here we are... i had my appointment with the surgeon yesterday, may 21... one whole month since the puncture wound happened... and he says that the ultrasound pictures indicate several long thin "foreign bodies" embedded in my muscle tissue about 10 to 15 mm below the surface in the palm of my hand. the longest piece is 16 mm long and the smallest they can detect so far is about 6 mm. they look like little needles. now the the wound has sealed and healed, they are going to have to be cut out. here is where it gets complicated. one of the deeper pieces is dangerously close to a blood vessel, so surgery needs to be expedited. meanwhile, my left hand is to remain immobilized to minimize further damage, because every movement causes the pieces to pierce and saw into the surrounding meat, causing irritation, damage and pain. it sucks. i have to do everything with one hand wrapped up like a boxing glove. clumsy as hell. hurts too. because they will be slicing near the blood vessel, they want my arm to be tourniqueted and strapped down and they want me to be under general anesthetic. i will be further informed in about three for four days, doctor says. not happy about this. a little scared. i checked out the surgeon's reputation on the internet, and he had only two bad reviews, and it was only about his attitude, not his skills. guess i will just have to wait and see what happens next.
wish me luck.