Uh oh

[cleolinda]

So I'm over in the den working--it's Saturday, but everyone's running around and there's no one's around to keep an eye on the dogs, so I'm doing the weekday routine instead--and my sister comes in to make a sandwich before she goes to work. I hear her and Mom discussing--cheese? Swiss cheese? I'm not sure? And then I hear my mother say, "Ohhhhhhh--!" The next coherent thing I hear is from my sister: "I think my finger is falling off."

So my mother hustles her off to the MedHelp clinic. From what I was able to gather from the scene of the accident, my sister was trying to slice a rather tough block of cheese, the knife slipped and cut her finger instead, and because she was already bearing down so hard--you get the picture.

Then later I hear from my stepfather, who has talked to Mom, that MedHelp says they can't do anything for her. She's going to have to go to the university hospital. I'm starting to feel a little sick about this now.

Two or three hours into this, I get a call from my sister. She sounds deadpan and very tired.

"Oh my God, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, well... looks like I cut through the tendon. But I still have sensitivity. They made it sound a lot worse than it actually is, even worse than I thought it was. So I'm going to go into surgery... whenever. Stitches. I don't know if they're going to give me anything, though."

"They're not going to give you any anesthesia?"

"I don't know. I'm just afraid--see, you know all the medical shows I watch." She was really into ER back in the day, and now she's into Grey's Anatomy. "I'm probably going to get an intern. It's probably going to be their first stitch--" I hear my mother talking in the background. "NO I'm not afraid it's going to look bad, I'm afraid they're going to mess up my hand!"

" 'Do you have an Izzie? Don't give me Izzie.' "

"Heh, yeah."

(I have no idea if Izzie's a terrible doctor or not. It was just the first Grey's name that came to mind.)

"So anyway, I was calling to see if you could put my clothes in the dryer. Forty minutes on permanent press or whatever."

Comments

[gloraelin.livejournal.com]

A] sucktastic luck.
B] lol, laundry. I like how she's all ~omg my finger is going to fall off~ and then just jumps right back to the mundane.

[and I wish all you well, that shit's not easy to deal with.]

[jennnk.livejournal.com]

When I was in the middle of labor with my first son, and I do mean the middle, it was 7 p.m. Monday, I'd started at 2 a.m. & he was born at 2 a.m. Tuesday, I looked up between contractions and said "shit! I had library books due today!"

[emisi.livejournal.com]

I hope they can help your sister! However, I love that she called to ask you to put her clothes in the dryer. Makes her sound very 1940's-English. "Right-o, we're being bombed and all that. Tea?"

[quorothorn.livejournal.com]

It does, doesn't it?
I'm a bit surprised we didn't get the "Tribulations" tag here, incidentally.
I get very nervous whenever I hear about injuries that damage something beyond skin and capillaries, basically. But the retention of sensation is a good sign.

[pixiellie.livejournal.com]

Oh my Goodness. I'm sending so many good thoughts to her right now. Ugh. And yes, please no Izzie.

[mippet-ace.livejournal.com]

If it's any comfort, at this point in the year even interns have had lots of practice and are starting to become pretty seasoned. Also interns are always supervised and for delicate surgeries they don't usually get to do much except close the skin or other less risky parts for the first year.

[demonoflight.livejournal.com]

afdhkdjsheveqdwhgwh oh my god that just pressed ALL MY SQUICK BUTTONS EIYEDSRNNW.

Goodness, I hope she'll be okay. I hope you'll all be okay, that's... kythsjlghlhwhn I'm going to hug my fingers for a bit.

[katharhino.livejournal.com]

Um yes, I was actually squeezing my own fingers together while reading the post. UGH! GAH!

Cleo, really, sympathies to your family and I hope the surgery is as smooth and successful as humanly possible. And good luck with the laundry!

[exileslament.livejournal.com]

Wow, I hope your sister is alright... sending good thoughts your way!

[jaspers-girl19.livejournal.com]

That's why I don't watch hospital shows--I don't want to think of stuff like that when I'm in the hospital.
Hope your sister gets better soon! I'm sure everything will turn out just fine.

[tifaria.livejournal.com]

Aaaaah, I am cringing in such sympathy while feeling guilty about laughing. Oh, I am so sorry, I hope she'll be okay.

[clodia-risa.livejournal.com]

Holy crap. Here's to the professionals not sending in an intern and fixing her finger.

And like everyone else is saying - how crazy and amazing is your sister to have the presence of mind to remember her clothing in a time like that!

[mdmbrightside.livejournal.com]

"So anyway, I was calling to see if you could put my clothes in the dryer. Forty minutes on permanent press or whatever."

Priorities, Ladies!

In all seriousness, from being in the same boat but with a can lid, I wish her a speedy recovery.

[fading-october.livejournal.com]

I thought Izzie was those really fancy sodas they have at the Mongolian bbq place. (that sounds really good now.)

Anyway, I hope everything turns out! What's with the kitchen and your family? Wasn't that the place where the dogs got in a fight? Better sage the corners.

And sadly this just reminded me of Jacob/Bella. Eclipse, I think? scary.

[bambbles.livejournal.com]

What is it recently with people cutting their fingers with knives: two of my friends at college (luckily not bad enough to go to the hospital but just to make two strong men woozy), and another friend did the same thing as your sister, though he just missed his tendon.

It's an epidemic.

[fading-october.livejournal.com]

Also, I know I saw a question regarding if you watched the Vampire Diaries yet. I can't get back to the question at the moment, but I just wanted to say it is pretty interesting, and I believe most the eps are on Hulu.

It's not the best thing in the world, but it's got some wonderfully snarky moments. I forget that it's even on the CW (I hate the CW) and it's pretty easy to catch up since they are still on hiatus.

[roseredhoofbeat.livejournal.com]

Your icon! *swoon*

[sarasaid.livejournal.com]

if there's an izzie, she'll likely fall in love your sister and then try to marry her.

[not-tragedi.livejournal.com]

I'm an Izzy (not I-z-z-i-e) but I am a nurse. I would have to say if you have an Isabella or Isabel, they have all been just wonderful doctors that I've met so far. But soon as they cross the nickname line into -ie territory, RUN.

Best of luck with her surgery. And go with the presliced cheese block.

[nik-bella.livejournal.com]

Oh boy, my thoughts go out to your sister. A few weeks ago, my sister in law fell while holding a mason jar, and the jar shattered and cut most of the way through the tendon in her first finger on her right hand. she can't do ANYTHING with that hand for another 6 weeks yet, and has to keep it elevated all the time. Worst part is, she's a dentist and that's her dominant hand, although she was on a leave of absence due to some carpal tunnel issues. Now she can't even floss her own teeth! (My brother is a dentist as well, so he's doing it for her :)
She's probably going to need major assistance for a while, but I would assume since she was cutting at the time, it's her non-dominant hand that was injured, so she won't feel so handicapped.

[unewillow.livejournal.com]

that's love when someone will floss your teeth for you.

[das-mervin.livejournal.com]

If it's any consolation at all to anybody, if there is reconstructive surgery involved and not just stitches, the intern won't do that. And, uh...I had a ganglion removed from my wrist a few years back, and it turned out to be so massive it had messed up my tendons and ligaments, so they'd had to screw around with them and snip pieces out and stitch them back together to tighten them back up so my wrist wouldn't be limper than Edward Cullen's when I came out of it, and they had to deal with more nerves and bones and muscles in that area--came out of it fine. Lost very little flexibility.

Well, ultimately--am keeping her in my thoughts.

[tenalto2.livejournal.com]

"...stitch them back together to tighten them back up so my wrist wouldn't be limper than Edward Cullen's..." I clapped like a seal at this -- I think I love you. :-)

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

Eeek! Hope she's okay and doesn't get an Izzie. I don't even know what an Izzie is, but they sound horrid.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Izzie's the Katherine Heigl character.

[angelene.livejournal.com]

I don't know what the standard procedure in the US might be, but, if it's a delicate procedure, I'd deem it unlikely that an intern would be allowed to perform it, at least not it its entirety.

As a former-intern myself, I can say how it feels to be on both sides, and none of them is too pleasant.

I hope your sister's finger'll recover soon. (Which finger is it, by the way?) A cut tendon is a bitch to be sure. To use a supremely technical medical term, heh.

[delurker.livejournal.com]

Oh no! I hope her surgery goes well.

[celestinenox]

Eeeep! Good wishes for your sister and her finger!

(And, well, I understand the nervousness about interns... but... they have to start somewhere? I doubt it will be with something are serious as this, but even then... there has to be a first time someone handles something this serious.)

[acaciakitty.livejournal.com]

This is why she is a pastry chef, right? Whipped cream never injured anybody.

In all seriousness, I'm sending good thoughts to your sister and her finger. My husband damn near cut his thumb off a couple of years ago and I still get queasy thinking about it.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

No, but scalding hot sugar has. She borrowed my phone one day and dripped something on it that warped the case like freakin' xenomorph spit, I don't even know. Also: major burns, particularly from ovens. Also-also: they do still have to cut things. All I know is that she told me just now, "Yeah, in the kitchen, we used to just use Super Glue."

[profbutters.livejournal.com]

Your poor sister. I really do hope she is ok.

[apey1013.livejournal.com]

Your sister sounds like me in these situations. Except for the part where I'm usually being mocked by the nursing staff or EMTs for being a spaz.

Good luck to your sister and I wish good stitches on her damaged digit.

[trampchic.livejournal.com]

In Poland we say, "I wish on you..." or
"I wish for you" so
I wish, with all my heart, for your sister to get well soon.