I had therapy again tonight and the progress is becoming very apparent now. The funky finger issue is also quite apparent. If I try to make a fist, my DIP joint (the last joint nearest the fingernail) will not bend at all. If someone stabilizes the PIP joint (the middle joint) then the DIP joint has some range of motion. Not the 90 degrees I'd like to see but more like 40 degrees. Still better than nothing which is what I get when using both joints together.
The other funky finger issue is that if the therapist forefully bends just the DIP joint, it does not hurt. Same with the PIP joint. However, if she moves both together as if I were making a fist, the pain is just incredible. Even with Vicodin it is just absolutely unbearable. People, I gave birth to a baby with NO pain meds so I know my pain tolerance is quite high. This finger thing if done just right can make me swear like a trooper and bawl like a baby. It is really getting better though. Just not fast enough to suit me!