I have a ring stuck on my finger that won’t come off
I have unfortunately ended up in a situation where I can’t get a ring off of my finger. I tried to put one of my partner’s rings on my pinkie finger and it turned out to be way too small for my hand. I’m currently going nuts scared that I’m going to have to go to the doctor. Is there anything I can do to cut the ring off or make it expand a little? I think my finger is getting swollen which is making things worse and the ring just won’t come off.
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If someone has a ring that won’t come off, the first thing we do is try lubricants to reduce the friction and loosen the skin, like surgical lube or soap. We'll then try to gently slide the ring off without hurting the person. If that doesn’t work, and the procedure is urgent, we may have to cut the ring off.
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I have taken so many rings off while working in an ER! First off, if your finger is getting discolored, the ring might be starting to cut off circulation of the finger. Sometimes, the more that you mess with it, the more inflamed it's going to get. At that point, you should go to the ER and they will need to just cut it off of you.
If you still want to try to get it off at home, here are the things that I always suggest. One, butter or lard is a really good lubricant. Other lubricants won't really like get under the ring and make things slippery, so try using those on the finger.
Also, hold your finger upright. Holding it up will drain the finger, while your finger facing downwards can cause more inflammation and swelling.
Finally, there's a trick you can try where you wrap your finger with floss and then wrap it underneath. You put the piece of floss underneath the ring and then you start to pull it, and that force will start to pull the ring out with it. Good luck!
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If you still want to try to get it off at home, here are the things that I always suggest. One, butter or lard is a really good lubricant. Other lubricants won't really like get under the ring and make things slippery, so try using those on the finger.
Also, hold your finger upright. Holding it up will drain the finger, while your finger facing downwards can cause more inflammation and swelling.
Finally, there's a trick you can try where you wrap your finger with floss and then wrap it underneath. You put the piece of floss underneath the ring and then you start to pull it, and that force will start to pull the ring out with it. Good luck!
If you haven’t already, try applying a lubricant and pulling the ring while twisting it. Soap and water works, but you can also use moisturizer, lotion, Windex, or even petroleum jelly. If that still doesn’t work, you can try sliding a string or dental floss in between the ring and your finger. Then, wrap the string or floss around the finger in front of the ring. Pull the string taut and the ring should follow forward. Keep doing that until the ring is off. If that still doesn’t work, you may need to see a doctor ASAP, especially if your finger is swollen and the color of the finger changes. You could potentially lose your finger if your circulation is cut off and you don't get medical help.
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Get a person with a steady hand to cut it off with a steel cutter or cutoff wheel with a guide jig if lubricant does not work. My mom is a Jeweler it's not worth losing a finger to avoid soldering a ring back together.
If the color looks severely off, go to a medical professional as you may have unitentionally tourniquet your finger. Which while great for stopping blood loss also allows the build up of toxins in your blood. Removing the ring would send that blood back into your body...which is bad, very bad.
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If the color looks severely off, go to a medical professional as you may have unitentionally tourniquet your finger. Which while great for stopping blood loss also allows the build up of toxins in your blood. Removing the ring would send that blood back into your body...which is bad, very bad.
People have already covered what you should do, so I'll give some advice on what NOT to do. First off, don't panic. That will make it much harder to think clearly and do anything. Second, don't just do the same thing over and over. If tugging at the ring isn't working, and you keep just trying to pull it off, that can make your finger swell up more and make it even harder to get off. So keep calm and find something to lubricate your finger before trying to take the ring off again.
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It might make it easier to take off the ring if you're able to reduce the swelling. Try elevating your arm so it's above your heart and massage towards your arm. Cool water may also help to reduce the swelling. If it's still tricky to get the ring off, find something to lubricate your finger, like lotion, oil, soap, butter, anything greasy or slippery, and try again. If you can manage to get something under the ring, like string or dental floss, that can also be helpful.
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