Wellness

[rustysmom]

Years ago, I had to have my original wedding ring cut off.  I went to the fire station and they cut it off and did not charge anything.

[lulu1]

If you haven't been able to remove the ring in years, I'd head over to one of the suggested places ASAP, and get it cut off.

The typical home remedies will more than likely not work if this ring has been "stuck" on your finger for years.

[Nightowlz]

You will have to soak in ice cold water as others have stated to get the swelling down before trying to remove. 

Your finger will continue to swell while you are trying to remove it.

Soak it for a while to see if the swelling will go down. 

If it does not I would try the Fire Dept.

When you are trying to remove it if you are doing over a sink make sure it's got the stopper in so you don't lose your ring.

[Peaches McPhee]

This has happened to me. I tried all the home remedies - oils, jellies, string around the finger, etc.  Nothing worked, so I finally went to a jewelry repair shop - they had a gadget that cut through your rings (there is a safety guard, so your finger won't be cut).  I don' t remember the price, but I do remember it was pricey - but it was 3 gold rings (my wedding set), so that added to the price.

I was never so relieved to get those rings off.  I had them re-sized (another expensive proposition).  

[Wiscfan3]

I second everything @Perkup wrote. My husband and I were in a jewelry store buying a ring for me, when he mentioned to the salesclerk that he had not been able to get his wedding ring off for several years due to weight gain. She took one look at it and immediately sent him to the back to have the jeweler cut it off-- no charge. She said it was dangerous for him to be going around with it that tight. ( I had told him that for years, but she was more emphatic about it and he listened to her)! They did add a gold spacer to it to make it larger, and he picked it up a few days later. There was a charge for that I think. You should do that right away to be safe and comfortable.

[Teddie]

Just like the others have said before me, occasionally I’ve had a ring that was quite snug to get off. I’ve pulled the plug up on the sink to ensure nothing would go down and then ran cold water over my finger.  During that time, I soaped it and between the cold and the soap, it slipped off. Of course, all this depends on how swollen your finger is. And I bet cutting off your ring would be a last resort. 

I hope this works!

[ahoymate]

5 days is a long time to have a swollen finger. If you have a primary care MD, I'd call the office & speak with them. Things, infection, cellulitis, etc. can develop if you don't get this properly treated. Good luck.

[Caffeina]

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@lulu1 wrote:

If you haven't been able to remove the ring in years, I'd head over to one of the suggested places ASAP, and get it cut off.

The typical home remedies will more than likely not work if this ring has been "stuck" on your finger for years.

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I agree. I had to have my wedding band cut off after gaining a lot of weight. Tips for removing rings from swollen fingers won't work if you weren't able to remove the ring before the swelling. There's a difference between a swollen finger and a "fat" finger.

I wasn't charged for having the ring cut off. It was done by an independent local nice guy jeweler.

[chrystaltree]

Call a local jeweler and explain your predicament, ask them if they can cut the ring off for you.  No one should ever leave a ring on their finger the way you did.  What difference does it make what costs?  That should be the least of your concerns.  Your finger is already injured and swollen, your only concern should be removing that ring so that should your finger swell again for any reason, you avoid damaging the blood vessels and don't have to have the finger amputated.

[NYCLatinaMe]

@BunSnoopI I've had rings stuck, and have unstuck them with butter.  Since it is swollen, I would ice the finger first, since my finger is thinner when cold.  If that doesn't work, I would head to the jeweler, or fireman as last resort.

Let us know what happens!