I really shouldn’t be allowed to read medical case studies.

I had a CT scan done of my wrist on Friday morning, in order to get a better idea of what’s going on. I picked up the CD with the images on it this morning (they were having some equipment problems Friday, and couldn’t burn one immediately) for an appointment with the orthopedist Monday afternoon, after which a real course of treatment can be set upon.

Being the geek I am, I almost immediately popped the CD in the computer, made a copy, and started reading the electronic charts and playing with the rotatable 3D model of my wrist (That in itself was cool) to figure out how things worked, looking up words and bones and learning quite a lot about anatomy; same thing I did with the somewhat inconclusive x-rays.

More to the point, however, I started looking up the diagnosis (in short, I mashed up the carpal bones a bit, and sort of chipped one), and reading published case studies. I shouldn’t do that, because now, I have visions of obscure injuries and complicated surgery involving stainless steel appliances, more than a little bit of anxiety, and a sudden awareness of sensations (not pain, really – haven’t had much of that in the last couple of days) that weren’t there before I read these weird-enough-to-get-written-up-and-published cases.

Now, if something was really, really serious, I’m pretty sure my doctor wouldn’t be so leisurely about things. Odds are really, really good that the doctor’s going to cast me for another couple of weeks and call it done. Logically, I know this to be true. But, for some reason I’m still worried.

Not that a bionic hand upgrade wouldn’t be kind of cool…never argue with having your own signature sound effect.