Metacarpophalangeal Madness

My very own (accident &) emergency Blip!

So after two weeks of niggling pain in my hand from the first rounders session and an inability to hold a bat to hit left-handed on Wednesday (as well as holding cups, pushing light switches and other embarassingly easy tasks), I thought I should probably go and get my hand looked at - even if it was just to confirm a bit of internal bruising (i.e. more pain for a few more weeks until it healed.

Post-work I popped off to Addenbrookes to find the sport injury clinic someone at work had mentioned, better than waiting in A&E for four hours. Or it would have been if the place hadn't closed down two years ago - so much for that! Four hours in A&E it was (luckily with the rest of 'Clash of Kings' to get through - which I did just as I was cleared!)

The doctor who saw me agreed with the muscle theory, especially with me still having full range of motion on the thumb, but when I mentioned the pain was going up the side they recommended me for an x-ray to check out the bones, just in case. I've had a hairline fracture in my other hand before, when I was a kid, and that went undiagnosed for two weeks as well because I'm quite stubborn about pain that way (also the doctors missed it the first time!)

Good news is that there was no fracture they spotted on the x-rays, bad news is that there is some kind of bruise or compression around the base of my thumb, where the metacarpals join the phalange - hence the awesome Blip title.

Now it's two weeks in the thumb spike pictured, with a minimum of effort to be put into activities such as typing (at which point I apologise to my colleague at work who I'm meant to be starting a few reports for...), cycling (with both hands at least...) and rounders (damn, damn, damn...).

On the bright side I expect to be thoroughly cheered up this weekend with a friend's birthday tomorrow and a Cambridge Blipmeet on Sunday - will be good fun to meet folks!