Whoops!!! Almost cut my finger off

[Kai]

Whew looks a bit rough.
Hopefully it will work out for you.
I can empathize. I ran my fingers, hand and arm through a set of rollers...40" roller with a 6" stell shaft on top... nearly 3 weeks ago. In surgery for an hour to repair the crushed fingers and remove the bone fragments. Out of work for 2 weeks and just returned this past Monday to light duty for the next several months.
Man it sucks to mess up your hands.

 

[ironlung]

Can't even cut my M-Fing finger off correctly!!!

Glad to hear it wasn't too bad. I sliced a tendon in my hand once...it's no picnic. Hopefully the tendon didn't shrink beyond repair so you don't lose any flexibility. Damaged nerves, well that's another story. Wishing you a full and speedy recovery.

It's been two months since the surgery to re attach the tendons and nerve. So far I wish I just had it amputated. I have about 40% strength in the bad hand(compared to the right hand). The second knuckle has about 60% range of motion and the most distal knuckle has zero range of motion. The poor mechanics of the repair are causing problems with the "good" fingers and wrist.


Dealing with the doctor and therapist it seems they are only concerned about the ferrari payments and limiting liability. Neither give forthright answers. It's obvious to me that it's crap.


I love learning the hard way. The only way I do it .

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

It's been two months since the surgery to re attach the tendons and nerve. So far I wish I just had it amputated.

Your experience in reflected by a great many number of finger amputee-victims. Just because they can reattach it, doesn't mean it will ever work right.

Just google "finger reattachment problems" (obviously this would be redundant for Ironlung, but a good primer for anyone else that life doesn't work anything like it does on House M.D.)

 

[j_garcia]

I broke my right hand when I was 18. The doctor said they wanted to do surgery because they were spiral fractures (also damaged 2 tendons) and they didn't think it would heal correctly and said that I would probably never have full range of motion with my fingers. Well, it DID take over a year before I could fully move my fingers again, but the doctor was wrong, my hand works just as well as it ever did. I'm glad I said no to the surgery for that one. The part that sucked - learing to write with my left hand - just did not work well, so I had to learn to type, which also wasn't exactly easy at first. (already knew how to type, but it isn't the same when you can't really move 3 fingers on one hand).

 

[ironlung]

I win the booby prize!!!

I did not actually amputate the finger. I just cut the nerve and flexor tendons(palm side of hand) the tendons that close your fingers into a fist.


It did not really hurt when it happened. I was moving a ribbon of steel scrap off the spindle of a lathe the spindle caught the scrap dragging it thru my glove and finger like a hot knife thru butter.

As soon as I took the glove off and the blood squirted across the room I have been kicking my own a$$ for being so stupid and careless.


I'll try to post some pictures of the glove and my finger as it is now this weekend.


BTW thanks everyone for the kind words.

 

[j_garcia]

Those are the tendons I damaged too - for the longest time, I could not even get my three middle fingers to close more than half way, and even longer before I could close all of them all the way. Therapy man; stretching and flexing -it works.

 

[Kai]

ironlung I feel the same way.
I feel so dumb.
It could have been prevented "in hindsight" but at the moment it was an accident not willful.
It also happens so quickly there is literally nothing you or anyone can do.
I am now an official member of the paper makers "brotherhood" of those that have incurred injuries to the fingers and hands. I have had numerous co-workers show me similar injuries and their current condition. In general not bad but those with severe cuts that have damaged tendons and nerves never fully recover their full range of motion. But look at it this way you still have your finger.
Good luck for a speedy and "full" recovery.

 

[annunaki]

Aw, I was soo close with waffle iron.

SheepStar

Sheep,

I was closer, I was thinking butter knife.