I am not really sure how it happened. Maybe I was going to fast (I was trying to get it done in time...) or maybe I just wasn't watching. Maybe I was thinking about something else.
However it was, it happened. I ran over my pointer finger of my left hand with that needle. It went in twice and then got stuck. My Dad took me to the emergency room. It hurt, but not nearly as bad as I might have thought beforehand. All the way to the hospital (In my pajamas, with no shower, no make-up, my hair a wreck) I held my bloody finger and tried to think about something else. NO, I thought, I would not be scared to use the machine again.
I got to the ER and they start the sign-in process, having me rate my pain, which at that point was a 5. For insurance purposes, they asked if I did this at work. Had I not been in so much pain, I would have laughed. At work? I thought. No, I don't really go to work looking like this. I know she was supposed to ask. The worst part of the whole experience was having my blood pressure checked. That is one thing I do not like. It hurts. Surprise, surprise, my blood pressure was high.
They got me settled into a corner, where I waited on a doctor. Dr. Hold came around soon and asked me about my injury, how it happened, so forth. The main concern was that it might be stuck in the bone. He gave me a digit block, and went to deal with other patients.
Next to me was a Mexican woman who could not speak a word of English. A translator came in for her. She has been suffering chest pains for over a month, and they could come up with no explanation or reason for her pain. her husband wanted to know what could be wrong with her. I felt bad for them. That would be really hard.
The nurses came along to do an X-ray for me. One said, "Ooh, is that a staple?" I set her straight. She was frightened. She got a sewing machine for Christmas and had only set it up on the previous day. If I had felt any better, I could have told her that I had been sewing for some time and that it was just an accident - an avoidable one. They did the X-ray, which did not show the needle in the bone.
Another nurse gave me a Tetanus shot, which I think I really needed.
The Doctor removed the offending object with a pair of pliers. I was very quick and I did not feel it at all. He offered to let me keep the thing, but I refused. In the trash in went. He prescribed a mild antibiotic and a pain killer.
I went home, and a couple of days later, I had something I needed to sew. I was not too excited about sticking my finger near that scary needle again. I did not want to sew. For weeks, I was either unable or unwilling to sew. But, despite the difficulties, I am back in ring, sewing several bags a day over the past few days. At present I am working on a country blue toile bag. I even have a lady in Spain interested in my "Bolsa de Pañales" (diaper bag) on eBay.
It's frustrating, especially since the nail is so torn up. It's not so easy to live with, but it is not going to keep me from sewing....
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