound with that finger tip again. (I’m grateful it could be stitched back together nicely, though, and that only about 1/8 inch of bone and tissue is gone.)
I’d appreciate thoughts from anybody who knows about how to maximize tissue integrity and sensation after an injury like this. I don’t care what it looks like. I’m just hoping to get back as much function as possible.
The pics above were taken at five days. This one was taken at 26 days. It’s been 31 days now and the blackened skin on the tip has completely sloughed off leaving smooth, numb skin behind (no fingerprint, no feeling, but attached and alive). I’ll post pics of the new look soon.
Volucris, it is likely that there are people on a forum like this with more experience in wound care than my doctor has. And it may well be that the topic would be of interest to them. I’m certainly interested in their take on it, even if it’s different from what I’d hear elsewhere.
If this is a topic you aren’t interested in, or capable of making a contribution to, I’d suggest you go to another thread rather than lecture me.
no medical schooling but looks like, the tip is dead, u need to see a Doc, I have seen similar skin coloration from severe frost bite. Good luck, you may lose a little of the tip.
Sounds like your injury is well into the healing stage. You will have to consult with your Doc to see if there is anything that they can do to increase sensation. I’m no doctor but I would guess that your finger is healed now and you will need additional surgery to regain sensation.
Dr.s do not know it all and on a forum like this with people who have seen and suffered wounds that many Dr.s have only read about there is a possibility that some one does know something. Killing the OP’s thread with a comment like that is not appreciated. Obviously he is seeing a Dr.
Back on topic I have been told by a herpetology friend in Botswana (who unfortunately is dead… not from snake bite) that when the tip of his finger was bitten by an Egyptian Cobra and became gangrenous that he was given some new and experimental drug that saved his finger and the feeling in it. Unfortunately I do not know what it was. You also might talk with a Dr. that specializes in HGH (Human Growth Hormone) which might dramatically increase the healing in the finger.
I experienced a similar situation with my right pinky. When I was in Junior High, my friends and I decided in our infinite wisdom it would be really cool to disassemble a shotgun shell and set off the primer. I was to hold an ice pick directly on to the primer on the ground while my friend would strike the top of the ice pick(they weren’t lying to us when they told us the frontal lobe of our brain is not fully developed at this age). Down goes the hammer, boom goes the primer. Tip of ice pick meet pinky finger.
The aftermath consisted of blood and a nice hole in my pinky. If you have seen the movie alien, imagine the scene when the alien comes out of the guy’s chest but on my pinky. It took a while to heal and didn’t have feeling for a while. As, for the fingerprint, if you have ever classified fingerprints you know about the different types. I now have a scar that takes up most of the surface of the pinky and at the bottom of the scar I have two whorls that were not there before. Its a little strange.
Anyway, not a doctor but am in nursing school if that means anything to you. I know there are actual nurses here too. I don’t know too much about this other than the fact that you should try to keep your pinky clean and covered since the necrotic tissue has just fallen off. You have an increased chance for infection due to the compromised skin integrity. If you have granulated tissue underneath, that is good. Not really earth shattering information.
Almost looks like the beginnings of tissue necrosis…which leads to gangrene. Not sure, but my 7 years as a paramedic tells me to advise you to have it looked at ASAP.
Look, you really need to go to a doctor about this. Necrotic tissue can as said before and often will lead to a nasty infection that could result in more than just a fingertip at jeopardy. You’re only hurting yourself by not having this looked at in person by a real doctor.
Volucris, first of all, stop being one person out here on the public threads and another in private messages.
Second, I never said I wasn’t under a doctor’s care.
The last picture is NOT what the finger looks like today. Again, all, or almost all, of the dead tissue has sloughed off, and there is no, I repeat, no hint of infection. Never was.
If you’re up for it, and there’s one in your area, try talking to a naturopath. I broke my right wrist in an accident several years ago - compound fracture, hand facing the wrong way and a portion of bone pulverized. I have nearly full mobility in that wrist today and I am convinced it is in part due to the supplements that were given to me by my naturopath, one of which was some kind of an enzyme that aids the body in ridding itself of the excess blood from bruising and helps minimize scar tissue.
I am no doctor but I love it! Lets see a progress picture Bill. I hope all is well and you have it figured out. No less, we need a “Trauma” thread on how to treat wounds (along with the doctors help as you are). There is no telling how many ex medics and military folks on here that deal with stuff like this in less than desirable conditions. We have forums on gear, rifles, survival, fitness etc. I would love to see one on this stuff!
I slipped with a stanley knife before Christmas and almost took the top of the finger next to my pinky off. All healed and slowly starting to get the feeling back
