ER

An eventful yesterday evening.  I got home from work, and decided I needed to cut back some of the trees next to my driveway because my car kept brushing them.  Without proper garden equipment, I found the sharpest knife I could and starting cutting at branches.  But then I found it was quicker and simpler to just snap the branches off.  But then in the course of doing that, I accidentally sliced into my index finger with the knife.  Then I saw how deep the cut was, and started to panic.  This was more than just requiring a plaster.  So quickly rushed inside, spilling blood everywhere at this point, and ran the cut under a tap (no idea if this was the right thing to do) before wrapping my finger in paper towels.  Probably needed to wrap it tighter and apply more pressure, but that was the best I could do at that moment.  Although I wasn’t in much pain this didn’t stop the blood pouring out, so reluctantly made the decision that I needed to drive to the nearest emergency room – about 5 miles away.  I haven’t been to a hospital for a very long time, and certainly not an American one.  I can assure you that this emergency room was nothing like how it is depicted in film and television, much quieter and much more controlled than I was imagining.  Eventually got to see a doctor, which then resulted in me getting a tetanus shot and having to have stitches.  So now my finger is wrapped up with a splint, and I’ve got to go back in about a week’s time to get my stitches taken out.  And because it’s my right index finger, it’s a nightmare – affecting everything I do from washing, cleaning, typing, writing, brushing my teeth, wiping my ass, doing up my shoelaces, getting things out of my pockets, etc. etc.  Basically anything that involves holding or gripping something.  Which is almost everything.  The next week is going to be fun.  And the most devastating thing of all – I cannot play table tennis.  And the knockout stages of the work tournament may begin next week – which I was the favorite to win.  Just typical bad luck and timing when it comes to my fruitless endeavor to win the first ever trophy of my life…