I was just going after their flag in football. And if you know me well, highly competitive when it comes to sports. Diving horizontally, Superman style, thinking I’d make the spectacular grab mid-air at the running backs flapping yellow flagl.
The realization that I had a handful of white cotton t-shirt as my opponent ran with all their power, my fingers didn’t realize what was happening until late.
Left pinky and ring fingers to the very last knuckle, angled at 45 degrees like curling shrimp from their natural position. I knew right away. The adrenaline rush of shock to my body was my blessing and pain killer.
I stepped off the field right away and asked the event organizer if I could get a first aid kit.
There was no time to panic. These early moments were going to be crucial.
I was just two years out of dental school. Eyeballs full of debt. Somehow those prevailing thoughts gave me the courage right in that moment to do it.
I took my right hand and tugged up on the crooked little piggies to reset them. I was not going to let any time pass before the swelling would have a say to their future alignment. Specialize or not, I knew they weren’t in alignment with where it was prior to the shirt grab.
I employed a bystander as a make-shift nurse to help me. Opening the simple first aid kit. Only a few things would be helpful. In it was a popsicle stick, athletic tape and Advil. I took 800mg of Advil immediately. Directed my make-shift nurse to split the popsicle stick in half. Paralleled each stick half around my pinky and ring finger like a sandwich. Splinting for stabilization. Wrapped the tape around the fingers. Immobilized and feeling the painkillers kicking in, I drove my adrenaline wearing off fingers to a nearby urgent care.
A couple of x-rays later, I had a complete fracture through my middle phalanx on my ring finger and a partial fracture through the knuckle of the middle phalanx on my pinky finger.
I’m shaking my head right now while writing this.
The events had happened on a Saturday. Urgent Care gave me a massive metal splint with a cushion.
By Sunday I was re-fashioning a smaller splint.. Using some thermoplastic as a custom made cast with craft foam as a liner.
I couldn’t have done anything without my assistant. She held the mirror for me and retracted as I needed while I performed pirate one handed dentistry. Never missing a day, I worked that Monday.
Everything would eventually heal. All wounds do… unless fatal.
What I learned on that field that day, allowed adversity into my life not to affect me. In fact, it really strengthened me. We’re tough sons of bridges. Going through our rigorous training, we’re armed with a buttload of knowledge that can be applied to many other facets. It’s amazing we don’t hear more dentists with super-powers outside of the op.
Next time you’re facing adversity with staff, a patient or in your personal life. See it for what it truly is. An opportunity to learn a little more about yourself. Then Thrive On.
Lam