Lost my fingertip - in tons of pain :( **Warning: graphic content (title edited by MNHQ**

[MinchyP]

More than month ago (1/11/2021) I sustained a horrific injury to my right index finger.

My husband traveled for 14 day intership and I stayed at home with my 30 month old daughter alone. I was going to prepare the dough for the carrot cakes and needed to add blended carrot into the mixture. I used my immersion blender for that. The device obviously jammed and stopped working as the carrot stuck into it. I dont know why but I started to prick it out with my right index finger while still not unplugged it. My left hand held the device and as I pushed stronger inside it and stronger held the device my left hand hit the turbo button accidentaly.

I clearly remember the feeling when the blades went through my bone. The rest I have in mist. I dont know how but I succeeded to unplug the blender and to pull my hand out of the gadget. I knew it is rely not good but did not expect a damage in such extant. If you are squeemish dont read further.

Blood gushing and squeezing everywhere, parts of my finger chopped completely off, my distal phallanx hanging just on skin, shattered bone sticking out of the stump used to be my finger. I was going to faint, terrible horror, pure gore.

I felt cold, my bodily hair stood up, my heart was beating frantically. As a nurse I knew pretty well the shock had been starting. I wrapped my hand into towels, phoned 9-1-1 and one my friend to take care about my little princess while I would be receiving medical assistance. The paramedics got to the place quickly. She also to be here for my sleeping little daughter.

I was transported to the emmergency room. The doctor there immediately recognized it will be serious and sent me further to the specialists in hand surgery and traumatology. It was while transporting to the traumatologist, some hour and something after the injury, when the pain finaly stroke me with all its strength. I was in tears, crying like a baby. extremely painful,9 of the 10 on the scale as i told the doctor when he asked me. I heard something about amputation and started to cry even more out of fear I was losing my finger.

The surgery to save my finger took more than 4 hours. As a result, I lost cca 1cm of my right index finger, including the fingertip, fingerpad and the whole nail. The rest was reattached. I had an multiple displaced open fracture of my distal phalanx (which was broken in 4 places), chipped my middle phallany bone off and crushed my distal joint, severed both the tendons, the artery and the nerves. I got two pins in the shattered bones, 26 external stitches and plenty, i dont realy now how many stitches inside.

Next day I woke up in excrutiating nagging pain. Like striking your finger with a hammer constantly again and again. My hand was all bandaged up in extant I did not know whether I have my finger at all. They released me from the hospital bcs of covid regulatory code.

The first weeks after the pain was realy crazy unbearable. The throbbing was killing me. I existed somehow holding my heavily bandaged hand above my heart (because of the extreme pain) i was not able to sleep, to eat with spoon, to put the cloths on or off or to use my injured hand at all. every movement of the hand caused horrible pain (not speaking about touching the finger). the worst was changing the bandages every day or later every second day. ouch ouch ouch.

I am still wearing a gigantic, bulky bandage on my finger and hand and a splint. I didn't get cast because my finger is still very swollen. I underwent another surgery for the DIP joint and the oedema release. My finger is infected actually and the amputation is still threatening. I am suffering in tons of pain. The bone is not healing properly yet. I am about to undergone third surgery for tendons. But the damage is permanent and my finger will never be the same again. Last but not least I am unable to function as a mum and housewife.

Please is there someone who went through something similar? What to do for pain relief? How to help the healing? I dont want to lose my finger ...
Write me and share your stories or advices. Thank you a lot.

Yours Emina P.

Oh you poor thing! That sounds horrendous. I’m sorry but I have no advice but sending healing vibes

No experience but oh my you poor thing. I hope someone comes along who can help advise on pain relief

My boyfriend cut off the end of his finger. I'm sorry I couldn't read all your post because I'm squeamish but his took a while to heal and is ok now. He gets phantom nerve tingles in it but it functions fine. Can you get some good prescription painkillers?

Hi there my DP had the end of his finger chopped off and put back on. I remember the pain he was in so I can imagine this is awful for you, so sorry. He was prescribed codeine, is this something that you've been offered?

They shouldn’t have left you in this much pain when there are prescription meds they can give you. Speak to NHS 111 or your GP you can’t function like this.

@CodenameVillanelle

My boyfriend cut off the end of his finger. I'm sorry I couldn't read all your post because I'm squeamish but his took a while to heal and is ok now. He gets phantom nerve tingles in it but it functions fine. Can you get some good prescription painkillers?

I got tramal and vicodine sirup. tramal does not help much, vicodine is stronger but still the pain is not ceasing. Plus the infection. I am on atb and its affects also my digestion heavily. :( They clean my wounds every second day.

My BiL cut the top of his finger off with a circular saw.
He slept sitting up with his hand across his chest up near his shoulder for weeks as the pain at night seemed to be worse.
They didn't bother trying to reattach.

He is 2 years on now but still has shooting pains in his finger and still suffers numbness and cannot put pressure on it to cut up his food etc.
He was on tramadol for pain, it didn't touch it though. I know he was in a bad way for weeks.

@yuhuh I think vicodine is something like codeine.
@Akire they did but it does not help much. It realy hurts I cannot concentrate on anything. I dont go to GP but to that surgeon who sewn me back on.
@NiceTwin i know that exactly. the same with me. I dont remember when I slept propelrly bcs of this.

I was stupid so now I have to wait for relief ...

You need to speak to the team who are looking after you.

I think there is tweaking possibly with that regime.

Are you taking anything like Ibuprofen? Can you take medicines from that class? (ie. you aren't allergic/ have other medical conditions that contraindicate them)

If you can take them I would add them in regularly.

Oh, OP! I have nothing to offer but sympathy - that sounds awful beyond words! I very much hope they will offer you some effective pain medications. I'd be really pushing for them if it were me

@Akire

They shouldn’t have left you in this much pain when there are prescription meds they can give you. Speak to NHS 111 or your GP you can’t function like this.

Given OP said 911 I would say this is America. Not the NHS

@Acovic I do not have any ibuprofen class painkillers. Just tramadol and vicodine syrup. I asked but it was said to me ibuprofen is too weak for that.
@SpudsandGravy thank you. They told me I can try buprenorphine instead of hydrocodone (vicodin) or tramadol but maybe it will not function as good. Or rise the dose and we will see. Thats all what they can do for the pain relief.
@Universallyhappy yes it is Florida.
The problem here is also the infection. The wound is very sore. I am taking atb, some new ones, oraly and external as well, they changed the bandages today and cleaned the wound again. It is not healing properly as expected. :(
thank you everyone for help. the pain is realy crazy.

Ask them about the WHO analgesic ladder?

My approach would be to get your base right (Paracetamol /Acetaminophen & NSAIDs before adding in more & more weak opiates).

But there are huge prescribing differences between the UK & US. We have fewer problems with abuse of prescribed painkillers though!

I'm sorry you were in so much pain! The loss of a digit is actually very common from day to day injuries- mainly DIY and food processor/mincer type injuries!

You will be very suprised that other people will not notice that lack of a whole digit at all, unless pointed out to them.

The fact that your post is so massive makes me think you have not come to terms with this loss of a limb. Quite understandable BTW. Have you looked into CBT or counselling to help you understand and accept this injury?

I am not a health professional, but I was recently prescribed pregabalin (Lyrica) for nerve-type pain after a post surgical wound infection. I didn't take it for long, maybe 2 weeks. It didn't have a dramatic effect but it did settle the sort of painful tingling itch I had.

My doctor said something about it preventing chronic pain,

You could ask your doctor about that or gabapentin.

I’m so very sorry OP.

My bil cut the whole of his index finger off at the knuckle. They reattached it , he had leeches put on it to help with circulation (shudder) , he also had an infection. In the end he begged them to amputate it but they said it would be fine . He’s now years down the line and the finger is still on him but it doesn’t bend and really doesn’t look very nice.

What I’m trying to say is amputation isn’t always the worse option.

You poor thing

I second the posters who suggested adding an NSAID in your treatment so you have pain relief and anti-inflammatory action together. If it stays inflamed the pain will continue.

Also the poster who suggested Pregabalin. I would also really look into that as I have taken it for a chronic pain condition and in the end I had to stop as it truly does numb everything and I mean everything even your sex life might disappear for; a while!. So its very effective at stopping nerve signals of pain from the body xx

@Acovic thank you a lot. I was today at the doctorsto change the bandages and clean the wounds. Its all the time the same story. The inflammation does not cease :( My next appointment is on friday so I will ask.

@Eleoura I am only 25yo. Never had any major injury. No fractures or stitches. Now this finger issue. You are right I have not somehow come to term with the fact I lost part of my body. btw. Its right index. I am right handed. I am not able to do anything. I have my baby girl around. Its realy not that easy. :(
but I am trying to rise up again :)

@LoveFall @CatherineOfAragonsPomegranate sounds reasonable, thank you. I will ask as well. Itsa pitty I had not see that before my today hospital visit. but anyway.

@FossilisedFanny Its my dominant hand as I said :/ I realy dont want to lose my finger if it is possible :(

thank you everyone for your kind words of support .

Will your doctor refer you to a occupational therapist or whatever you call them over there? They would be best placed to advise on aids and adaptions around the home and for looking after the baby.

@Akire I asked. My OT said I should retrain to use my left hand instead and sent me back to my doctor. He says it will took 2-3 months of therapy more. He says there is no possibility to accelerate the healing.
Today I was on dressing change and cleaning the wounds. The whole process is terribly slow. They gave me some shots of atb and novalgin for the pain. Not helped much since the whole procedure hurts terribly. So we will wait.
thank you all for your emotional support you are providing me

Yours Emina

I hope the pain isn’t as bad. Come
Join us on the thread asking for a long term pain board in genera Heath topic! Lots of us know what it’s like

Yup to antiinflammatories/NSAIDs such as Ibuprofen or Diclofenac if you have no risk factors for side effects. Combine with Paracetamol. Opiates are good for dull, diffuse pain but much less for the sharp pain of bone trauma.

Honestly? Would the pain be lessened by amputation? I only know from my grandmothers experience that she had a missing index finger following an industrial accident that chopped the top off her finger but obviously back then (1960s) surgery wasn’t as good and she got an infection so had the whole thing removed. She wrote and drove and didn’t really have any impact from the loss of the finger and tbh a whole finger missing is actually often less noticeable than a damaged digit.
I’d speak honestly to the surgeon and perhaps a nerve specialist?

@Akire the pain is realy bad :( but its better now than yesterday. I willjoin if you send me a link.

@Coronawireless I would ask for diclofenac. I am not aware of risk factors. My is bone injury as well, displaced multiple open fracture as I wrote. I shattered it completely :(

@Isadora2007 was it her dominant hand? Idont know but I cannot imagine that ...

thank you everyone for helping me to get forward.