I will loose part of my finger after AVR

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dot4toto

dot4toto

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 4, 2007
Messages
114
Location
CA
Hi everyone,

I'm in shock as I just left a Ortho Doc's office.
After surgery when I awoke in recovery I noticed my right index finger (nail and above) dark purple/red/almost black. I was on very strong meds for pain so it didn't feel like anything it just looked really injured. My Doc had some tests done to see if I was still getting blood flow to the tip and the test were positive for blood flow. I was told it would be ok, it's like a blood blister. I always felt like they were down plying it. My PC sent me to the Ortho to have it looked at today. Well now 2 weeks post op and my finger is hard and very dark purple/blackish. The Doc today said we have to wait and watch it to see how much is never going to repair. We don't know how deep the injury goes, they really won't know until the surgery. The injury goes 3/4 ways down my nail. They may have to take it from there up.
Has anyone ever heard such a thing? I'm a hairdresser and this is really bad news.
My Doctor (Cardio) said he's never seen anything like it and my Ortho Doc says it's an embolism to my finger. But I do have a tiny bit of damage to two other fingers, (tumb,middle) tip area. But those fingers will be fine.
I'm just sick about this. Never saw this coming.:(
 
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This is a first for me too? I'm so sorry that you are having to deal with this now. I wish you the very best outcome.
 
My thumb doesn't bend post surgery due to damage to the anterior interossious nerve that was damaged in my forearm during surgery. Never heard of a black fingertip, that's awful, I'm sorry that happened to you. I wonder if it has anything to how you were strapped down during surgery. A friend who had a kidney transplant had loss of fingertip feeling that he says is from how he was strapped down.

Ask to go to a hand specialist if you can.

Peace,
Ruth
 
Hi

Hi

Hi ruth,
I was reading about your situation. That stinks...I had nerve damage my last surgery to my left leg. It's not the same 7 years later. I lost feeling to part and it stopped moving from the knee down for 6 months. It can't support the same weight as the other leg. But it does work and I can ride my bike. I have good thoughts about your tumb. Just hang in there. It's a time thing.
 
Wow, Tina. I'm really sorry to read this. Is it a certainty? I had an elderly friend who was told she might loose her right index finger because of extremely severe gout but they were able to do a surgery that allowed her to keep her finger--I hope things go so well for you. Please take care and post again.
 
Tina,
Sending prayers and positive thoughts that all will improve for you. So sorry to hear your story.
Best Wishes
Susie
 
How awful for you, wishing you the very best of luck, hope you get a good outcome. Paula x
 
Thanks for the kind words...It's been hard to think about but today I'm calling to get a second. I don't think this was a blood clot to my finger. Because of the damage to my other two fingers.
Mark, I do have feeling and warmth to all my other fingers except the tumb on the same hand, it's numb on the one side and the suface of the skin has damage. It's dry, tough,and it will peel off. I'm not sure I'll get the feeling back. The same corner has damged blood area. ?????:confused:
It's almost like I didn't get warmed back up correctly after surgery. I think these 3 fingers were taped together and I had the oxygen deal thing on (oxsimator)(sp) the index finger. The whole time I was in the hospital everyone said it looked like it had been pinched some how. Even that doesn't explain the other 2 fingers. Frost bite does, because when I hold my fingers together they fit into a pattern like they were all taped together. I'm not sure they warmed my fingers up the "right" way. I don't know how all that works. I just want/need to know how it happened. Blood clots would have to be explained in depth for me to understand how it splits into 3 to go to 3 different fingers.
This is just the pits, but I am so happy and glad my heart is well, my family is well and I feel better everyday. I know I am blessed and this will be over with and behind me before I know it. As long as I can ride my bike it's good. Who knows maybe my manicurist will give me a discount, right ladies?
 
I am sorry for you. This will be a complete blow to your future and your career. I pray for a good resolution for this but it seems dim, doesn't it. Blessins.......

You are one of several who have lately mentioned damage to fingers. We all know we can get shoulder, back injuries from the way they put us on the table for surgery, but fingers? This is something brand new to us in recent weeks. What is going on? Somebody want to research it and let us know if they find anything? We need to know all we can.
 
Tina, sorry to hear you are going through this. I've never heard of this so can't offer any insights. You still sound positive under the circumstances, which is good to hear. Best wishes coming out to you.
 
Glad you are going for a second opinion, maybe a third too. It should be someone who is not at the same hospital where the injury occurrred, because maybe they would protect the other doctor or whomever did the damage.

Your finger is much more important than protecting someone who did this.

Wishing you all the best.
 
Tina, I am so sorry this happened to you. I know blood clots can be a problem and there can even be a "shower" of tiny clots released during surgery but I'm with you in thinking something else happened. Have you taken a few pictures of your hand and the "pattern" in particular? If not I would do that before any surgery is done.
 
Tina
That really bites. I'm sorry to hear your having a problem with your hand. Document everything and get a 2nd 3rd and 4th opinion if necessary. Please let me know how you make out.
Rich
 
hyperbaric treatment?

hyperbaric treatment?

Tina - I was puttering around the house, worrying about your situation (I'm a pianist and the first thing I did when I got home from the hospital was play a piece to be sure I still could remember), and suddenly I thought of the hyperbaric chambers. I quickly got back online and searched hyperbaric and frostbite and several articles came up; can you search this?

Take care and please let us know how you're doing.
 
From Medscape.com

From Medscape.com

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for a Delayed Frostbite Injury
Posted 01/19/2006

Brian F. McCrary, DO, MPH; Timothy A. Hursh, MD, MPH

"Abstract and Introduction

Abstract
Hyperbaric oxygen is an approved therapy for 13 pathologic entities. Treatment of frostbite with hyperbaric oxygen is still considered investigational in the United States. Improvement in tissue survival following treatment has been favorably demonstrated in published case reports. This is a case report of severe peripheral frostbite injury in a hiker who presented for hyperbaric oxygen treatments 22 days after her injury. Initially, it was thought that amputation of her fingertips would be necessary. After receiving 21 treatments over a 5-week period, the patient made a complete recovery with only superficial sloughing of skin. Photos document her progress with daily hyperbaric oxygen treatments. A discussion of case reports on the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for frostbite is provided, followed by proposed therapeutic mechanisms of action.

Introduction
The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) currently recognizes hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) as an approved therapy for 13 pathologic entities.[1] These are conditions for which HBO has substantial scientific support demonstrating therapeutic benefit. Hyperbaric oxygen is currently considered a primary treatment modality for carbon monoxide poisoning, cerebral arterial gas embolism, osteoradionecrosis, decompression sickness, and clostridial gas gangrene. It is also considered an adjunctive therapy for acute exceptional blood loss anemia, acute thermal burns, compromised skin grafts or skin flaps, crush injury, compartment syndrome, necrotizing soft-tissue infections, non-clostridial gas gangrene, radiation tissue damage, refractory osteomyelitis, selected problem wounds, and intracranial abscesses.[1]Treatment of frostbite injuries with HBO is considered experimental in the United States. In several published case reports, patients with frostbite appear to have had a favorable clinical outcome in comparison with the expected course of their condition.[2–7] Case studies point to reduced tissue loss and enhanced healing when HBO is used as an adjunct to standard therapies. The authors describe a case of severe peripheral frostbite injury in a hiker presenting for HBO 22 days after injury..."
 
Tina,

This is a long shot, but have you been tested for diabetes? I would think that your blood sugar was tested regularly in the hospital, so this is probably not the cause. However, diabetes can cause problems with fingers not unlike what you describe. (I am a type 2 diabetic so I tend to see things through that prism.) See this link:

http://www.diabetes.org/for-parents-and-kids/what-is-diabetes/skin-complications.jsp

I pray this problem will clear up for you.
 
dot4toto said:
Thanks for the kind words...It's been hard to think about but today I'm calling to get a second. I don't think this was a blood clot to my finger. Because of the damage to my other two fingers.
Mark, I do have feeling and warmth to all my other fingers except the tumb on the same hand, it's numb on the one side and the suface of the skin has damage. It's dry, tough,and it will peel off. I'm not sure I'll get the feeling back. The same corner has damged blood area. ?????:confused:
It's almost like I didn't get warmed back up correctly after surgery. I think these 3 fingers were taped together and I had the oxygen deal thing on (oxsimator)(sp) the index finger. The whole time I was in the hospital everyone said it looked like it had been pinched some how. Even that doesn't explain the other 2 fingers. Frost bite does, because when I hold my fingers together they fit into a pattern like they were all taped together. I'm not sure they warmed my fingers up the "right" way. I don't know how all that works. I just want/need to know how it happened. Blood clots would have to be explained in depth for me to understand how it splits into 3 to go to 3 different fingers.
This is just the pits, but I am so happy and glad my heart is well, my family is well and I feel better everyday. I know I am blessed and this will be over with and behind me before I know it. As long as I can ride my bike it's good. Who knows maybe my manicurist will give me a discount, right ladies?
Click to expand...



I'm very sorry this happened and I hope you get the best outcome possible.
I know a few kids that almost lost parts of their hands or feet because of clots during surgery.One of the little girls almost lost her whole foot, it was awful very black, but they waited and it took a while,(many months) but they were able to save almost everything but the tip of a toe.
I would ask to get an opinon from another doctor,someone that specializes in things like this (I'm not sure who maybe a hand or wound) From what I remeber about the other people going thru this, different docts had all kinds of suggestions, but I'm not sure how all of them turned out.
 
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