Bed Making 101

[Ed_L]

My wife needed to leave for a while early this morning. I told her to go, and I would make the bed. She left, and while I was pulling a fitted sheet over the corner of the mattress, I heard sort of a snapping noise. When I looked down here's what I saw:

Ed

[Doug Nelson]

OUCH!!!

[DJ Dubovsky]

OOH looks kind of broke. That's going to hurt a bit. Got to give you credit though, I've been making beds for years and never had a problem and mines a waterbed. Try lifting tons of water to tuck under it. All I manage to break are a few nails. On the bright side, you may never be asked to make the beds again. Wish I knew how to break something cleaning the bathrooms. There's a job I'd love to give to someone better qualified.
DJ

[Ed_L]

It might look that way, but you're both wrong (so far at least). It didn't hurt, and it still doesn't after about 3 hours. I can bend it back into position (no pain), but it won't stay that way. I'm able to type, but with a few more errors. The bad thing is that we recently lost our health insurance. We could have picked up the policy for slightly over $1300.00 per month, which was not possible.

Ed

[jeaniesa]

Ed, I'm wondering if this is something called a "trigger finger"? My mother had that at one point. I'll give her a call and ask some questions. -Jeanie

P.S. She's not home right now, but I'll let you know as soon as I talk to her.

[Ed_L]

Thanks Jeanie. I might be wrong, but I think the joint just somehow got pulled apart. I remember when I was a kid, a guy playing baseball got hit with a line drive, and he had a finger that I think looked something like that. The mamager jerked it back into place, and everything was A-OK. I'm thinking about trying that myself. Even though it doesn't hurt, it's annoying. I picked up a rounded glass a while ago, and it felt like it had a flat spot on it. Weird!

Ed

[CJ Swartz]

Any nurses among the membership? Ed, call your wife before you try jerking it back into place...

[OhThatGirl2001]

Ed,

It looks more like mild arthritis to me. Do the end of your finger periodically lock up? I'm be curious to know. I have a few remedies - of the natural kind if you think it might be.

Lisa

[Ed_L]

My wife is a nurse, but I already know her answer. "I'm not a doctor".

Lisa,

It's not arthritis. It was just a freak accident. I never had problems with arthritis in my hands, but I appreciate your willingness to help. Guess what -- I'm getting to where I can type without making any more mistakes than I did before. The finger just looks a little goofy!

Ed

[Guest]

don't listen to Lisa, she'll have you shooting up and smoking stink weed.

On the other had, are you a US vet. I found out a few yrs ago that serving during Viet Nam gave me all benifits.

[jeaniesa]

Ed, I talked to my mom and whatever is wrong with your finger is NOT trigger-finger. (But you already knew that.)

You say it doesn't hurt (thank goodness!!) Is the knuckle swollen at all? Is the joint stiff, i.e. is the finger pretty much stuck in that position? Or is the joint really loose? Does it hurt to move it at all?

Do you know any chiropractors (they tend to be cheaper than doctors - and this seems like just the sort of thing for a chiropractor)?

Jeanie

[Ed_L]

Fugitive,

I don't qualify for that. But I appreciate your response.

Jeanie,

Thanks a bunch. If there is any swelling, it is so minor that it's hard to see. There is absolutely no pain, even if I move the finger back into normal position with my other hand. I can move the finger with no problem, but I have to move it with my other hand. When I let go, it just dangles again. There's no problem using the hand, except that the finger sometimes gets in the way. It's something that I can live with, but I'll probably see a doctor or chiropractor before too long if it doesn't straighten itself out. Thanks again.

Ed

[jeaniesa]

If it's "dangling", my mother told me of a friend who had something similar (did it while washing dishes?). She said that the finger was "dangling," but it wasn't broken, and it really concerned her friend who is an avid piano player. The doctor put it in a splint to keep it straight and it eventually healed itself with no other treatment. (I don't know how long it took, but I can find out if you want.)

Obviously, I can't "diagnose" anything for you, but I guess I'm telling you this just to let you know that it shouldn't be too expensive to see a doctor about. (And if you do see a doctor and they want to give you a splint - ask how much it will be. If it's some outrageous price - just make one yourself out of a popsicle stick and gauze tape!)

Glad it's not causing you any pain. I have a feeling you're going to find out how much you use that finger though.

Jeanie

[Sanda]

Ed,
you've prooved something I've always believed, housework is NOT good for you. There was a lady in Sydney a few months ago who got struck by lightening while washing up in her kitchen at her stainless steel sink. Now your incident with making beds I think in all safety we should all avoid housework as it's a health hazard.
On a serious note hope it won't stop you using the computer, that would ba a disaster.

[CJ Swartz]

Sanda posts:

I think in all safety we should all avoid housework as it's a health hazard.

THAT is one of the BEST tips I've learned here in RetouchPro, Sanda!!

Ed, I'd think seriously about that popsicle stick (or whatever splint your nurse/wife can come up with) for a day or two to keep that finger out of harm's way and to see if it'll straighten out on its own. That'll also keep you out of doing some household chores...