On the eve of potentially having new little thumb splint removed, I wanted to share some thoughts on being one-handed for one month. After my thumb tendon surgery, I spent most of the month with an arm cast and this past week with the much more nimble thumb splint. It was the most minor of injuries and my Hungarian health care experience was challenging but successful, so I’m not writing to claim hardship, but to highlight some of the peculiarities and lessons learned this month.
- Do one thing at a time: Have a banana. Then check your text message.
- Be gentle with your body.
- Don’t let your mind get lazy.
- Be humble and ask for help.
- Don’t assume people will help without asking.
- Give yourself twice the time to complete daily tasks.
- Your writing will look like four-year-old you wrote it, and it’s charmingly annoying.
- The other side of your body will overcompensate and over time, that will hurt.
- Serrated toilet paper is a real treat.
- Celebrate the small victories like mastering left-hand deodorant application.
- Chopping vegetables is impossible. Cracking eggs is not, but it’s certainly comical.
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Podcasts as a magazine you don’t have to hold are essential
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I am grateful for my injury timing. It is much easier to be wrapped up in the spring when I didn’t need to force my cast into too many too small sleeves and when I didn’t need to seek air-conditioned relief for my plaster accessory. I would also like to note that a patient and helpful partner was an essential part of my recovery process. I am lucky enough to have one who did all the cooking, cleaning and caring needed while I was useless in those realms. Even one-handed, I’m incredibly lucky.
