We Interrupt This For A Fast Breaking News Story...

So I had mentioned that I was "bleeding like a stuck pig" on my last update....

This just in - I was popping a stitch! (cue cat throw up noises)

When I was at Physio last night with the lovely Casual Diane, she mentioned that "Oh! I can see your stitch is pulling out!". I told her that I was bleeding quite excessively (well, at least in my ind I was), and she had a better look at it, and I was actually RIPPING the stitch out of my finger. 

Gross, hey???

So, we've Steri-stripped the sucker, and have allowed it to be a little more supported today. The bleeding is less today, and I've tried to maintain my bend. (Which is hard. YOU try not bleeding all over the RoboHand 3000!!!)

So yeah. Mystery solved. Unfortunately. (bleah!) 

What I Think Every 30 Something Says To Themselves On The Inside...

So Am I The Million Dollar Girl, or Just The Thousand Dollar Girl?

As promised, here are the pics of the new & improved, bionic me. *laughs* So I'm not sure what they call this contraption - maybe the "Bend-o-matic 3000". All it says is "Wave Flex" on the carrying case, and there is no user's manual (to my consternation!).

And, like always, get ready for your guided tour...

See?? Kinda cool how it attached on, and bends your fingers for you..

More Super Cool Bending Action....

Annnnndddd, a side view.....

oh! Check out my extension! See - there's little sticky pads that

attach onto your fingernails (I kid you not!), and then there's little

Velcro straps that you hold your finger more securely with.

There's this little remote as well, that you control the speed and 

degree of flexion/extension that you get. Pretty gosh darned cool.

I was using the Bionic Hand this morning, and I was bleeding like a stuck pig! (I hope it's not a bad sign!) I have physio with the lovely Casual Diane tonight, and so I'll ask her how it's looking. My finger is very achy today, and very sore. (Granted, I keep on forgetting my Advil, so it's prolly all my fault..) On a pain scale of 0-10, 10 being where you pass out, and 8 is where you are nauseated from the pain, I'd say I'm a dull 3. Not too bad, but still painful.

C.

Here We Go Again...

So..... guess what??? I had to go see my hand surgeon again, and he determined that I needed another surgery. (How did I get so gosh darned lucky??!?) I saw him January 12th, and my whole entire appointment was 10 minutes from me walking in the door, checking in with the receptionist, sitting down, getting called back, getting seated, seeing the doc, and leaving. WOW!!! Fast! (But on the up side - I only had to pay $1.50 for parking! W00t!)

Yeah. Surgery. His office called me on the 12th in the afternoon, and set up surgery for January 15th. (cue inner freaking out...) With much fear and trepidation and memories of the last hand surgery floating thru my mind, I showed up for the surgery Thursday morning. I won't lie to you.... it was incredibly gross. Knowing that once again, you get to undergo extensive therapy to be able to move - I think it is mandatory that successful physio patients have to be a bit sadistic.  And hearing your own scar tissue rip away from your tendon during the ever-so-fun Patient Participation portion of the surgery (you have to move your hand when they tell you - with it wide open... "Annnnddd, make a fist? HARD!! Again! Really hard!!" ) - barforama. I am still a little urpy when I remember it. (I try not to remember it)

But this is my latest owwie.... I'll take you on a tour. I'll post pics of my Bionic Hand later... ;) 

All bandaged up from Physio today - looking pretty 24 hours post surgery.

Look Mom... No Coban wrap! It's a little bit of gauze to catch some blood.
The white strip is a Steristrip - you can use it in place of stitches. We are using it as a support for the pulley that the surgeon reconstructed for me to hold my tendon.

 
Look at my stitches! Not as many as the first surgery (hallelujah!), and he followed the previous incision line so it will eventually look prettier. What a sweet man!

And get this.... I am in Physio already. Moving it, bending it, and trying to get the tendon gliding and hopefully moving it enough that the scar tissue won't adhere to the tendon again. (Scar tissue treats muscle, bone, tendon, ligaments, and skin all the same - it just glues it together hence the reason why I couldn't move anything.) I can bend the middle joint a lot better than I could before, but the top joint wasn't released... The surgeon said that there's very little success to be had with those itty bitty joints, and that we were asking for more trouble than it was worth.

I'll take photos of my Bionic Hand later tonight and post it...

C.

How is it January already??

Wow. What a hectic holiday season!

Christmas Eve went well.... Christmas Day was a smashing success! All those hours in the kitchen did their trick - my in-laws were SO impressed with the food (inside I felt like cheering!). I must have spent 9 hours cooking, and just laying out the tables to perfection.  (Yes, I said TABLES, in plural. We had 1 grownup table, and 1 Big Kid table, and 1 little kid table. All went well. No food was thrown to my knowledge, and it all got cleaned up. Eventually. :D  )

Now, here we are thrown into January. My youngest daughter is turning 6 next week (how did THAT happen!?!).

And we are smack dab in the middle of setting New Year's Resolutions. I personally like my youngest son's "revolutions".... He wants to learn to fly this year, and he wants to learn to swim "really well, like a big big boy".

My resolutions are not as lofty as his are. Mine are pretty simple, I think.

In 2009, I want to spend more time outside. I love being outside, but part of the downside of living in Canada is that you risk life and limb at times when you go outside in the winter. (Case in point? Today. Our high temperature today was -24 C, and with the wind it was a balmy -37C. Brrrrr.... You go outside too much and hello frostbite!)

In 2009, I want to relearn how to play the piano. I am so out of practice, and it shames me. My scales are all herky-jerky and my fingering is consistently incorrect. (Poor Mr Curtis would whack me on my knuckles in horror, I'm sure!) I also love being able to make something beautiful happen when I sit down to play.... not something that sounds like I belong in a grade 7 concert band! Yeeks!

Also, in 2009, I'd like to get my finger as close to normal as humanly possible. Yes, I understand that it will probably entail another surgery on my poor pinky. And I"ll be in for some MORE physio, and yes it will suck temporarily. But if I could use my pinky again! And to bend it properly! That would be tremendous!! (I was sort of "discharged" on December 29th. All I need to do is go see the Hand Surgeon, find out when he can slice me, and there I go.)

Those are my "revolutions".

Happy New Year!