I had a pleasant visit from my right hand today. We hung out for quite some time and rehashed the good ol' days. Like peas in a pod, it was a grand time asides from some aching moments. Unfortunately, my friendly hand resumed it's now more comfortable bend. There will be more days like this to come and soon we will be reunited to spend our time together in harmony.
Seeing how the fracture is within the two week stage, I decided it was time for my hand to join me in a bath. I filled the tub and field stripped my half-brace and gauze. I took some pictures with my phone. Then carefully climbed into the tub and submerged my right hand into the tepid water for a half an hour. For about an hour, I did very light and non-exerting motions to guard against the pinky tendon being caught up within the mess. I managed half-fist arcs and basic finger straightening.
The half-fist motion was relatively easy, but not for trying to combat the half-brace arc. I took my left hand and gently placed the fingertips into the palm of my right hand. Gently, I began to assume the praying position while gently forcing my rigid digits of the left to straighten the bent right digits while slowly gliding the left hand into the palm of the right hand. I have yet to be able to hold the digits straight on the damaged hand, but there are still plenty of healing and rehabilitation days to come.
True, I did expect a miracle as I miss my hand and desire it to be a big part of my life again. I can just be glad that everything is seemingly alright at this stage. After all, my hand is still battered and sore, but the pinky does not attempt to scissor and that is a huge stumbling block removed as surgery and/or a re-break are definitely not required.
I also treated my right hand to facial scrub and a good dose of skin cream after the mobility exercise. It is definitely one fine looking appendage now, well asides from looking like it was run over. Aside from being pruned like the other hand from too much time underwater, there was a lot of peeling skin that needed to be shed. Somewhat disgusting, but there was lots of skin flakes that coated the top of the water and one heck of a tub ring at the end.
I suspect I will treat my right hand to some freedom every odd day for mobility exercises. A 2L bottle of pop is a good tool. I put the bottle onto the table while pressing down on the top cap with the palm of my left. I cup my right hand palm to the middle of the bottle and then gently pull my right hand away while the bottle keeps the digits straight upon passing the curve, I try to keep my digits straight for a very short time while they are not touching the bottle.
I will NOT perform any strengthening or full-fist clenching tasks until the hand specialist sees me on the 12th. The main thing to remember is that if it hurts or is painful, back the hell off... it is not a video game injury that is instantly solved with a med pack or akin to a real time sprained ankle injury. Perhaps even I should not rush with these motion exercises, but I have a feeling that it is important in regards to dexterity. I will relay my either prudent or stupid thoughts in a week when I see the specialist. I do not endorse any ideals, statements, or beliefs within this blog. Always consult medical staff and not rely on the Internet for 'truth'.
My left hand is now sore from picking up the slack of tip-tapping the keyboard and running the mouse for these past two weeks. I had better slow down before my left hand ends up in a brace from carpo and/or tendinitis. I just thought to update during my bout of boredom and recuperation to keep the blog alive.
Of course, at the end, I will strive to deal with anger management and perhaps build a foam 'beat the living hell out of' device. I just figured to remind all you other rage punchers out there that these fractures should be avoided at all costs. NOTHING is worth wrecking your hands over, it solves nothing at all... except realizing there is an emotional problem that also needs tending. For shame, I had no idea these "Boxer's Fractures" were so common until I obtained one myself. Then again, who really Google's for "Boxer's/Brawler's Fracture" if unbeknown in the first place?
I have only been in physical combat a few times in my youth so I will look forward to avoiding it into the future if I can indeed avoid it. Although fighting did not cause my injury, live and learn. I have. I will never punch something out of rage again due to this poor choice memory of life. Violence is never a problem solver and you will likely end up with a blade or bullet in your chest anyways. Hmmm... sounds like a public service message from Health Canada, but oh bloody well.
5 comments:
Hey!
I have a boxers fracture as well.. about 4 weeks ago.
I can't bend it worth shit.
It doesn't hurt at all..
but still. I don't know if this is normal and i'll be able to regain function back into it?
hows yours doing??
Hi there, and thanks for stopping in. Well, any break sucks, but welcome to the gimped pinkie club. I'm non-judgmental and not affiliated with any law enforcement agency, so I won't ask how it happened. ;p
At 4 weeks, my pinkie was pretty much a joined-at-the-hips twin with the ring finger. I never agitated it or tried to move it against it's will, so I'm not sure if my pinkie would have hurt or not. I used to move the tip around, but that's about all. Here in Canada, the hospital takes an X-ray and then wraps up the hand in a half-cast - like a splint - and calls it a day. I wouldn't have thought about leaving my hand as it was because I shattered the piss out of it, or so it looked. Hahaa. I understand your perspective, if American, how expensive even an x-ray can be and I wouldn't dare to think how much corrective surgery is. A digit is virtually priceless, although a metacarpal has to be really smashed up to be seriously gimped. One must be wary of damaged bones tearing away at tendons because those suckers don't grow back or able to be patched together.
At present, my pinkie is a bit gimped, but I've learned to live with it. The biggest annoyance is that the tip drives into the ring finger tip when grasping a steering wheel and so forth. Also, the knuckle doesn't have full rotation capability (took a hella long time to make a not so funny looking fist), but it's pretty close and it really doesn't phase me because I haven't needed fists even during the worse of times since.
I'm over a year anniversary and my main pinkie knuckle is still sunken while the bump is still just below, which makes it appear that my knuckle is lower. Yeah, so the biggest beef is that the pinkie is crooked as in it tends to arc/claw inwards (more than average) into the palm ... which is a bitch because my ring finger (straight as an arrow) is in the way of it. I can do pretty much everything as I once did, like give 'the bird' and more important things. It's just the minor abnormalities that are an inconvenience sometimes.
I've come to grips that my pinkie is now odd and will bug me at times, but I'm just at peace that at least it works more than half decently. Oh yeah, if you happen to jab the top of your pinkie on something, ehhhh ... not the best feeling, and this is a year later to boot. Ah well, when I'm stressed and angry, I just have to remember to kick something instead of punching it. My gimped pinkie is a reminder of 'not to smash it again or it'll be really fucked up'. Hahaa
"Here in Canada"
aha!
i hesitate to get political, but the care you describe in this post makes canada sound like a warzone. 2 weeks to see a specialist? i went to the ER today (i live in minneapolis, mn usa), waited for 30 mins or so, then saw a doctor who promptly diagnosed the hand. got an xray 20 mins later, then the doctor wrapped my hand in a splint (swan-neck position, straight-fingers). "10 days and the bones will fuse" the dr said. well i broke the 4th and 5th metas 9 days ago, and now my 5th is fused but the 4th isnt quite. no "f-you" looks from the staff. i will get a call tomorrow and setup an appt for surgery this week yet. i cant believe all this self-care you did for yourself
http://www.thestar.com/sports/wrestling/mixedmartialarts/article/753716--ufc-s-lesnar-berates-canadian-health-care-as-third-world
You're not the only one who thinks so. I don't appreciate the service here either. Ignorantly, I thought vise versa, but it sounds like American health care isn't so bad ... as long as you have the cash in hand. Not so long ago, we had to pay for our health care every three months non-stop, but now it just comes right out of tax money. Bah, it's always been shabby up here and it's no surprise that the health care practitioner work ethic stinks. We can have bones taped up and cuts stitched shut, but no cavities filled without pulling out a thick wallet. I'm glad it worked out for you and you're on the road to full recovery. Good luck on your surgery and may your hand be like normal soon.
Wow. Thanks for sharing your story. I too caught a bout of that rage virus. I currently have a neck fracture of the fifth metacarpal. My General Dr, referred me to a orthopedic specialist and I just missed my appointment. It's been 15 days since broken. Swelling is almost all gone still in a bit of pain though and I have a slight rotation to the pinky.
I didn't think anything could be done so I just iced every day and kept from using it. Someone told me they might be able to re- set it or re break it but I'm not so sure I want that. Any advice?
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