Disclaimer– Some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.
“Johnny wants to know if we want to play basketball tonight.”
I’m not really good at basketball, I thought, but I suppose it would be nice to get out of Kent’s house for the night.
“Tell him sure,” I said. After all, Kent and I were just going to watch Netflix all night anyway. I’m sure it’ll be fun!
…Big mistake…
Less than an hour later, I found myself in the emergency room with a crooked finger.
I couldn’t bare to look at it. Kent, my boyfriend, kept reassuring me that it wasn’t broken. He said it was maybe sprained or dislocated, but certainly not broken.
Kent, you’re sweet and all, but I know what a broken finger feels like, and this is it.
Soon enough, my x-rays came back.
Broken. Great.
After signing a few sheets, taking a painkiller, and putting on a splint, they sent me home to rest.
Next step was to see a specialist.
~
Broken Pinky – Day 1
12 hours after breaking my pinky, I drove 45 minutes back to my house to go to work. Working in retail with a broken pinky is not fun; however, I needed the money.
The 8 hours following consisted of re-sizing shirts, hanging pants, and folding hoodies, all of which were miserable. I kept bumping my splint, which just made my pinky hurt even more.
Broken Pinky – Day 2
On Monday, I had an appointment with an orthopaedist. He looked at my x-rays and referred me to a close colleague of his, who specifically works on hands.
The orthopaedist also mentioned that it was likely that I would need surgery. This came as a surprise to me. I have broken a bone before (my thumb), and it healed perfectly in a cast. Then, I was told the reason why he thought I would need surgery.
The break in my pinky happened in my middle joint, so essentially, that joint is split in half now. On top of that, the part that broke off also broke a third smaller piece.
This is when I started to panic a little bit.
The thought of surgery scares me. From having an IV put in, to being knocked out, I didn’t want to experience any of it!
I tried to stay optimistic. Okay, no one said for sure whether I am having the surgery or not. It doesn’t hurt too bad, it should be fine!
Broken Pinky – Day 3
On Tuesday, I was scheduled to get my hair cut, but in lieu of recent events, I decided to wait. Instead, I went back over Kent’s house to relax and unwind. Still, the thought of surgery haunted me.
Broken Pinky – Day 4
On Wednesday, I met with the hand specialist. After having a preliminary check-up on my pinky, I became very anxious once again about what the specialist was going to tell me.
Both Kent and my father were in the room, talking to me and keeping the negative thoughts out of my mind.
Then, the doctor came in. It was the moment of truth.
He was very informative. He told me that we essentially had three options:
1. We leave the pinky alone. This was a bad option, because the pinky could keep slipping sideways, causing a 45 degree angle, and little to no mobility for the rest of my life.
2. We do surgery. Under anesthetic, the first thing he will try is to pull and move the pinky to see if it will line up. If so, he will insert pins that will need to stay in for roughly 3 weeks.
3. We do surgery. Under anesthetic, if he cannot get the bones inline, then he will open the finger up and adjust the bones. This, however, leads to a longer healing time, and decreased mobility.
~
So, we decided on surgery.
A few minutes later, a nurse came in. She helped me fill out paperwork, and then took me into another room to get a better splint.
Broken Pinky – Day 5
At this point, all I wanted to do is have the surgery. Knowing that there’s a broken, crooked pinky under my splint was grossing me out.
Broken Pinky – Day 6 and 7
Nothing new.
Broken Pinky – Day 8
I decided to watch a youtube video of the procedure to better prepare myself. Bad idea. I could only get 20 seconds in before my anxiety went through the roof.
Broken Pinky – Day 9 – Surgery Day
The nerves never really hit me. I’d been mentally preparing myself for over a week, and it was finally time. After putting on a gown and fuzzy socks, the nurse got the IV started. I’ve had blood drawn before, so this part wasn’t terrible. It just felt weird and made me have to pee a lot.
Next thing I know, I’m in another room having my arm numbed. At the same time, another nurse was putting anti-anxiety medication in my IV. I don’t really remember much more of what happened in that room.
Then, I waited. My parents and I sat in a recovery room for what seemed like hours, until I was finally ready to go into surgery.
Because I have an anxiety disorder, I thought that I would be freaking out at this point, but I wasn’t. It wasn’t even remotely scary.
I got onto the operation table, and a nurse began to put inflating cuffs on my legs. I asked through my oxygen mask what the cuffs were for, and she said that it helps prevent blood clots.
Then, the anesthesia was put into my IV. I have been told so many stories about people counting from 10 back to , and falling asleep before 8, but none of that happened to me. They didn’t have me count, and so, I just laid there. I wasn’t even remotely getting tired, so I decided to close my eyes to help it along.
Next thing I know, I’m waking up back in the other hospital bed. My arm was wrapped back in a cast, and I felt perfectly fine and wide awake.
Afterwards, I was wheeled back into recovery, where I met my parents and boyfriend. They told me that the doctor said that everything went well. They were able to get a pin in my finger to keep it straight without the use of surgery. They also said that my pinky was also dislocated, which explains the slight crookedness.
After relaxing for a bit, I proceeded to have some cookies and apple juice to make sure I wouldn’t throw up.
Two hours later, I was on my way home.
—
Looking back on it, I had been stressing about this surgery for no reason at all. The nurses and doctors took excellent care of me, the procedure was very smooth, and the recovery is going great.
Getting my pinky to heal straight has been a process, but it’ll definitely be worth it in the end.