Pain! Lots of Pain!

Anyone ever had a cortizone shot before? How about in one of the smallest joints in your body?

For the last month the middle knuckle on my little finger on my right hand has been swollen and hurting. I don't know why. I just woke up with it that way. I thought I would just let it get better by itself, but it has only gotten worse, despite my homemade, getto little popcicle stick splint (Karin has seen it). Today I finally decided that it wasn't getting better and I made an appointment with an orthopaedic doctor. They had an appointment for today, so I found a babysitter and went in. They took an x-ray and it was fine. The doctor (who looked a little like Harry Connick, Jr.) didn't know why it wasn't getting any better with anti-inflammitories and rest. As far as he could tell, the joint is just swollen, which is what is causing the pain. He suggested I go see a hand specialist, but first I could try a cortizone shot to help the swelling go down. I thought, sure it beats paying more to go see another doctor.
OH MY GOODNESS!!! Let me tell you what, I will never make that decision so lightly, ever again! That is probably the most painful thing I have ever experienced, even having had two babies via c-section, although this didn't make me cry like I have at various points of the c-section process. Maybe fewer hormones are in play now.
Currently my hand feels worse than it did before. It isn't just the one knuckle; my whole finger aches, especially the injection site. And it aches all the way up about halfway between my finger and my wrist. At first I could feel it half-way up my arm. Thankfully the doctor had the nurse put a numbing agent in with the cortizone (one shot), which is good and bad. It was a whole 1/2 cc. more liquid that he put into my knuckle, but it also took away some of the extra pain for a little while.
Here is my new splint, which really is just a glorified, metal popcicle stick.
I think it will help me not use it though. Ben will just have to do the dishes now, 'sigh' ;)
And here you can kind of see that my pinky is fatter than my ring finger (which it usually isn't).

The doc said in a couple of days the swelling from the cortizone should go down and the initial swelling should go with it. If not I am supposed to call and they will refer me to a hand specialist. I really hope that the cortizone works, 'cause otherwise this pain is definatley not worth it.