Pointy Finger Index

Typing isn't very easy when you have a well-bandaged finger in the air... so I'll keep this to some dot points and pictures [sorry for the repeat, Al]... [pictures might be a bit much for some folks to handle]

- Sat morning -
- 730-1600 shift -
Shower Resident 1.
Encourage Resident 2 to shower before breakfast.
A2 Residents in Dining Room for Breakfast.
Prepare Resident 3's coffee.
[[NOTE-the whole time I've worked at this facility, we've done the same routine: heat any main meals in the microwave before serving & heat drinks made with boiled water in the microwave. Resident 3 doesn't eat and drink them hugely fast, but I think the idea is she enjoys consuming the whole contents at a relatively warm tempetature.]]
Look in door-window of microwave - coffee is not boiling, foaming, frothing or looking overly agiatated.
Microwave beeps.
Take cup of extra-hot coffee out of microwave and place spoon in cup.
Eruption of contents over hand/s... owie owie ow...
Immediately put hands under cool water...

10minutes later EN [enrolled nurse], who was present at the time of accident, assesses hands, notes the affected areas, [thumb, pointer & middle finger from RIGHT hand worst affected, ring and pinky finger from LEFT], gets flaximide [? - burns cream] and covers both hands in cream.
Tells me to let it absorb for a while.
Wait with creamed hands looking at the work left to do in the kitchenette [I was early at this point].
Decide to put gloves on and using cold water finish dishes and kitchen cleaning.
This feels pretty good -- being in the cold water.
Go to Resident 3 who is now ready for a shower.
Showering with warm water = pain agony!!
Attempt to be as quick as possible.
Fail - resident chooses to rethink each item of clothing - of course.
Hands feeling not good.
Have a couple of sneaky peaks at right fingers, they look ok and still well creamed.
Finish Resident 3.
Right hand feeling less comfortable.
Take gloves off - right pointer has a small blister.
Decide to show the EN [about 40 minutes after accident].
EN calls the Boss, decide I should visit the doctors.
EN wraps pointer finger and re-creams other fingers.
Drive off with big bandaged finger in the air.

Doctor notes well done bandage by EN and approves of cream and bandages used.
Says he does not need to see under bandages.
Gives me a list of things to get from Chemist and says for me to come back Wednesday.
Do errands, go home and have lunch.
Fingers don't feel bad.
Pointer finger doesn't feel like anything,

Mid Afternoon - Saturday.
Notice my bandage keeps slipping off.
Decide a bit of air might help before re-creaming fingers.
Upon removal of bandage, this is the sight that I'm greeted by:

That's so attractive.
Continue to apply cream, paraffin strips, gauze and wrap in a dressing.
Saturday night my finger looks a bit more like this:

That is even more attractive.
Dubbed "Pregnant Finger", the blister is entering the end of the first trimester.
Must be a girl blister...
Weight [blister width] on the sides and long [creeping towards knuckles].
Photo's get quite the uproar of "POP IT!!!" from Facebook by my friends and their "qualified medical advice" - haha.
Pointer finger still doesn't feel like anything really.
Re-cream and strap all burnt fingers and head to bed.

- Sunday -
Was surprised blister survived the night.
Merry Christmas fabulousness-es...
All burnt finger bandages survive minus pinky finger bandage.
Felt this was a good achievement.
Attempt a shower - relatively successful.
Late afternoon, Pregnant Pointer looks like this:

Dead sexy.
As you can see - blister continues to grow.
Let it air, re-cream and strap and head out.
Slight ache in 2nd proximal knuckle...
[if counting from the tip, its the 2nd knuckle down].
Pop a couple of pain killers and head to bed.

- Monday -
Pregnant Pointer survives night #2 - amazed.
Keep finger unwrapped for morning.
Still growing.
Not hot to touch or any particular painful areas.
Took Pregnant Pointer to the cinema to see Tintin.
We both enjoyed it.
Finger starts to ache more when out for tea at classy McDonalds.
Check finger's progress:



You're major impressed right?
Me too...
I think we've reached full term.

And I think I might see if my doctor can see me tomorrow instead of Wednesday.
I don't really want to have to wait till I can say "I think Pointer's waters have broken!"...

Prayer would not go astray, my friends...

3 comments:

Ghone said...

How on earth have you managed to resist popping it???

JT said...

Wild, just wild. Hope the doc had a good look this time!

Carola said...

I managed to resist ONLY because:

A) I had fears something horrible would happen because it was sooooo freakin' huge...

B) As a student nurse, I read all too often how burn blisters need to be left alone... do-not-pop

C) My Nursing Guide [its like the Hitchhikers Guide, only different] said I should leave it alone...

and D) That blister took up too much of my finger to joyfully pop...

Update from this post:

I went back on the Wednesday, because my doctor didn't work on the Public Holiday Tuesday. He was very surprised with the size of the blister ['cos of its breadth and depth], and lanced it [popped it] with glee. Seriously. The guy was too excited to pop such a thing. And once it was popped it HURT like mad.

The following Monday, it started to feel less comfortable. By Tuesday afternoon it was down right irritated, and by that Wednesday the Doctor informed me that it was infected [but I already knew that]. Grosse. Onto antibiotics for me.

By that Friday's visit to the Doc's it was much better, but I had to come back Monday [11th Jan]. The Doc told me he will miss having me visit [I think because I was highly entertaining talking about about my pregnant finger, and how it turned into an Elephants butt finger, followed by Infested finger - and I wasn't coughing or spluttering over him like the other sicko's].

So now I'm on my last week of Light Duties at work. Its allowed to be uncovered and its allowed to be viewed by the world. And by viewed, I mean I seem to attract everyone and everything to accidentally knock it... beeper-beep-beep!!!!

But its healing. And its pink. I want to draw a brain below it and call that one finger "Pinky and the Brain" because - I can.

Don't do something in halves... thats just boring

*hahahahahahaah*