This is what pain looks like (#30)
In this week's edition I talk more about what it's like being bitten by man's best friend, and how commuting in Singapore has been a pain for some since Wednesday.
Hey folks!
Welcome to Newsletter #30. I hope you had a great week.
This week was a bit quiet because I lost the use of my thumb. Don’t worry, I didn’t lose the whole thing. More on this later.
Because of the pain and the swelling I decided to take a few days away from this short version of the weekly brief. I squeezed in a visit to some politics and music talks in the meantime.
Seemingly all is getting better with the thumb, so I’m back on the weekend to share a little about my thoughts about the entire thing.
ICYMI
In case you missed what’s going on, here are some noteworthy (non-political) stories that I came across this week (it isn’t much this week, but here you go!):
One of Singapore’s Mass Rapid Transit (i.e. metro/subway/underground/U-bahn) lines broke down on Wednesday. It’s still not fully fixed yet, and no doubt it’s painful for some commuters who rely on the network.
Australian airline Qantas is on the hook over its misleading ghost flights during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A massive dinosaur skull has been discovered in Northern Alberta.
I’ll give my thoughts about some political and social events in the other newsletter. But let’s move on for now.
10 things I learned about being dog bites
Instead of “idea of the week” this issue, I’ll go a little bit more on the philosophy of being bitten in the thumb and not having the full use of a body part.
As you’ve probably read….I lost the use of my thumb after I was bitten by one of my good friends in Montreal, Koko,.
Just to clarify, Koko’s a dog and not a human. So don’t worry, there aren’t mad zombies turning up in this city as of yet. Maybe during Halloween? Also, she’s fully vaccinated which is 100% important (see more later)
I was trying to unleash her when she successfully had a go at my left hand. My initial shock after being bitten gave way to laughter. I’d just taken her out for a walk and the last thing I expected was a little grumpy frenchie.
But then the swelling kicked in, and I lost the use of my thumb for a few days. Thankfully I didn’t lose the whole body part as she’s a small dog.
Being that I had insurance I decided to see a doctor and get some antibiotics and a tetanus jab. I’m happy to report that it’s all better now!
While are my 10 lessons, some of which may apply to your situation. The first few are what you can deal with if you happen to be in the same situation as me.
Having some travel insurance as a digital nomad is essential, since you never know when things like this happen. I’m glad to have at least some forms of insurance cover whilst not yet having provincial health cover in La Belle Province.
Check if that that domesticated dog/cat is covered by vaccinations. It is actually mandatory in some places for pets to have vaccines and it’s essential to curb the spread of rabies. If that’s a stray then it’s a slightly different story.
Whatever the case, always clean your wound with soap and alcoholic wipes if you’re bitten by a dog or a cat. That’s the bare minimum. Then bandage that up quickly. If it’s a stray, it’s best to visit the doctor immediately. It is always better to be safe than sorry.
Visiting a doctor if the pet bite isn’t severe is an option. If the wound is more severe at level 4 and above, (see picture below) then I suggest actually not wasting time and going to the doctor. They’ll know what to do and you’ll feel more at ease.
Whatever it may be, if you don’t have a tetanus vaccine (or haven’t had one in a while) go to the doctor and get one. It’s not going to break your bank. They’ll probably load you up with antibiotics to kill off any potential infections.
The swelling will sap your energy and you’ll feel the pain constantly for the first few days. You’ll not be able to bend your thumb or limb at all. I cannot speak for those who are bitten elsewhere, but I can hear you when you say it hurts.
Having a thumb out of action mess up your life a little. I saw this upfront with patients during my time as an occupational therapy volunteer, and you never know how it feels when it happens to you.
Not being able to grip things with your left hand makes you way less effective in lifting laundry baskets, opening doors, or even cleaning and putting away kitchenware. Cooking was a pain for the first few days. That being said, I did try finding workarounds by trying my best to use all four of my remaining fingers to do some of the above, and some friends even helped out in some things. Hell it ain’t easy but we somehow managed.
I also learned about my emotions and feelings during this time. Trust me, there was a lot of fear of me being near Koko. Also I was being annoyed a lot but trying to put on a brave face whilst trying to deal with day to day life. But nevertheless, I accepted that Koko didn’t mean it and there wasn’t any real reason to be angry at her or the situation as a whole. It also helped that I did listen in on a cool talk with the community I live in, and as I’m writing this now I’m certainly feeling better. But check in with yourself when you need to. It helps!
This incident also reminded me that the other living things that live with us often have emotions, feelings, traumas and what’s not. Sometimes its good to identify the causes and to help them, not to get too overly worked up. For example, we’llk
In any case, it’s just a tiny unfortunate incident which may upset certain plans, but I’m glad that I’ve had the great help and love of the folks I live with. I hope to walk Koko again sometime, but for now, I’ll catch up on other things first.
Screentime this week
Me and a couple of the folks went to check out the Montreal Independent Film Festival’s screening of In Fidelity, an independent film which stars American actor Chris Parnell and is directed by Rob Margolies.
Synopsis: Lyle (Chris Parnell) and Holly, a happily married New York couple decide to test the romantic boundaries of their monogamous relationship. Soon, a hypothetical love triangle with their rock star neighbour becomes a reality they must now navigate.
This is not your regular boring romcom because there’s that theme of eventually human mortality here. We are all going to die someday. The question is when, and if that happens, how does one deal with relationships when tragedy is about to strike?
I’m not going to spoil all that for you, but if you’re up for good acting, old fashioned romance, and the idea of being vulnerable and learning from that position of fear and doubt, then this film is a good one for you. Enjoy the trailer first.
Anyway, thanks for reading. This is a short one, but thanks for checking in! See you in the next one.