swollen and grey colored hand

[Carol Orr]

My husband cut parts of his fingers with electric saw...about a month ago. He
took two sets of antibiotics. I gave him hypericum in the beginning...so he
had no pain. Also Arnica several times and potencies but that didn't stop the
swelling of the fingers. I had given him calendula and also sulphuric acid
once. The actual wounds are healing but the rest of the fingers have a grey
hue to them. He is better if he moves the hand, worse in cold, and always
worse at night when sleeping. The hand feels swollen, dead, numb and in
particular...he said, "like a piece of wood". I had given him rhus 30 and 200
a couple of days ago after two weeks of having nothing...and neither changed
anything. I tried ruta today, 30 c , and he could feel a difference, maybe
less achyness ..but still the "wooden" feeling. I looked that up and there are
only two remedies..thuya and kali nitricum. I gave him thuya 30c about an
hour after the ruta. No change when he came home later. There is some redness
going up the side of one finger and a blotch of red further up on other finger
away from the cut, that has been there since before he took the second batch
of antibiotics. I'm taking him back to the doctor tommorow. I have no clue
unless i should try the kali nitricum which i really know nothing about.

I tried massaging the fingers higher up away from the cuts and it hurt him
when i did that.

Better moving.....the heaviness,swollen feeling, wooden feeling just
disappears...but comes back again if he isn't moving his hand.
Worse in bed at night, keeps him up. He can nap with no problem...but worse at
night, keeps waking up. He is a little better if he raises the hand up higher.
Hand is worse in the cold/wet. It sure sounded like rhus.

[Rochelle]

Am just wondering about Bellis P or Ledum - however if you suspect gangrene Secale works wonders!!!
Rochelle
Registered Homeopath
EFT(Advanced) Practitioner
www.southporthomeopathy.co.uk

[Shannon Nelson]

Calendula in ascending potencies? (Maybe Fibonacci series?)
I wonder if it might still help for him to soak and/or wet bandances with calendula lotion?
Carol--I would also suggest that "organic sulphur" MSM crystals (I guess the main issue is that there be no "anti-caking" additives??). According to some writers, it's specifically missing from our food supply because of "modern" farming and fertilization methods; one of its many wonderful functions is as an oxygenator, and during the months after I first started taking it, I had a bunch of scars disappear, including several that had been there for decades! So, while I don't mean I think this would *replace* need for appropriate remedies, I strongly suggest trying it alongside, and could support the healing. (I think there will be plenty of ways to tell whether it's the sulphur working or the remedy(s)!) And couldn't go wrong by making sure the diet is generally excellent, plenty of good protein, vitamin C, omega 3s, veggies...

I also think that any mentals and generals you can get will be important in choosing the remedy. Don't *assume* the needed remedy will be a "trauma" or first-aid one--might be, or he might need one that suits him more deeply/broadly.

How would you describe his mental/emotional state, both in general and specifically with reference to the injury?

Shannon

[Jean Doherty]

If the modality of better elevation is present I would think of Vipera. Lymphatic and venous return may be compromised??/, Jean

[Kerry]

Try having a read here:

http://www.simillimum.com/education/fir ... unds_and_c
uts_infected_wounds.php

[Tanya Marquette]

I had a similar injury years ago and severed nerves.
The ER doctor probably gave me an antibiotic while there, but afterwards
I never took antibiotics or pain killers. Hyper 200c kept me pain
free throughout the healing. I did daily soaks in warm water with
salt? (can't recall). And focused on nutrition and staying calm.
It was a relatively good healing despite bad md advice which
could only end in mass crippling if I followed it. There was no
infection despite the md's scare stories. The only swelling I had
seemed to be from the 11 local shots of anesthetics.
I did the hyper 200c about 4x daily when the nerves began to tingle.
Over the next weeks, I dosed less and less as the healing progressed
until there was no longer any need for the remedy.
Physical therapy was also a benefit which didn't begin soon enough
due to the md's advice against movement. He didn't even want to refer
me for pt and I had to insist. the pt was furious that this md waited so
long to call in the referral--it was almost 3 wks after the injury. So do
not wait on this. I am assuming the injury was severe.
tanya

[Liz Brynin]

Dulcamara has the sensation the arm is made of wood - it is also moving, warmth.
Causation can be injury.
Liz

[Dale Moss]

I'd suggest looking at Vipera. It has the wooden sensation and is better from gentle motion and holding the affected limb up. I've seen this apparent 'reverse-course' in other hand and arm injuries, and I doubt antibiotics will help.
Peace,
Dale

[Shannon Nelson]

Isn't it quite common for a severe injury with inflammation to be better from being elevated--that's the medical advice always given, *and* in my limited but unfortunate personal experience it's extremely useful advice--after injury or surgery on a leg etc., and for anything involving inflammation??? So is that really a peculiar feature of vipera, or is vipera a remedy that should be rather routinely considered after e.g. surgery or laceration or etc.??

[JULIE GRIFFITHS]

I know this sounds extreme but in addition to the homeopathy, what about the old-fashioned leech therapy. Leeches are well known to increase circulation.

I know the thought conjures up some unappetizing images but it may be worth further investigation.

Here's a BBC article about the company:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/145804.stm

This is just something to put in your arsenal just in case the need arises.
Julie
--- On Wed, 4/11/09, Shannon & Bob Nelson wrote: