This is a story of tears, dental floss, a storm, a doctor, a vomiting doggie, and mangled wedding rings.
Interested yet?
The story begins several weeks ago when my left hand started to speak up a little.
And just how does a hand go about speaking up?
Well, over the ten years that I’ve had erosive osteoarthritis, my right hand has always been the one that has given me the most trouble, probably because I use it the most.
But about a month ago, my left hand started making itself known with increased pain and swelling which was unexpected after so many years of doing okay.
I started noticing that my wedding ring was feeling a little tight. And then a little tighter. And then a whole lot tighter.
Finally, last Monday night, during dinner, the pain and the tightness increased to a level that started making me a little panicky. As I told Steve about it, I reminded him that before he went into hip surgery, the nurse had used dental floss to get his wedding ring off. I asked if he would try that technique with my rings.
So out came the dental floss, followed quickly by the realization that this was a situation far beyond the application of floss.
I told Steve, “I think we’re going to have to go to Urgent Care tonight and have my rings cut off.”
That was not a happy thought for so many reasons but one of the main ones was the terrible storm that was crashing around outside.
It was also not a happy thought because the reality of what I was saying hit me.
We were going to have my precious, priceless wedding rings cut off–the rings I have been wearing for forty-two years. The knowledge of that, along with the pain and swelling, all swamped me at the same time, and I burst into tears.
Just as Steve was heading over to comfort me, Tippi chose that moment to start vomiting on the kitchen floor and then–as dogs are wont to do–started sniffing around the vomit like she was going to eat it. Steve was faced with a dilemma–go to the weeping wife or the about-to-ingest vomit dog?
He managed to get both crises dealt with and we made our stormy dash to the car.
It took the doctor twenty minutes of work, applying pressure to my very tender finger before the gold bands finally separated.
But even then they couldn’t be slid off so he got some tweezers and started pulling them apart even more. He told me, “Your jeweler is not going to be very happy with me!”
At that point, I didn’t care. I just wanted those vice grips off my swollen finger.
And then, it was done. I had a bare finger and two misshapen rings of gold
I also had a finger with a deep indentation, an indentation that is still there, a week later.
My finger still hurts and is still swollen; I guess it will take some time to get back to whatever normal is.
In the midst of a difficult night, I had to laugh at how effortlessly Steve had slipped that same wedding band on my finger 42 years ago. And he had done it at a church just five minutes away from our Urgent Care location.
After all the traveling and moving we’ve done over these past decades, it still amazes me that we have landed right back at the place where our life together began.
The wedding rings are gone–for the time being.
The wedding commitment remains–forever.
What about you?
Have you ever had to have a ring cut off? What was your experience?
Do you deal with arthritis? What has helped you?
Do you live anywhere you’ll be affected by Tropical Storm/Hurricane Debby?
What is one big or small thing you are looking forward to this week?
Thankfully, I’ve never had any form of arthritis, nor had to have rings cut off. The pictures look very painful; I’m glad you didn’t have any circulation issues because of the swelling. Also, fortunately Debby didn’t affect us here in Texas. I’m looking forward to getting adjusted to school being back in session (staff went back 8/1 and students return 8/14). As evidenced by being so far behind on emails, I still have some adjusting to do. I hope your finger is feeling better!
SueEllen,
I remember growing up when schools didn’t start til after Labor Day. It’s interesting how that has changed over the years. I hope the adjustment goes quickly and you have a great school year!
My finger still has some twinges of pain but the swelling is better so I’m thankful. Thanks for asking.
A good jeweler will fix those rings up and even size them up if need be. So sorry that you had to have them cut off. Ouch!
We’re smack dab in the middle of the country so no hurricanes here, thankfully.
Looking forward to a get-together with friends this weekend for a casual golf outing on Friday evening and a golf tournament on Saturday. It will be great to see them all again. Oh how we miss them since our move!
LeeAnne,
So glad you’re having a chance to get together with your friends this weekend. Hope the weather is lovely and you have a fabulous time. Friends are a treasure.
I had to have my rings cut off too for the same reason. Hopefully it never happens to you again, but if it does the fire department can also cut them off! I was able to get them fixed and made bigger!
Michelle,
Hmmm. I never thought of a fire department being able to cut off rings. I just Google that and it looks like they have really great solutions.
Have never had to have a ring cut off, but there have been a couple rings I wasn’t sure if they would come off. I, too, have osteoarthritis and that was the reason. I also have it in my wrists and the pain comes and goes. Have sat in church and gasped because of a shot of pain and it seems to help to grab and squeeze my hand and wrist. Sometimes my hands ache, especially the right, but not very often.
We have tornadoes here but thankfully have never been in one. I too love thunderstorms – my daughter (in her 50’s) also loves thunderstorms. When she and also our son were babies, they never woke up at night or from their naps during thunderstorms.
Sharyn,
Sometimes the worst thing about going to church is when people shake your hand and squeeze it really hard. Ouch. Not so fun when you have arthritis!
I love that when your children were babies, they slept right through thunderstorms. That was nice for you in that you weren’t up all night with them on stormy nights.
Oh Becky! I know that was hard.
I had to have my rings cut off about 15 years ago. I weighed 90 pounds when I got married. After 3 kids and a hysterectomy at 29 that threw me into menopause I began to gain weight, which was not a bad thing. But it never occurred to me to check my rings until it was too late. I found myself in an emergency room having my rings cut off. The indention on my finger is still there today. It is some better, but the doctor said that I changed the shape of the muscles and tissue under my skin and that the finger will never be like it was pre-ring. We upgraded my rings for our 25th wedding anniversary and the new ring set covers the imperfections in my finger.
The eye of the storm came less than 50 miles south of us. We were on the “good” side and just got a lot of rain. I am the weirdo who loves a hurricane. I was sick all day Sunday so I stayed in bed and watched storm coverage all day. To be clear, I do not like the damage and destruction that comes with the hurricane. I enjoy the suspense and the tracking though. It’s a paradox.
Hopefully your finger will regain its original shape and you’ll have your rings back on soon.
Lisa,
Hmm. That’s interesting about your indentation still being there. Ten days later, I still have a pretty noticeable indentation–not as bad as it was, but still noticeable. The jeweler told us I couldn’t have the rings fixed and resized for at least two months to give my finger a chance to recover. I’m glad you got some new rings you love–here’s to at least 25 more years!
I enjoy storms, too. As you said, I don’t love all the damage they do but there is something fascinating about watching nature’s fury. We are getting our bad weather tomorrow. Wish I could stay home and watch it from there but I’m going to head on into work–unless, it’s too bad and then I will gladly stay home! 🙂
I’m so sorry you had to go through all that with your rings. Hope your finger is less sore now. As soon as you can find a jeweler to fix up your rings, Steve can put them back on your finger where they belong!
Love, Deb
Thanks, Deb, for your sympathy!
Looking forward to the day when I am wearing those special rings again.
Hope your finger/hand is feeling better very soon!
I have not had to have a ring cut off but several years ago I had to quit wearing my wedding rings I had worn for over 30 years. I now have eczema and my finger was staying irritated so I switch to a band made of rubber. 🙁 I have arthritis in my hands, knees, back, neck. Left knee is the worse at this time and dr is saying knee replacement and I am saying not yet 🙁 Sometimes ice/heat helps. I take Aleve liquid gels. I have tried prescription anti inflammatory meds but none seem to help. I have compression gloves I use when at work due to all the computer work, and I have a knee compression brace that helps. I use a lot of BioFreeze.
I live in VA and predictions right now have us at 4+ inches of rain from Debby.
I am looking forward to seeing our oldest granddaughter & her Mommy (our daughter) each morning this week when she is dropped off to stay with Pops this week. She starts kindergarten next week. I will also get to see her at lunchtime each day. BRIGHT SPOT IN MY DAY!!!!
Eswim,
How fun to have daughter/granddaughter visits this week! Hard to believe school is getting ready to start.
I hadn’t thought of eczema being a reason to not be able to wear a ring; glad you found a solution.
I wonder why Aleve liquid gels work better than other pain reliever. I’ll have to try those.
Glad you were able to get relief after your rings were off. Hope the jeweler can fix them to fit. I haven’t had to get any cut off, but had one smashed in a gate once. I managed to get it bent back enough to get it off. A jeweler reshaped it them.
I have had 2 surgeries for arthritis. One on my finger and one on my toe. Facing another on my thumb. I can’t take pain pills or anti-inflammatory pills so I have to just use heat or ice for relief.
We are not in the hurricane path, but had a great thunderstorm this am.
I have an extra craft market this weekend. Enjoy the different venue so that is my excitement this week.
Patti,
I love your description of a thunderstorm being “great.” I do love a good storm if I don’t have to go out in it. It is such a cozy feeling.
Glad to know that a jeweler was able to reshape your rings. Hoping for the best on mine.
Sorry to know you’ve had to have arthritis-related surgeries. I hope you were able to get some relief from them.
Enjoy our craft market!