I cut my hand open.
It's both an overstatement in the most literal sense and something of an understatement when compared with the general usage of the term. I've both joked and actually seriously described my hand as having been cut open before, but I've hardly damaged myself as bad as this before. It's so strange, because it both seems so small and un-requiring of medical attention and yet, when I think about it, I know that this could have been very serious had my boyfriend and roommates not worked as quickly as they did to get me taken care of.
In short, I was washing dishes and an old glass shattered while my hand was in the glass. Clean break, clean cut. The problem was how deep and long it was. I keep joking that I had a skin flap and that it might have grown into an extra finger, but I actually was just shy of hitting some nerves and it's fortunate that I wasn't washing the dishes more aggressively. It's also fortunate that I'm not anemic (like the other women in my family) because I very easily could have passed out and lost a lot of blood while I waited on one of my roommates to find me hours later. I had to be driven to the ER and get a tetanus booster and six stitches to keep the wound closed while it healed and my job put me on medical leave for 10 days.
While it was an unexpected and needed vacation from my physically demanding job (especially right after MTAC), I can't say it was exactly welcome. In all, on top of my medical bills, I lost a week and a half of pay, and I'll only be able to recoup about a third of that after I've filled out all of the paperwork for my medical leave. Plus, I then had 10 days off to do...nothing. Yeah, without the use of my right hand, I really wasn't able to do any of the things I would love to have done with all of that free time. However, I didn't relegate myself to sitting on my butt the whole time! While I spent large chunks of time catching up on shows and watching movies with my boyfriend and being more demanding than necessary (but only slightly *wink* ), I did my best to make the best of the situation.
So what can you do when you aren't feeling so good and are forced to take time off to take care of yourself? Here's what worked for me:
1. Don't dwell on the things you can't do and look forward to the things you can do.
I spent a lot of time on that first day trying to think of things to do, only to realize that it required the use of my right hand and I wouldn't be able to manage. It was depressing to realize that I couldn't even blog because typing with one hand was too tedious. To cheer me up, I started looking for new ways to do the things I knew I could sort of do and started doing things I don't do often enough, like sitting out in the sun or going for walks. It really helped that the weather was amazing for most of my leave, so the sun and vitamin D was exactly what I needed. I also learned and practiced doing more things with my left hand, like writing. Since I'm so dependent on my dominant hand, it was difficult for me to even get comfortable using my eating utensils or to operate a computer mouse. so proving that I could do it if I had to was nice.
2. Relish the opportunity to be lazy without guilt.
Thinking of all of the things I wanted to do (sewing, drawing, crafting, blogging, etc.) really bummed me out, so instead I bought myself a pint of ice cream, settled into my couch, and started a mini-marathon of Battlestar Galactica. Because I'm a nerd. I know it's not good to spend all of your time being sedentary, but this is one of those time you can do it and not feel guilty. Enjoy it and immerse yourself into someone else's world so that you won't get all bogged down in your own (especially if you are like me and spend too much time worrying about how the world is managing without you). I watched a lot of BSG, Mad Men, and random anime, and played the hell out of the Sims 3 during my down time and it was nice. Just enough of a good thing to make it wonderful, even.
3. Try and get out.
For somewhat more extended absences like mine, make a point of getting out, at least once every couple days or so so that you have a reason to peel yourself out of your comfy spot and fight off those bed sores you've potentially been developing. Get up, shower to the best of your ability, get dressed (don't rush yourself and take your time fussing with your hair and make-up, it'll help you feel better when you know you look just right) and go somewhere! I made a point of spending lots of time with my boyfriend, but I also spent time with my friends during their free time and I visited my sister to spend some quality time with my toddler nephew. It was nice not having to squeeze these visits in before or after work, or rationing out my precious free time.
4. Pamper yourself.
Really, this is just the answer to everything. Take a long bubble bath (again, to the best of your ability, so for me that was with two plastic bags taped over my hand) with a glass of wine. Give yourself a facial or be like me and use the excuse of having a bum hand to go and get yourself a professional facial. Deep condition your hair, get your nails done (if you can), get all of your waxin's did, you know the drill! I had a hard time washing my face, hair, and shaving with just one hand, but I figured out a way to make it work and even on days where I didn't want to go through all of this trouble, bothering to just tale a shower and get clean did wonders to help me feel better when I felt like I had been sitting in my own filth for days.
Hopefully this was helpful and it feels great to be able to fully use my right hand again. Let me know if you have any additions to my suggestions and I will see you all again, pretties!
♥ Princess Kisha ♥
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