the thumb story

so. i was slicing a TON of onions for dinner for 16 the day after boxing day. eery time i got to the end of the onion, i'd think to myself, i gotta be really careful. brian keeps these knives really sharp. and you knwo they are SO sharp, you don't even feel it when you slice off the end of your thumb slicing the very last piece of onion!

so, i looked at my thumb, to make sure what i thought had just happened has actually just happened and yes, my thumb is REALLY red at the end now and WOW look at that, there is a piece of my thumb sitting there on the knife. so i calmly grab the piece and put it back on my thumb and hold my thumb up, tell my niece to get her mom (the nurse midwife) because i just cut a piece of my thumb off and move to the sink. my sister-in-law comes over and looks at it and i start to go into SHOCK, which, if it's never happened to you is a very trippy experience.

S-i-l calls an ER doc at the hospital where she works and he advises not coming in because the piece, while to me substantial, is small enough that there is not much of a chance of it "taking" even if it's sutured on. so she cleans my thumb and cleans the piece and puts it back on and we are not to do anything to it for three days to see if the piece will become part of my body again.

three days later, on new years eve, we have the great unveiling. when the bandage was soming off it kinda hurt. okay it hurt like a mofo, more than when i cut it. and, alas, the tip did not take. but it is providing a nice natural cover while my finger underneath does some repair. so we left it on and i'm changing the bandage every day and using truckloads of neosporin so i don't get a nice infection to go with the gaping wound on my thumb.

and the funny bit (don't read this if you are at all squeamish): when we took the bandaging off on new years eve, i looked at my thumb and told my s-i-l that she put the piece o' thumb on backwards. how could i tell? i slice a sliver of thumbnail off with the tip of my thumb and it was now on the pad of my thumb. oh well. it's not staying anyway!

(one of) the bummer part(s) of this is i can't really knit right now and i really wanted to start something for my NEW niece, premiering in mid feb. if i start something in a couple of weeks, ignore laundry and dishes and eschew sleep, i think i can get something done!

BONUS: in a few weeks, i get to have a COOL thumb brain, like stitchymcyarnpants. check it out! DO NOT CLICK on link if you are weak of stomach.