Ouch!

I screwed my thumb up at wrestling.

Or really, the other guy did.

I was drilling with Sam and my thumb got caught at an odd angle. It bent all the way back. I heard and felt a crack. The pain only hit for a moment. It was replaced with a numb/tingle and the rush of blood as my hand started to swell like a balloon.

My hand still worked, so I tried to shake it off and did a few more drills. However, I felt the rush of blood up in my head as well as my hand. It threw of my equilibrium some. I was able to keep working, but it took all my concentration to ignore it.

So I went to see the trainer at the next break to ask for ice. I wasn't bouncing back as quickly as I thought and my head was still rushing. 

I had to wait a little bit (I guess I looked fine), but when the trainer started to feel and look at my hand I closed my eyes to concentrate/meditate away the dizzy.

I might have done it too well. 

I heard the trainer say, "Get a chair," and I felt another come up behind me. I looked behind me and sat down, because that's what it seemed like they wanted. I looked at them like, "What's up?" after I sat down.

"You passed out for a second there."

"I did?"

Ironically, I felt completely normal at that point. I mentioned I heard them and felt them coming up behind me. I made a joke about how they were playing Brittany spears on the computer behind me. They asked some questions about how much I'd eaten which was not much. I'd had a bagel for breakfast and a cliff bar for lunch. Maybe my blood sugar was low when the swelling hit.

I got a protein bar for my troubles. They gave me water and they flinched when I hopped up for a refill. Other than my hand being swollen and sore I felt back to normal. They told me to rest up and avoid wrestling.

So I went back to practice. 

I partnered back up with Sam and told him not to grab my hand. I didn't want him to feel guilty about an accident. If I'm honest, I was also a little embarrassed it happened and I wanted to finish up for my own sake. We were working on some mat work, so it was easy to protect myself.

I was really careful with my hand for the rest of the night. It was already turning black and blue. I fessed up to Carrie and we tackled the evening barn chores together.

It's hard to see in pictures, but the bruising wraps around my the entire base of my thumb. It goes up over the first knuckle on the back and to the middle of my palm on the front.

Thumbs up!

My lower back was sore, too, because I'm old, fragile, and out of shape! I didn't need any medicine at least. 

I laid on the couch for most of Thursday night to rest and keep my hand elevated (with Shane poking me). I went to work as normal the next day. I baby'd it all day and started to use it some that night. Saturday, I started to use it some more and on Sunday I was accidentally using it for more normal things (like buttoning a shirt).

I was pretty sure it was broken by that point. Just sprained to hell and back.

Carrie made me an appointment with her orthopedist for Monday. I might have cancelled, but it's hard to give 24 hours notice for a 9 AM appointment when the day before is Sunday.

I took Shane with me to get him out of the house!

He really like looking at the x-rays!

The verdict: Nothing is obviously broken. There was soft tissue and possible ligament damage, but I did a good job of safeguarding and taking care of myself. They offered me a brace that I guess I can wear sometimes.

I pay for the insurance, so why not?

I'm going to take it easy for a week or so. I probably won't even dress out. There are only three weeks left of the season to get through....maybe two if no one qualifies for Regionals, but I'm hoping Sam makes it!