I’m typing this post with one hand while my left hand rests uselessly on my stomach. It may be months before I regain the use of my fingers, it may only be a few days. I’m learning a really hard lesson right now.
Wrist Drop occurs when the nerves in your arm are compressed hard enough to incur damage. When the nerve becomes damaged, your arm and fingers go numb, you can’t lift your wrist even level with your arm, and you can’t use your fingers or squeeze your hand into a tight fist. My left hand is partially paralyzed because of the TK seen here.
It’s kind of like that feeling you get when you’re in a dream, you run fast and hard but don’t get anywhere. Your feet are working hard as hell to carry you forward, but you’re running through thick mud, your feet weigh ten thousand pounds. That’s how this feels. I feel strong and capable, but when I go to move, there’s an invisible force holding me back, something heavy and sticky keeps my hand and fingers from functioning properly. My hand is like a fish out of water, flopping about awkwardly, it won’t obey the orders of my brain.
We are not inexperienced when it comes to rope bondage and suspension. We are not ignorant to the risks, we knew about the possibility of this type of nerve damage, and we actively sought out where my nerves were in order to avoid them. We have safety protocols in place, check-ins and finger movements that are designed to prevent this type of injury. Did we become complacent? Maybe. Were we careless? I don’t think so. Did we learn a valuable lesson? Absolutely.
I told him the ropes felt a little high on my arm and asked him to move them down. He moved them an inch. An inch was enough to cause me to lose the use of my hand in only ten minutes. He did verbal check ins during those ten minutes, I never did my finger checks. It’s a simple movement, one that I’ve done many times. My left hand was nestled snuggly into the crook of my right arm, and I felt no pain or discomfort the entire time I was tied and suspended. It wasn’t until he brought me down and untied me that I realized my left hand was immobile, and I knew immediately what had happened. We checked the rope marks on my left arm and could see where they were too low. I pressed my finger there and could feel the nerve hiding under layers of fat and muscle, a tender spot less painful than a bruise.
We learned a hard lesson this week, but hopefully it can also be a lesson to anyone else interested in rope bondage. It is not safe, it is edge play and you can get hurt even if you know how to be safe. Just to drive it home, here is a list of things I do on a regular basis that have now become extremely difficult or impossible:
- Putting my hair up
- Folding laundry
- Typing (I am not dropping out of the Smut Marathon, but now the term marathon has become even more accurate!)
- Two-handed keystroke shortcuts
- Opening a jar
- Making the bed
- Putting on make-up
- Washing my hands, hair and face
- Opening a letter
- Driving
- Shaving my right armpit
- Chopping vegetables
- Giving my husband a back rub
- Yardwork
- Half of the stuff I do at the gym
- Practicing self-ties
- Hand jobs (my right arm will just have to build some endurance)
- Grocery Shopping
- Painting my nails
- Using a can opener
- Squeezing toothpaste onto my toothbrush
- Flossing
- Pulling up my pants
- Picking up my laptop
- Winding up our rope
- Putting things in the fridge
- Carrying all my stuff to and from the office
- Putting on a bra
- Taking off a tight sweaty sports bra
- Sweeping the floors
- Opening a door with a key
- Shutting my car door
- Cutting my food with a fork and knife
I have a pretty positive outlook so far, but I know this is going to get old quickly. When it gets hard, I’ll have to remind myself that it’s not permanent, that there are so many people out there that live and thrive with disabilities that cannot be healed, and that my own actions and choices caused this. I’m also really hoping for a quick recovery! I’m not done with rope bondage, I still want to push myself in that regard, but for now I’m extremely limited in what I’m able to do as a rope bottom. I’ll say it again, this is a hard lesson to learn!
Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that blue. I wish you all the best in your recovery. I particularly love the attitude you have taken writing this. Its always important to learn when things don’t go how they should.
It may be one handed but you show the smut marathon who’s boss.
Thank you! Lol I will, I already have my story written in my head, so now I just need to (slowly) type it up!
I’m already feeling some tingling which is a sign of healing. Lots of leafy greens, nuts and salmon will also help. Hoping it won’t be more than a month!??
So sorry you are experiencing this! But the knowledge that you will heal is a wonderful thing. All the best! I hope you heal quickly.
Thank you!?
Very sorry to read this. It is a sad reminder that no matter how careful and aware you can be about such things, the unexpected can happen.
I love rope work and 100% trust my domme, this reminds me to be grateful how safety conscious she is.
Hope you recover quickly. x
Yes, that’s my maim motivation for writing the post! Everyone needs to be reminded of the risks. Thank you!
Ia m sorry to read this Blue and hope that you recover quickly. Thank you so much for sharing though as I think that valuable lessons can be learnt by lots of us from reading this post. Hugs ❤️
Thank you missy!
So sorry to hear this, wishing you a quick recovery.
Thank you!
I hope that this turns around quickly. Thank you for sharing this! It’s hard to conceive of the realities of these sorts of risks without first hand accounts (yes, that was a good natured pun) best of luck!
Thank you! Lol, great pun! I think that this needed to happen to me, so I know how it feels and remember how it happened. I only need to tough the flame once to know how much it burns.
Best wishes for a speedy (and full) recovery.
Thank you!?
best wishes for a speedy recovery
Thank you
Oh no, Blue 🙁 I am so sorry to hear that that happened! I like the positive and reflective attitude in your post, although you are also very clear about the limitations this has caused for you now. I really wish for a speedy recovery! And you know, this is a good reminder of that however much we all think we know what we are doing, and however safe we think we take things, mistakes and accidents happen.
Thank you! I really hope that by posting this, I can help someone else avoid this.?
I hope this has righted itself and you are back to doing the 33 things listed above with ease.
Thank you, I’m still incapacitated and it will be a week on Tuesday. Keeping my fingers crossed that it won’t be too much longer.
Oh no, blue! I’m sorry, that must be so frustrating. I’m sending you lots of good wishes for a speedy recovery ??
Thank you!?
Oh gosh. I’m hoping for a speedy recovery. I’ve been tied and had numbness after but attributed it to having nerve issues anyway. Thank you for sharing. Even “the rope play isn’t always good” posts are appreciated.
Thank you! I get numbness a lot, even if I wear high heels for a night! It usually goes away quickly. This is another beast lol. I do want to make sure anyone reading my blog has access to the not so good stuff. BDSM can be dangerous and I don’t want to sugar coat it. We just started our Eroticon savings account, so maybe we will get to have some ropey fun together early next year!!?