…literally and figuratively.

Last month, I fractured my right thumb. And yes, I’m right-handed. I was horsing around in a neighborhood park and fell in the grass, and, well… look up “Skier’s Thumb” and you’ll see what happened. I initially thought it was a sprain but x-rays show that the ulnar collateral ligament didn’t snap, but instead it ripped free from my first metacarpal, taking some bone with it. That means surgery.

So I had surgery two weeks ago. Very expensive (even with my insurance; more on that in upcoming blog posts). My post-op hand cast was made of ACE bandages, gauze and an aluminum brace (above). I was prescribed Percocet for the pain.

Last week I went in for an upgraded cast (above), made of cotton padding and plaster tape. This cast is rigid and unfortunately won’t let my fingers reach my thumb (or vice-versa). This means I can’t hold a pencil, tie my own shoes, button a shirt, use tweezers… the list goes on and on. Eating with a fork is like something straight out of a Jane Goodall bloopers reel.

Needless to say, Cool Jerk has been (and will be) on hiatus for the duration. I might try doing a strip with my left hand. Or maybe Darlene will do a fill-in. Or maybe one of you readers would like to draw a strip for me while I’m on the mend…?

Thanks for understanding and for the well-wishes. I’ll keep you posted with the progress. I understand it’ll be months before I’m back to punching troublemakers in the throat.

“Hey, doc. When this is all over, will I be able to draw awesome comics and infographics?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“That’s terrific! I never could before!”