Guitar Hero Finger

Well, since my last post about Guitar Hero, I have to admit that I beat it on the medium level as well. There was a couple of times that I didn't figure I was going to finish it. I had a hard time during the 'battle' with Slash. Took me 4 tries to do it. I had an easier time with beating Lou/Devil at the end, which surprised the heck out of me. The medium level there was HARD.

But, now I have Guitar Hero Finger. At least, that's what I'm naming it.

A year and a half ago, I dislocated my ring finger on my left hand playing softball. That knuckle hasn't been completely right since then. So, some mornings, that finger swells (or during the night, if you want to get technical). Honestly, I think I'm developing arthritis in my hands. The Orthopedic doctor already confirmed that I had it in my thumb. Which really sucks, because that's the hand I right with, so using an ink pen can sometimes become painful. Typing is much easier.

Anyway, I digress. After playing multiple hours of Guitar Hero, my left hand stopped responding to my brain inputs. Suddenly, I couldn't remember which finger was supposed to be the red button. Ack! I finally had to stop. So, I took a shower. I took my ring off before the shower, and noticed it was a bit swollen/sore from all the playing. I put my ring back on after the shower, before heading to bed. I've never had an issue sleeping in my ring(s), so I never worried about it. I woke up at 3 a.m. I have a feeling that I woke up because that finger was getting too swollen. I went into the bathroom and was actually panicking a bit, because I couldn't get it off. Lotion, soap - neither one worked. I was afraid I was going to have to go to the hospital to have it cut off, for fear of losing the finger due to swelling. I really didn't want to have my custom made ring cut off, as the jeweler who made it is no longer in business and it was a one of a kind. I stuck my hand under the cold water and just twisted and pulled with all of my might. The ring came off. I did attempt to do some string trick that some people have mentioned before, using dental floss, but mostly, I was cutting off the circulation and not really helping get the ring off. I don't think Glide tape works all that well at ring removal. But my finger WAS minty fresh when I finished.

So, I left the ring off. When I woke up, the finger was still swollen. It was swollen most of the day, and red around the joint. It has gone back done, for the most part. I haven't attempted to put my wedding ring back on at this point. I may see what the finger is like tomorrow.


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I got my left ear pierced - a Helix piercing it is called - back in December. I really liked the look. I didn't want a captive bead hoop, so I got a curved barbell. By January, I was getting a hypertrophic scar on the front side. Fortunately, the fold of my ear was hiding it. I changed jewelry, hoping that it was just the material. Unfortunately, for me, it wasn't the jewelry, but probably the shape. I think it was the curve. Also, I sleep on my left ear most of the night, so that probably agitated it. I started getting scarring on the top/back side where the piercing comes out. It was looking like a large pimple.

I decided I needed to just take the piercing out. I was doing the LITHA method (Leave it the heck alone) for aftercare, with gentle washing, but it didn't seem to help. I read that some people 'pop' the scar tissue area, which helps. I attempted that when I changed jewelry, and it did get smaller. It didn't last that way, though, which leads me to believe that it is the jewelry shape as well as sleeping on the left side. Last night, I 'popped' the scars again, and I am treating it with Tea Tree Oil, which is recommended by BME's wiki. The scar on the backside is already much smaller. The one on the front is smaller, but not as flat as the backside. I hope it keeps going down.

I may get it repierced in the future, as I really like how it looked. I'm just not sure if I need to do a straight barbell, or just shift it to my right ear, since I don't sleep on it as much. I just prefer the look of the ring in the left ear over the right. I'm too much a child of the 80's. I always liked multiple holes in the left ear instead of the right.

We'll see. So, right now, I'm mourning my hole. Hopefully it will heal well. Odds are, the whole thing is going to close up completely, requiring a repiercing, which is okay. I just want the bubbles to go away.


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And, you know, I guess I had some stuff saved up to post. It's amazing how much time I didn't have during the holidays.


Also.....I'm ashamed to say it - I kinda want to go play Guitar Hero again. I'm not ready to move up to the next level, but want to play the bonus songs, or co-op play, or online play. We don't have an additional guitar, but one of my coworkers says she is going to go buy the game soon, which will allow us to play together. It's a sickness.