Opposable Thumbs

My left thumb has swelled to double it's size. It feels stretched and taut, like there are layers of fluid trapped under the skin. I want to take a pin and pop it like a helium balloon, so that it will release some pressure, and give me relief. It's so swollen that I am more than a little worried that it will explode and leak mucous and pus all over this keyboard. At this point, I think it would be preferable. I feel like my nail bed is going to rip away from the delicate skin surrounding it.

It started Sunday afternoon. A slight bump next to the knuckle, like a small mosquito bite minus the itch. I ignored it. Yesterday I went to my Network Spinal Care entrainment, and Lynne my doctor told me, that it was a clearing out of my joints. That this spot on my thumb would have turned into arthritis in the future. Well, I certainly don't want arthritis, so I guess I'm glad it's clearing out now. I have a newfound respect for people who live with arthritis everyday. This is crazy.

When I woke up this morning, I found a completely useless thumb.

"Having opposable thumbs is what separates us from the rest of the animals." my roommate says with pity, as I try to zip up my bag.

And he's right. Getting ready for work this morning was a serious struggle. Washing my hair took twice as long. Pulling the lid off my bottle of face cream was cause for a yelp. Doing up the button on my pants a long and painful (and humorous) task.

Fortunately touch typing rarely requires use of the left thumb.