This morning I went to a hospital in Nacka to have surgery on my sliced finger. I only had to wait for about 10 minutes before I was called in to the dressing room to change to hospital clothes. Then waiting on a bed for about 1.5 hours before going into the actual operating room. I brought my mp3/media player so that I could watch an episode of Burn Notice while waiting, which was a good thing. After 30 minutes they gave me a couple of pills (2 Alvedon and 1 Voltaren) to ease any coming pain.
Once in the operating room they shot a strong sedative in my arm and I started to get a little groggy. They then took a bigger shot filled with some white goo and injected it a little at a time. I remember lying there for about 20 minutes, not really that drowsy, but then I woke up so apparently I crashed as scheduled.
I remember glimpes; They were to move me from the operating table back to my bed, and I asked if I should stand up (they said “No, no, no, we’ll take care of this”). I apparently asked the doctor or nurse the same question three times in a row, each time forgetting the answer (Now I don’t remember the question). I was then in the wake up room.
If you are ever in a wake up room and want to “sober up” quickly, play some Converge in your favorite headphones. That’ll work. After one song I decided to let it take it’s time and switched to Kings of Convenience instead.
The doctor came and talked to me after I was a little less groggy and told me that it was actually a bit worse than they thought. Aside from the severed nerve bundle, one of the tendons was cut halfway through. It is therefore important that i do not lift anything heavy or overextend the finger for a few months.
After another hour or so they needed the bed so I had to get up, and shortly thereafter my brother came and picked me up (thanks again).
The middle and ring finger are still all numb from the anesthesia, and it feels like they are sleeping, that almost burning sensation. I also have a cast covering all but my thumb and index finger, almost all the way to the elbow. Since the cast extends further than the fingers, it makes it extremely hard to type using my right hand, and all text in this post is written by my left hand only (so far taking 50 minutes).
To give you an example, I will now type “hello, my name is frank johansson”, using the index finger on my right hand only in a normal angle and position:
ih5e6ålål+ó, my8 nawepml5e i0sr fyr6eanklpk oj+oihawknrsesre+ónk
See what I mean?
I will have the cast for about two weeks, and will then get a removable brace as the stitches are removed.
Most of the missing tactility will hopefully be restored within a year but it will never go back fully to what it was, according to the doctor. As long as it is good enough to type on a keyboard, play the piano or the guitar and actually feel that I am pressing a key or plucking a string, I will be satisfied.
