--Looking for an explanation? Well, you've come to the right place. I'm tired as hell because I got no sleep last night because of the soreness and general discomfort of the finger, but I'll spit out the story, real quick like. :)
I was pitching, as usual. Our 3b-woman fielded a grounder with a guy on first. She threw out the runner at first, but we all knew the guy was going to try to go from first to third. So I immediately broke to cover 3b. So did our SS. I whirled around to see the perfect throw from first coming my way, saw the runner charging out of the left corner of my eye. We had him, I actually thought this. Then, I caught the ball, cleanly. But, as I did, so did our SS. He caught the ball AND my hands. Somewhere in there, when he let go, my finger got tangled in his or something. Neither of us is particularly sure how it happened. I was more pissed he got in the way of me making the tag. ;) The guy was safe, and my finger hurt, but it wasn't as bad as a jammed finger, which I found to be odd. I looked at it, and, it looked like when a worm is crawling and bends its body. Like this: _/\ Looked dislocated, vertically though, not laterally, on both "exterior" knuckles (not the base one). So I tried pulling it out and popping it back into place. Thought I did OK, but now know it must've been the adrenaline. Pitched the next pitch and attempted to catch the throw back from the catcher. Couldn't do it cleanly, and I looked at the finger again. It was starting to tighten up in that worm shape.
So I took myself out of the game and tried to keep my hand iced and in a fist. We went to the hospital after the game, because I didn't feel as though there was a rush. It wasn't even swelling much, if at all. They pulled and tugged and X-rayed. It probably was partially dislocated, and they popped that back in OK. But, the finger would not straighten in its relaxed position. It still looked like this _/\ though not as extreme. That's when they determined that I might have either dislodged or torn the tendon that runs along the top of the finger (counterbalancing the one that runs on the palm side of the finger). I have to see an orthopedic surgeon on Tuesday to do some tests. If it's torn, obviously, surgery is to follow. If it's just dislodged (read: slipped to the side of my finger instead of along the top), it can heal itself if the finger is kept immobilized in the straight position. If that doesn't work, then surgery may follow as well. But the ortho will determine that, of course.
So, for now, my left pinkie is extended at all times, making beer-drinking with my left hand a snooty event. It's weird though, because it's sore, sure, but it doesn't hurt even remotely close to how a jammed finger hurts. Nor did the whole "relocation" process hurt as much as everyone says. I'm sure with other joints, it's different, but the doctors actually offered me two local anesthetic shots to numb it up. I said no, just let's get it over with. And it wasn't so bad.
I'd post my X-ray, but it's nowhere near as cool as Troy's--everything is lined up pretty well. :)
So that's the latest here...good thing I have fantasy sports! :)
