Those of you following my blog will remember that I sprained my wrist eight weeks ago while attending the US Pond Hockey Championships. And being my dominant hand it’s been an exercise in patience, of which I sometimes haven’t had a lot of. But what was originally diagnosed as a sprain has since proved to have been a break. A few weeks ago I found out that I had broken one of the bones in my right arm below the wrist, the ulna. Good news was that the break was healing. Bad news was that my thumb wasn’t working right. If you look at the photo, the thumb on the left is giving a good “thumbs-up” whereas the thumb on the right is unable to flex up and back. (For you photographers, yes, I did flip the photo. It is my right thumb that is the problem thumb.) I could use my left hand and pull my right thumb back without any problems, but I could not get the muscles and tendons to do it on its own. After multiple doctor visits, I was informed that I have a ruptured tendon in my thumb as a result of the break in my arm. No amount of physical therapy will be of any help — the only solution is surgery. I’ve since learned that we have one tendon in our thumb, however we have two tendons in each of our fingers (although we really only need one). The surgery to repair my thumb, called an EIP to ELP tendon transfer, involves taking one of the tendons from the finger and moving it over to replace the ruptured tendon of my thumb. So this coming Friday I’m scheduled to have my thumb repaired. Hopefully in about six weeks I’ll be able to give a 2-thumbs-up and have it really work right!
ice
The good, bad, and the ice
With the coldest week of our winter so far, the weather has been perfect for the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships that were held at Lake Nokomis this weekend. Attracting hockey players from all over the world, the games are held outside in the winter landscape of the frozen lake. No matter the temperature, the players are in their element. Some teams show up in full hockey uniforms, while others are playing in jeans and red flannel shirts. But it’s the sport and the camaraderie that’s showcased here. So that’s the good of our winter weekend. However the ice also played a sinister part in my weekend. While I was walking up to the warming tent at the Pond Hockey tournament, I shared an experience that many other Minnesotans have endured this winter. My feet went out from under me and I landed on the ice, trying to steady myself with my right hand. Oops! – not the thing to do. This split-second slip earned me a trip to urgent care and x-rays of my wrist. Luckily it’s not broken, although it’s done its share of swelling and turning black and blue. I now have a renewed appreciation of my dominant right hand and all the things I use it for. Note to self: Be aware, be alert, take small steps, and concentrate on what you’re doing and where you’re going. We still have many more weeks of winter to go and, needless to say, I don’t want a repeat performance.
Winter’s sunset at the Cannon River
Our weather has remained cold this past week with temperatures hovering around zero at night. With this extended cold snap all the lakes within the Cities are frozen over. Until a snowshoe hike yesterday, it has been awhile since we’ve seen any open water. We ventured to the far southern edge of Dakota County, Minnesota to the Miesville Ravine Park Reserve. Way off the beaten path, and down a winding gravel road, we had the park all to ourselves on this late afternoon. The crunch of our snowshoes broke the silence of the cold air. The trail followed alongside a small creek which accompanied us with its sound of tumbling water. There were a few bird calls and one squirrel that was racing across the snowy landscape, but otherwise we were alone as the sun was beginning to move low on the horizon. We crossed the road to where the creek joined into the Cannon River and were surprised to see bits and pieces of ice floating in the water, sometimes gathering along the shore and becoming more dense. The sun was shining on the hillside opposite of the ravine causing the barren trees to take on a golden reddish hue. Their warm tone was a beautiful contrast to the white of the snow and the ice on the ground.
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