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Swllen painful left index finger cannot bend

Sent to Health Experts February 18 2007 at 10:44 AM
   

I had a mastecomy one year ago on my left side. They removed 6 lmpth nodes. Three days after the surgery I woke up and my index finger on my left hand was extremely swollen and I could not bend it and it was extemely painful. I kept asking my doctors what was wrong and they did not know. My internist kept telling me I had arthritis and that was causing it and nothing could be done. Well after one year it is still swollen and I still cannot bend it and I am still in pain. They finally sent me to a joint doctor who again said it was arthritis. I know I have arthritis but none of my other fingers are swollen. I want to know why there is still fluid in that finger. He gave me a shot of cortisone in the joint and said we would see how that went. Do you have any answers for me. I am tired or being in pain from that finger.

 

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Female , Age: 69

Already Tried:
Cortisone shot in joint of finger

Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Status:  Closed   Value: $9
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February 19 2007 at 6:03 PM (1 day and 7 hours later)
         
Relist: No answer yet.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
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February 19 2007 at 8:32 PM (2 hours and 29 minutes and 21 seconds later)
         
I have not received an answer to my question yet. When will it be answered. It states above that it is still waiting for an expert's answer.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
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February 19 2007 at 10:42 PM (2 hours and 10 minutes and 2 seconds later)
         
REPLIEDCheck Mark
Sorry for the delay in response ..
A single joint arthritis is a well known problem though things like gout do need to be ruled out in such cases..
Have your uric acid levels been tested?
If the levels are abnormal then meds to reduce this will help, otherwise treatment will depend on the actual symptoms, x rays and further tests as indicated ..
painkillers and cortizone and sometimes the use of disease modifying drugs (like methotrexate etc.) would help in treating this your condition ...

Please ACCEPT the reply (by pressing the GREEN accept button), and give a BONUS if it was useful. If you need more information, just let me know.
Regards
Dr. Gupta


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February 20 2007 at 5:38 AM (6 hours and 55 minutes and 41 seconds later)
         
Reply to Gaurav Gupta's Post: Your answer was too general and was basically the same information I gave you. Nothing new. I know I have arthritis as I said the doctors already diagnosed that and gout has been ruled out. I want to know why that particular finger got so swollen 3 days after surgery and froze so that I could not bend it. This happened overnight. It was not a gradual thing. I went to sleep one night and woke up the next morning with it like that and the fluid is still in the finger after one year. I want to know what caused this and it was not the arthritis as I have had that in my fingers for a long time. I also want to know how to get rid of the fluid and swelling in that finger. Pills do not work. My doctor put me on ibufrofin for 20 days (it was for a wrist injury) but it did not reduce the swelling in the finger. Your answer was not acceptable and absolutely no help.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
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February 20 2007 at 7:16 AM (1 hour and 37 minutes and 29 seconds later)
         
ACCEPTEDCheck Mark
I am sorry that my answer was of no help.
Your initial query was not very clear. You had for example not specified that the arthritis was pre-existing before the surgery ..
I believe that is such a situation the possibility of lymphedema (obstruction of lymphatic drainage) needs to be kept in mind too.
Read more here
Hopefully this information is more useful, and you would consider accepting this reply and consider a bonus too,
regards
Dr. Gupta
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