Anyone missing a portion/all of a digit(s)?

[thestrangebrew1]

The last few nights I've been taking Norco to help me sleep. While it's helped with the initial crash, I've been waking up every 2 hours with some pretty extreme pain. Went all day without painkillers yesterday, and decided not to take the Norco last night, and slept absolutely fine. Woke up a few times with discomfort, but nothing like what I was experiencing previously. WTF is up with that?

 

[Red Squirrel]

So far so good, all digits intact.

I did buy a table saw a few years ago though... hopefully I don't manage to change that.

 

[BudAshes]

The last few nights I've been taking Norco to help me sleep. While it's helped with the initial crash, I've been waking up every 2 hours with some pretty extreme pain. Went all day without painkillers yesterday, and decided not to take the Norco last night, and slept absolutely fine. Woke up a few times with discomfort, but nothing like what I was experiencing previously. WTF is up with that?

Try blowing off your other thumb to even things out.

 

[Squisher]

Back in my early days in die shops on your first day you couldn't walk around and shake everybody's hand and not run into a couple of guys missing fingers. The most often culprit was a bench/pedestal grinder.

I think that is why you see the proliferation of belt sanders in the knife forging industry even though it is an inferior means of removing metal.

 

[zinfamous]

Try blowing off your other thumb to even things out.

Chicks dig scars, and symmetry! Double Effective!

 

[brianmanahan]

Yea I was waiting to tell the story, but it's kinda hard to explain considering I didnt shoot myself. I had already been shooting a buddy's 460 revolver and reloaded. Went to aim, finger on trigger, and decided I wasnt comfortable with my grip or stance. Shuffled my feet a bit, and stretched my hand open. Apparently I brought my hand forward enough to where my thumb was even with the front of the cylinder, just to the side, and accidentally pulled the trigger. The air and gas shot out the sides and took out the top portion of my thumb. At least thats what was explained to me as to how it happened. No I was not drunk, although I wish I was so I didnt feel the pain as much!

wow that's crazy, i don't know much about guns and had no idea that could happen with a revolver.

edit: holy crap that looks like 1 inch between normal grip and losing your thumb...

 

[Muse]

At the same time, severed nerves can be very tricky. It's hard to predict how or if they will fix themselves.

Around 10-12 years ago I was using my pocket knife on an object and sliced into my index finger pretty deep just slightly above the top joint. It didn't endanger the finger in terms of loss (I didn't see a doctor or get stitches, didn't think it necessary), but I think it must have severed a nerve because the pain has never completely disappeared. It comes back very frequently. It's not intense but isn't nice either. Nerves can be very slow to heal. I guess they might not heal at all... if severed!

 

[Darwin333]

BTW, I haven't lost any digits but I did get 3rd degree burns over my entire right hand (jerkoff hand at that) along with my back, side, arms, and top of my left hand from 500-degree roofing tar. So while I didn't lose any digits I did lose the use of my digits for quite a long time. I have posted the story on here a few times, I can find it and link it if you want.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

Please do share. This is somewhat turning into my diary a bit. I've done a bit of searching on what to expect and common hits are actually coping with the aftermath. I'm pretty optimistic and humor seems to keep me pretty positive about the whole thing. Of course I'm extremely lucky it's just a portion of one of my fingers so that helps. The biggest thing is I've got an awesome support system. My wife has been nothing but supportive and ready to help while I'm healing. I really can't thank her enough for how great she's been. My family and friends have all been great as well.

 

[brianmanahan]

BTW, I haven't lost any digits but I did get 3rd degree burns over my entire right hand (jerkoff hand at that) along with my back, side, arms, and top of my left hand from 500-degree roofing tar. So while I didn't lose any digits I did lose the use of my digits for quite a long time. I have posted the story on here a few times, I can find it and link it if you want.

dang that left quite a mark even 10 years later:

https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/just-burned-my-hand.103955/page-2#post-24438124

 

[5to1baby1in5]

This post has been brought to you by the number Eighteen (13).




Get it?





Missing part of a digit...





Hope your recovery goes well.

 

[Darwin333]

dang that left quite a mark even 10 years later:

https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/just-burned-my-hand.103955/page-2#post-24438124

Oh yeah, looks the same now too another 10 years later. My side looks even worse, 3rd degree burns tend to leave lasting scars. Here is the story of how it happened if you want to read it, I made a lot of other posts in the thread that go into more detail of the entire ordeal.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

Oh yeah, looks the same now too another 10 years later. My side looks even worse, 3rd degree burns tend to leave lasting scars. Here is the story of how it happened if you want to read it, I made a lot of other posts in the thread that go into more detail of the entire ordeal.

Dude. That is crazy and I can't even imagine what you went through. Thank you for sharing. I wonder, would the treatment be same today for such an incident? Has it been improved since or is it one of those things that's a tried and true type method?

 

[zinfamous]

Around 10-12 years ago I was using my pocket knife on an object and sliced into my index finger pretty deep just slightly above the top joint. It didn't endanger the finger in terms of loss (I didn't see a doctor or get stitches, didn't think it necessary), but I think it must have severed a nerve because the pain has never completely disappeared. It comes back very frequently. It's not intense but isn't nice either. Nerves can be very slow to heal. I guess they might not heal at all... if severed!

I *think* what happens is that the damaged nerve, possibly depending on where it was severed, will attempt to reestablish a new connection, a new route to complete a circuit similar to the old one. Nerves can be plastic in old age (but I am not sure if the same applies to nerve cells as with neurons), but I think it is rather unpredictable and yes: very, very slow. Best recourse is to probably immobilize the damaged area for many, many months, as movement along that path can damage the repair process. Or it will just never attempt to repair.

 

[zinfamous]

BTW, I haven't lost any digits but I did get 3rd degree burns over my entire right hand (jerkoff hand at that) along with my back, side, arms, and top of my left hand from 500-degree roofing tar. So while I didn't lose any digits I did lose the use of my digits for quite a long time. I have posted the story on here a few times, I can find it and link it if you want.

man, your post in that thread is one of the few that I never forget. D:

 

[Darwin333]

Dude. That is crazy and I can't even imagine what you went through. Thank you for sharing. I wonder, would the treatment be same today for such an incident? Has it been improved since or is it one of those things that's a tried and true type method?

Today they are able to induce medical commas for severe burns darn near indefinitely, today they would have put me under for at least a week or two.

 

[Darwin333]

man, your post in that thread is one of the few that I never forget. D:

Glad I touched someones life. If just one person sees a cart full of nearly boiling roofing tar and says nope not going near it than I have done my duty!

 

[Herr Kutz]

Not nearly the same scale, but I smashed my thumb with a hammer a couple years ago. I pushed the pieces together and put a bandaid on it. I guess I didn't put them together right, and there's a noticeable(to me) point to my thumb, and it won't work on capacitive touchscreens.

Pics?

 

[lxskllr]

Pics?

It doesn't look like anything. I only notice the asymmetrical point because I saw what it was supposed to look like for so long. It's subtle, and my thumbnail doesn't cover it quite evenly. I doubt even someone like a spouse would notice, but I see it. No other scarring that isn't on the rest of my hands.

 

[Muse]

Glad I touched someones life. If just one person sees a cart full of nearly boiling roofing tar and says nope not going near it than I have done my duty!

Your story was epic for sure. I for one would be very wary of boiling roof tar by virtue of having read your account! I've thought about that.

 

[Scarpozzi]

My dad pulled a mower over his foot 25 years ago or more....it took a few of his toes. I had a great uncle lose a finger to a table saw.....and a buddy of mine lost a finger while working on a helicopter engine in the marines in Afghanistan. Another buddy of mine lit an M80 and was trying to throw it when it went off in his hand....he was making a fist around it to throw it.......so he lost half of his middle finger.

Moral of the story...don't mow, do carpentry, join the military or try to blow stuff up. Your bowling score may suffer.

 

[BudAshes]

My dad pulled a mower over his foot 25 years ago or more....it took a few of his toes. I had a great uncle lose a finger to a table saw.....and a buddy of mine lost a finger while working on a helicopter engine in the marines in Afghanistan. Another buddy of mine lit an M80 and was trying to throw it when it went off in his hand....he was making a fist around it to throw it.......so he lost half of his middle finger.

Moral of the story...don't mow, do carpentry, join the military or try to blow stuff up. Your bowling score may suffer.

My Grandpa, at about 70 years old, was out in a tractor on a windy day, tractor door blew closed as he was getting out and snapped the last 2 inches of his middle finger right off. He went to the emergency room and they told him if he found the end of the finger they may be able to re-attach it. He asked how long it would take to heal, they said it would take months. He said he was over it, just sew it up. He went back to work the next day. Finger is still out in the fields somewhere. Never heard him complain about it once to the day he died.

And yes we are all pussies.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

Haven't been on in awhile so a bit of an update for anyone who cares. Finger is healing nicely according to my ortho and the wound care specialist. My ortho said he wanted me to do physical therapy but I've yet to get a referral, and my wound care guy said I've got great movement in my thumb and should probably hold off on the P/T until the injury is fully sealed up. Not sure which way to go, but the latter makes sense. Anyways, pain has gone down considerably with the exception of my thumb feeling like it's being either severely pinched or my skin is being stretched. Hard to explain. And the nerve/shock pain or my thumb is falling asleep x100. Good thing is these symptoms are getting less frequent. I'm pretty much off the vicodin but still taking pills for the nerve pain. I'll probably take those till I run out and see how it feels without. On a side note, my thumb looks gross, dead skin and scabbing with a little puss whenever I change bandages, but the specialist said it looks really good and better than most. I'm constantly worried about an infection, but this makes me feel better. Sorry for the wall of text, just thought I'd share.

Edit: Alcohol also helps lol

 

[nakedfrog]

That's particularly odd. It might be scarred up, not-factory-issue meat, but it's still meat.

The guitar calluses on my left hand occasionally give me trouble with them.

 

[Darwin333]

Please send me all of your unused vicodin, thanks in advance. If you need any more motivation just reread my story. PM for details, I'll even pay for shipping.