A Freak Accident Update ~ “A surgery, really???”

After an upbeat entry about the Gung-Ho Run, this entry is to reflect how set-backs could creep in when you least expect them.

I decided to Whatsapp my friend Orthopedic Dr the day after the run (20 Nov 13) asking him if he could spare some time to look at my crooked pinky (link).  I was lucky as he said he could see me during lunch time.  Wow…that was very kind of him.

I arrived at the base hospital, waited for about 10 minutes outside his clinic and it was time to see him.  Then it all went super fast and within 45 minutes after leaving his clinic, I found myself being registered for an operation to re-attach my suspected torn tendon.  What???? No time to think, just react ok.  I trust my Dr as I have known him since 2006, and he has performed my PCL reconstruction surgery before.    

Just a small surgery with local anesthetic? Didn’t seem like it though.  The pre-surgical process was quite intimidating to be honest.  First, I was told to change into a complete garment for surgical patient.  Huh!!!  ID bracelet was placed around my wrist, IV line was put on my right hand (ouch), indemnity form, question on allergies etc.  A quick call to my wife and I was immediately ushered on a wheelchair to the OT.  All set to go.

As I lied on the operation table, the nurses helped to remove my wedding ring and glasses.  All the patches to monitor my vital signs were placed.  Unfortunately, a screen was also put in between to prevent me from seeing the ops procedure.  My left arm was positioned on a raised platform, then rubbed with the cleaning solution………all we needed then was for the Dr to come in.

The procedure to reattach the severed tendon in my finger took less than one hour.  However, I discovered that the local anesthetic for a finger surgery did not alleviate the pain completely.  In fact, the operation was quite a painful experience.  Quite a sting for each of the anesthetic injection, and all the cuts and whatever was done to reattach the tendon were not exactly “pain free”, and “painful” was probably a better word to describe it.  I was told the pain was inevitable as the area was small and so close to the bone, I just had to endure this “little” pain I guessed. 

I know my pain tolerance is quite high, but I felt my pain threshold was really stretched during this surgery.   

The surgery was finally over and I was quickly wheel-chaired back to the ward for recovery.  I was advised that I could stay overnight if I wanted, but I decided against it as I felt I would be better off recuperating at home.

The outcome

The ID Bracelet

So now the pinky is heavily bandaged and supported by a splint until my appointment next Tuesday.  This has been super fast.  A crooked finger, a quick assessment by the Dr, a quick surgery………… but now the long and slow battle towards recovery.

I was advised to spend the night here....but

.......I want to go home

Life is so full of surprises……… I pray that God will give me the strength in coping with the many challenges coming my way. Amin.

A Freak Accident to Rejuvenate My Blog

What a better way to rejuvenate this blog than to recount a freak accident that occurred to me today.  A seemingly harmless awkward landing on the bed in the middle of the night as I stumbled my way back from the loo resulted in my having a crooked pinky and a trip to the Emergency at the base hospital.

No serious pain when it occurred so I didn’t give it much thought at all.  I just slowly drifted back to sleep and wasn’t bothered until the next morning.  To my horror, I first saw the pinky in a crooked position when I got into the shower.  Hahahaha………You must be wondering how come I didn’t realise immediately when I woke up.  Heck, I don’t know………I guess there wasn’t any need to move the pinky until I got into the showerJ

Crooked pinky & ice cream stick work well together

Well, to cut the story short, I consulted my Orthopedic Specialist Dr Musa.  Upon seeing a picture of the injury I sent him, he advised me to get it x-rayed at the base hospital.  He suspected some damage must have occurred to the tendon.  “Make sure the finger is straightened using a splint, the staff at the hospital should be able to assist you to get it done”.

As a temporary measure, my ever reliable wife, Lin, strap an ice cream stick to keep the pinky straight.  She did a really good job albeit having to use a “decorated” ice cream stick left over from the kids’ activities.

Then off to the hospital with wifey and kids in tow.  Glad it was a smooth process; an x-ray was done almost immediately, followed by the splint.  The bandage used to hold the splint in position has made the injury more obvious for everyone to see.  Oh well, I guess I just have to live with all the questions and speculations on how it occurred for the next few weeks.

Trip to the Emergency at the base hospital

I am scheduled to participate in a “Gung Ho Run” in a few days.  This grueling test of rowing for 500m, running for 10km and climbing an 11-storey building will really put my post-PCL surgery knee to test.  And having a crooked pinky surely adds more flavour to this challenge.  Well, what can I say…………Bring It On!!!!

Gung Ho Run- Rowing, Running & Resilient Climb.......hope I can hack it when the time comes

Allergy Attack…Arrghhh!!!!

I decided to go swimming on Monday after more than 3 weeks of no physical activity. Final exams, semester break and a field trip to Singapore and Indonesia really kept me away from any meaningful exercise. The 40-minute session in the pool was really good and I could feel myself sweating profusely throughout. Should be good for the body right? Not this time as the next morning I started to feel lower back pain when I woke up. Dismissing anything amiss, I went to attend lecture as usual but instead of being able to shake it off, the prolonged sitting in less than ergonomic chair in the lecture hall led my condition to get worse. By the time the day session finished I was struggling. Even simple bending or twisting was becoming more painful than before.

The situation got worse and by bedtime I knew I was in trouble. I slept lying on my back the whole night without any possibility of rolling to either side. Imagine being in the same position for more than 6 hours. When I woke up this morning I decided that it was time to go see the doctor.

The waiting at the military clinic wasn’t bad as I was called into the doctor’s office not long after I “reported sick” at the counter. The examination was short and sharp. “Any allergy?” he asked, “No” I said. Off to the treatment room with a prescription in hand, and a jab shortly followed. I felt a little better almost immediately and drove back to my apartment.

As I sipped my coffee and read my newspaper, I started to feel this niggling itchiness around my eyes. Ops....am I allergic to the medication? Nahhh.....don’t think so. Within 5 minutes my eyes were all swollen and after consulting my chief nurse (my wife Lin) who is a veteran in allergy department (she is allergic to almost all antibiotics and half of the pain killers in the global inventory!!!!), I quickly put on my uniform again and drove back to the clinic.

Voltren is the culprit

I was attended to almost immediately upon checking in at the clinic. “Yes, you have an allergy here. Any difficulty breathing? Are you aware of any allergy you might have? Are you allergic to any painkiller?” All of which I said “No” to. Another jab and it was all done. Went back feeling sleepy and fell asleep until almost 2 pm. Still feeling groggy as I type this entry.

Red and puffy eyes......still there shortly after the second jab but the itchiness was gone almost immediately

Yes, I know now that I’m allergic to this “Voltren” and must remember to mention it next time before being prescribed with any medication. I guess remembering my childhood cartoon series “Voltron” would help me to permanently remember the name. Hahahaha ......

The city is slowly being swallowed by a heavy downpour. Perfect signal to jump back into bed. I was just starting to put another gear into my thesis writing before all this happened. Oh well, I guess Jawaharlal Nehru and his nonalignment foreign policy can still wait. Life is full of surprise!!!!

Heavy rain on the way to break the current dry spell