Right Hook

I couldn't help myself. This could be the last night that I wear this splint so I felt compelled to take a better photograph of it. I've dubbed it my cavemen club. Not only does it look like one, but it weighs enough to kill a Mastodon. (Besides, I didn't have a blip so it was as good as anything I could think of.)

I have my post op appointment tomorrow morning with my surgeon.  Frankly, I don't know if I cast will be more or less painful. It's okay when it is resting at my side or if I turn it in. But it hurts like hell when I turn it out. The worst, of course, is if I bend the wrist. That puts pressure on the incision and pins and still causes terrible pain. That is why typing is still so difficult; because bending the wrist, whether you want to or not, is part of it.

So tomorrow is a big day for me. There is a very high probability that I will be coming home wearing a cast. My problem is that there wasn't just a broken bone in the hand. There was also a knuckle and hanging finger which had to be put back together. That explains why the fingers are covered to their tips and why the messed up ring finger has two buddies to keep him company. Hopefully, the pins will come out tomorrow.

I went to the community hospital this morning and finally met with the patient advocate. I told her how their emergency department missed the diagnosis of my broken hand when I sought treatment there on September 2. She said she was appalled by the entire situation and will look into it.  My purpose in talking to her about it is let them know it's happened so that they can prevent it from happening to someone else.

It's a new hospital, only opened at the end of May. They can't let themselves get caught up making these kinds of mistakes or they will lose the trust of the community. Many people now know about my situation and will have second thoughts about going there for this kind of treatment. That will be a shame. I know a little something about what happens when you lose your reputation. When it comes down to it, that's all you have in life.  Or business.