So we prepared for 4 long days and went to the mountains to snowmobile last weekend.  The last portion of the journey was treacherous with slush on the road.  The parking lot was really slushy, and we got stuck in it with the snowmobile trailer kattywompus.  We unloaded the snowmobiles, and it was my bright idea to manually move the unloaded snowmobile trailer out of the way.  While we were pulling and pushing the trailer into place, I got my index finger of my right hand caught between the trailer and a parked snowmobile.  I was wearing snowmobile gloves which are padded.  I knew it hurt but did not think I did any real damage.  Tom told me to pull the glove off, and I started dripping blood all over the snow.  Tom found a somewhat clean rag for me and told me we are going to the hospital.  He got the truck unstuck, and we headed quickly back down the road to town.

He had just set up bluetooth in his new truck so asked his phone through this for directions to the hospital in Ellensburg.  It gave directions for “kit”-“itis” (like inflammation of a kitten).  We were briefly confused, but then realized she was trying to say Kittitas so headed there.  Tom dropped me off at the ER door while he found parking.  I went to registration and just as I got there I got woozy and had to sit down.  Tom arrived and helped with the registration stuff, and they quickly got me back to a triage room.  My vitals were OK so they got a room cleaned and moved me. X-rays were done quickly.  Then I meet Chris, the P.A. there.  I had an L-shaped fracture into the lower finger knuckle and a 3.5 cm semi-circular laceration at the tip.  I had no idea I had smashed my whole finger.  I thought it was just the tip.  Chris said if it was not for my glove I could have lost my finger (Thanks Rick for giving me that glove so many years ago).  Chris put in a nerve block which hurt way worse than smashing my finger did and then cleaned up my finger.  I even said the F word which Chris thought was justified.  I got 12 stitches, but it seems unlikely all the skin is going to survive.  I got a long finger splint, a bandage and prescriptions for hydrocodone and antibiotics.  

We then went to Fred Meyer’s to get my meds.  I hit up the magazine section to find entertainment for myself for the long weekend.  We got the prescriptions and headed back to offending parking lot.

Now Chris said I could still go to the mountains.  I had a nerve block that was going to last 6 hours, and a snowmobile handle does not need your index finger.  I could go to the trailer and be in pain there or head home and be in pain at home.  I opted for the trailer as there were less chores staring at me and a prettier view.  So up to the mountain Boles trailer we went.

As I still had the nerve block working, I managed to clean the Boles and unload all the stuff into it while Tom brought things up in the snowmobile trailer.  Here is my lovely hand toward the end of this eventful day.

We did have items to sustain us.  We had chocolate and wine!  

I was right about the views.  Here is the view shortly after the hand photo.

So I spent the weekend taking Vicodin and sleeping in little spurts day and night, reading magazines when I was awake enough.  Tom and my dad went snowmobiling and cooked and cleaned too.  On Sunday, Tom’s fuel pump gave out on him, and it was a slow ordeal getting him and his machine down off the mountain.  While I was waiting for him, these deer approached the Boles.

We made it home yesterday and I am trying to be good.  I slept a fair amount last night, am taking a little less pain meds, and am struggling with typing left-handed.  

WARNING- somewhat gory photo below.

So here is my finger 3 days later.  Pretty huh?

Tom didn’t want me take a photo of it in the ER- thought it was too bloody.