Before you make any assumptions about the following picture, I’m still happily married. However, my ring finger had been feeling under pressure for some time:

I actually lost my original wedding ring, which slipped off my finger when I was swimming in the sea a couple of years later. My parents gave me an heirloom, my Grandpa’s gold ring. I had to have it slightly reduced in size but I’ve worn it pretty much all the time ever since.

In the past, I used to take it off for heavy DIY tasks but it has gradually become tighter and tighter. I been watching a few videos about ways to get stuck rings off without resorting to a cutter but, when Jane raised it this morning (after my day in the shed yesterday), we decided to make a concerted effort to get it off.

First, we tried the idea of wrapping the finger tightly with something like a ribbon or elastic to compress the flesh and then unwinding it, pulling the ring along. That didn’t work so we went onto plan B. I submerged my hand in a bowl of icy water (ie. cold water with added ice-cubes) for a couple of minutes and then we lubricated the ring with olive oil (other kitchen oils would have been fine) and I worked it off. It took a while but wasn’t as painful as the ribbon trick and, as you can see, it came off in the end.

Will I get it enlarged or move the ring to my little finger? Possibly… but I think I’ll wait for the compression mark to heal up before I make any decision.