Broken Hand

So yeah, I broke my hand...that's why my blog has been MIA. But, seeing as I still have two character posts to do, I'm going to type them with one hand and pray I don't wanna beat myself in the head with my cast before I finish.

That said, I might as well share my pain with you all...as I'm a TMI sorta gal as it is...and nothing tells a story better than pictures. :) So here you go.

8/8/11
Fall on the way to the subway and do this to my finger:

I go home, I buddy up the left pinky with ring finger and tape them, wrap my hand in a bag of frozen corn (no, really...that's the truth), called my boss, call my PCP and get on the train to downtown. And yes...I'm crying like hell as quietly as I can. People are staring. I'm in a panic. Good times.

PCP agrees..."Yep, it's broken. But we can't Xray or help you. You need a hand surgeon or the E.R." Oh heeeell no, I'm NOT going to an E.R. Find me a doctor today please! I tell them, "I don't care if I wait all damn day, I just wanna see them today and verify it's broken and find out what to do."

So luckily they find one who will squeeze me in that day. And off I go!

It takes HOURS but I'm finally seen and wow, is it brokem! Here's the X-ray (look at the base of my pinky, where it meets the hand. See the break and twist of the bone?):


The guard they put on it until surgery:











8/9/11
SURGERY DAY!
Doc marks the correct finger & arm:

The weirdest underwear and ugliest socks...you HAVE to wear these for surgery. Oooh...sexy. NOT! See:

I wake up to THIS large of a cast (yeah, that's only my thumb you can see) w/o warning:
I'm like "WTF? Didn't I say I needed at least one finger! Aaarrgh!" ---that huge foam thing, for those of you lucky to have never seen or worn one...it keeps the hand upright...constantly (yes, even in sleep). I find out though that they were able to do a "closed reduction" (and boy, are they wiggy happy about it). I find out later that its a bit rare to get to do this. Hence doctor happiness.

Luckily I am only to wear this bastard for a week.

Let me tell you...its the small things you realize you appreciate when you have no second hand. Like what? Oh, like putting on your underwear! Talk about a reach around! Almost gave up on wearing any! My bra? I didn't even bother to try.

So I lay in a bed for 7 days...eating, reading and being depressed (and in wicked pain, but that's a given, right?) and gaining pounds by the moment...or that's what it feels like. I'm a mover. I'm a shaker. And now...I'm a lump on a bed. *Grumble*

Oh, did I mention my book edits were due?

Would it be unwise to tell you I possibly cried over that as much as I cried about the pain while at the doctor office?

Does this make me shallow?

ANYHOO...where were we?

Ah yes, one week to wear the bloody buggering bastard of a cast...

8/15/11
NEW CAST DAY! (I get fingers back!)

They have to saw the thing off. (Maybe, just maaaaybe I had visions of that saw going thru to my skin and my blood spurting all over the white little room...but let's not talk about it, shall we?)...and I see the pins in my swollen hand:


They take a new Xray (LOOK AT THOSE HUGE ASS PINS IN MY SMALL HAND!):











They then put me in this cast (yay fingers!) and send me off:

Where do I go? I visit my pal Charlie and work up the courage to cut all my hair off. Why? Wrll....

1) It's August in NYC
2) I can in NO way "do" my hair with 1.25 hands. Can't.
3) I look good in short hair and have been thinking about doing it for awhile.

So, I meet up with Lauren and we both get our hair cut short (me more so than her, mind you). Here is what I had done:

FAST FORWARD A WEEK....

I start experiencing severe numbness in my index finger. I call the doc's office. I'm told I've pushed too hard, elevate my hand for 24 hrs and call on Sunday.

On Sunday it's worse and I'm now in a bit of a panic (like I wasn't the night before...ha! I totally was!). I call. Bob asks me, "Is your cast loose?" I'm like, "Yeah, why?" Alas...Bob tells me that its possible the reason for the extra pain at the pins and numbness is because the cast is loose enough to rub them.

LOVERLY.

I'm told I needt to come back in.

*sigh*

8/22/11
BACK TO THE DOCTOR WE GO...3rd Monday in a row!

They cut off the cast (insert mild anxiety of saw & blood & spatter again), re-Xray it, and pour alcohol on the pins (ouch!). Good news is te swelling is waaay down and though these are a bit red, doc says they look great. (Uhhh, really? Cause to me thry look angry, pal) See?
Doc also says its healing really well...bone's in the perfect place...etc. He also thinks my numbness is due to cast pinching my wrist. So, good news, I get a shorter cast, more padding...and it's BLACK. Yep, it now matches my wardrobe. *snicker* See?:




Anyhoo...normally I'd get this one off in 2 weeks buuut that's Labor Day and my doc only sees patients on Monday's (he's in surgery the other days) so I must wait until Sept 12th. 10:30am. I'm counting down the days with marks on my cast (like jail) until I'm free. I'll probably still need to wear that cuff they made me on the day of the break after the cast is off...but I SO don't care. :)

So that's my tale of woe...of my first broken bone ever. Good news is my Orthopedic Hand Surgeon is one of the top in the country and he feels I should have full use of my pinky after some PT. YAY! I shou;d be rip, rarin' and ready to rock br 2011 NaNoWriMo!!!! Woot!

So be carefull where you walk New Yorkers...this ALL came to be because I tripped on a broken sidewalk on my way to the subway/work.

Yeah, trust me, I already know I'm a klutz...hell, I'm actually shocked it took this long for me to break something!LOL!

Take care all! Wish me luck with my edits...First round went to the editor on Saturday and we have 2 more passes till it's ready. I still want this book to come out 10/14/11! So pray I get fast with this one hand method of typing! :)

xo

Tamsin :)