Occupational Hazard

**Warning--pictures of my post surgery finger below! Just in case you are nervous about stitches! **

So, a few weeks ago I was sewing at my mom's house - preface the machine has six needles that come straight down to hold the six thread colors. I was moving the shirt I was sewing out of the way, not paying attention to the fact that needle position one was the thread that started sewing. Well, my finger happened to be in the way and the needle went right down on it. I have gotten my finger before but this one HURT like crazy. It scared me and I jerked my hand back to get away from the needle. I ran to the bathroom, washed off the blood and went back to make sure I could find all of the needle. Well, I couldn't find the tip...So I ran upstairs and made my brother (the paramedic student, love you Bubs!) take a look at it. In his (and my mom's defense) it really looked like I only had a scratch on my finger and nothing else. So I brushed it off, figured it hit the bone and went about my business. Fast forward a few weeks later - my finger was still red and swollen at the joint. I finally decided it was best if I went to urgent care just to make sure. After waiting a little while with my active three year old and x-ray confirmed my fears. I HAD A NEEDLE IN MY FINGER! Ah!! The doctor was like "good news, I found the tip of your needle" hahaha! He said he couldn't take it out in the office and refered me to an orthopedic hand surgeon.

 I immediately took my x-ray disc home so I could show my mom, Dave and BJ that I seriously had a sewing machine needle in my hand. Things with hands and feet freak me out a little and I will say that my finger that didn't really bother me, sure bothered me a lot more after I knew there was a needle in there :) Ha!

 I made an appt. with the hand surgeon and met at his office after picking C up from school on Tuesday. He was seriously laying on that chair doing airplane when the surgeon walked in, it was kind of funny. Connor was cracking me up because he was pretending to be the doctor asking me how long the needle was in my finger and how we were going to get it out, ha! Well, the doctor was super nice and told me that he too unfortunately couldn't do it in the office and it was off to the surgery center for me. We made the appointment for the next day - it was crazy it was a real deal operating room. I was on the table sweating bullets - I just had to remind myself that I wasn't going to feel anything. After the shot to numb my fingers (which hurt like the devil, dear lord I thought he was ripping my finger off) I didn't feel anything.

It was crazy though - he opened it up and found the needle and was like "oh, this isn't good". Not exactly what you want to hear in relation to your finger, haha! He said that it must have hit the bone when it went it and I have bone and tendon damage and he thought I had a bone infection that would require iv antibiotics. Thankfully all of that came back negative and now I am just waiting to get my stitches taken out! He said I will probably never be able to straighten it all the way with the tendon damage, but I will take it! I asked him how fast I could return to sewing and he said I could start working when I felt better as long as I kept my fingers away from the sewing machine! :) So, that is my finger saga so thankful to have it out and on the mend!