So *this* is what a professor does on sabbatical!

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I saw a hand surgeon yesterday, and I'll be having hand surgery on Monday to repair a damaged ulna nerve on my right hand that has gotten progressively worse since I fell down the stairs (running, in my socks, to close windows against a thunder storm) on July 15. For most of our two week vacation in Utah (July 22 until August 5) I wore a  wrist band to deal with the sprained wrist, which turns out to be the least of my troubles.

Ten days after the surgery the sutures come out, we go to Asheville for a week, and then I start physical therapy-it could be as much as a year before I get my strength completely back, but the alternative is that I look like Spock and my right hand gets weaker and weaker, so I really don't have a choice.  A huge shout out to Dr Alan Schefer (I have no idea when that picture was taken-he has a nice curly head of hair now) who will be doing the surgery, and I am so grateful to have health insurance to cover most of it.

Right hand with pinky stuck out ;(
Here's what my hand looks like-sorry for the blurry picture but I'm a rightie taking pictures with my left hand.

And it the Spock look isn't bad enough, I'm losing strength in my index finger.  It's become hard for me to turn the key in the car ignition.   Now that's bad!

Dr Schefer assures me that I will be fine, and that I will be able to drive right after the surgery.  So Monday Anne and I will go to the Ambulatory Surgery Center of Westchester and Dr Schefer will make an incision in my palm and "clean out" whatever it is that is compressing the motor nerve so that I can move my pinky again.

In the words of Gilda Radner, "It's always something" and I'm grateful that I'm on sabbatical so that I don't have to worry about moving classes around (although I'd rather not spend my sabbatical recuperating from surgery, but hey, I haven't been operated on in 15 years, so I guess it's time).
Location: Ossining, NY, USA

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