First Aid To Self: I Need To Keep An Updated Textbook

[brightlotusmoon]

Well, that was a thing.
The day before, I almost lost part of my right ring finger. I blame lack of awareness (duh) and spasticity. See, usually after I use the hand mixer for my cocoa coffee concoctions in my particular pitcher (take that, coffee frothers), when I wash it I submerse it in soapy water and let it spin. But this once, I accidentally had my right hand right near the spinning blades. I was holding the handle in my left hand (I know, I know), which suddenly spasmed (I know, I know), and then my right hand spasmed (I know, right?) and suddenly my third finger had touched a blade for a nanosecond before I lifted my left thumb off the button.
Nanoseconds are long when you're getting wounded.
And so, there's a tiny chunk missing off the very tip, to the right of the nail. I am absolutely amazed that's all that happened. Sloppy Luck wins again. There are enough layers of skin missing that the tiny circular wound was seeping serum after the bleeding stopped (which took a while). It now looks similar to a third degree burn.
(I have a picture. Wanna see?)
Adam, who was in California and AV teching a meeting when I called for first aid advice, said that anything deeper than a quarter of an inch would require stitches (we resorted to texting; he was surprisingly calm, but I am exasperating on a good day and he's a former EMT who has broken and flayed all his fingers over time, so). And that got me thinking about what I would do if I were alone and really injured. And I realized that in a serious major thing, my only chance, aside from the Comcast security camera dealie, would be to make friends with one of the townhouse owners right near me and call them to drive me to a hospital. There is Nicee, who has already told me that in an emergency, I could lean my head out the window and scream her name and she would come over from her place just around the corner. But I forget if she has a car. Damn, I need to go over there. She's usually out on her front walk smoking when I go for the mail. Other than waving hello and chatting, I don't remember which house is hers. Fuck. I'm screwed. I don't know why I haven't made friends with most of my neighbors since 2005.

Anyway, I can't find the specific finger bandages, so I've been using regular Band-Aids. And doing that with fingertip injuries is really fucking annoying.

When I took my shower, the bandage had to come off... but the worst thing was that I got soap in the wound. Meh.

Also, ring fingers are important. Especially when you have spastic hypertonia affecting one hand and the hand that is injured is your good hand. Good thing I taught myself to type with my first two fingers on both hands.

Comments

[oneonthefence.livejournal.com]

And that got me thinking about what I would do if I were alone and really injured.

This is an hourly fear for me, since I pass out frequently and have issues with switching, cancer, and blah blah blah. You know. So my home health care workers from Bayada services recommended this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0077T1YZC/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0077T1YZC&linkCode=as2&tag=smbantrev09-20

Here's the great thing: it's not expensive. I think it's $40 for the device and $15 (or $14.99, but, you know, close enough) for the monitoring, which is MUCH cheaper than an actual life alert system. You simply keep the device with you (as you would a life alert), and if you need something, you push the button. If you can respond, you talk to an operator and tell them what's happening and what kind of medical assistance might be best (the system has GPS, so they will also recommend the closest place to go and get help). If you don't respond, or say that you need immediate help, they'll send an ambulance. But they don't do that right away like life alert does. They'll try to talk to you, if you can talk, first. They'll contact friends and family FOR you. And then, if you and the trained operator deem that you are having an emergent situation, they'll call 911. You just stay on the line with them as they calm you down, and you wait. For $15 a month for the service, it is entirely worth it. Nurses are available 24/7 in case you feel badly and just need to talk for advice about a situation, and it's a wonderful device in case you get lost, too, since it's a GPS (handy for people like me, honestly, since DID can cause me to wake up in odd places, but for you, if you happen to take a bus to an incorrect place or something because you're disoriented, just press the button and they'll help you orient yourself and get back home).

So for $15/month? I'd go for it. It's really convenient, lightweight, and you don't always have to carry it with you if you're with Adam or someone. But it's not hard to carry around, since it's like a very small cell phone.

It might be worth looking into, for minor injuries, or even stuff like seizures - if you're dizzy and alone, giving them a page wouldn't harm anything. It would at least give you peace of mind, and that alone is worth the inexpensive cost. ♥.

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

OHH. Thank you. I was considering something like Life Alert. But this may be what I need.

My big issue is that I don't want an ambulance unless it is very, very, VERY obvious I need one. Which is why I'm going to find out if there are options for rides that are not ambulances.