My thumb is swollen, red and immobile. It's also oddly hard to touch. What should I do?

Sound like a fracture. Get an X-Ray.

You should go to Disney World !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dudette !! You need to seek medical attention !

Stop typing. Seek care.

ah but it’s awfully interesting. I’m also a student/waitress, and it’s Saturday, and a doctor on Saturday costs around $70, which is about $70 over my budget. So care is not really an option. Thank you all for your concern though. N.B- it’s my left thumb, and I’m right handed, so it’s the more insignificant thumb.

If you’re a student, are you on a campus with a student health center?

Did any particular thumb-breaking sort of activity precede this interesting state?

Yes, the University of Melbourne has a health service- not open til Monday I’m afraid, by which time said thumb may have reached epic proportions, or depleted entirely. Would be awfully humiliating to go to the emergency department with a sore thumb. Perhaps I should pop it with a (sterilised) pin?

No thumb breaking at all Jeruba! Very odd.

No popping. Too much of a chance for sepsis, which is a life-threatening condition.

thanks pdworkin, you may have saved my life. Was hunting for a sewing needle before I read your post.

Actually, with that severe an infection, you are still in danger of sepsis. If you see red streaks on your arm, go immediately to the Emergency Room. I mean immediately. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200.

I agree that it could be a fracture. I fractured my wrist and my thumb tendon got caught in the break. Even though I hadn’t hurt my thumb, it was immobile and hurt to touch it at all. So it could be an internal thing if something moved and caught the tendon. I agree that you should seek medical help.

Wow, ok. This is getting exciting. I’m keeping an eye on my arm and my poor little thumb. If it’s still swollen tomorrow, I’ll go to the hospital.

In the meantime, put some ice on it and take a Benadryl for the swelling. Try to wrap it up or something to keep it from moving or getting bumped.

I don’t think the Benadryl will help if it’s not allergy related at all. Maybe an anti-inflammatory like Advil would be better.

Go to a doctor.

x-rays, immoblization or amputation

soak it in epsom salts, if you can’t afford epsom salts use plain old salt water. Heat water in a jar or cup keep adding salt until it will no long dissolve. At that point insert your thumb and keep it there for an hour or so. Do that several times a day.If it is a break it won’t fix that but if it is a budding infection or something like that, it may help. You can reuse the salt water, just reheat it every time.

@casheroo Good call.

@clairemagdalenaclaire, Did you go to the doctor this morning? What’s the verdict?

Thanks for the advice everybody- went to the doctor this morning, and the winner is: infection! It’s an acute case of paronychia, requiring a ten days course of antibiotics- normally treated by penicillin, but I’m allergic- and a very unpleasant lancing.

Ouch! Glad you got into the doctor today. Good luck with the treatment!

Wow. I’m impressed. That was interesting, all right.

Did the visit with the doctor yield any clue as to how you might have got such a thing?

@Jeruba, It’s bad luck- typically, the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus enters the skin around the nail via a cut and causes the infection. Simply wrong place at the wrong time! The bacteria is commonly known as golden staph- the same delightful creature that causes pneumonia, toxic shock syndrome, and menengitis!

Even more impressive. So—aren’t you, like, glad, you know, that you went and all?