advice needed! I'm feeling quite anxious and panicky because there is NO way my engagement ring and wedding band are coming off my finger. I've tried soaking my fingers in ice water, holding my hands above my head, and rubbing my finger down with olive oil, and they are not budging :( I did manage to get my other ring off that way, but my wedding rings are giving me a bit more trouble. It's a little ironic that today is our 8th anniversary, and I'm panicking trying to get my wedding rings off :) I think I may have to get them cut off, but if anyone has any great ideas to avoid that, I'd love to hear them! Thanks!
That happened to me in my last pregnancy. There was no way they were coming off without cutting them, so even though they were very uncomfortable, I left them there. The came off a few weeks after I gave birth, once the swelling was all gone.
ReplyDeleteOh no!!! Did you try first thing this morning? I was really swollen my first pregnancy and was always least swollen first thing in the AM. Is house cool (a/c? humidity, etc.?) Not sure I know what else to suggest. Good luck! I really hope you don't have to have them cut off!
ReplyDeleteTry spraying your finger with Windex...why or how it works I don't know, but it works!
ReplyDeleteI had the same problem! However, the more I freaked out and messed with them...the more swollen my fingers got. I suggest doing nothing for 24 hours if you can stand it...and let them go down before fooling with them anymore! :)
ReplyDeleteDitto a few things that have been said :o( Try first thing in the morning...and grease up with oil. Good luck!!
ReplyDeleteI know how to do this! When my aunt's flight arrived in Aspen, a combination of salty food plus altitude made her fingers swell. She could not remove her wide diamond band, and cutting it would ruin the vintage ring forever.
ReplyDeleteShe went to the emergency room in desperation, where none of the traditional tricks worked. A resident tried this string method and it saved her ring (and her finger!)
http://www.health.com/health/library/mdp/0,,tp9593,00.html
Make your hands cold. Handle ice or something. Your hands swell when hot.
ReplyDeleteYour rings fit looser in winter time for this very reason.
Oops--the correct URL for the removing a ring with string method is here
ReplyDeleteAre they attached, or can you try to take them off one at a time? It might be easier if you can remove one thinner band that the two at the same time. Also, massage really helps reduce the welling. Have your hubby massage your hand with movements that run toward your elbow...like he's massaging the fluid out of your hand and into your arm...there it can be reabsorbed into your body. That might get it down enough to get the rings off - oil or soap as a lubricant might still be necessary.
ReplyDeleteI'd try blitzing yourself with a combination of all of the above: relax, cool your hand down (I'd try holding a cold beverage while you relax), and use some dish soap, windex, or WD-40.
ReplyDeleteThough Meredith's string thing is really intriguing and I bet would work, too! I'll file that one away . . .
I know you said that you tried oil. However it took me a few times, and some serious pain to get mine off with oil. (I have heard some tried butter?) I also had to twist them. If you have two rings, mine are seperate, I had to do one at a time!
ReplyDeleteHope that helps. Don't cut them, just keep trying.
I second a lot that has been said. Although, strangely I get hot in my sleep so my fingers swell at night and are tight in the mornings but go down throughout the day. I would quit trying to get them off for a while, relax, drink lots of water, and let the swelling caused by trying to get them off go down. Then when you do try again, work slowly, and twist rather than pull.
ReplyDeleteI was going to tell you Windex, but it looks like someone else already suggested it. I learned that trick from a jeweler!
ReplyDeleteI've always heard that dental floss works great.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wikihow.com/Remove-a-Stuck-Ring
This happened to me too. Let’s us say it lead to a very weepy preggers being escorted to the world’s most romantic jewelry store by hubby for the worst reason. Yes I had to have them cut off. I tried everything. I know it’s upsetting, but just try everything you can and if you have to go just remember they can be fixed.
ReplyDeleteDawn dish soap can work better than oil.
ReplyDeleteBut the string method is what I've heard has the most success with truly stuck rings.
Ditto the windex and the string methods (and letting them be for a while) - my brother-in-law is a registered nurse and EMT - he was the one who suggested the string method to me years ago.
ReplyDeleteGood luck! My rings were stuck on my finger for 7 years - yup, you read that right - 7 years (weight gain). I finally had them cut off when I got pregnant, thinking the problem would be worse. Ironically, I ended up wearing my rings right through the delivery, etc.
This happened my last pregnancy. I soaked my hand in ice water for about 5 minutes and then was able to get them off using a little lubrication (windex/butter/lotion). The cold helps reduce the swelling enough to get them off.
ReplyDeletenothing worked for me...I had mine cut off by my jeweler for free. He said he could resize them no problem!
ReplyDeleteOh no! I'm sorry to hear about your rings. I don't have any other advice for you that hasn't already been listed above but PLEASE let us know what happens and what worked for you. I'm sending good ring removal thoughts your way!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteMy friend is a doula and recommends to her clients in this situation to eat a hearty amount of watermelon, let it digest and then do all the soapy water, ice, etc. tricks. Watermelon is a natural diuretic, but not so much of one that you'll lose necessary water. Good luck!!
ReplyDeleteMine got stuck when I was pregnant as well. I went to the doctor to have him cut them off and he did the string trick and it worked!! The only difference is that he used dental floss. The dental floss is a little more slippery and allows the ring to move over it easier.
ReplyDeleteTHanks, everyone!!! So far, I think I've tried everything suggested...olive oil, windex, string method, eating watermelon, soaking my hands in ice, holding my hands over my head, trying at different times of the day (my hands swell the most in the morning and at night), etc. Our neighbor is a jeweler, and he used pliers to make my ring more rounded (it was kind of smooshed from me carrying heavy test kits at work), and we thought that would help. He also told me to hold my hand over my head, bend it at my elbow behind my head and try to twist the ring off. He said that is supposed to stretch the ligament and make it easier to get off. So far, nothing has worked :(
ReplyDeleteI have an appointment with my midwife tomorrow at 3:30, so I'm going to try a few more things before then. If I don't have it off by then, I'm hoping she can cut it off. Our neighbor said they will be easy to fix, thank goodness. I just want them OFF! Elliott thinks the whole thing is hilarious and that doesn't help :( I knew I should have taken them off a month ago...
My step-grandma was an ER nurse and swore by the string method. I'd try one more time -- turn the air conditioning way down, position a comfy chair and tv tray next to a powerful vent, run your hand under some really cold water, wrap up the string/dental floss, and put some olive oil on your hand. Then sit in your cool spot and work at it very slowly. Make Elliott read to you to keep you from panicking. Hopefully you'd be able to get it off.
ReplyDeleteBut if not, they will be off tomorrow and they'll be easy to fix! That's good news!
Windex. I know it sounds all "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", but a jeweler showed me the trick and it works! I had to do it when I was pregnant.
ReplyDeleteI tried all of the things mentioned, and even had a doctor try the string trick, with my last pregnancy. In the end, I went to the jewelry store, and had them cut off. It was quick, free, and painless, and the rings were easily repaired after my fingers returned to normal.
ReplyDeleteOh so sad : (
ReplyDeleteI guess that's a good reminder for me to take them off : (
I hope it'll work out for you!