12
Dec
Hand is Better, Mostly
Topic: Family and Friends
Tags: Me
I got my cast off on Monday (after breaking my hand a month ago), and I’m thrilled to have my left hand back. It’s still a bit sore and swollen, and I can’t do things like make a fist yet, but the doctor said it should be better within a week. He doesn’t think I need any physical therapy: I’m just working on squeezing one of those stress balls regularly, and periodically putting pressure on my knuckles, so my fingers will go straight again (the tendons need to be stretched out since my fingers were curled in the cast for a month).
The one disappointment is that I don’t entirely have the normal function that the doctor said I would. For most tasks, the rotation of my index and ring fingers is not a problem. But I’ve discovered it’s a real problem for writing and using chopsticks. The way I hold a pen for writing involves all my fingers, and now my ring finger is getting in the way of my pinky. So I’m experimenting with new ways to hold pens and chopsticks. It’s really strange - I keep having the feeling “this isn’t my hand - who took my hand? - I’d like it back now.” It’s frustrating, but I’m sure once I figure out a new way to write and get used to it, it will come to feel completely normal.
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