I Got to Use the New Clinic

Our new medical clinic is fantastic. The old one was in a double-wide mobile home and was getting pretty run down, dingy, and really hard to keep clean. A handful of folks with a grand vision waded through months of bureaucracy, raised $250K of private donations, then mobilized the community to build a new building.

Over 400 people contributed their time and tools to the project. This on an island of 1000 people! I've personally put in about 120 hours and my contribution seems almost insignificant when put up against some of the incredible people who have donated thousands of hours.

This week I was able to reap some benefit from all this work. Early in the week I drove a big sliver into my hand. I was able to get most of it out, but there was obviously something left deep inside. The next day I saw Dr Laura and she froze it and poked away with a needle but was unable to find it. She sent me away, telling me to come back when it was swollen and infected.

Saturday morning I woke up with a lot of swelling, and a quickly growing infection. I called her up and she came in to open the clinic for me. She made a 2cm incision in my palm and started fishing around. After a few minutes of not finding the sliver she was thinking of sending me to the hand surgeon in Campbell River. Just as she was getting ready to pack the incision and call the hospital she found it. Imagine cutting 1cm off of the end of a toothpick. That's what was stuck into a muscle or tendon in the meat of my thumb.

My hand is still swollen up and sore, although its a bit smaller than last night. I get to take a 4, maybe 5, day weekend but I don't have to leave the island.