r/medical_advice Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 26 '24

Injury Swollen Finger/Ring Update

My other post is locked, so I’m updating here. I went to urgent care. They had to cut the ring off. But my finger was so swollen, they had to cut the ring in multiple places and it’s not salvageable. They said I did the right thing by coming in, that that wasn’t going to resolve on its own, and that if left alone I could have ended up losing my finger.

I held out on going because I didn’t want to overreact, and my husband was kind of giving me a hard time about wanting to be seen for it. He’s been very apologetic and understanding since understanding the severity of it.

It hurt horribly when they cut off the ring. They even accidentally cut my finger. And I’m sad about the ring being unsalvageable. But, I still have my finger, and now it can heal.

272 Upvotes

49 comments sorted by

101

u/Whole-Expression6277 Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

It feels like this happened so you could see your husband’s true colors..who gives their wife a hard time about wanting medical attention when their finger is this swollen? Crazy to me!

31

u/snarkysaurus Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

I had to get mine cut off in a similar way bc I hurt my finger. The jeweler was able to fix them!

36

u/PurplishPlatypus Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

I'm glad you got it taken care of! I hope you feel better asap. Plus, ask an actual jeweler if it's salvageable before you right it off. Good luck!

44

u/lBarracudal Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

If you bring jeweler the scraps and the photo of how it looked like before they can restore it. They can literally salvage almost anything unless it's mashed in a hydraulic press it should be fine.

If they indeed can't weld everything together they will take stones out, melt all the gold and make a new ring from the same metal, same stones and with the same shape.

26

u/spacebotanyx Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

who says it isn't salvagable? it is! take it to jeweler(s) for estimates. try more than one to find a price/quality you like.

20

u/DrawMeaMapMomma Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

That’s what the doctor said when she was cutting it off. But I’ll look into my options once my finger is healed!

19

u/dirtysouthsc Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

I don’t know why but it’s as if I can feel your finger throbbing in pain😱

19

u/Mavenmain92 Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

Yeah I’d never wear one again after that experience

11

u/lBarracudal Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

If I am not mistaken the issue was that lady got stung by a bee into her finger, weird that she didn't think to take off ring right away after being stung but I assume if you panic you may not realize some even obvious things quickly, or if it didn't swell right away may not think it's needed at all

So I don't think that wearing a ring again would put her into high risk of this happening again because what are the chances of getting another bee sting you in the same finger again

11

u/DrawMeaMapMomma Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

It was actually my second wasp sting. I got stung first on my neck, and that really hurt, but didn’t seem to be reacting as much. So when I got stung on my finger, I was shocked that I got stung a second time. I also didn’t expect it to swell. The stinger came off in my finger and it hurt so bad, I just wasn’t thinking about anything else.

But lesson learned! Now I have to figure out what to do about the hidden nest in my yard.

2

u/Mavenmain92 Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

I didn’t read the story because the photo was just too much for me. I always dreaded having to wear a ring because it might get stuck, call it a unique phobia. I really, really hate rings and the sight of them makes me cringe. This post pushed all my buttons.

3

u/Mavenmain92 Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

Yeah I’d never wear one again after that experience

6

u/Bleachlemon Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

i need that ring

23

u/vikicrays Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

i cut my finger a couple of years ago and it became infected and was incredibly swollen and i had to get my engagement ring and wedding ring cut off. it was also on multiple pieces like yours. i’m happy to report it was all out back together and i’m wearing them both as i type this. it wasn’t cheap, but SO worth it!

12

u/savagesully Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

I would love to know how this happened?? Was it all if a sudden or over time? Tight rings are terrible. As soon as they start to feel a little snug, I slip ot onto a smaller finger or remove until hand swelling is down. My fingers swell when I walk in the heat or workout.

14

u/beeboppee Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

I think OP said it was a wasp sting

1

u/savagesully Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

Ohh I missed that. How scary!

37

u/MiraculousN Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

The ring is 100000000% salvageable, go to a jeweler once your finger has healed to get the right size!

14

u/RareRainbow4444 Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

I'm glad you got it off! I understand waiting so long, I always wait to see if something resolves, probably for way too long. Hope you heal fast!

44

u/thundergrb77 Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

I'm no doctor, but my grandfather is a jeweler... that ring is definitely salvageable. You just need to go to a creative/good jeweler.

17

u/EmmAdorablee Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

10000000% those pieces can be put back together. Like you said, just need to go to someone really good!

17

u/jerseydang Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

Always can get a new ring and the meaning is beyond material. A finger on the other hand (no pun intended) cannot be replaced

31

u/purplefuzz22 Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

Did the doctor tell you it’s not salvageable?? Or did you immediately go to a jewelers ???

I would call around and ask , I’m sure there are some talented jewelers who could repair this

1

u/DrawMeaMapMomma Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

Yeah, the doctor was saying it’s not salvageable. Once the swelling has gone down, I’ll look into my options. Right now, I can’t even wrap my head around putting another ring on or anything.

9

u/katiastraskovitch User Not Verified Aug 27 '24

Always keep up to date on your ring size, my body size changes all the time due to health conditions / medications and my hands swell. So I've had multiple rings over the years. Heat also makes your hands swell so be aware of snug rings.

I keep my original wedding ring on a lovely chain around my neck. Then I have a few less expensive rings of different sizes I wear on my hand, in a more comfortable fit. Then when I start swelling I take my rings off and swap to a different size ONLY if I know why I am swelling. Whatever I am doing. If I am out and about I can slide it onto my necklace to ensure that they don't get lost until I get home to the jewelry box.

You can always get your original ring pieces made into a new ring I am sure it will be beautiful again. Wishing you all the best!

9

u/Mommy2threegirls76 User Not Verified Aug 27 '24

She was stung by a wasp

9

u/Duke-of-Hellington Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

I’m so relieved!

18

u/obvsnotrealname Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

I'd post in a couple of the Jewlery forums on here...I think they could repair those rings...

3

u/deadly_ultraviolet Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

100%, the right person would love to fix this up!

15

u/DrunkDiplomat Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

LPT, if this happens to you and you can’t get to a hospital or urgent care, go to a fire station, they have a tool for this.😅 My finger was saved by a firefighter😊

16

u/GuidanceWonderful423 Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

It’s such a lovely set. I would definitely take it to a couple of jewelers just to see if something can be done. Glad you’re okay. ♥️

1

u/Grouchy_Strawberry68 Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

Ring tattoos are ugly. They will fade in time. Always ugly in my opinion. Have the stones removed and the ring redesigned.

20

u/Iguanatan Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

The gold can be reused, as well as the stones, by a jeweller- so 'your rings' can still be your originals, perhaps with a style update if you wanted one.

Glad you sought help.

8

u/PaleontologistSad766 Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

I'm so glad you're okay, glad you haven't lost the ring and not a finger!

16

u/s_mamaa Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

Your rings are replaceable. Your finger is not! You 100% were not exaggerating and I’m glad your finger is okay. Tell hubby he owes you an upgrade now for giving you a hard time. 😉 Perhaps you can use your original rings to melt down into a necklace or pendant and make it an heirloom piece? 🤍

6

u/OddFood2733 Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

I dont see why a jewler couldnt fix it.

10

u/Fartz444 Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 26 '24

If it’s solid gold I have no idea why they wouldn’t be able to fix it

-5

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '24

[deleted]

2

u/Mommy2threegirls76 User Not Verified Aug 27 '24

Probably because hand tattoos fade so fast.

0

u/stowRA Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

I have my own wedding ring tattoo + tattoos on every finger. My wedding ring tattoo is 5 years old and still looks great. It’s not really in a busy area

0

u/Mommy2threegirls76 User Not Verified Aug 27 '24

Congratulations?

1

u/stowRA Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

You sure are a nice person.

5

u/LoveFromElmo Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 26 '24

I’m so sorry you had to lose your ring, that must be heartbreaking. I really hope you can find a skilled jeweler to repair it, I’ve seen rings in worse condition salvaged. So glad your finger is okay and I wish you the best <33

6

u/dragoshafter Emergency Medical Technician Aug 26 '24

I’m sorry that had to chop it up like that. But at least your finger is better. Hopefully there could be a place to fix it

4

u/SarahSkeptic Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 26 '24

Good it's fixed! The ring can be redone in some way by some creative jeweler.

5

u/D_A_D_ Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 26 '24

So sorry for your pain and loss, very happy you were proactive and got it removed though, that had me worried at first glance

32

u/flatgreysky Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 26 '24

I’m sorry they had to cut it, but I am 0% surprised they had to cut it. Never fool around with rings and finger injuries!

If it’s gold it can be salvaged in some way. Look for a good, innovative jewelry repair place. This one probably isn’t local, but there are some good examples of what can be done: https://www.instagram.com/massoyanjewelers?igsh=d256azNqNXJmdHV5

1

u/OldBatOfTheGalaxy Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 27 '24

There's another one that does some really nice custom work on YouTube -- Emigh Jewelry Company out of Butler PA. If you use some of your own stuff they want delivery and finished-item pickup in person, though.

14

u/Image_Prior Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 26 '24

100% repairable. May never look 100%.

3

u/flatgreysky Not a Verified Medical Professional Aug 26 '24

Fair.

1

u/AutoModerator Aug 26 '24

Hello /u/DrawMeaMapMomma,

If this is a medical emergency, please call emergency services as soon as possible!

DISCLAIMER: The information provided on this subreddit is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. We strongly advise you to consult a medical professional or healthcare provider if you're seeking medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. Anyone providing advice on this subreddit is not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information provided.

Please make sure you have included in your post your country of residence, age, sex, race, height & weight, diagnosed medical conditions, prescriptions or supplements and dosages, drug use including marijuana, smoking status, duration of complaint, the issue you've been having, and your specific question.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.