Today is the one year anniversary of my husband severing the nerve in his right hand while cleaning up picture glass. It both seems like a long time ago and just yesterday.
No, we don't still have wound cleaning supplies in the bathroom or therapy supplies all over the living room. The hospital and surgeons and therapist have all been paid. You have to look close to see the scars on his fingers.
But he still has pain. Not perpetual pain but things he used to be able to do for hours, like ride his bike or do handy man type things can make his hand ache. He has regained a lot of the feeling in his fingers, but its not all the way there and as the nerves grow they ache.
He is now clumsy. He used to be able to hang nails and screw things into the wall or take things apart and reassemble them. Now he gets frustrated at dropping the screw six times before getting it in or not having the hand strength to tighten something more.
He has become wary, almost afraid, of glass. Whenever a lightbulb breaks or a glass gets dropped, it is me who cleans it up. You see, I am afraid too. I don't want to do that again. It was so scary having no income for a summer. It was scary not knowing if he was ever going to be able to go back to work. It was frustrating not being able to fix it, having to watch as he pushed through the physical therapy working the bands and the putty till he was sweating from the discomfort.
No it wasn't a life threatening accident but it was life changing. We weathered the storm and came out stronger and more appreciative of what we have. Because it only takes a quarter inch shard of glass to change everything.
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