[hurryinhoosier62]

Being an old dog mechanic, I have always resisted using gloves while working. My reasons: I couldn’t “feel” and I could find any that fit correctly ( 3XL glove size…not easy to find!). Nearly two weeks ago I developed pain in my right middle finger; nothing new, I’ve had moderate arthritis in my hands for years. This pain was different; it was in the joint accompanied by swelling. This started on Wednesday two weeks ago. By Friday my finger was double its normal size, so off to immediate care I go. The diagnosis: cellulitis. A prescription of Keflex and off I go, except my finger was getting worse, not better. By Sunday, I couldn’t sleep due to the pain, so off to immediate care I go again. The APNP on duty x-rayed my finger to make sure there were no foreign bodies in my finger, examines the finger and tells me he needs to take a culture sample because he’s certain I have pickup MRSA. He lanced the finger ( which actually felt good because of the swelling) with a little puss but a copious amount of blood comes flying out of the finger. He gives me a shot of Bactim, a sulfa based antibiotic that kills MRSA, a bit of hydrocodone for the pain and orders to see my PCP soon( I had an appointment for the following day). My PCP looked at my finger on Monday. His diagnosis: MRSA. He told me to finish my prescription of bactim; he also set up an appointment with a ortho to examine my finger for joint damage for May 20. At this point, my finger is pretty much back to normal; it still swollen at the tip and the skin looks scalded from the edema, but I have no pain and can use the finger. The lesson I learned? WEAR GLOVES! I found a brand of exam gloves that comes in 2XL ( a bit snug but loosen up enough for me to wear), so gloves WILL be the order of the day in garage. According to my PCP, had I waited a day or two later to go to immediate care the probability is I would have lost that finger due to necrosis.