On the brighter side, you haven't been afflicted with [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peyronie%27s_disease"]Peyronie's disease[/URL], have you?

The Wiki on "[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dupuytren%27s_contracture"]Dupuytren's contracture[/URL] (also known as morbus Dupuytren, or Dupuytren's disease)," is pretty interesting on such things a risk factors.

[QUOTE=xilman;376525]It's an hour-long operation and there's a good chance that a local will wear off before completion.[/QUOTE]

So just refresh the local ... I get the distinct sense that the doctors are thinking at least as much of their own ease as the patient's. Which is of course valid, but should not be a primary consideration.

As far as immobilizing the arm, just borrow one of those gurneys-with-straps they use for lethal injections. :)

[QUOTE=ewmayer;376568].....

As far as immobilizing the arm, just borrow one of those gurneys-with-straps they use for lethal injections. :)[/QUOTE]

They use such things for arm surgery, too. One of the times I had wrist surgery I wanted to have some last words with the doctor, so they had not knocked me out when I arrived in OR. They were arranging one arm on a side shelf for the IVs, and the other arm on a similar shelf for the surgery.

The surgeon is Jewish. While lying there spread-eagled, I told him, "This makes me think of an inappropriate religious joke." He laughed, said, "I don't care." Then a Filipena nurse darted into view and asked, "You want to know when we bring out the nails?"

Don't know if this should go in the unhappy thread or the happy thread, but here goes:

In 2012 I purchased my first ever new car (a Ford Focus--highly recommend) and I paid it off in March of this year. Today a 17 year old in a Toyota Highlander made a blind left turn in front of me and I totaled my car.

Last week I put two new side mirrors and new tires and some misc. work to the tune of $1000. Last night I filled it with gas.

Today it is a mangled wreck.

The happy part? Crumple zones and air bags and seat belts. I walked away from it with a bruise on my head and a little bit of muscle pain (probably more from the adrenaline than the actual accident.) The poor young girl in the other car was a bit more bruised than me, but likewise walked away basically unscathed.

I went from ~30 mph to zero in about 9 feet. Still went to the local pub and watched the end of the US/Belgium game. And now I'm home safe.

thank the maker. (and his engineering staff) And I have a 20 year old truck, that may not have air conditioning, but it will get me to work and back.

[QUOTE=chappy;377153]Don't know if this should go in the unhappy thread or the happy thread, but here goes:[/QUOTE]
Very glad to hear that you're okay. Take it easy though for the coming days: this sort of thing can shake you up more than you think, perhaps with delayed effect.

I am really sorry to hear of this misfortune, and glad that it was not worse.

[QUOTE=chappy;377153]Don't know if this should go in the unhappy thread or the happy thread, but here goes:

In 2012 I purchased my first ever new car (a Ford Focus--highly recommend) and I paid it off in March of this year. Today a 17 year old in a Toyota Highlander made a blind left turn in front of me and I totaled my car.

I walked away from it with a bruise on my head and a little bit of muscle pain (probably more from the adrenaline than the actual accident.) The poor young girl in the other car was a bit more bruised than me, but likewise walked away basically unscathed.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Brian-E;377154]Very glad to hear that you're okay. Take it easy though for the coming days: this sort of thing can shake you up more than you think, perhaps with delayed effect.[/QUOTE]
Glad to hear that you are not hurt worse. When my car was totalled, I saw it coming. I was less shook up than the hitter, I had to tell her it would be ok. Every one walked away from that one. These cars now-a-days are amazing, the impact that they take and keep us safe. I always tell people that are sad about the loss of their prized car, "It gave its life doing its job, saving your life."

You will be sore for several days. If you struck your head on anything other than the airbag, go get checked out. I figure I was ok, but did it anyway because I hit my head on the 'B' pillar.

[QUOTE=chappy;377153]The happy part? Crumple zones and air bags and seat belts. I walked away from it with a bruise on my head and a little bit of muscle pain (probably more from the adrenaline than the actual accident.) The poor young girl in the other car was a bit more bruised than me, but likewise walked away basically unscathed.

I went from ~30 mph to zero in about 9 feet. [/QUOTE]
A guy (who later turned out to have had a bankrupt insurance) did that to me in New Jersey, 15 years ago. Also totalled (but I consider us being ever luckier yet, because what we I had was a second-hand 1990 Nissan Sentra that may have only had one air bag, and even that one didn't deploy; and we had the 3- and 7-year old kids in the back seat+boosters. No one was hurt. It was probably a bit different because I had time to brake heavily and then bumped at maybe 15-20 mph).

I am happy for you to be ok. Go see the doctor for a neck examination, though? Knock on wood, we didn't do it, and later we could have suffered dearly, after we settled with the insurance (with no medical complains).

Glad to hear you are ok. Fellow pirates are always well after such things happen :chappy: ("Jackie always ok!")

Almost the same thing happened to me one year ago, a guy appears from a side driving his pickup car like an idiot, he bumped into my car, not so much damage, just some heavy bent irons, me and family inside the car scared to death, but the car still drivable home after police arguments. But then he could not control his car anymore, due to the speed, and he stopped in a [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songthaew"]songtaew taxi[/URL] which was stationed 50 meters away, his car and the songtaew totaled. Both his car and the songtaew full of people, which disappeared immediately, nobody hurt. Guess what? the guy had no insurance, and here in Thai, the farang with first class insurance is always guilty. My insurance paid for all three cars, without fighting for me, as it would be normal, because I was totally not guilty. All my friends (including Thai persons) said the insurance company should fight for me, to keep me clean, and save their money. But they didn't care. Maybe they think I will renew this year, and they will increase the premium. They all want to make profit (which they did, because I paid for 3 years already, before that happen). I still had to go to the police few times, for arguments and papers. And of course, I didn't renew with them this year.

Funny is that exactly after my insurance with them expired (this year in March), and before I make another one with other company (which I still have to do! I am driving now with the mandatory one, with the government, which does not cover car damages, only persons, but it is much cheaper) a truck scratched my back-right side (driver side in Thai), again, his fault, he wanted to go from the fast line to the slow line (i.e. to the left, in Thai) and he didn't see me, or he saw me and ignored me, quite usual for big trucks, and he didn't stop. I still drive with the scratch. I have his number, but as I found out later, it is unuseful here in Thai. The farang with money always pays.

[QUOTE=Uncwilly;377168]You will be sore for several days. If you struck your head on anything other than the airbag, go get checked out. I figure I was ok, but did it anyway because I hit my head on the 'B' pillar.[/QUOTE]Back in 98 I was a rear-seat passenger in a car which decelerated from 65mph to stationary in a second or two. Airbags and the tank-like construction of the Merc in which we were riding saved the occupants from serious injury. One broken rib between the four of us, and that caused by the seatbelt doing its job for the guy sitting next to me.

Even with an airbag, SWMBO put an impressive dent in the windshield with her head.

Don't underestimate the consequences of shock. Although I was only bruised and felt well enough to go back to work, I collapsed a few days later from the effort of lifting a 23" CRT monitor. MSR management and my quack insisted on taking several days sick leave.

Summary: get yourself checked out anyway and take it easy for a while.

[QUOTE=xilman;377198]MSR management and my quack insisted on taking several days sick leave.
[/QUOTE]

I think you should have taken some time off as well. :smile: