ChefMyKLove ·
Guitar Therapy Pt1.
I was introduced to Dana, my Occupational Therapist in June of 2024. She was contracted through Work Safe BC, to help formulate a GRTW (Graduated Return To Work) plan for me. To help best facilitate me getting back to work after a disabling injury in the workplace several months prior.
Back then, anyone working on my case was operating under the assumption that the problem I was dealing with was the spot where I had received “amputation revision” grafting surgery (cue the butt finger jokes 🤪!!) after chopping off the tip of my index finger to the bone while cutting Lox one fine morning at work….
It wasn’t the problem though, and more on that later, but Dana had the thought that getting me through this experience might be easier if I tried playing guitar; something really enjoyed but that I hadn’t done since before the injury. She thought it would help me in a few different ways, including re-sensitizing the new tip.
It worked! I played regularly for five to ten minutes a day for a few weeks and then occasionally after that. It got me feeling really confident that o could get back to it. I ended up getting back to work but the strain was too much on my hand and wasn’t able to continue.
That was the end of November. I haven’t worked since then. I’ve picked up the guitar and noodled around a few times but nothing serious as I’ve been waiting for my claim to move into the Vocational rehab side of things.
In the last few weeks Dana has come back on board and suggested more guitar. Today I had my first session and while it was a blast playing around and making the music I Love again… but I totally overdid it in a fifteen-ish minute session.
This afternoon my index finger was aching badly and my knuckle was obviously swollen. Definitely a sign. Slow down. Take it easy. Accept that things need to develop…
To be fair, I need to get callouses developed if I’m going to play guitar at all. I imagine a song I’d like to learn and it’s driving me batty thinking of how long it’s going to take me to get there. Oof.
Guitar therapy is going to be hard!! And in all of it I’ve got to find another job too!
