I couldn't either bednobs - it was also a begger if you accidentally bashed it off the gearstick while changing gear. I would say two or three days later the swelling went down and the bruising got a bit worse - then it was stiff and a wee bit sore for a while and it didn't bend properly for months - now it is virtually unnoticeable.
I didn't strap it either if that helps - it got in the way when typing - at least if it was sore on its own i still had use of all the other fingers - riskiest point was when the swelling went down - i'd forget from time to time and use it!!