Small sliver might mean bigger problems

  

I try not to dwell on it too much. I don’t want to draw much attention to myself. I also don’t want you to feel sorry for me but... 

I got this sliver in my finger and I don’t know what to do about it. 

This is not to take away from the wonderful time we had decorating the Christmas tree on that first day of December. Without much swearing, I was able to set up our tree and put on the lights, and then, without much swearing, replace all the burned-out lights with new lights. But at one point, as I grasped the centre of that beautiful, naturally defoliating Christmas tree, something pierced my finger. (That may have led to some swearing.) 

It still causes me pain, but I’m sure I’ll be okay. I'd be embarrassed to go the doctor about it. Knowing him, he might even make a joke about it and, knowing me, I might start to cry. 

Believe me, I’ve tried to address this issue on my own. I even had my daughter look at it with her exceptional short-range vision. She said she couldn’t see a thing, mumbling something to the effect of “you’ll live.”  

It must have gone in too deep. Fourteen days later, as we approach this third Sunday of Advent, surely it would have worked its way out? Unless it's embedded so deep it’s now slowly making its way through my finger, up my arm and then who knows where... 

Can slivers cause organ failure?  

Now I’ll be the first to recognize there are so many more things to worry about. What is a tiny, painfully embedded sliver compared to war, disease and famine? It's inconsequential when considering the horrible things going on in the world like the war in Ukraine, climate change, Elon Musk, gender and racial inequality... 

But if I could steer your attention back to my finger for a moment – I wonder, could this become chronic? Is there a chance I’ll have to live with this for the rest of my life? Once those neural pain pathways are developed, I’ve read they’re difficult to unlearn. 

Not to worry you or anything. I don’t want anyone, myself included, to lose sleep over this. But I just wonder, if maybe there should be some kind of warning label on Christmas trees regarding the risk of deeply embedded slivers? If we could save the finger of just one young child, wouldn’t it all be worth it? Imagine getting a sliver (from a beloved Christmas tree!) in your finger that will be part of you for the rest of your life. Should I start an online campaign?

So far I’ve resisted Googling my ailment because we all know what happens when we start self-diagnosing on the internet. Who knows what I could find out about Christmas tree injuries.

Can fingers get cancer? See! Inevitably, I’ll end up there. 

To be completely honest, I don’t want to know the answer. Do I really want to know that surgery may be required? Or that my recovery might include months of impaired typing? What's the waitlist for removing deeply embedded slivers anyway? 

 I want to thank you in advance for your well wishes. Thank you for your concern for me and my family as we celebrate Christmas during this uncertain time. We will get through this, I’m pretty sure. I remain hopeful.  

Please, just remember this: Christmas trees, if not treated properly, can be a significant source of chronic pain and anguish. This includes psychological and physical – I mean, usually for me it’s just psychological, but this time, physical as well.

Wishing you all a safe and sliver-free Christmas.