Scattered Thoughts . . .

I t has been about two and a half months since my table saw accident that resulted in a bit of an amputation of my thumb including part of the bone so it is probably time for an update.  I know that most people think that no news is good news so are also assuming this injury is probably long behind me at this point since I haven't mentioned anything in about two months, but...   it is not behind me.  My thumb is indeed healing well but it is not behind me just yet. It is still quite sensitive to the touch.  Trying to trim my nail is still very painful.  It's not that my nail is overly sensitive...  it is that area where the flesh meets the nail is still very sensitive and painful.   I'm still dropping things.  I'm still slamming it into things which, naturally, results in even more pain.  And, I'm still having great difficulty picking small things up with that hand.  I think I have difficulty picking things up because the ...

S heila and I went to my primary care doctor this morning for a follow-up visit pertaining to my partially amputated left thumb.  The plan was to make sure there is no infection, make sure it is healing well and, if it is ready, start removing stitches. My doctor says that, considering the situation, my thumb is looking very good so that is good.  This means that Sheila and I did a good job of keeping it clean even though that was unbearably painful! After taking a close look at the wound, she decided that at least some of the stitches needed to come out today.  She was afraid that the skin would start healing around and over the stitches so they needed to come out.   Unfortunately, I still have some exposed nerves and the whole area is hyper-sensitive.  Removing the first couple of stitches was painful but 'tolerable'.  The next couple of stitches were unbearably painful though.  Just touching around the area was remarkably painful.  My whol...

A bout a week ago, I really screwed up. For over six decades, I've been almost religiously and ridiculously protecting my hands and fingers at all cost because I am a classical pianist.  No matter what activity I was doing over all these six decades, protecting my hands and fingers was always foremost in my thoughts. For at least five decades, I've been a carpenter too so I've always been extra cautious around all tools especially power tools.  I've built homes and everything associated with homes and only suffered relatively minor injuries.   The worst injury to my hands (until last week) was a drywall injury.  I was cutting drywall in freezing temperatures...  work gloves on my hands...  and accidentally severed the top of my left thumb with the utility knife...  my gloved hand had my thumb placed on the steel straight edge, unfortunately, slightly over the straight edge and in the path of the cut..  I only cut part of the nail and some fle...