So, as most of you know, I had surgery on my right
wrist to repair several torn tendons I received in April 2014. My surgery was on June 10 and apparently went
well, according to my surgeon anyway.
After surgery my right arm was wrapped, with a lot of padding and two
solid restraints, from my knuckles to well above my elbow. I was kept in this contraption until my first
follow up appointment on June 23. At
that appointment all of the dressings and wrapping were removed and I saw my
right wrist for the first time in close to two weeks. I had seven sutures removed and my wounds
were healing well. The Physician
Assistant showed me the images from the surgery, which I thought were really
cool. I'm hoping to get copies to post soon!
During this appointment my right wrist was put into a
traditional cast, although I know from previous foot surgery that casts are no
longer plaster but are made of some sort of textured wrap which means I got to
choose my own color for my cast, but it is much more challenging to have people
sign my cast because of this funky textured wrap. This also goes just above my elbow, but
doesn’t cover any of my fingers, so I suppose this is an improvement. By the way, the color I chose is purple.
As I am right hand dominant, I have become very
frustrated with how the world works since I am now completely dependent on my
left hand. Many ordinary tasks have
become great feats of endurance for me.
As a woman, it is my impression that I have even greater challenges to
face than that of a man; here are just a few of the day to day tasks with which
I struggle; I challenge anyone to complete these daily chores using only your
non dominant hand:
Try putting in contact lenses
Try putting on eye shadow, never mind trying to apply
eyeliner or mascara; if you’re anything like I am, you will likely need a glass
eye after only a few attempts
Putting on a bra may not be the most challenging thing
I do every morning, but it certainly is much more difficult with a cast on most
of my right arm
Try using a can opener…good luck
Trying shaving both of your legs with your non
dominant hand, oh, don’t forget your armpits too!
I obviously I cannot get my cast wet in the shower so
I was given the type of gloves used to inseminate cattle to put over my cast,
which I tightly tape around my right bicep whenever I need to shower, which I
will admit has become less frequent since surgery
Try putting your key in your front door lock, turning
the key and the doorknob at the same time
Something similar is putting your car key in the
ignition and turning the key with your left hand
These are some of the daily inconveniences that have
become part of my regular existence. I
know I’m bitching, but my right wrist will be restrained and some way shape or
form until approximately mid October, which is a long frickin’ time.
Despite these inconveniences I am fully aware that I
do have a certain advantage when it comes to work expectations, household
responsibilities, and such. Which I have
been and will continue to take advantage of as it fits my needs. After all, despite my injury, I didn’t fall
off the turnip truck yesterday.
Side Note: This entire blog was
dictated using speech recognition software installed on my laptop. It has taken me approximately 45 minutes to
dictate this entry which I likely could have typed in less time even if I did
only use my right index finger in conjunction with my left hand.
This is a photo of one of the gloves I use to cover my cast when I shower. Yup, a person could inseminate a cow with this sucker on.
