It’s hard to believe it’s the beginning of February already. Time is surely passing quickly. I’ve been reading books and I am currently working on 3 jigsaw puzzles. One is a small enough size that I can sit in bed and work on it. The other 2 are too large to move so I work on them in the living room. Healthwise, there are no significant changes. My sleeping pattern is really messed up. I’m often up until early morning hours like 2, 3, or 4 a.m. then I sleep late in the mornings unless I have somewhere to be or something I need to do early in the day. It really feels strange when I get up at 10 or 11 a.m. and then all of a sudden it’s after noon and I haven’t done anything except get dressed and maybe having something to eat.
I did go to two local outdoor events the past two weekends so I could get fresh air and exercise. I went to the Nautical Flea Market and the Pompano Unity Day. I am making an effort to walk every day. I try to park in a far parking spot at the store so I can walk farther. I’m trying not to put on the weight I lost on my trip. Now that I’m back home and cooking again, I’ve been eating small amounts of food and snacks more frequently. I’m also putting my chair outside on my porch in the afternoons when I read so I get more fresh air.
It seems that God is keeping me occupied with other health issues so I don’t focus on my tumors, pain, or any related issues. As I wrote in the previous post, I have no idea how my life will play out. Here is another true life example:
On Monday afternoon, January 26th, I was cleaning a small spot off the carpet with a thin cotton cloth and when I stopped and took the cloth off of my right index finger, which is the finger I used to clean the spot, I noticed that my finger bent backwards at the first knuckle. It would not go straight, it kept bending backwards. I called my doctor’s office and they were getting ready to close. I was told to go to an emergency room or emergency clinic. I knew I did something serious to my finger since there was no resistance between the top of my finger and the rest of the finger. Now when I see spots on the carpet I will either leave them for a while or use a sponge or something sturdy to clean it.
I don’t really like going to emergency rooms and spending hours there. I know whenever I have taken anyone to an emergency room, or gone for myself it’s several hours before being treated and released. So, I called my insurance company to get the name of an emergency clinic. I went and it took about an hour before I could see their doctor. He took an x-ray and it showed that I did not dislocate or break my finger. He thought I tore a tendon in my finger and he injected cortisone into two places in my injured finger and he put a splint on it to keep it straight.
The next day I went to my primary doctor and she agreed that it looks like I tore a tendon and have what is called mallet finger which is a torn extensor tendon. She said I need to see a hand surgeon which I did on Tuesday, February 3rd. The hand surgeon said that I do have mallet finger and she said it should heal okay with splinting for 6 or more weeks. But the finger has to remain straight, even when removing splint to dry the finger or checking my skin under the splint or else the splint time has to start over. I’ve read numerous pages on the Internet about this type of injury and it seems that it should heal with only being in a splint. I’m glad, I sure don’t want hand surgery.
The hand surgeon didn’t have a splint that fit me correctly, they were all too large. So, she put the smallest one she had on my finger and taped it so it would stay on. I had to go to a rehabilitation center where they made a splint to fit my finger. I am doing the best I can to minimize use of my index finger. While I am typing this post I am not using my index finger which makes it awkward to type and I have to backspace often to correct incorrect letters.
It’s amazing how important my right index finger it is and how often I use it. I bought several boxes of disposable gloves and I use them for almost everything I do since I have to keep my finger clean and dry. It could be worse, thankfully it’s only a finger in a splint and not my entire hand. In 1980, I broke a finger on my right hand and had my entire hand and my right arm in a cast up to my elbow for 6 weeks. That was definitely not fun. Living alone makes things a bit more challenging to do everything. Try brushing your teeth, washing dishes, eating, etc. with your non-dominent hand.
I was watching a television show today and Kobe Bryant was the guest. He had his right arm in a full sling that was strapped around his neck and waist, he didn’t say why. I was and am grateful only my finger is in a splint.
I’m still working on jigsaw puzzles, I just completed this one. I have 2 others started. I was able to finish this one since it’s small, only 500 pieces, and easy to work on. The other puzzles have 1,000 pieces and are a large size.
That’s about it for now.
