Extra Finger, Anyone???
 

Any GCers out here have 6 fingers on each hand? Or am I the only one? :D


My mom and I have it as well as one of my dad's sisters.

I was born with an extra finger on both hands also. My mother, sister and most relatives on my maternal grandfather's side of the family were all born extra fingers.

I've lived in Houston for over 20 years and have never met anyone else who was born with six fingers.

Re: Extra Finger, Anyone???
 

Not me, but I did go to school years ago with a guy that had an extra on each hand. I think he may have been the only person that I've known/met with one.

Thank you for replying. I was starting to feel all alone. :(

You're not alone. My younger sister, her son and I have them as well. We get it from my father. We have them on one hand because the other one dropped off in the hospital.

Scientific Info for the CURIOUS, NOSY LOOKERS!!!!
 

I see you all looking. . .we AIN'T WEIRD!!!!


Polydactylism, or having one or more extra fingers or toes, is probably the most common abnormality of development found at birth.

Polydactylism is reported in about 2 per 1000 children. However, many of the simpler cases are taken care of in the nursery by the obstetrician or pediatrician and don't show up in these statistics.

An extra finger or toe may be nothing more than a nubbin of soft tissue with no bone involvement, it may be a full digit that forks off one of the five normal long bones of the hand or foot, or it may be a complete extra digit with its own extra long bone in the hand or foot -- or almost any variation between these possibilities.

The most common form of polydactyly is a small, soft, extra finger that contains no bone. Many of these can be easily treated at birth by the attending physician who ties a suture tightly around the base. The extra digit falls off, and the normal-appearing hand or foot heals quickly.

If there might be bone in the extra digits, X rays should be obtained to give a clear picture of what is going on. In some instances, it is still difficult to decide which digit should be removed, and close observation of the function of the hands and feet as they develop can give the answer.

Complex polydactyly is usually not repaired until a child is one year old. Generally, the digit that is best aligned with the long bones is saved. When the other digit is removed, sometimes transferring tendons from the amputated digit will make the one that remains more normal. Sometimes a joint needs to be reconstructed, or a bony prominence shaved. If the case is complex, an orthopedic or plastic surgeon with expertise in hands and feet is preferred. Usually the results are excellent.

Let me clarify, do you have the actual finger or the BUMP??

I have the BUMP. I bit one off when I was 4. I was a nail biter. But the bump grew back.

Thanks for posting that info. I have only seen this on a cat before and not a person.

Interesting.

My great-grandmother's, sister's grands and great-grands had the traits for those extra fingers. They all either fell off, or were surgically removed. I know of maybe 8 of them that I can think of off the top of my head in that sector of the family that were born with them. :eek:

ETA: Hey CT4...does it mean there was some inbreeding going on? LMAO :D But no, it was like the great-grandmother (my nana's sister), the grandmother, 3 of her 8 children and about 4 of the grands that I can think of. My cousin Donnie (who is a great-grand) has two daughters and they both were born with it. I never thought it was strange since I had so many cousins like that. It's wierd to see that statistics show only 2 of 1000. :eek:

Throw your extra digits in the air!
 

This runs in my moms' family. I had them tied off [one on each hand]. My mom has 2 and my cousin [through my uncle - who doesn't have any] only has one.

Family legend has it that we were at my grandparents' house for a meet and greet of me, the new baby, and while passing me around, one of the fingers fell off and got lost in the shag carpet. Still haven't found it to this day!:eek: :eek: :eek:

My nubins are really temperature sensitive. When I try to explain to people what they are, a lot of people think they're warts. I point out that it's highly unlikely to have two warts on the place on each hand, that, and they never go away!

The Bump
 

My fingers were removed at birth, so I have the bump. Mine have always been really sensitive and hurt bad if I accidentally hit them or if I get a cut.

Re: Throw your extra digits in the air!
 

Me too. :( I had a friend in 1st grade whose mom made her hold my hand on field trips by only holding the middle and ring finger because she heard that was the way they would grow. :confused: :rolleyes: :confused: umm okay yeah sure.

lemme join the club. i had them on both pinkies, one was more of a bump, the other was more finger-like (but still small)

had them removed aound 7-8 y/o, they rub against the paper when you write and is bothersome!


oh, teh childhood trauma! kids wouldnt share crayons with me :( they didnt want to catch it...

I had the extra fingers also. In my newborn photo you can actually see them! However, they were removed before I went home.

I'm jealous :( there are no pics of me w/ mine, adn I'm kinda curious to see what they looked like