Severely cut finger – what should I do?

About 54 hours ago, I managed to hack through my thumb tip—basically sliced it horizontally halfway through the nail—getting within less than half a centimeter of the bone. I asked the doctor if they could just stitch the digit back together. During the initial exam about 15 hours later, everything seemed fine; I wasn't feeling any pain, and I could actually still feel sensation in the severed part of the finger. I was told to come back for a follow-up after 48 hours, and everything felt okay yesterday, but then around 5 PM today, this stinging, tightening sensation and pain kicked in, and it hasn't let up since. I’m honestly pretty terrified right now and wondering if this is just the normal healing process or if I’m looking at something like gangrene. Please, I need some quick advice.

🤦 Should you just call the doctor right away?

And I’m calling them out right here in this post

Austin Williams20 said:so I’m calling them out right here

Man, there’s so much going on here... I mean, who can actually give you any real advice when you drop a question like that on Reddit? Like, what can you even take seriously when the vibe is this chaotic? ☕....

Honestly, looking at what you're dealing with, I don't think worrying about your finger through the night is going to change much—there's not a whole lot you can do from your couch right now. Those symptoms sound like they could just be some nasty swelling from the trauma, so an amputation isn't a foregone conclusion by any means. But look, you really need to get a straight answer from a surgeon tomorrow morning instead of trying to figure it all out on the internet.

I’m just trying to wrap my head around what the actual physical sensations would be when distinguishing between healthy tissue healing and the onset of gangrene. Is it even possible to tell them apart? I haven't been able to find any clear answers online regarding what a "patient" should actually be feeling or what specific symptoms they should be looking out for.

You seriously need to get a surgeon to look at this. No one on Reddit is going to be able to help you here, even if Dr. House himself were sitting behind the keyboard. Pain is tricky—it can be totally mundane, or it could be a sign that something is seriously wrong. If you notice your finger starting to turn blue, don't wait; head straight to the ER.

I know this thread is pretty old, but I just went through something similar myself—so I’m curious how things worked out for you regarding sensation. Did you get feeling back in your finger, and if so, how long did it take? Is there a standard recovery timeline, or is it just different for everyone? In my case, the finger was severed and then reattached, plus there was some serious crushing to the distal phalanx... everything's sewn back on now, but I’ve got zero sensation. Roughly how long does it take for feeling to return, or does it even happen at all? Thanks in advance for any insight!
Forgot to mention—this happened about 45 days ago..

Anyone else dealt with something like this? Or maybe you know someone who’s been through it... Thanks!