I have my thumb back!

phantompong · Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2007 9:03 am Post subject: I have my thumb back!

For those of you who missed it the last time: I accidentally drove a chisel (the small type, for craft work) into my left thumb about a month ago.

Two bloodied hands, an inch long scar, a traumatic experience and four weeks and a day later, I am proud and deeply relieved and immensely happy to say: I hit the practice pad today!

It's quite tough, because a lot of the strength in my left thumb is gone, although that can be slowly regained, and the range of movement of my left thumb is now only about 60% of normal. The skin healed on the thumb in a lightly bent position, so the most I can pull my thumb back is so that it's straight - I can't bend the thumb backwards. I'm not sure I'll ever regain that, but that doesn't matter.

I also can't play traditional grip yet, because when the stick moves upward in trad it hits the scar and it hurts. I'm hoping it'll go away soon.

But the best news is, I can hold a decent single stroke roll now! Haha! The first time I tried picking up the sticks after the accident the stick simply slipped out of my hand because my left thumb was too weak to hold on to the stick. Now, it's strong enough to hold on to a pair of sticks, and I finally, finally got behind the practice pad today and did about two minutes of single strokes and triplets.

I'm going to treasure being able to drum much more than I ever did (and I didn't think that was possible!)
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If you don't like it, you can just *Golly Gee* off! - Keith Moon's last words

Drummers are subject to physical laws of nature. One of them states that if you drop a wing nut, it will roll under the bass drum. - Roy Burns

Meinl! · House Cat Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Posts: 160

Yeah injuries have a way of really snaping things back into perspective pretty quick. You start thinking instantly of stuff you might not be able to do. I was skateboading last week and fell pretty hard on my right wrist (snare hand) and it doesn't really hurt like it did, but I tried drumming the day after and it hurt so bad and trying to play some bass wasn't fun either. Although it's not exactly impaling my thumb, I feel your pain.
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Drums: Pearl Forum
Cymbals: Paiste

UBP · Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 3:31 pm Post subject:

lol , I am sure we have all ahd similar experiences, I hurt my wrist somehow, and I don't know how, I think I slept on it or somehting XD and I couldn't play, it was my leading hand too

and then there was that time I broke my leg and didn't play drums for like at least 2 months or so, it sucked! lol
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***HOOK IN MOUTH!!!***

LMFAO

bytor · Admin Joined: 12 Aug 2003 Posts: 5248 Location: Kansas

Glad to see you're back in the saddle. Cool

mtfalcon31 · Sea Monkey Joined: 04 Jul 2007 Posts: 12

OUCH. shows how passionate you are for drums though

Rasta · Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 12:41 pm Post subject:

Oh man! I cringe at the thought. Good to hear it didn't take you out of the game though.