A week later, it became painfully clear that paint chip remained, as was evident from the angry, red bump on my finger. I called my Dermatologist’s office; luckily, they are right around the corner here in Brooklyn. Like most of my doctors, he made the move to electronic records, which are supposed to make treating patients easier, right? Apparently not. His assistant asked my which medications I take and I proceeded to mention them. Oddly enough, she couldn't find several because I didn't recall the exact spelling, they weren't showing up in the database. That's not very helpful...
So removing the pesky paint chip required minor surgery. The doctor tried to make conversation, as a way of distracting me as he injected local anesthetic, but I had already focused on the pain. He scolded me for trying to remove the paint chip--believe me, I've learned my lesson--he had trouble finding it because it was so small, then when he got it out, my finger wouldn't stop bleeding...What a mess! My finger is still blissfully numb--I'm having trouble typing.
Next time I see a stray paint chip, I will be donning my cleaning gloves--I have definitely learned my lesson!