Posts: 10,678
Threads: 1
Joined: Jan 2006
Location: Orlando, Florida
Ouch! I hope it heals quickly.
Ironically, I sliced part of my left thumb using a kitchen mandoline on Christmas Day. I thought I'd need stitches but the doc said no. It's completely healed. Like yours, there was blood everywhere. Scared the heck out of me and prompted me to replace the finger guard that was somehow lost during our move to Florida a couple of years ago.
Still Learning,
Allan Hill
Posts: 1,019
Threads: 0
Joined: Feb 2008
Doesn't look as bad as I thought it might, but I'm sure it did hurt like hell!
Could have been much worse!
"This is our chance, this our lives, this is our planet we're standing on. Use your choice, use your voice, you can save our tomorrows now." - eV
Posts: 1,590
Threads: 0
Joined: Aug 2009
Location: Manassas, VA
Surprisingly, the treatment pain was a thousand times worse than the actual incident (which I didn't really feel) and the aftermath.
The worst pain came after changing the dressing on Saturday. I made it too tight, and the finger was trying to swell but couldn't. My body seemed to be redirecting blood to the neighboring fingers. Once that pressure was relieved, the pain has been pretty manageable with ibuprofen alone.
And yes, it could have been so much worse. It almost looked cartoonish with the clean cut.
Posts: 1,019
Threads: 0
Joined: Feb 2008
(02-24-2020, 04:19 PM)FS7 Wrote: Surprisingly, the treatment pain was a thousand times worse than the actual incident (which I didn't really feel) and the aftermath.
The worst pain came after changing the dressing on Saturday. I made it too tight, and the finger was trying to swell but couldn't. My body seemed to be redirecting blood to the neighboring fingers. Once that pressure was relieved, the pain has been pretty manageable with ibuprofen alone.
And yes, it could have been so much worse. It almost looked cartoonish with the clean cut.
Trust me, I know that feeling!
90# jack hammer tried it's best to cut off my middle toe several years ago, but the toe lived! But yeah, I still remember the treatment pain. Would have rather go back out on the job and cut another toe off than deal with that pain. Man, that was excruciating!
Heal up soon!
"This is our chance, this our lives, this is our planet we're standing on. Use your choice, use your voice, you can save our tomorrows now." - eV
Posts: 1,570
Threads: 0
Joined: Jan 2014
You were very lucky! You might have to have your fingerprints re-taken (well at least one) <grin>
1969 I decided to carve my first Pinewood derby car (just for kicks as I was not in boy scouts) and was not holding the blank properly. Knife slipped and took off the tip of my middle finger (all the skin, not quite the size of yours, but very close). From experience, that location leaks a lot of blood!
Posts: 1,590
Threads: 0
Joined: Aug 2009
Location: Manassas, VA
LOL, it certainly does. Though that ample blood supply also helps with quick and complete healing.
I had a relatively minor fracture in my foot years ago and the location (Jones fracture, it's called) means healing time is increased by an order of magnitude because of poor blood supply.
Posts: 12,195
Threads: 2
Joined: Nov 1999
Location: Nebraska City
I've got a 'flat' on my left middle finger from a router bit. Without looking at the picture
 I'm sure it didn't compare... but it hurt like the devil for a couple weeks. Fingernail still grows to follow the 'flat'.
Posts: 13,412
Threads: 0
Joined: Jun 2004
Location: Texas
The pain on a fingertip is one of the worst. I peeled back the fingernail on my pinky once (meat and all) when my hacksaw cut through the pipe and my finger hit the edge of the newly cut pipe. I pressed the fingernail back where it should be but new it wasn't going to hold. Seconds later the pain hit like a train and I found myself lying down on the floor in the bedroom with my feet propped up on the bed because I felt faint. I called the doctor who said to come in. Shaking and pale as a ghost, I drove to his office where he stitched the nail back in place. I told him I've had many bad cuts before, many where bone was exposed or removed or flesh peeled back, but I never wimped out in pain like this before- what was the deal? He said all the many nerves in the hand/finger go right to the tip of the finger, making it one of the most painful injuries.
Posts: 12,687
Threads: 0
Joined: Jan 2010
Location: Lewiston, NY
I'm in the club, too. In a stupid moment I managed to run a biscuit joiner blade through the end of one finger and through the top of the finger nail into meat on the next two. Blood everywhere but no pain until after I got to the emergency room. Drove myself in my manual transmission car, too, because I was home alone. So after I filled out their paperwork while dripping on the floor they really started to throb. Finally after an hour or so I get into the treatment room. A sadistic nurse jammed my hand in some water and then proceeded to scrub them with some sort of brush "to make sure they are clean." Then off to X-ray to make sure there was no bone damage. Fortunately, there was none, but no where along the way did they offer any pain meds. So back to the ER treatment where I sat for another hour until the doc finally came in, said he was going to call the plastic surgeon, and promptly left. Two more hours, no meds, the plastic surgeon arrives and looks it over. He gets a syringe and said something like "This might hurt a little." as he stuck the needle directly into the wounds on each finger. I thought I was going to faint by the third one.
Let's be careful out there.
John
Posts: 2,482
Threads: 0
Joined: Aug 2004
(02-24-2020, 10:03 AM)FS7 Wrote: The summary is that a 3 1/4" raised panel router bit took off the tip of my right middle finger on Friday. I consider myself very fortunate that it's just a large spinning knife, as an edge profile probably would have made hamburger meat. As it is, it's more similar to a kitchen injury (my mother happened to be visiting and mentioned that her friend did something almost identical on Wednesday with a mandolin slicer).
I do not really know how it happened. I was not tired or rushing. I was not making a cut at the time. I *believe* I was reaching for the work on the table, which was not near the bit. It's possible that it slid forward slightly. I wish I knew exactly what happened so as to prevent anything in the future, but as it is I will simply have to learn from it and be considerably more careful. I like to think I'm safe in the shop, but it's apparent that using power tools as much as we do things can happen. All I know is I grazed the tip of the bit and felt pressure as the router slowed slightly, at which point my brain quickly processed that I may have touched the bit. Sure enough, I looked down, and yes, I did.
Four hours later after lots of cleaning, silver nitrate (very painful, didn't stop the bleeding), and cauterization (very painful, mostly stopped the bleeding), and a tight pressure bandage I was sent on my way. It was still bleeding after 24 hours when I changed the dressing and oozing the next morning, It wasn't until last night that it actually stopped. Fortunately, the good blood supply of finger tips lets them grow back either completely or almost completely. Right now, it's swollen and uncomfortable, but I made it through without any narcotics. I have a follow-up today to make sure the swelling is normal and not related to infection, as that would be the only major risk going forward. I'll probably ask for antibiotics regardless.
Just be safe. It could have been much, much, much worse.
I do have a picture from the initial urgent care visit. It's not all that graphic. My online name says it all. Except it was a TS
|
