Share my pain

So last night Brian comes over to carve pumpkins with us. Fun, right? Well, about four strokes around the stem, and my finger slips and jams into the rind. In a flash I see the side of my nail lifted outside of it's cozy skin. I dash to the sink and run it under cold water. At first I thought I cut it, given my track record. No, the pumpkin rind rammed up my nail all the way back to the bed.




Did I mention it went all the way to the bed? Such SEARING PAIN I have not known.

Ben and Brian took turns operating with a needle, and they got some of the bits out that were closer to the edge. But I was crying from the intense pain of having NEEDLES POKING UNDER MY FINGERNAIL. I finally had to ask them to give up, squirt some antibacterial ointment on it and try to ignore the throbbing and swollen heat it was now producing.


But dog gone it, I was going to carve that confounded pumpkin! (Me on left, Ben's on right).



Today it was definitely swollen, red, and more tender than last night (abused finger on the right).


After much soaking in peroxide and numbing with benzocaine and ice, I pried out all of the pumpkin. These last three chunks are probably about half of what was in there in total. All that white space on the nail is where I had to root around, and it's now detached.

But I feel much better now that the pumpkin is out. I just have to make sure if it starts looking infected that I get better treatment.

We had a steady trickle of trick or treaters tonight. With my finger relieved I was able to make the lamb stew for dinner as planned (simmering now), and put on ghoul make-up for the kids. Ben is watching Monster Squad with Brian (I'm so glad he's not participating in all of the marathon this year), then he's coming home for dinner and to watch Shaun of the Dead with me. Yea!