First, let's start with some good news. After almost a month of numbness, the feeling has come back in my thumb and forefinger! And now you're asking what? so let me explain: when I was tattooed a month ago I had to hold my arm at an awkward angle. I was laying down on my back and had to hold my arm out at a 135 degree angle from my body (out and up towards my head) with my arm turned so that the inside of it was upwards.
Like so. See? (And the red is ink, not blood, don't worry.)
Anyway, somehow in this twisting, I managed to pinch a nerve. Well, to be more specific, holding your arm out like this for 2 hours makes your whole hand fall asleep. I took a few breaks to try to shake life back into it but that was mostly unsuccessful. It was terrible. I think it almost bothered me more than the feeling of a needle poking me for two hours. Ok no, that is completely inaccurate, the needle part sucked. But when it was finally, finally over, the feeling came back into my hand--except it didn't come back in my forefinger and thumb nor the top of my forearm.
I am really bad with these sort of situations. I tend to panic. Well, I never used to panic until I found out that the hospital at home has a nurse help line that I can still use since I'm technically still under my parents insurance and so I've begun calling them. The problem is their answer to everything is "go to the emergency room!" About a month before the tattoo incident I lost sight in one of my eyes and wasn't really concerned about it (I tend to only worry when it is completely unnecessary) until I called them and they panicked. That time it was good I went to the emergency room--I had an ulcer in my eye that was infected and if I had gone too long it would have destroyed my cornea blah blah blah--but it was still a boring, 8 hour trip of waiting around, blind.
Anyway, after about 9 hours of my fingers being numb I started to worry. For some reason, I was concerned that my fingers would fall or rot off, even though they were pink and clearly getting blood. So I call the nurse line and they tell me to go to the emergency room and I have a mini panic attack and cry and then the nurse calms me down (they probably love it when I call). I shot my mom an email who gives me specific instructions NOT to go the emergency room (the bill from my eye was really high) and lets face it, your mom will always beat the phone nurse--because she's still paying your rent and the phone nurse doesn't care where you live. Instead, I went to my school's nurse a few days later who promised it was a pinched nerve and should get better in a week.
Well it didn't. It's been almost four weeks now but finally, yesterday, while sitting in my thesis/studio class I touched the tip of my thumb AND I COULD FEEL IT!
And if that isn't cause for celebration, I don't know what is. (Besides free alcohol, good tex mex found outside of Texas, or finally, finally kissing the boy.)
(I'm still waiting on the forearm to come back.) Read More......
