Friday, April 1, 2011

Sidelined

About a week and a half ago, I developed a paronychia (infection) around the fingernail on the ring finger of my left hand. Because I still engage in the nasty habit of biting my nails, I get at least one of these kinds of infections every year. Usually, they go away pretty quickly with just a minimum of at-home care. This time, however, the infection just seemed to be getting worse, so today I finally made an appointment to see the doctor, who confirmed that it is indeed a paronychia and gave me a prescription for Keflex and orders to soak my nail in a mixture of hot water and antibacterial soap several times a day. If I don't see improvement by Monday, the doctor said she'll need to refer me to an osteopath to make sure that my bone hasn't become infected. Yikes.

It's hard to believe that a tiny paronychia can be so painful, but it is. Today I've been having trouble bending my finger more than a tiny bit, and typing has become really difficult. To top it off, I've strained the muscles in my right arm because I've been trying to compensate, so even typing with only my right hand--the old hunt-and-peck method--is getting harder. This infection needs to go away soon.

It's depressing to be sidelined from my writing plans so early in the month--if only it were an April Fool's Day joke--but I'm determined that I'm not going to let this infection keep me from writing. I'll probably need to use pen and paper for a few days and take lots of breaks, but I will write.

Take that, paronychia!

3 comments:

  1. Sorry about your finger fungus. I won't tell you about my many ailments, suffice it to say, be happy it's just your finger for now. Plus, you've got 9 others, right? (Smile! I'm teasing you!)

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  2. Deb: Thanks!

    Tara: Mine's not a fungus (it's bacterial), but thanks. Sorry to hear about your ailments. Hope you feel better soon. P.S. I typed this with my nine other fingers. :)

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