The Song Fight Bulletin Board

So...

On the morning of New Year's eve, while trying to pit a stubbornly unripe avocado, I accidentally stabbed myself in the palm of my left hand with the business end of a kitchen knife. It hurt like hell, and I ran to the Urgent Care clinic at my regular hospital, where the doctor took one look at it and advised me to get to an actual E.R., stat.

At the second hospital, the doctor numbed the wound, looked around inside, and concluded that I hadn't cut any tendons, and he also didn't think I'd cut a nerve, but due to the fact that I'm a musician, he figured it would be a good idea to refer me to a hand specialist just in case.

That doctor then gave me three stitches, wrapped my hand in a splint so that I wouldn't be able to move my fingers for the intervening eight days, and sent me on my not-so-merry way.

Fast-forward to this morning, when I got to see that hand-specialist. He confirmed that there are two nerves that I likely severed in my hand, one of which sends signals to the skin between my index and middle fingers, and one of which is responsible for the whole index finger.

I'm going to need surgery, which is going to take place sometime in the next few weeks. After the surgery, it'll take about six months for the nerve paths to rebuild, and up to another two years before I'm back to the level of sensation I had before the accident. He took off the splint and took out the stitches. I can move my fingers, kinda, but most of the things that have been difficult for me in the last week remain difficult for now.

I'm not sure what this means for my music. I'm pretty sure that stringed instruments are out of the question for the time being, but I'm going to make frequent attempts at playing the piano for the duration of my recovery. I'll be sure to keep you guys up to date on my progress.

Yikes. That sucks.

But hey, as a musician, take it as a weird blessing in disguise. The hand will come back and you'll be doing your classic stuff. For now, experiment! Focus on your vocals, maybe great some collaborators and see what kind of music you can pull together.

Chicks dig stigmata, bro.

Thanks, guys!

I started 2013 with a hole in my hand. My only resolution is to not end 2013 in the same way.

Niveous wrote:Yikes. That sucks.

Ditto. Get well soon!

yikes! hope things heal as they are meant to.

Ouch! Speedy recovery, dude.

Good luck and here's to a full recovery. In the meantime, improvise!

Holey guacamole, bat mitzvah.

......see that? the thing I did there?


Q. Why is a vegan lifestyle so funny?



























A. It'll leave you in stitches.

A hand with a built in French Tickler, cool.

My hand surgery is scheduled for January 24th. I'll keep you all posted.

My sister did something similar once, with a fabric cutter (kind of like a very very sharp pizza cutter).
One time when we were in Boston, we saw a screen with PSAs on at the MTA station. It said "Bagel related injuries are on the rise." I guess they should have mentioned avocados also.
-bill

A new wrinkle...

The surgery is prohibitively expensive. I can't even afford the down payment for a long-term payment plan. We'll probably have to postpone.

I'm sorry, but I'm running out of positive spin for my injury and recovery. This sucks.

Jon, dude, this is terrible news! I know that Texas isn't noted for it's social services, but I hope that something can be found somehow to help you out. You don't need me to tell you that sometimes delaying these things can mean that it never gets better, but, there, I said it anyway. I will be thinking of ya.

Jon, that's awful. Is the downpayment something you might be able to raise funds for via crowdfunding a la Kickstarter, etc. ?

Lunkhead wrote:Jon, that's awful. Is the downpayment something you might be able to raise funds for via crowdfunding a la Kickstarter, etc. ?

I'm looking into my options right now. If I'm going to have the surgery on the 24th as scheduled, the down payment would be due on the 23rd. If I can't get the money by then, they'll cancel the procedure and I won't even try to schedule it again until I know I can afford it.

I've never tried to crowdsource anything before, let alone my own health care/future ability to play music. Kickstarter is right out, but I haven't checked the guidelines of any other crowdsourcing platforms.

Jon, the hand specialist said you "likely" severed 2 nerves? How does he not know for sure 100%? He's a fricking doctor. Do you feel any loss of anything? It's only been 9 days, so I get that it still hurts, but is there any signs of anything seriously wrong?

I'm not trying to discard the seriousness of your injury, but it looks like you just jabbed yourself with a knife. Just let it heal. Also, I don't trust doctors. Especially ones that try to cover their tracks by saying words like "likely". "Let's perform surgery and see if we "find" something. Chances are, they'll make sure to find something.

Again, don't think I'm being insensitive. It's just that in my line of work, an injury like that gets wrapped up in duct tape and we go on about our day. Put some salve on it.

Either way, hope it all works out for you, Jon.

seriously jon, three stiches. what a bunch of handsome fellows.

bambamoozle wrote:You don't need me to tell you that sometimes delaying these things can mean that it never gets better, but, there, I said it anyway.

Billy's Little Trip wrote:It looks like you just jabbed yourself with a knife. Just let it heal.

This is the reason I went to a professional.

I appreciate the good vibes from everyone, but please refrain from offering unsolicited medical advice, especially if you don't have "M.D." after your name.

Generic wrote:I appreciate the good vibes from everyone, but please refrain from offering unsolicited medical advice, especially if you don't have "M.D." after your name.

Actually, just refrain from taking my advice. But please don't tell me not to speak my mind.

Also, you're not supposed to be upset with me Jon, your supposed to appreciate my honesty. Unless this thread is specifically for emo purposes, then I apologize in advance for doing it wrong. No hate, my brother from another mother, only love.

No, I'm sorry, Chris, but you're not a doctor, and your medical knowledge is anecdotal and piecemeal. I've seen you advise other people in this community on medical issues, and it's a potentially damaging practice that has the potential to affect other people's lives in very real ways for the worse. So this isn't just a "If you don't agree, just don't do it" thing. You're voicing uninformed opinions on complicated matters where you're not qualified, and you shouldn't do that.

Generic wrote:your medical knowledge is anecdotal and piecemeal

Oh yeah? Well.......at least I don't have a hole in my hand!

.....sorry, you made me mad....on the interwebz!


Kidding, no you didn't.

But on a serious note, how is your hand today? Better I hope.