A brief update for all of you following my earlier blogs. To cut to the chase, the finger has been improving gradually over the last few weeks since Episode 13. I visited the hospital last week for two appointments – with Infectious Diseases and Orthopaedics – and was told by both they didn’t want to see me again for 6 weeks. So any thoughts of further surgery to de-bulk have been put on hold for the time being. Without doubt, the swelling is reducing and the sinuses (the leaky parts) are slowly closing up and disappearing (see photo).

The finger still won’t bend of it’s own accord but I can now bend it using my other hand or next-door finger. In fact, I need to exercise it regularly to build it up, though the tendons are still encased in the bacterial growth between the joints.

The only regular leak is from the mini Vesuvius on the top of the finger, but even this is drying up and reducing in size day by day. For those who don’t see it on a daily basis, they say it looks much improved.

Piano playing with two hands is becoming more of a reality, and some regular practise will strengthen the tendons (Oops! Not ‘muscles’ as I stated previously – thanks John!) (Oops again! Correction: I’ve now been informed I do have muscles in the base of my finger, which is where the bacteria is residing – thanks, fishtanx).

Thanks to those who contacted me – I’ve taken on board the fact that this bacteria likes a temperature of 32.5 degrees, which explains why it prefers living in our extremities where it is cooler – arms, hands, feet – but any warmer and it can’t survive. So to kill it off it is necessary, in my case, to keep the hand as hot as is bearable, even sleeping with a plastic bag over it! I’ve tried this but it is very uncomfortable – though it may have triggered it’s demise.

Let’s hope Episode 15 can boast about independent flexing of the finger!