Cast On – My Turn

Ever heard the phrase, “If you’re going to be stupid, you’d better be tough”? (It’s a little nugget of hockey wisdom I’ve gleaned from my time at the rink…)

Documenting my first-ever cast: fiberglass, purple, with black liner (to hide dirt).

“It doesn’t really hurt much…”

The day before this year’s Sunapee Fair, I fell off my bike & landed on my right wrist. It hurt, but wasn’t killing me. I took some ibuprofen & rubbed arnica gel on a newly-formed ganglion cyst on the back of my wrist.

Andy knows how frustrating a cast can be, especially in summer.

The 10-day fair was surprisingly busy for being so hot. I stayed up late every night embroidering new designs. My wrist continued to ache, and seemed weaker. I celebrated my birthday and bemoaned the aches of aging.

Finally, facing a dozen custom embroidery orders and my wrist still bothering me, I asked my doctor to remove the bump. She referred me to an orthopedic specialist, who ordered x-rays. I rolled my eyes, thinking, “THIS is why health care costs so much. All these unnecessary tests!”

New Hampshire felt hat maker, Carrie Cahill Mulligan & her purple short-arm cast.

Behold! The dreaded cast.

However, the x-rays came back and there it was: a hairline, non-displaced radial styloid fracture. Simply put, my wrist was broken!

So that’s the bad news. Plus the fact that any & all knitting, sewing & embroidery is postponed until my cast is removed. The good news, though? It’s not a very serious break, and since I waited 3 weeks already, I’ll only have the cast 3 weeks more.

Carrie Cahill Mulligan postpones custom hat orders while wearing her new purple cast.

Which is perfect timing, since adult pre-season on-ice hockey conditioning boot camp starts up just 3 days after that…

How did that old hockey saying go?

5 thoughts on “Cast On – My Turn

  1. Oh no! It looks like Andrew has recovered enough to be your nurse–at least I hope so. And we are lucky to live in an area that has great doctors to tend the breaks.
    Carol

    Like

    • Yes, it’s true! Thankfully, Andy is back to 98% (or better, with his brace), so he’s got 100% of the mowing, dishwashing and heavy lifting for now. And yes, I’m delighted for close access to excellent medical care.

      You know, Carol, you can visit the studio anytime you’re ready to redeem that gift certificate… (just call to be sure I’m home)!

      Like

    • Heh, well… I was bike-joring with our sled dog and went over the handlebars when Cinder (our dog) saw a kitty on the side of the road.

      I actually went around for about 2 weeks with it broken & uncast before realizing it was broken. I only had to wear the cast 4 weeks, and got it off just in time for my hockey season to start!

      It feels great now, though. Thank you!

      Like

Leave a comment