I saw the surgeon yesterday and he said that the thing is going to heal just fine, that the tip of the finger is very engorged with blood, and that between that and the wound itself, the number of nerve endings firing in my brain is huge. Think tip of penis swollen with an open wound, basically, he said. (being a man)

But since trying to carefully place on the wound a piece of gauze with a bit of a wound cream on over it sent me hyperventilating he was a bit stunned (being a vascular surgeon he mostly does toes, which are NOT sensitive on his patients)
and told me that it doesn't matter what I do to dress it:

No matter what I put on it, wet, dry, bacitracin, vaseline, wound dressing, it will heal. Keeping it dry and open to air will allow a scab to form, and that will make it LESS PAINFUL. However, allowing a scab to form will make it take longer to heal. My choice. (Not really, open to air is not a choice.) I was sent home with a baggy of supplies like leaving the dentist's office with a new toothbrush and floss--all sorts of gauze and creams to try, as well as light stretchy finger "gloves" to put on top.

By 11 pm it was throbbing, and I looked at it and was convined the swelling and red hot area had grown, and I'd need a hand surgeon today. I took Tramadol and Klonopin, FORGOT the magnets, and was awake until 4am. Up for work at 7. Looked at it, and it really looks no different.

Night is when the bogey man comes out, and all pain is worse; that's all. It's just a little thing, and it's NOT infected, and I have to remind myself to not get scared by the pain; it's like neuropathy pain: out of proportion to what's really wrong.

I've increased my anti-oxidants and Vit C, as well as curcumin, to prevent RSD ( which terrifies me), despite the good surgeon telling me I'm not at risk for it. I'm not easy to convince.

On the sidebar thread here: Nitrous Oxide: What I'm understanding is that it can cause a B12 deficiency state, right? So anyone who develops neuro symptoms after nitrous should be checked for B12 right away and probably given an injection immeditely while awaiting test results, and hopefully, because it's so acute, it should reverse? Is that the take-home message?