Giving me the finger

Sorry, but this will probably be a long entry too. I shall try to limit myself after this! The Finger Story, however, needs to be told. If nothing else, I might need to refer back for details some day.

A while ago, I whacked my finger hard on a doorway in my condo. I hit the left ring finger on the first joint, and I heard a cracking noise. The last time I heard that sound, I made the x-ray guy show me exactly where the break was and prove to me that it went all the way through. That was in my hand. Same hand, actually. I must be one-sided clumsy. Anyway, while it sounded serious, I was able to literally shake it off and continue on whatever chore was so important that I didn't want to take time to check it out. I did make a mental note to check later for bruising and swelling.

Later on, I did just that. The first knuckle was reddish, a bit swollen, but I could flex it and I decided not to make an issue of it. I ignored it. I mentioned it to a few friends, who ignored me, so I decided it was nothing.

However, "nothing" did not go away. It stayed reddish, stayed slightly swollen, and started to hurt more after a few weeks. Hm, I thought, this isn't good. I will mention this to Dr D, my internist, at my next appointment and see if he wants to do an x-ray. So, I did. I said, "I think I broke it." He said he thought so too, and told me to see a hand guy. He gave me a splint that didn't fit, took x-rays, and I left. I was his last appointment and we were both tired.

My foot guy is in a group of orthopedic specialists, so I called the receptionist there and said I was advised to see a hand guy. She said she could put me in with Dr B on Tuesday. It was Friday, so I said that would be fine. Per a call to Dr D's office, the x-rays were not ready yet.

I showed up on Tuesday after sliding through a snow storm. Dr B took x-rays, and then told me he didn't think it was broken, or at least if it had been, it was healed. However, he said, he thought he detected tendon issues and said I had to see a hand guy. (WTF? I am thinking? What is he?) He gave me another splint that didn't fit, and I took my x-rays with me and went on my way. At the desk, I checked the list. Dr B is a general orthopod who also does hips and something else. Great.That was just what I asked for! An ass guy.

Next I needed to call my gyn for my yearly exam, and I asked them for a referral to a hand guy. They sent me back to the nice man who did my carpal tunnel surgery around 2001. I grabbed his card while I was there yesterday so I could get it correct. His name is Ravindranath Kambhampati. We can call him Dr K. I called that office and made an appointment for Friday at noon. Meanwhile, time is passing while I try to get the right man for the job, so to speak, and my finger is healing crooked, and the pain is not going away.

I showed up on Friday, and their office is not open on Fridays. I went over the conversation in my mind. Sure enough, she had said I could go there on Friday at noon. She didn't actually say he would be there and see me. I figured we had a communication problem. I called and left a message asking them to call me on Monday to set up another appointment since we obviously had miscommunicated.

By Wednesday no one had called me back. I called again, and was offered 7:30 am Thursday to get me in fast. I had to decline, since I was not only expecting ST but my gum graft was at 11 am. I didn't need any more excitement that morning. We agreed on Monday (yesterday). More time passed.

Yesterday I went to see Dr K. I filled out 259 pages of forms for him, or at least it seemed like it. Good thing I didn't hurt my right hand. I handed him my x-rays, and he again said if it was broken, it's healed now. Yeah, I had figured that part out since more than 6 weeks had passed. He said I had torn tendons. Extendors, I think they are called?

He wanted me to wear a splint. I showed him the two I have, and said neither fit nor was comfy. He made hm and haw noises, and got out a roll of tape. He taped my two fingers together at the first joint and at the bottom. He said to do that for 3 weeks all day and to exercise my hands, and leave the tape off at night. Return in 3 weeks. If I had it immobilized immediately, and kept it that way, I might not have ended up with a crooked finger. Really, it's not that crooked, but the fact that the pain increased rather than decreased was my concern.

He also said he could repair my finger and make it all pretty again, but I would end upwith joint damage and no use of the joint. It would look nice, but be useless. He showed me where he had the same damage in the past. It healed crooked, but he can use it.

Works for me. I wasn't looking for any more scalpels. I just wanted to know why it still hurt after more than two months. Now I know.

It should not take me 3 doctors to find this out. Also, when I saw Dr B, he left me alone in the room for a while and I spent it looking at my x-rays for lack of anything else to read. I asked him about some darker spots in my thumb joint, and he had to take the film into another room with a brighter light. He returned and told me I have cysts in my bones (that he hadn't seen) and for sure I need to see a hand guy. Dr K said they are normal arthritic changes. I said that joint doesn't hurt.

He said it will.

I am sure he is right. He is a nice man, Dr K, and very practical, don't you think?

So this should be it. My foot is slowly improving and I can walk without limping. The tendons in my finger will heal. The stitches will come out of my mouth and I will be allowed to eat again. Some day.

Actually, from what I read, the main reason most people's grafts don't take is because they eat foods they shouldn't too soon. I suspect Dr W will find me a model patient. I will follow all the rules until I am healed.

Nothing else is allowed to be injured, break, or fall apart for a long time. I need a - hm, break? Time out?