If anyone has had this problem with their fingers or hands.

Couple of weeks ago my sisters index finger on her right hand started itching. Within 24 hours layers of skin started coming off, it got very painful and swelling and turning purple. She went to a doctor, he said he really didn't know what it was but that it could be eczema, gave her some ointment, light painkillers and sent her home. For the last 8 or 10 days it got worse, more layers of skin have come off, the pain is excruciating and her finger started to turn black. She went to a different doctor yesterday, he gave her morphine, examined the finger and also said he didn't know what it could be. They gave her heavy painkillers, strong anti-biotics, more cream and informed her that if it didn't start to heal within 3 or 4 days the finger might have to come off. So if any of you have had anything like this, know someone who has or even have an idea of what it might be, please let me know. Her husband has been looking all over the web to see if he kind find something to tell the doctor with no luck yet. She doesn't want to lose her finger.

Thanks
J

I dunno where she is, but she needs to get to a 'regional' hospital that is staffed with an emergency trama center AND several doctors. I say 'regional' to mean like Jackson or Hburg or Biloxi, etc. I'm not originally from MS so I don't actually know the nomenclature, but that's what we called the largest hospital networks. I suggest the combination of trama center and staff of doctors because the more folks present, the better the chances are that someone in the medical staff may recognize it.

Her first doctor was an idiot. Eczema doesn't come off in layers, it flakes off; neither does it turn purple. The call for morphine means there's a need stop a serious pain; skin does not "hurt".

This sounds really bad and she should get to a hospital that can figure out what specialist she should consult--tissue going black is dying. It will have to be removed. It sounds from its' appearance--the progressive change in color only--to be gangrenous.

Good luck to her.

May need to look deeper too. What is her age? does she have PVD? It could be a blood clot in her hand cutting off blood flow to her finger in which case its to late and the finger will need to come off. Has she been in or around woodpiles, sheds, or dark places that tend to house brown recluses. Their bites often go unnoticed because they don't hurt. They follow your described course of tissue necrosis. It could also be a super bug. Something like necrotising fasciaitus(sp). A bug usually only found in hospitals or nursing homes that is very difficult to stip. Best bet is like he said get to Jackson. Go to UMC don't even bother with ST.D, or Baptist.

She's in Beaumont, headed to Houston right now to go to shock trauma center up there.

spider bite? sounds like gangreen...

Well, she went to Houston and it took all of 1 minutes to diagnose. As soon as the Doctor looked at it he knew what it was. Cellulitis. After some tests they found that it was accompanied by a bone infection and a blood infection. They removed the discolored skin, half the nail and some of the skin that had started growing over the nail. They inserted a drain under the remainder of the nail and gave her painkillers and Oxycillin to take for 5 days. Told her that it had spread pretty bad and that if she had waited even another day there would have been some even more serious problems. Looks like she wont lose the finger and should be good to go in about a week. Thanks fella,s especially to you tacct, as soon as I read your post, I told her about it and told her she needed to get to Houston so she went. Probably (More than likely) saved her from losing a finger.

i think spider bite but, she needs help now!

Glad she got there soon. The bone and blood infections can be very dangerous.

Tanker, we're glad to hear that you and she took the malady seriously and had it looked at by real pros in a timely fashion. Sounds like she'll be able to keep most of the finger (function); we hope so, at least. I'm happy to hear that my advice might have helped.

Hopefully, there'll not be any permanent numbness anywhere on the finger or hand but there's probably a good chance of that occurring. Depending on exactly where the tissue was removed, sometimes the nerve damage can be permanent. There's very little available "meat" to remove from the fingers--it's all nerves and musculature. The best news is that it doesn't affect the ring finger or pinky--those are the really important fingers of the 'parallel four'--they're required for squeezing.

No pictures for me, please.

did they ever decide what it was?

savageshooter wrote:did they ever decide what it was?

Cellulitis. I posted a few posts above the outcome.