Hand Injury

Hi,

Around 10 days ago, I was doing some work in my kitchen when I slipped on some water and fell quite heavily. I hurt a lot of things in the fall but none of them were too crazy, except from my hand. I landed on my right hand in such a way that the back of my hand hit the ground first. A large blue bruise formed instantaneously and I was in a lot of pain, convinced it was broken.

The next morning I woke up and my whole hand was black and blue, all of the back of my hand, all of my fingers had little bits of black and blue and it was extremely painful to even brush over the place where the bruise first emerged (along my 4th metacarpal).

I can move my hand and use it but if I so much as brush the back of my hand off anything it's really really sore. I decided to go to the doctor about it when the bruising hadn't gone down after 5 days. She was convinced I had fractured my fourth metacarpal and so sent me to my nearest ortho dept. to be xrayed.

When I got there, I was xrayed and the radiographer told me that there was nothing obvious so I should leave the facility, the radiologists and orthopaedic doctors were busy with people who actually had a reason to be there. A report would be sent to my doctor within 2 weeks.

So, I left the dept, I was rather upset by her whole demeanour. I felt I need to be there and still feel like there's something not right. 10 days on, I still have mild bruising and that spot if still extremely tender. There has been a slight improvement but not much.

I am yet to hear anything re: my X-ray and don't want to ring anyone to bother them given the treatment I was given. I feel like if something was broken, I would have heard by now but in my heart, I feel like there is.

I'm just wondering what you guys think. Am I just being a baby who's complaining too much about a bruise? Can radiographers read an X-ray well enough to know when everything's ok or should a radiologist be the one doing the diagnosing? Also, does the fact that the severe bruising has now become mild and there is a slight improvement in pain mean that there isn't a broken bone or would some improvement after 10 days be normal?

Thank You!