Just got home from the ER

Actually been home for a little but, but I'm waiting around another hour so I can take a second dose of the pain meds they gave be before I go to sleep.

I had a bottle jack set between the ends of a bobcat style, bucket trying to straighten them out. I had already pushed the left end as far as I could and was getting ready to let the tension off the jack, otherwise my hands wouldn't have even been close. Even then, how it got my left hand I don't know. Anyways, the jack jumped out, and hit the end of my left index finger. I was wearing gloves so I didn't see anything right off, but the finger immediately went numb, so I knew it was serious.

When I got the glove off I could see the meat on the end of the finger was all messed up, and the nail was sitting cross ways at about a 45 degree angle. Wife took me to the ER where the doctor took a look. The area was so messed up the tissue was dead from lack of blood flow so all he could do was clean it up and remove the damaged piece. I'd post some pics, but I think they'd be a bit too graphic for most to view.

I've got to call the orthopedic surgeon around 8AM and hopefully set up an appointment to see him and get it fixed. Since it's my non-dominate hand, Doc tonight said, since it's already exposed, they'd probably nip just enough bone off to enable them to close the end of the finger. This way I won't have to worry about multiple surgeries, a skin graft, etc to get it repaired. I'll probably lose about 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch off the tip doing it this way....told my wife she could call me Stubby now.....LOL

Oh well, I made it over 25 years without any major injuries, so I guess I saved it all up for this time. I just thank God it wasn't any worse than it is.

So, if you guys would, keep me in your prayers. I'll update ya'll on the situation as I know more.

Take care of it Wayne and keep it clean. I speak from experience....
When I was 22 or so we were lifting a screener with an excavator. I was chaining it up, somehow it slipped as dad lifted it and my right index and middle finger (dominant) were "de-gloved" from the distal (end) knuckle to the tip including the nails of course, but all kind of hanging inside out.

Nasty looking and a bloody mess, but I kept it intact, wrapped and on ice got to ER fast. The Dr. cleaned it up, pulled the skin back in place, reinserted one of the nails. The other he used a piece of surgical tubing to make a temporary nail until the new one grew through the hole.

I cleaned it twice a day and kept it covered and clean real well for a couple months, hard to do being a farmer... Anyway I ended up with two full fingers and nails, although they are different than before and it took a couple years to get the feeing back completely. The hardest part was trying to figure out how to do the everyday things that your hand always is programed to do.

I'm 44 now without any other major damage, just lucky I guess. It sure happens pretty quick. I'm sure you will heal up fine. This may give you time to post more helpful stuff for all of us. I always like reading your posts.

All the Best, Grant

Thanks for the well wishes.


I had a neighbor who did basically the same thing to two of his fingers, from the first joint to the end, when a 14" disc sander caught the piece he was deburring. It pulled his fingers between the piece (which had wedged between the wheel and the table) and the sanding wheel. He had dropped by the shop and asked me about doing the pieces, the and I was doing them for him when I had to take a phone call. He was a Master Carpenter so it's not like he didn't know what he was doing. Anyways I hear him grinding on the pieces, heard a thump, and a few seconds later he was standing in the door behind me holding his hand saying he needed to go to the hospital.

He said his biggest problem was being able to pick up, and hold a nail without being able to feel it. He used a rubber deal that looked like sewing thimble for awhile and said it helped tremendously. Anyways, he went several years with no feeling in his two fingers, and no nails. Eventually the end fleshed back out almost to where it was, and he said the feeling came back pretty good. I Don't remember whether he got his nails back or not.

I know exactly what your talking about on using the hand. Thankfully (I say that now) I burned my index, and middle fingers on my left hand pretty bad back during the summer. The result was I got pretty good about doing everything right handed, or using my thumb and ring finger to do stuff I'd normally do with my index finger. My middle finger wasn't burned nearly as bad, and I was able to put it to use within a week or two, so that made things even better.

The biggest problem here is I know this finger is going to be tender as heck until it heals. The size of the bundle to keep it padded is a problem in and of itself. Even though it's padded,I'm psyching myself up to get ready to endure the pain from hitting it......Might ought to keep a pair of 'clean drawers' handy too, for the times it gets hit especially hard...LOL

Regardless I've got too much work to get done to let it hold me back too much. At least the two weeks of holidays, as well as the rainy weather we've got around here right now, will give me at least a little reprieve before I've got to jump back in with both feet.

best of luck for a speedy healing,,and ,,,Merry Christmas

Wishing-you a speedy recovery.
Jim

Wayne,

I'm so sorry to hear of your injury. Watch for any sign of infection. My son is dealing with a stephlococcus infection right now in a bad cut that he received on his left hand. The doctor threatened to admit him to the hospital for a couple of days for intensive antibiotic treatment if the infection didn't improve dramatically. As of today, the doc says my son probably won't need to be hospitalized, but it's still touch and go.

I'll add you to my prayers along with my son - for healing and recovery for both of you.

May the Lord bless you.

Tom in TN

We all feel for you, NCWayne but none would trade places with ya. Hope it heals quick. Have a Merry Christmas anyway.

Tuff break feller! I hope your healing is fast. These things happen so quick and could have been so worse. Take care of it and Merry Christmas.

A lot of my problems are from a collection of these types of injuries over the years.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery. I don't know why, but it seems like we never bump a finger or toe until we have it injured, then, every time we try to do anything we bump it. Just my thoughts, Keith

I cringed when I read your story. All of us who have had a finger injury like yours know the feeling. I too wish you a speedy recovery.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery. When I was in high school I ran the end of one finger between a couple gears. It ground it up pretty good and broke the tip of the bone off. The nail grew back and it's pretty usable 25+years later but I sure do remember that first winter! The cold would get into that finger for years worse than any other part and if I hit it while trying to start a nail it would sure light me up .

I hope you have a speedy recovery. It sucks to get hurt when your self employed too. Your bills go up and your income drops.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

I lost my left index finger to the second joint when I was 16 months old. Just a little kid running around getting his fingers into everything and got it caught in the gears of a pump jack. Nowadays, OSHA would mandate a shield over the gears.

But-I have no recollection of ever having a finger there so I've never missed it.

Doc told me last night that with the tip of the bone exposed infection was a bigger issue than it would normally be. I talked to the Orthopedic surgeon's office about 20 minutes ago, and am now just waiting on them to call me back after the DR reviews my file. Hopefully they can get me in today to get it fixed and closed up.

ouch - sorry to hear that. Hands are so sensitive. Not good that it's permanent damage, but glad it was at least your non-dominant hand.

Shame it is your index finger---even though your non-dominant hand you use it quite a bit unknowingly--the loss of sensitivity on the tip makes it difficult to hold nuts and bolts,nails,screws,etc. I lost the end of my dominant index finger, my trigger finger, in my log spliter a few years back--had to relearn how to shoot with my middle finger!

Wish you a fast and good recovery.
Will keep you in good thoughts.

make sure they get it clean and then you keep it clean. i got one bad when plugged combine and was unplugging it when hand slipped and hit sharp edge cut right thru leather gloves and got thumb really good down to bone. took year and then some for tenderness and feeling to be pretty normal again, now days just have the scar as reminder but thumb is okay.

Trying to find words to say, but it isn't happening...

Glad you didn't post pictures, not how I want to start my day! It happens so fast, there's a line in a song that says to "Hold respect for the beasts that we build.." Those beasts have no respect for us!

The body is an amazing machine, I admire those who can work on it! No way I could take a knife to someone, but they do it every day!

Praying for a speedy and complete recovery.

It happens quick. I cut the tendons off to my right thumb 36 years ago,so fast I didn't even have time to react.

Good luck with the surgeon. I suppose if you look on the bright side of it, you are fortunate it was only one finger. Some fun after the numbness wears off, huh?

Hi Wayne,
Man, I'm sorry you hurt your finger so bad! I hope you recover soon and completely!
Nothing hurts like a sore finger, unless its a sore toe! Catch up on your rest and do the rehab!

God bless!

Scott

Hi mcwayne, you have my sympathy. I squashed the tip of the same finger as you when I was 5 yr old. I remember it well, also when I shot myself in the foot. The phantom pain on the finger for about a year is also bold memory. Good luck! Merry Christmas. Ed will

Things like that happen so fast. Most of us doing machine repairs have had some real painful things happen. I've had my share. Will pray for your speedy recovery. Stan

i feel your pain, a few years ago i had a large piece of log i was cutting hit my chainsaw which was still spinning from cutting it the saw came and hit my foot ans went in sideways behind where the toes connect, not much the dr could do but clean the meat as good as he could and wrap it up, nothing left to repair , now i walk like a duck

A guy in my hometown was putting some cut wood onto a trailer that had an angle iron rail around it. He lost grip of one piece and it landed on the rail with three fingers between it. It was heavy enough that he lost the end of 3 fingers after all was said and done.

Best wishes on recovery. Working around machines gave me one finger shortened by a 1/4 inch. Since it was the third one, not my index finger, it hasn't bothered me much. I have very little feeling in that fingertip. I have cut it, without feeling it, I found out when I noticed blood dripping. My dad has 3 fingers, all the same length. Both of us tool and die makers. Part of the biz, I guess.

Hi mcwayne, you have my sympathy. I squashed the tip of the same finger as you when I was 5 yr old. I remember it well, also when I shot myself in the foot. The phantom pain on the finger for about a year is also bold memory. Good luck! Merry Christmas. Ed will

Get 'er fixed up and take it easy on it until it is perfect, I know it won't be easy in that line of work. When I had my non dominant index finger taken off at the middle knuckle in a sickle bar when I was 8 or so. Got it sewed back on, it does bend, but mostly stays straight now. I mostly use the middle finger in place of the index with my thumb to hold nails and start nuts and bolts. It seems when I was doing heavy equipment repair like you, I would injure something and reinjure it numerous times before it finally healed right. The job had to get done.

Ross

NC good luck the medicine today has come along way. Take some time off!!! I have had quite a few mishaps over the years. Last one was near fatal about a month ago, logging accident.

Sorry to hear about your accident and hope you get back to normal soon.
I remember at work years ago we had a safety meeting and they showed a movie about different accidents. They must have been real accidents because nothing like that could have been stunt men doing that. It was bad enough that I got sick to my stomach and had to look away at some of the accidents they showed. It had a big impression on me about working more safe from then on. Doing it right with safety in mind might take a bit longer but can sure save some painful events. As we all know, you can still get hurt by doing it right, but the chances are less than if you do things the wrong way.
Hang a picture of your finger in your shop so you remember what can happen and show others what can happen even when you're working safe.

Good luck,
Dick

Ouch! You might have to open your Christmas gifts one-handed - hope your loved ones didn't use too much tape! It's a good thing you're right-handed. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Hi mcwayne, you have my sympathy. I squashed the tip of the same finger as you when I was 5 yr old. I remember it well, also when I shot myself in the foot. The phantom pain on the finger for about a year is also bold memory. Good luck! Merry Christmas. Ed will

Been there, done that. The pain was almost unbearable. Surprisingly, we have the highest density of nerve endings in our fingertips out of all the places in our entire body. Yes, even there!!! Be prepared for it to hurt like the dickens for a while.

Sorry to hear about the injury, though. That is one reason I NEVER wear gloves while working on any kind of mechanical equipment. Wish you a speedy and relatively painless recovery.

For the last two weeks, I have been using a table saw. I hate being anywhere close to that blade, even when it is covered by the board. Good luck
SDE