Somehow I've managed to get an infection going in the tip of the middle finger of my right hand. I now have a red, swollen, lopsidedly bulbous finger tip. Playing with my cat the other evening and he briefly got one of his claws down between my nail and the cuticle...I think that did it. Can't really hold a pen and sticking my hand in my pocket to get out my keys produces some twinges of pain. Perhaps there's relief on the horizon, though. While I was in the shower this morning, I noticed a "darkish" spot underneath the cuticle on the side of my fingernail. I scraped the cuticle with the thumbnail of my other hand and a small amount of pus emerged. Squeezing the finger, I got a great big blob of sticky, yellowy-white pus (about the size of a pea) to ooze out. It's been weeping and draining all day now. I am having some occasional painful twinges in the finger that I did not have yesterday, so I'll keep an eye on it. Anyoo, just thought I'd, y'know, share.
GET TO A DOCTOR! My son got bit by one of our cats (finger + hand) a couple of summers ago and it was VERY SERIOUS! Cats have a very toxic bacteria that can spread rapidly + cause permanent damage. The docs said if we had waited much longer, they would have had to amputate! While my son was in to get treated, an elderly man also had a cat-bite and it had worked it's way far up his hand + arm. How deep + where you are bit/scratched matters quite a bit. This bacteria really affects tendons + ligaments..thus, it can cause permanent damage. "Cat Scratch Fever" isn't just mindless entertainment - it's a public service announcement IMO. You're still here? GET TO THE DOCTOR!!!!
Thanks for the concern, folks. I think the worst is passed, though. If it isn't better tomorrow, I'll get it checked.
Yes, cats may look harmless, but their claws and mouths are ridden with bacteria. The claws/feet harness a lot of bacteria from stepping in their litter box. They get fecal matter and urine on the claws and between the toes. They also will get their litter in between their toes. That is just one source of bacteria. Their mouths are also very bad, among the most bacteria ridden of all animals. Most animals have large quantities of bacteria in their mouths because they are warm and moist, a bacteria haven! Your symptoms sound like a case of "cat scratch disease" caused by bacteria in the Bartonella genus. The best advice I can give you is to go see a doctor tomorrow (or even tonight at an after care clinic if the pain is becoming unbearable). The doctor may choose to start a course of antibiotics, but they may not. Draining the pus was probably a good idea, but you now have to be VERY careful to not let it also get infected!!! That is the case with any open wound. For future reference ANY time you get bitten by or scratched by a cat, immediately wash your hands with soap and water (antibacterial soap is not necessary, but if you have it, that's great). Washing your hands will help minimize the risk of developing an infection. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001614.htm other sites: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat-scratch_disease http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartonella (the following is most likely the specific subtype of Bartonella that caused your infection, Bartonella henselae) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartonella_henselae I hope you feel better soon!!!! My info comes largely from my grandfather who was a veterinarian and worked in the lab animal research field for over 30 years. Other sources came from the internet.
So. Two semi-related stories: While drunkenly and feebly attempting to vault a chain-link fence, I created a nice three-point tear in the meaty portion of my right thigh. I took care of it by covering it with the stuffing from a toy bunny rabbit that was likely made in China and wrapping my T-shirt over it (until someone gave me a band-aid 5 minutes later. There may or may not have been some antiseptic too. Refer to the "drunken" part). So it didn't ever really swell or anything, but it looked a little...funny. And I sorta felt it should be producing pus so I may have squeezed it once or twice. Now it looks a bit like a bulls-eye, with a purple bruis ring about an inch out from the original wound. I finally started swabbing it with peroxide and I think it is getting better. And there's still no swelling or pain. And the roommate's 8 year old doggie has been battling an eye infection for about a week. He may have gotten a stick in his eye while on a run and he's been producing a watery whitish discharge from that eye. It seems to be getting better but he still fusses with it from time to time and keeps that eye closed at times (like Popeye). And when you get a look at it, the eye looks slightly cloudy. But he seems to be OK for the most part and now isn't the time for a vet bill.
I say get out a knife (like a Ka-Bar) and then slice open the infection. Then pour hydrogen peroxide in there. I have no idea if this will fix anything, but you'll at least earn some man points
Now that wasn't very smart now was it? Make sure you don't have a staph infection. Now is unfortunately the time for a vet bill. I am afraid that might turn into corneal blindness. I am not completely sure (my private source of veterinarian info is currently asleep). Usually from what I understand a white cloudy filament covering the eye is an early sign of blindness. What type of dog is it? I believe some dogs are more susceptible to blindness. Usually it would be purebred dogs or a mix of 2 purebred's. Try and get that checked out ASAP. A blind dog is difficult to care for.
In chemistry lab 2 weeks ago I got heavily concentrated hydrogen peroxide on my hands. It sucked. I didn't realize I did (it was drops left on the bottle) until after class when I had a bunch of dead skin on my hands and they hurt like hell!!!!
Sounds like a splinter, actually. I'd worry only if there was nothing found during the excavation or if it might be too deep in to get a hold of.
No more "weeping," the tenderness is almost gone, the swelling is down, and the color is coming back to normal. I think I'm through the woods. I think it's paronychia, an infection of the tissue around the nail. The picture below (not me) looks pretty similar to what I have, though my finger is a bit more noticeably swollen... Sounds like the treatment is basically keep it clean. In severe cases, minor surgery to drain the abcess might be necessary. But I think mine drained yesterday...
Looks like you got lucky. I would've immediately went to my PCP to get some antibiotics and possibly something to take care of the "serious pain" I was feeling.
UPDATE: The various cuts and scrapes from the running incident are healing nicely and the ribs from the waterskiing fall are doing better every day. But on Sunday I managed to burn the back of my hand on the muffler while adding air to the back tire on the motorcycle. Made the weirdest blister. And the roommate took the dog to the vet. Turned out he had some kind of tear to his cornea and now he's wearin' one of them cones on his neck. So it all worked out pretty well here.
Finger update: almost back to normal color, swelling still evident but not as pronounced, pain all but gone.
I wonder what kind of meat thermometer the FDA requires for fingers? And who has the best BBQ sauce? And if Paladin is going to squeal like a girl just for it being mentioned are we going to be able to sell them as *chicken* wings?
