I managed to injure my left hand twice this week doing pretty mundane things. Usually I’m not one to injure myself without due cause but on Sunday I was sitting at the computer and got my index finger caught between the arm of my desk chair and the underside of the desk. This was compounded by the fact that the chair actually springs up a bit and gets firmly wedge underneath the table if I don’t wheel backwards first. It was probably the worst time I’ve ever jammed a finger (I’ve done some nasty jams), the damage affected all the way between the knuckle and tip getting squashed as well as the middle finger copping collateral damage. I jumped up pretty fast after that and ran to the sink to run it under cold water, I then iced it for 45 mins and was expecting the nail to probably bruise and detach from my finger due to the force over the next few days, but with the quick response of running it under cold water and icing it with a towel between the ice pack and finger I managed to minimise the injury so much that after 3 days you could hardly tell any damage was done. My finger was sore and stiff for the first few days but by the fourth day the pain had substantially subsided. I was pretty impressed with how much you can minimise injuries if you are fast enough to do the right thing. I also kept the finger elevated above my heart, which reduced swelling.
The following day while slicing up a roast I managed to cut a chunk of flesh off my pinky on the same hand, again a quick response with compression on the wound, some antiseptic and a bandaid reduced the pain and damage that by the second and third day the detached part had grown back to the main part of the pinky and five days on a small wound is visible but no longer an obstruction.
I also managed to catch a cold all in the space of this last week, one thing I have to say I’m really glad to have been introduced to (by Ant) is Lemsip – it really makes having a cold so much better. I’m not normally a fan of hot lemon drinks but Lemsip tastes pretty decent and takes away all the aches and pains thanks to the paracetamol in it, just don’t mix it with other cold and flu tablets.
Note: if you leave Lemsip residue or an unfinished amount in a dirty tea cup it seems to clear out all the old tea and coffee stains. Weird!
I was worried I wouldn’t be able to play bass tomorrow for all the above reasons, but it looks like at this rate and with more rest I’ll be okay and with minimal damage.
I’ve learnt it is good to always have the following on hand and easily accessible at home:
- Ice pack or frozen vegetables for bruised injuries or back pain
- A tea towel (IKEA ones are awesome for first aid, they are thin and cheap .49c so if they get really damaged you can just chuck them, thickness is important as thicker towels don’t let enough of the chill through)
- Antiseptic cream (or liquid), the tubes of antiseptic cream are great – you can use them so easily on wounds and your piercings and they don’t go everywhere
- Bandaids so underestimated but they help from blisters in shoes to cuts and I’m pretty sure I’ve used one to mend a flower
If you’re sick you should consider having the following:
- Lemsip
- Vicks
- Aloe Vera tissues
They are just some of my thoughts and suggestions, what are some of the things you couldn’t live without during these times?
\~OwL~/
Ant and Owl 