OUCH!

While at work yesterday, I (K) and a coworker were moving tables around to figure out where we'd set up things for the Halloween party (today). I moved a table over and noticed the table leg was bent, so I lifted it up and straightened it out with a little kick. Unfortunately, my index finger was in the spot where the leg was supposed to be, so when the table came down, it smashed my finger. It hurt very bad, but I figured it was just a bad pinch. Then I looked down at it and saw blood was dripping. I ran into the day treatment side to see if I could go to one of the two nurses we have on staff, but of course they weren't there. So I got some paper towel and put pressure on it, peeking at it every few seconds. It was really hurting by now, which made sense since half of my finger-nail was missing. Then, I began to get hot, and sweaty, and lightheaded, so I told my coworkers I needed to sit down. I'm not sure why I got that way, maybe it was loss of blood, pain, or just panicking. Anyway, a coworker wrapped it loosely (didn't want it to stick) as another told me she would drive me to the clinic we're supposed to go to if we get hurt on the job. Another coworker was calling J at that time and filling him in. Thankfully, he was already headed that direction with some friends.

We got to the clinic before J did and they soon called me back. First, I got some x-rays taken to see if it was broken. It wasn't. Then, I went to a room and waited for the doc. While I was waiting, the nurse gave me a tetanus shot just to be safe since I wasn't sure if I had had one within 5 years. The doc came in and looked at it and said, "Well, I think this is one of those that looks worse than it is." That made me feel better...until he said, "But I'll need to stitch it up." Aaah, I had never gotten stitches before! So he cleaned it which wasn't so bad. Then, came the numbing shots. Holy cow! Those really hurt! He injected them into the base of my finger on the underside. After that, my finger began to look a little fat and feel even fatter. I gradually couldn't feel a thing in my finger, which was quite nice. Then, he began sewing the stitches. I could feel the pressure, because he put them through the piece of nail that was left. It didn't take long. He finished and asked if I wanted to see it before they wrapped it up. I assuredly said, "nope." So the nurse wrapped it up, and I started to get a little feeling back, but I wasn't hurting that bad yet. The doc gave me some vidocin and ibuprofen. Yay for vidocin! I took it before we left the clinic, but it took about 30 min to kick in. My coworker, sweet as can be, took us back to my work to get my car (which was out of her way).

In middle school, I narrowly got out of getting stitches when I sliced my finger in shop class, so it stinks that I had to get stitches, and the pain is...well, a pain. But oh well, it's time to enjoy my husband having to take care of me. :)