Loss of feeling/sensation in a finger

[Gattopardo]

Bringing some plastic shopping bags in from the car and unpacked the bits and noticed that I did not have any sensations on my left hand ring finger.  The finger looked quite red. There is no problem with movement of the finger.  The feeling is coming back after a few hours but it is still not the right sensations.

What would you do?

[hellymedic]

See how it is tomorrow.

Pressure on a nerve can cause numbness, which will resolve some while after the pressure is released. Do you wear a ring? Have you removed it?
(Is it possible a ring got caught against a knuckle by a carrier bag? Or that a bag was rather tight on your finger?)

If it's still numb tomorrow, check:

Is the numbness on both the little finger and the long finger side of your ring finger?
Can you spread your fingers and bring them together?
Can you squeeze something strongly between your thumb and your index finger?

You should seek medical advice for persistent numbness but my suspicion is that something got squished and the pressure's off now.

[chrisbainbridge]

not uncommon from the shopping bag handle hooked over the finger catching the digital nerve

[hellymedic]

Is it better now?

[Gattopardo]

Is it better now?

The finger tip still doesn't feel like other fingertips when I use it.

[hellymedic]

Sounds like it's improving but not back to normal. If this has injured the nerve, it might take several weeks to get back to normal.

[Gattopardo]

Just seems an odd way to injure a nerve.  Having a few issues at the moment with shoulder, elbow, wrist and hip pain and stiffness on my left hand side.  Looks like diabetic neuropathy.

[hellymedic]

This is a possibility but you have described a definite compressive incident.

These can damage a nerve 'in continuity'.

I used to see (usually) young men who had 'mysteriously' developed numbness over the thumb web at the back of the hand.

The mystery was solved if I suggested handcuffs might have been involved...

[chrisbainbridge]

If you are diabetic and on the border of neuropathy then you are much more susceptible to other forms of nerve damage.  So a compression which would cause no more than a minor tingle in a non-diabetic will produce damage in a diabetic.

If you are still worried though seek paid professional advice