When it rains, it pours. After surviving the road rage incident I went home shaken and bothered. I could not sleep due to frequent nightmares and rattled nerves. Early the next morning the fire alarm went crazy and I jumped out of bed. It wouldn't shut off because the battery was low. I would have to open it to replace the battery but I couldn't find a screwdriver.
In my haste I grabbed a small, sharp knife. The blade slipped and stabbed me deep between my thumb and index finger. Blood was gushing everywhere. It looked like a scene in a horror film. It was a serious wound. I grabbed a paper towel and held it tight then I woke up my girlfriend who rushed me to Tobey Hospital in Wareham, MA.
After a brief wait they brought me to triage and tried to take a look but again the blood gushed everywhere. The nurse yelled for the orderlies. She worried that I might have hit an artery. Three guys lifted me onto a stretcher and wheeled me to a room. They attached me to an EKG and an IV. They raised my arm high and tied it off to cut down the circulation and slow the blood flow.
I have a history of falling unconscious if I lose too much blood so they made sure I was stable before calling in the Doctor. He assessed my hand and determined that I had not punctured an artery, it was more likely a blood vessel. When the blood flow lessened in my arm they removed the paper towel, cleaned the slice and injected the area to numb it. Once ready the Doctor started right in with the stitches.
Weirdly it didn't hurt a bit. The procedure was done mere minutes. They kept me in the room for about an hour or so to recover and then we walked out. I felt like they had done a great job and weeks later I would return to the hospital to thank them personally.
Normally I wouldn't write about an accident like this except that it affected my sport. I throw axes competitively with both hands and this accident forced me to change up in the middle of a league. For about three weeks my left hand had little strength or flexibility and major numbness.
Fortunately I have a lifetime of experience overcoming injuries. From sprained ankles and torn muscles to broken fingers, I have worked through the physical therapy process many times. My hand required grip exercises, finger stretches and massages with skin lotion. I kept the wound clean and wrapped but stayed active to maintain blood flow. My girlfriend Iris was a huge help through these awkward days.
Within a couple months I was able to recover my full grip strength and returned to axe throwing with equal accuracy. I hope this quick recovery serves as a hopefully example to anyone who is going through something similar.
After four months even the dried skin had faded away and both hands appeared the same. If you looked at them now you wouldn't be able to tell which had been injured. The only symptom left over is a little numb tingle in the thumb but I've gotten used to it.
I admit there were moments of frustration and even depression with all that I had been going through. Those dark days had to be faced, the pain had to be felt for me to charge forward with the determination to break through. It's not just a wound, it's a setback that feels like forever. But that's just a feeling and those are always temporary. You suffer and then you heal and then you win. That is the cycle. Don't ever forget it.
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