So, Kris, how's your hand doing?

Marvelous, actually. Here's a couple of pictures:





But wait, you say. That second picture... your pinky-finger doesn't look quite right. Well, correct. We don't know what happened here. This morning, while sitting at my desk at school, I noticed that my pinky-finger was turning black. Or at least the outer joint of it. And it was swelling up. I knew that the orthopedic center would be calling me to check up, so I waited for that. When I told the nurse what was going on, she said, "You need to come on in and let Doc take a look at it." I scurried over there, and Randy (Doc's main nurse dude) took one look and said, "Hmm, you're right. That IS curious." He made sure the bandage wasn't too tight (it wasn't) and said, "We need an x-ray of that."

The x-ray showed no fractures or cracks or anything unusual. Doc thought the whole thing was rather strange, and as it was the only finger which was behaving oddly, he suggested we observe it over the weekend. He said that he was the doctor on call this weekend anyway, so if it got worse, I could call and actually get him.

It hasn't really changed or gotten worse... it's still puffy and sore... and the knuckle-bone of my thumb has gotten dark as well. But I'm going to leave it alone and check it again in the morning. My thumb knuckle is much closer to the actual incision site, so it's possible that it's just bruising or something.

The hand in general, apart from the pinky issue, is doing well. I'm using both hands to type again, with very little discomfort. I still don't have any strength in the hand; I can't pick stuff up or anything. But I have excellent mobility... which bodes well for being able to play the piano again soon. This is VERY good news for me.

I'm also planning a little gift for Doc Rodgers when I go back to see him on the 13th. He told me he was leaving next week for a few days in Jackson Hole, doing some snowboarding with friends. How cool is that? Anyway, I'm thinking maybe a watercolor of a snowboarder would be something nice and thoughtful. I usually try to do something nice for our doctors, and each time I've done it, it has strengthened the connection between our family and the doctor... big-city professionals see so many people in and out of their offices, and it's hard to remember people from one visit to the next. Give them something to remember you by, however, and you've got someone who's genuinely interested in your life and your family and (in my opinion) you get better care in return.

All pontificating aside now, my hand's doing great and I'm cautiously optimistic about the long-term results.