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Sam was mewling all morning. Which seemed peculiar. Or had I just been dreaming of her being a pest? So, at about 8:00 or 9:00, I decided to get up and let her out. Stumbling for my shorts and a t-shirt, I dressed and started stumbling my way on through the house. I was able to find my glasses too, this time. As I went by the dresser, I glanced at the clock but it did not register. On through the house toward the door. The view of the alarm clock on the dresser started coming into my consciousness as I neared the kitchen. What had it read? Troubling. Could not be... if I could still not recall exactly what I had seen.
I have three or four other time pieces in the house, but could not think to check those as I was fixated on the alarm clock in my room and my broadband was working on one or two thousandths of their usual bandwidth, so I did not or could not consider using them. After letting her out, I headed back to the bedroom. This time, more fully awake, and spending a little more time at the machine, I read clearly 11:45. Hmm. Had the alarm gone off and I turned it off unthinkingly, without remembering? Had I forgotten to set it? Who knows, but a late start was in the offing.
To the computer, into news, blogs, and my own rebooting sequence, if a little later than I had planned. All that done, except my own post, I sit here thinking about the day. No butt planting season is in the offing. I have a bit of juice, interest, will, and lots of little things which can easily be done this day. I already had lunch. Beans, rice, and charizo. I had not prepped cereal last night so nothing was ready this morning. Still, that is fine. A little something is good enough. Hamburgers or maybe spaghetti or beef stroganoff tonight, probably.
Dishes ought to be first, after watering the plants and seeing if little Miss Fluffball is indeed using her new privacy room. Then a tending of empty boxes and packing material. At which point I probably will plop my buns into the executive chair it so loves... and hates. It is my... my... my precioussss. Of course, I may need to make some calls right after dishes in the hopes of talking to someone live, on the phone, regarding the tax rebate. Then some play time. More work a bit after that. Nothing heavy today. I will not push and shove. I will merely do what I might, if I try to keep a solid pace while working so as to get to more time sensitive things. Living in Iowa, if not the best in many ways, made contacting people by phone a bit easier. Living in the West is a little more complicated. Whoever I call, depending on where they are, might be closed well before, seemingly, I even begin my day. My afternoon might well be their evening. I still have not quite internalized that yet. But beyond, I never know, when I place a call, where it might end up locationwise.
That finger, by the way, is going to need a lot of rehabilitation. I thought it would heal faster. I also thought once healed it would be pretty much functional. I was way off. Even at this point, I cannot come close to folding the finger. I am not sure, at this point, that the problem is swelling. I think it is merely that the as the muscles knit, they did not do so with full motion access and could not have had that or they would not have repaired. So, I am going to have to stretch the muscle, much of it new material, into allowing a full grip. I guess I am amazed. Especially as little pain as I felt. Mostly just enough pain, or sensation anyway, to keep me from sleeping. Good pain threshold, bad indicator of real damage, each has it's place.
Well, on to some work. Be good. Take those opportunities when they come. You never know when you might not get another one, or how soon if you do. Today, for me, again, is that chance. And I am hopping on with spurs and a gleam in my eye. If too I am only going to ride it at a walk, on a level path, to the tree on the corner and back. But darn it, I AM in the saddle again today anyway.
Good day.
Daisycat may have some suggestions re: rehab, being that's what she does for a living.
ReplyDeleteI forget where exactly the cut went, and what was affected?
Ah, okay. The cut was on my left index finger. From the base of the finger starting at the joint, the cut went into the finger to or nearly to the knuckle, going deeper as it went. It did cut the muscle in half.
ReplyDeleteNo ligaments were cut at least from what the doctor could see (and he opened it up wide... in spite of what he said... he wouldn't let me look and the nurse could see the bleeder (he exclaimed when he saw it) though he was standing about even with my mid-shin or ankle, on the other side of the bed, a few feet back from the bed). The nerve (or nerves) were not cut either, though I did suffer occasional loss of sensation due to some of the worst of the occasional swelling of and on throughout the healing process. Sensitivity was mostly save for swelling moments and is currently fully returned. I did, however, nick a "bleeder", though I think they said it was not a major one. The bleeder needed at least cauterization and I think stitches.
I tried to be as descriptive of the wound and such as possible. I also have tried to describe the healing process and potential auxiliary data which might have some basis in an assessment.
Well, her answer was "he needs to be seeing an Occupational Therapist".
ReplyDeleteSo perhaps?
She said the problem is that there is likely to be some very significant amounts of scar tissue and scar tissue "adhesions" building up in and around the muscle and nearby tissues, which are limiting the joint mobility.
She said ultrasound therapy would be very valuable to break up the scar tissue that is forming, but that would only come at a therapist office.
Barring that, she said that intense massage, stretching, and pulling would help, but typically people cannot do it intensely enough due to the pain it causes. I told her that this is Doom and he can probably push himself to the point of pain if he's not able to see a therapist.
So here goes:
1) *Very* firmly massaging the healing tissue with the other thumb, to the point of significant pain.
2)Pulling the finger out as hard as possible to stretch the tissues. She suggested having someone pull on the finger as hard as possible (which of course I joked would result in flatulence).
3)Bending the finger back as far as possible toward the wrist, again to stretch the tissues.
4)Isolating the stiff joints (letting only one joint be moved at a time) and working the joint back and forth. Grip below your stiff knuckle with the opposite thumb and middle finger, then flex the joint with your other forefinger (if this was a therapist he or she would be using both hands to flex it for you).
Over my shoulder she tells me that she is discovering that ultrasound machines can be had on Amazon.com for under $100 (but they require some training to use correctly.)
Hope that helps.
It is indeed Doom. And, I may indeed give it a whirl. Still, since it involves no medicine, I see no problem with seeking medical assistance. Actually, the reason I am considering a visit to the therapist is not because of the pain... it's because, well, I break things. I might go a bit overboard.
ReplyDeleteAnd, if going to a therapist proves too distasteful due to them trying to push meds or just being all queer or something, I will have a blueprint and a base from which to work. This, healing stuff, is not my area.
Oh, tell her thanks! I might goof with it a bit and see how much it really hurts. I pulled me finger as well as I could, and it's okay. But I farted. I can bend it almost as far back as the other. And the massage feels good, at least as hard as I can press. Folding it is what gets me. I will work on that. I can sure feel the knot in there. I knew it was scar. Trust me, scars, especially muscle scars, never completely go away.
Again, thanks and thanks to the Mrs. D.C. I may just have to call the V.A. Since most of what I am doing does not hurt at all, save the folding, maybe I am missing something... along with my other considerations.
The point of the exercise is that you are actually damaging and breaking down the mobility-limiting scar tissue, which in most people will result in pain.
ReplyDeleteIf VA will give you hand therapy, that would be ideal, because that could include some ultrasound.
Just the bit I have done so far has opened up mobility a bit, but to a far greater extent has begun to eliminate the crankiness in the knuckle. Still, I don't think I could rehab it very quickly just with stretches and exercises, so Monday I will call.
ReplyDeleteAs I may have said, at the V.A., I only trust them if the diagnosis and treatment are slam-dunk no doubts and medicine isn't involved. Stitches (though don't expect a pretty job always there), a broken arm, this I think. It would be nice to think of something I am considering that SLC might have a source of, specialty knowledge about, or whatever, to make the trips more useful. But... Who knows.
After cranking on the hand a lot since the advice, I have pretty much eliminated the waves of stimuli, and crankiness at the knuckle. I may have worked as much as 10% of the lost mobility back. It would be a long haul this way. I think I will see if the V.A. will use their tech tools. At least it is easier to work with now.
ReplyDelete