Stitches

The Fire Marshal came by the other day to verify the safety of our home. He wasn't satisfied with the way our sump pump and battery backup system were plugged in, so we picked up a surge protector.

The surge protector didn't fit exactly, because of a plastic post on the back side. I decided to remove the post with a razor blade scraper. It proved more difficult than expected, and I had to cut the post on all sides.

Of course, the final cut was directed at my left hand.

The razor cut down my middle finger and slammed home into the fleshy spot directly below my index finger. I apparently hit an artery because blood was plentiful and squirting.

We drove to the minor emergency center, where we were given paper work to pass the time. An hour after being cut, the doctor finally looks at my hand. I warn him that it will bleed, and he produces a 'chuck' to absorb the blood.

A 'chuck' is basically a flat diaper. I filled 4 with blood. The doctor was surprised...

While I'm bleeding out through my hand, the doctor is pushing lidocaine into the wound with a needle. This is supposed to numb the area, but it isn't working. To me, it feels like he stabbing my hand with a needle and filling it with water.

Unpleasant.

After two full syringes, the doctor decides it's a bad batch of the drug. He gets a brand new bottle, and thankfully, it works. I get 4 stitches, a tetanus shot, and prescriptions for antibiotics and Vicodin.

Now my hand is all bandaged up. I have full feeling and full movement of all fingers. Everything is going to be fine. Ironically, my arm where I received the tetanus shot hurts more than the cut on my hand.