Home : Night at the ER

2020-04-26

I spent most of last night in the ER and we didn't get home until 2 AM.

Yesterday I was working on our tractor attaching the backhoe when the implement shifted and caught the end of my glove and pulled the middle finger of my right hand into the hole for the attachment pin and sheared my finger off at the first knuckle.

Julie called 911 and an ambulance got here quickly and hauled me to Centerpoint Medical Center in Independence, the area hospital designated for trauma injuries during COVID. Shock and adrenaline are amazing things -- there was very little pain the whole time. The IV in my wrist was actually more painful than the finger injury.

The "leftovers" were too smushed to be reattached so they cleaned up the wound best they could and sutured it down. They had some issues with bleeding but the ER doc eventually got it under control.

I'm now home with some heavy-duty pain meds and anti-biotics. Monday morning I need to see an orthopedic surgeon for next steps.

Everyone from the EMTs to the nurses and the doctor were amazing, even in the midst of COVID.

This is the most serious injury I've had -- this was the first IV and first stitches ever. As you can imagine, typing is going to be an issue -- especially since I'm a touch typist and I essentially type for a living.

Oh, and I need to program a new fingerprint into Touch ID on my Mac; the one I used to use is gone.