The True Price of a broken hand.
3 weeks ago as I was playing soccer on one of Montreal soccer fields, I slipped on my right side and landed on my right hand. Initially, I thought it was nothing, I was strongly reassured by a 19 years old kid on the field who asked me to open and close my hand and move my wrist around, then confirming that I am fine and I should continue to play. Which to my intelligence I continued to do so.
A few moments later I realized that my hand was swelling, and to my shock, I started to doubt the teenager’s “Medical advice”, at that point I said bye to everyone on the field and went home and start icing my hand.
Still not finding it necessary to see a doctor, and refusing to pause my life for such an inconvenience that would most probably “Get better the next day” I went to see a pharmacist, who pretty much gave me the same advice as the 19 years old in the field.
And if you know me, you would know that I am a guy of data, so after getting my hypothesis reassured I came back home with an Advil and slept it off.
The next few days nothing bad happened, yet as things didn’t get better, I decided to call a doctor “Finally!”
Which immediately requested an X-ray, and you really don’t have to be a doctor to figure this out, just by looking at the image below you can see a broken finger.
It took me a few days after the scan to get my hand fixed, and when it did thank God nothing has moved.
Till this point, I haven’t yet witnessed the inconvenience of this small fractured finger, but as the past few weeks came into play I started realizing how much a small bone can slow down your whole life.
Let me start with this article, which usually takes me around 10 minutes to type, it is now taking me twice that time.
And this applies to everything that I have done in the past week. Any activity that involves a mouse and a keyboard, fork and knife, taking a shower, getting ready, etc…, has been taking me double the time.
I am saying this not to complain, the fact that something so small can affect my life this much and my work this much made me realize, a few things:
- If a small finger can cause this much inconvenience, imagine bigger health issues. And for that I say take health seriously, you see an issue, you sense you are not feeling well, take the day off, relax, give your heart, body, soul and mind a break. It will bring better results to you with recovery and to your company as well.
Cause it might seem that you are saving time short term, but you will lose something bigger in the long term. - Watch the signals, I took this sign as a positive sign, as there is a saying where I come from and goes as such “Don’t hate something bad, as it might be a blessing for you”. I took this into account and I realized that a broken finger was a sign from God and the Universe for me to slow down, take it easy and look at life with a wider lens.
- We need to be 10 times more lenient and accommodating with anyone who suffers an injury or any health issue.
- Assume that injuries are not always visible, and understand that every coworker, student and partner, might have something that broke, and to that, I say be nice & be patient.
- Take immediate action when it comes to your health, don’t delay, even if you think it is not serious, we are not all doctors.
And most importantly don’t take medical advice for a teenager lol
I hope this will turn your day around in one form or another, and I hope it will help you be nicer to yourself and to others.