[dnsco]

I partially amputated (at the joint closest to the nail) my index finger a decade ago, and it’s been a huge impediment. This has motivated me to seek out some other opinions.

Sent it to some doctor friends and they are floored by the writing style as well.

[sph]

It's hard for me to rationalise that a few cms off the index could be a huge impediment, so can you please share where you find yourself impaired the most? I imagine gripping things, like a glass, should be more or less unaffected.

[dnsco]

TL;DR nerves are really weird.

It tingles all the time. There's a ton of "referred pain". It frequently feels like there is a dental drill going of in my face, when it's not painful, it's a a persistent nagging tickle, on my cheek/temple/around my eye.

It gets reynauds phenomena, my house is 68F 20C right now, but my finger is freezing/painful because of how cold it is, this happens pretty much any time I wash my hand, so even in the summer when there's a slight breeze I'm hiding my hand in my pocket for warmth.

When I bang it on things it really hurts, and like this paper says it's extended basically all the time when I'm trying to use my hand for other things.

When I use it to grab things, it feels really weird, so I've kind of trained myself to keep it out of the way. This paper says cut it off, which the few other orthopedists I've talked to have not advised, but at this point, it's been a decade, and seeing a doctor be like "dude, the thing that's only there to make your hand more precise, is actually making your hand way less precise and detracting from your quality of life, cut it off", is a perspective I'm happy to hear. I manage mostly alright, but it's been a decade of major annoyance at best.

[Zancarius]

This is really fascinating to me, because it explains some things.

I have a friend who crushed the tip of one of her fingers, but it wasn't amputated. She's described sensations very similar to yours, presumably from nerve damage. I never asked a bunch of questions about it, and now I wish I had after reading this post.

If it ever comes up in conversation again, may I share a link to your comment with her?

[4k93n2]

i dont have any nerve damage (that i know of) but if i touch along my ring or little finger near the knuckle, sometimes i feel a tickling sensation on my cheek next to my ear. kinda weird!

[chmod775]

> i dont have any nerve damage (that i know of) but if i touch along my ring or little finger near the knuckle, sometimes i feel a tickling sensation on my cheek next to my ear. kinda weird!

That's funny. I think I can reproduce that.

Do you often use those knuckles to touch that area of your face? Might be that those nerves fire together so often, your brain strongly associates them. I have a habit of massaging that area of my face while thinking and slouching on my chair.

[fouc]

HN is a public site. Posts here are public. Share.

[buildsjets]

I lost the tip of my right thumb on a planer, but kept the joint. I experience similar phenomena. The worst thing is pushing a supermarket shopping cart on a rough surface, the vibrations it sends into my hand are intensely painful. Also iDevice touchscreens hate my nub.

[specialist]

Have you tried any of the neuroplasticity stuff for mitigating chronic pain?

I experience referred pain. I'm told my brain's intepretation is out of sync with the stimulation. Phantom limb syndrome is an example.

Swedish Hospital (Seattle WA) Pain Services clinic got me on the right path. https://www.swedish.org/services/pain-services For me, it was a 4 week course, 3 days/week. Learn (or relearn) meditation, breathing, the current best available science about pain, life skills, etc.

Maybe call them up to help find a clinic near you.

The curriculum seems like total bullshit. But it somehow worked, despite me thinking it wouldn't. I now do a daily regiment that's supposed to reprogram my brain. Including tai chi and HIIT. Seems to be working. A lot of initial progress (like clearing a plugged drain) and now slow and steady improvement. YMMV.

I'm sorry about your pain. Of all my chronic pains, the nerve stuff is by far the worst. So I can sympathize a bit. I hope you find some relief.

[codingdave]

Gabapentin is what worked for me. I won't presume that the same answer is going to work for all of us, but I'm in agreement that there are a number of things that can be tried between "suffer through it" and "cut it off". Besides, if the amputation of the end of a nerve is causing so many problems, more amputation will just give you another cut of the nerve at a different point. I'm no doctor, but that sounds like it could backfire bigtime.