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Gnarly. Glad you’re not only alive but intact.
IANAD, but from personal experience deep scabs on hands hurt like a mf when they get dry. Particularly if the wound edges are dry and cracking with movement, it’s like being cut with a scalpel. I’ve had good results lessening this pain with sterile ointment, keeping sharp hard edges moist.
Eseman-
Thanks. Yes, I thought at first that letting them dry out was the right thing to do, but upon further reading, keeping it moist and covered was right, otherwise I couldn't bend my thumbs and if I did by accident, as you say, it was like being cut with a scalpel. I also had to keep them elevated for the first week and a half at all times - including trying to while asleep. I was walking around like a T-Rex - ha. Otherwise blood would flow to them and they'd just throb like a motherfucker.
JB
Speaking of mountaineering. I had a bad accident almost three weeks ago where I lost my footing and slid down an ice chute for maybe 40 metres. It was fucking terrifying and easily the closest I've ever come to dying. I was just coming out of the tree line so there was nothing to really stop me. Fortunately I eventually hit a rock after seeing my life flash before my eyes. I was by myself in a wilderness area at 2500m and by the time I'd got back onto the trail, it was too dangerous to turn back (the descent was too steep), so I had to keep going up... which then led to another descent (took 20 mins in the dry but 2.5 hours on the ice and soft snow) and then another ascent (took 10 mins in the dry but 1 hour in the snow).
Difficult to describe the trail tbh, but constantly changing snow conditions and big elevation gains and losses in quick succession made things really hard. I did the same trail sans-snow a week prior and it took my 6 hours. This time it took me 11.5 hours. Had spikes and snow shoes but realistically needed crampons as well due to how much the conditions changed. The trail was at a 45 degree angle because of snow drift and neither my spikes or snow shoes were really any use. It was like walking on a huge pile of granulated sugar. Then ice. Then granulated sugar. Then deep snow. Then granulated sugar. So instead of following the trail, I had to just go straight up the 45 degree slope instead because the crampon part of my snow shoe would at least grip if I was going straight up and not using the snow shoes at a 45 degree angle. I had to use trees as anchor points so that if I slipped, there would at least be a tree to stop me from falling. I sat under trees for over an hour that day, contemplating life and waiting for snow to get sun exposure to stop it from being as icy.
I almost SOSd on my InReach at least twice. That weekend, four people were airlifted out of the same area. I felt so prepared too. So stupid of me to have been there alone in hindsight, but lesson learnt. The mountain doesn't give a shit about you and I shan't be doing it again.
Did this to my hands - photos taken about five hours after it happened and then this morning. Fortunately I've regained use of them, but for the first 5 days the pain was unbearable. I have a high pain tolerance and the healing process was by far the most painful thing I've ever experienced.
Don't click this link containing mid-healing photos if you're squeamish. It's gross.