Bill, sorry to see that BabyFace lost an ear in the defense, glad you both made it out alive. Looked for news report about your attack but didn't find anything. It didn't make the news?
It is not how you raise them and a owner's nurture that makes a pit bull a dangerous breed or dangerous dog. While they can be friendly they also do not give warning before attack and they will even give counter signals before an attack. Wagging a tail and giving a slight bow that normally signals they are friendly and want to play. Then when close enough they launch an attack and are notorious and statistically responsible for more facial and ocular (eye and eye socket) trauma than any breed of dog.
They bite hard, hold on and violently shake the victim, tearing deeply into what ever they bite and they will bite many times and in various areas of the body. You are all too well aware of the damage they can do...I am sorry you had to live through that.
Many many children and even adults die from them every year and recently a pit bull and another dog attacked and killed a man in NE Ohio and several attacks in Georgia. January of this year in Atlanta area a little boy was killed by a pitbull and little girl seriously injured.
They were attacked while walking to school.
Keep it clean and rest up and take very good care of the hand, if it looks like it might be getting infected, better to have it checked and prevent it from getting worse and taking hold. But, I would never expect an ER to be qualified to make that read. Ina ladder accident I destroyed the pcl in my left knee and lacerated below the kneecap. It got very infected and a trip to ER where I was able to express clear and bloody fluid from that wound they told me it was NOT infected and 2 doctors looked it it. It was at Tucson University Hospital... A month later I finally got into see the orthopedic surgeon and showed him photos from then...his reply, you definitely had an infection and I don't know how but you / your body has managed to nearly clear that infection and that wound is healing nicely now.
So, leave the diagnosis to those who are well qualified, that may and often is not an urgent care or ER doctor.
If it is hotter than surrounding areas when someone else checks it then there are very good chances it may be infected.
Hope you are feeling some better. 3rd day after surgery can be hard sometimes, lets not add to that list with your injury.
Get plenty of rest and eat well...if you have any signs of nerve irritation or damage get it checked out, adding a good sublingual B12 and/or B- multivitamin is a good idea when dealing with injuries like this and especially if nerves are damaged or irritated. Your body will use what it needs for nerve repair and regrown and flush what it does not need. Nerve repair is very slow...so, talk with your neurosurgeon or surgeon or specialist about it to educate yourself. You are going to want to research and find excellent specialists for Physical and Occupational Therapists who have the training and certification needed to properly rehabilitate hand injuries. I found a good one in Tucson when I had a cyst in the back of my wrist as it was wrapping itself around the tendons and being very bothersome.
Good luckand keep us posted... might want to keep the sidearm with you all the time.
