Healing....
So. You know how when you wear a bandaid for a while, your skin goes all wrinkly and oogly? (I know, it isn't a word, but it sure is descriptive) Well, I needed to change band aids yesterday. My middle finger was getting really sore where the wrinkles were getting too deep. So, I switched out the band aids for some gauze and paper tape.
The finger on the left hand - I didn't bother putting anything on. It seems to be doing fine.
The ring finger on the right hand, with the major divot - looked a little better yesterday evening. It seems to be filling in nicely with whatever it is that the body fills large gaps with. (sort of like a clearish liquidy stuff - I think the word serum or blood plasma is essentially what it is, but I'm no doctor or nurse, so I really don't know for sure) Just a few minutes ago, though, I realized (typing with the finger) that the gauze that is supposed to be, according to the package, "non-stick won't stick to wounds" is sticking to the wound. So, I've just loosened off the tape (which means I'm going to have to replace it; it doesn't want to restick) and separated the gauze from the edge of the hole. It is now stinging a little - but that will go away again.
The middle finger - now that is a mess. I changed it in the afternoon - like I said, the oogly skin was very sore, so I needed to air it out and dry it out. I wasn't sure how much the bandaids were going to be stuck, since they'd been in place since the accident Saturday mid-day. Well, the loose piece of skin, which was/is still attached to my hand, was stuck to the band aid. I couldn't just rip off the band aid - normally the "best" way to remove one - or I would have really hurt myself! So, I had to gently peel the skin off the band aid. Trust me, that was an icky thing....
I think I'm going to end up with a dead flap of skin that will need cutting off later. The finger was healing up and had closed up "behind" where this skin had come from... The one end was still attached as normal, with a cut along the side of it, which is scabbing and healing. But part of it is sticking way out from the finger. I did sort of try to put it in place, and hold it with the gauze and tape. I don't' think it will reunite with my finger, though. But, once the whole thing is healed (this one looks like it will be the slowest to do so) I can clip the skin off with nail clippers, and maybe use an emery stick to smooth it down.... It will be dead, dried up skin by then.
Sorry if my descriptions are a bit graphic for anyone... In some ways, they sound worse than they look. But I only took fresh picture of the left hand without band aid. And it already looks way better than it did when I took those pics! Right now, it looks like a kind of scratch you'd get that you don't bother to put any band aid on. I think the only reason it ever looked worse, is because there was a ragged but very thin piece of skin shaved... think peeling sunburn kind of loose skin...
For me, the worst part right now is not being able to knit. Or hold some tools, such as - I was thinking about supper last night, and realized that I probably couldn't hold the knife to cut up a chicken like I wanted to. (Saturday night we went out and got burgers and fries, no cooking at all, and Sunday night we did bacon and eggs - not a lot involved, and I can flip eggs with my left hand). Anyway, ended up asking for DH to peel the potatoes. There was no way, with or without rubber gloves, that I could hold the peeler or knife for cutting them up.
Back when my son was much younger, he used to ask me "stupid questions". At least, I told him they were... He would ask things like, would you rather be deaf or blind? would you rather have a broken leg or a broken arm? and other silly comparisons. Of course, my answers were always "neither", but he would press me to make a choice. I never really could. Now, though, after having a broken hand last summer, and this cut up hand now, I'd have to say, if I were given a choice between hands and feet out of commission, I'd take feet. My sister once said that people take their feet for granted, and should look after them better. She'd been in an accident, and broke both her legs among other things. But, for me, I'd have to say, if my feet were sore or damaged, well - I could still do things, like sit down and put my feet up to rest, sit in chairs, use crutches or a wheel chair to get around. But the inability to use my hands - that is driving me nuts!!!! Yes, I managed to work around the cast last year, and I'm working on adapting now (thank heavens I'm ambidextrous!) but it is so difficult for me. I get frustrated fast, I feel horrible to be so dependent - yes, asking for help is one of the things that I need to learn to do, and to not feel guilty for not doing all the things I used to/could/"should" do... But it is still hard for me to just sit by and watch someone else look after things, and me...
Last night's TV: I hadn't erased Walking Dead, and since DH and I were talking about the "withdrawal" we'd be going through until next fall, I had mentioned some of the "questions" we were left with at the end. I'd made a reference to a scene, and he didn't recall what I was referring to. So, we rewatched it. Funny, normally I don't like to watch the same show that close - but this one has so much going on...
Then, I fell asleep on the couch...Not for long, just enough to miss the end of Hawaii 5-0, (I seldom pay close attention to that show anyway, so no big deal) and the start of what I thought was to be Big Bang Theory... One of the local stations was rerunning the show weeknights at 10. They do that with some of the longer running sitcoms. But, it would seem they've changed, and are now running two and a half men. I may or may not watch... I was a late comer to that show, too, so I might try the catch up. A lot will depend on how tired I am - there are some other good hour long shows (cop type) that start at 10 as well. Some nights, though, much as I love BBT, I sometimes would either just go to bed part way into them, or I'd do the bed time routine in the commercials so I could go to bed right at the end, or sometimes I'll stay up and watch the last half of the cop show (reruns, so I don't' mind much missing the first part). Anyway, last night I would have enjoyed a BBT rerun, but went to bed early instead. I knew I was tired, because my right hand had woken me up a few times during the night. Last night, though, I slept well. So I feel much better all around today.
Don't know what if anything I'll accomplish today, but at least I'm feeling a bit better. :)
(Unfortunately, though, because I can't do much, I can't stay busy, so that nasty loneliness comes back :( )
Well, I guess, if it isn't' too cool out later (we've been having great warmer than normal weather lately, but they are forecasting cooler today) I can always go play ball with the dogs.
The finger on the left hand - I didn't bother putting anything on. It seems to be doing fine.
The ring finger on the right hand, with the major divot - looked a little better yesterday evening. It seems to be filling in nicely with whatever it is that the body fills large gaps with. (sort of like a clearish liquidy stuff - I think the word serum or blood plasma is essentially what it is, but I'm no doctor or nurse, so I really don't know for sure) Just a few minutes ago, though, I realized (typing with the finger) that the gauze that is supposed to be, according to the package, "non-stick won't stick to wounds" is sticking to the wound. So, I've just loosened off the tape (which means I'm going to have to replace it; it doesn't want to restick) and separated the gauze from the edge of the hole. It is now stinging a little - but that will go away again.
The middle finger - now that is a mess. I changed it in the afternoon - like I said, the oogly skin was very sore, so I needed to air it out and dry it out. I wasn't sure how much the bandaids were going to be stuck, since they'd been in place since the accident Saturday mid-day. Well, the loose piece of skin, which was/is still attached to my hand, was stuck to the band aid. I couldn't just rip off the band aid - normally the "best" way to remove one - or I would have really hurt myself! So, I had to gently peel the skin off the band aid. Trust me, that was an icky thing....
I think I'm going to end up with a dead flap of skin that will need cutting off later. The finger was healing up and had closed up "behind" where this skin had come from... The one end was still attached as normal, with a cut along the side of it, which is scabbing and healing. But part of it is sticking way out from the finger. I did sort of try to put it in place, and hold it with the gauze and tape. I don't' think it will reunite with my finger, though. But, once the whole thing is healed (this one looks like it will be the slowest to do so) I can clip the skin off with nail clippers, and maybe use an emery stick to smooth it down.... It will be dead, dried up skin by then.
Sorry if my descriptions are a bit graphic for anyone... In some ways, they sound worse than they look. But I only took fresh picture of the left hand without band aid. And it already looks way better than it did when I took those pics! Right now, it looks like a kind of scratch you'd get that you don't bother to put any band aid on. I think the only reason it ever looked worse, is because there was a ragged but very thin piece of skin shaved... think peeling sunburn kind of loose skin...
For me, the worst part right now is not being able to knit. Or hold some tools, such as - I was thinking about supper last night, and realized that I probably couldn't hold the knife to cut up a chicken like I wanted to. (Saturday night we went out and got burgers and fries, no cooking at all, and Sunday night we did bacon and eggs - not a lot involved, and I can flip eggs with my left hand). Anyway, ended up asking for DH to peel the potatoes. There was no way, with or without rubber gloves, that I could hold the peeler or knife for cutting them up.
Back when my son was much younger, he used to ask me "stupid questions". At least, I told him they were... He would ask things like, would you rather be deaf or blind? would you rather have a broken leg or a broken arm? and other silly comparisons. Of course, my answers were always "neither", but he would press me to make a choice. I never really could. Now, though, after having a broken hand last summer, and this cut up hand now, I'd have to say, if I were given a choice between hands and feet out of commission, I'd take feet. My sister once said that people take their feet for granted, and should look after them better. She'd been in an accident, and broke both her legs among other things. But, for me, I'd have to say, if my feet were sore or damaged, well - I could still do things, like sit down and put my feet up to rest, sit in chairs, use crutches or a wheel chair to get around. But the inability to use my hands - that is driving me nuts!!!! Yes, I managed to work around the cast last year, and I'm working on adapting now (thank heavens I'm ambidextrous!) but it is so difficult for me. I get frustrated fast, I feel horrible to be so dependent - yes, asking for help is one of the things that I need to learn to do, and to not feel guilty for not doing all the things I used to/could/"should" do... But it is still hard for me to just sit by and watch someone else look after things, and me...
Last night's TV: I hadn't erased Walking Dead, and since DH and I were talking about the "withdrawal" we'd be going through until next fall, I had mentioned some of the "questions" we were left with at the end. I'd made a reference to a scene, and he didn't recall what I was referring to. So, we rewatched it. Funny, normally I don't like to watch the same show that close - but this one has so much going on...
Then, I fell asleep on the couch...Not for long, just enough to miss the end of Hawaii 5-0, (I seldom pay close attention to that show anyway, so no big deal) and the start of what I thought was to be Big Bang Theory... One of the local stations was rerunning the show weeknights at 10. They do that with some of the longer running sitcoms. But, it would seem they've changed, and are now running two and a half men. I may or may not watch... I was a late comer to that show, too, so I might try the catch up. A lot will depend on how tired I am - there are some other good hour long shows (cop type) that start at 10 as well. Some nights, though, much as I love BBT, I sometimes would either just go to bed part way into them, or I'd do the bed time routine in the commercials so I could go to bed right at the end, or sometimes I'll stay up and watch the last half of the cop show (reruns, so I don't' mind much missing the first part). Anyway, last night I would have enjoyed a BBT rerun, but went to bed early instead. I knew I was tired, because my right hand had woken me up a few times during the night. Last night, though, I slept well. So I feel much better all around today.
Don't know what if anything I'll accomplish today, but at least I'm feeling a bit better. :)
(Unfortunately, though, because I can't do much, I can't stay busy, so that nasty loneliness comes back :( )
Well, I guess, if it isn't' too cool out later (we've been having great warmer than normal weather lately, but they are forecasting cooler today) I can always go play ball with the dogs.
posted by Catlady @ 10:19 a.m.
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