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January 10, 2006
Sticks and stones
Through my own stupidity I managed to break the little finger on my left hand. When I say broken, I mean more than a fracture, the bone of the proximal phalange (that is the bone closest to your hand) was completely broken through.
Of course I only found this out after sitting in A+E in the Mater from 5 in the morning until 1:30pm the next day.
Eventually the doctors told me to 'present myself' at the St Peters day ward at 7:30am the next morning and to ensure that I had fasted for at least 12 hours.
Fasting is fine, often I would not have breakfast until late in the day. The problem isn't food, the problem is liquids. When they say fasting they mean nothing past your lips. No water. Nothing.
So thirsty and hungry I made my way on foot up to the Mater - I had to take my left arm out of the jacket sleeve and hold it in my jacket as I couldnt put my injured hand into my pocket to keep it warm. With no food in my belly it was damn cold - all the puddles were frozen.
I eventually got a bed in the ward (after some confusion - I was a pencil in candidate for a cancelled bed) and was almost immediately told to don the robe of shame (just managed to keep my nether regions from prying eyes - those hospital bed curtains NEVER close properly...).
The worst part of the experience was waiting in the anaesthesia room. The anaesthesiologist was hovering around with big needles. I have no problem with needles per se, its sticking the needles into the crook of my arm that I have a problem with - makes my skin crawl just thinking about it. Stupid I know but that's phobia for you.
They finally gave me the sedatives through the drip line and then proceeded to stick big nasty needles into my left hand twisting them this way and that to deliver some serious pain killers. Ouch, but not skin crawl inducing so OK.
All I remember is someone coming in and saying 'maybe we will give him a general anaesthetic'. After that I woke up in a different place with my hand all bandaged.
I now have two metal pins sticking out of my hand secured by a metal bar holding the bone steady so that it will set straight.
I am cyborg! Bow before me puny humans!
Anyway, I'll be getting the pins out on the 17th and I'll make sure I post some photos of the extraction - maybe even some video!
Posted by dottie at January 10, 2006 5:29 PM