"Cut thumb tendon on glass"

Thumb Tendon Surgery – My First Hospital Experience

I cut my thumb on a broken candle glass jar, and it looked deeper than I was comfortable with, so I went to A&E. The triage nurse saw me after an hour or so they were quite busy but despite this she was very kind and reassuring—she cleaned and wrapped the cut. A few hours later, I was seen by an A&E doctor who noticed I couldn’t bend my thumb forward. It was stuck in a thumbs-up position (I received a lot of thumbs-up emojis from friends after this). They ordered an X-ray and suspected I had severed my flexor pollicis longus (FPL) tendon.

Everyone in A&E was friendly and helpful. They re-wrapped my thumb and asked me to return in the morning for emergency surgery to examine and repair the tendon.

The next morning, the ward nurses took great care of me. I met Prof. Johnstone, the surgeon who would be performing the procedure. Before the operation, Magdy, the anaesthetist, explained my options—I could either go under general anaesthesia or have a nerve block to numb the whole arm. He walked me through the pros, cons, and risks of both. I chose the block.

Magdy administered the injection near my clavicle, which wasn’t as uncomfortable as I expected. Soon, my entire arm was numb and placed on a surgical table. The atmosphere in the theatre was calm and upbeat, with music playing. Prof. Johnstone explained what would happen, and then they put up a screen so I couldn’t see the surgery—which I was glad about!

I was given two light sedatives during the procedure that helped me relax while staying fully conscious. I could hear the surgical team chatting throughout, but I didn’t feel a thing. Afterward, I was moved to the recovery ward. Since I hadn’t had general anaesthesia, I didn’t need to stay there long. The nurses were again kind and attentive, doing a few checks before returning me to the main ward. After a few more hours of observation, I was discharged with a half-cast/bandage.

Twelve days later, I went to the fracture clinic to have the stitches removed. Kara and her assistant nurse were both warm and funny, which helped me feel at ease. Removing the stitches was only mildly uncomfortable. They rewrapped my thumb and fitted a smaller cast. As my whole hand had been bandaged it took a wee while for the fingers to feel less stiff. I’ve now been referred to hand physio to work on regaining mobility.

This was my first time undergoing anything major in a hospital, and I couldn’t have asked for a better team. Everyone was supportive and professional. I can now wiggle my thumb a little, which is a huge relief, and I’m looking forward to the progress that physio will bring in the coming weeks. 

There were many people who I spoke to or who looked after me, apologies I couldn't remember all your names but thank-you all. It makes a big difference having kind, relaxed and funny people taking care of you when you feel a bit nervous about what is involved in an accident like this, surgery and recovery after.