my trip to A&E

[dennydrewcook]

The day started with be being very tired after late night revision for three exams that day. This meant I got up late and had to rush down breakfast to get the bus. the rest was quite uneventful though my exam invidulater (who are known for they're strictness) was new to the job so first two tests French the room were almost having a chat with her. Second exam a little ironically biology was great I done lots of revision and hopefully for a good grade.

So so far I'd had a pretty stressful day with exams hoping I'd done well, screaming babies on the bus home and was knackered.

As I got home I went and found my parents in our nursery I told my dad about my day and was going to ask for the keys to the house but was too tired. This is when it struck me i could go and have a sleep in the hammock I'd set up the day before for a bit of outdoor studying

The problem was it was a little breezy and I got cold so re adjusted the tarp so it was lower and I thought I'd lower one side a little more. This in tern called for another bit of cord. I found some but it was freyed at the end and without my knife all I had was a rather blunt axe I've been meaning to sharpen...

Yeah you guessed it I missed the cord and who's thumb was there for mr choppy to bite, mine. Instantly knowing what I'd done I put pressure on it and ran to the nursery. told my dad if chopped my thumb and needed to get to the hospital.

This is the problem having a banterus relationship with him, he thought I was kidding so I showed him. hadn't seen it myself yet and was convinced I'd lost it. it was about an inch diagonally from tip but I just missed the nail.

hopped into the van, on the way there I was trying not to pass out, everything went white, I couldn't see for five minuets then it stopped.

got to A&E and was seen to and had a pad put onto it and told to wait. terrified I waited thinking my thumb was on a knife edge . after 2 and a half hours I was seen to and by the third I was seen to. X-ray told us I'd fractured it. The nurse put some paper stitches on and a dressing and told me to report to the hospital in Surrey where there are thumb specialists just to be on the safe side. she reassured me it wasn't coming off because at this point I thought It was a gonna. To be honest I'm still a little scared.

yup I do look an idiot feel one to for doing something stupid like that. Although lessons have been learned
1. don't use string that's old on a new tarp
2. more importantly don't use an axe without proper training ( again irony because I want to do the axe safety course with frontier bushcraft but can't afford it&#128514
3. don't use an axe when your tired.
thanks for reading




Denny 😊

 

[Tony]

Wisdom can sometimes only be learned through Expereince and that can be learned through messing things up once in a while I hope it heals fast for you and I'm sure it will be fine, they would have probably been in much more of a rush to get it seen to if it had been very bad.
Good luck with it.

 

[dennydrewcook]

yeah defiantly an experiance. thank you and I hope it does. going Friday so can't be too bad 😊


Denny 😊

 

[cranmere]

That's an impressive bandage! The human body is amazingly good at mending itself and it sounds as if you've got away with it. As for feeling stupid, I think we've all been there at some stage.

 

[XRV John]

Don't worry Danny

I'm a biker of 28 years but in 2005 decided that cleaning and oiling the chain on my sportsbike was easier if I did it with the engine running.

I did say to myself "now be careful 'cos this is dangerous" but the rag caught and dragged my right ring finger in crushing it between the drive sprocket and the chain. I was stuck with no one around so pulled it out then danced round the drive spurting blood everywhere.

Phoned my pregnant wife at work before I passed out and she called the ambulance. In A&E found out it was severed about 1cm from the tip and I squealed like a girl when they rinsed it 'cos I'd wrapped it in an oily rag from the garage!

It's healed fine with no visible scars. On reflection I realised I should have pulled in the clutch with my left hand and rotated the wheel with my right foot to get my finger out undamaged. Hindsight is a wonderful thing!

All the best

John

 

[dennydrewcook]

it's damn good for thumbing a bus, any story's yourselves?


Denny 😊

 

[Tony]

I've had a few cuts but nothing really bad, my worst hand injury was getting my finger crushed in a compression testing machine, that hurt and had to be put back together, all good now though...

 

[Johnnyboy1971]

Same as John Above. Fell of my motorbike doing little more than 10mph and my hand landed on the rear wheel. Little finger slipped between chain and sprocket and whipped my finger clean off. On inspection it had pulled it straight out of the knuckle joint so needed to be trimmed back before sewing up.

 

[John Fenna]

I am doing a lot of wincing while reading this thread!:Wow:

 

[Goatboy]

Looks like a sore one. But try to look on the bright side, hitch-hiking will be a lot easier with that big bandage on.
Seriously though as said the body is amazing at knitting itself back together. I've many white lines from old scars that are a roadmap of my life. Do get it looked at by the thumb chap though, it's an important didgit and you want to make sure it heals well.
Hope that the exams go well, and look on it as a rather stern lesson in axe safety.
Heal fast and good luck in the exams.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[crosslandkelly]

Ouch!!! Hope it heals well.

 

[KayakFisherFinland]

All I can tell you from experience, is that don't keep on pushing the wood into the circular saw when someone knocks you in the shoulder...
Lucky for me, it only caught the tip of my thumb (just below the nail) and 3 hand surgeons and about 40 stiches later I still have most of the digit left.

But I do now the pain you're feeling.

 

[petrochemicals]

Best title ever!

At least it was the punishment hand, not the writing hand, old leftie there will incur a few more injuries by righty sillyness in your life, I know myself. With a hammer and nail I learned a while back that when swinging with even modest force, it's best if the hand is a long way away from the hammer, remenber that and you'll be a lot happier.


Good luck with the exams.

 

[Harvestman]

At least you didn't hit yourself in the thumb with an axe whilst demonstrating the safe use of an axe to a bunch of schoolchildren.

I did.

 

[dennydrewcook]

thanks for the encouragement guys helped slightly less worried about loosing it, I've been reassured I won't. some of the story's are a lot worse than mine.


Denny 😊

 

[dennydrewcook]

At least you didn't hit yourself in the thumb with an axe whilst demonstrating the safe use of an axe to a bunch of schoolchildren.

I did.

what happened next?



Denny 😊

 

[British Red]

I had the end of my middle finger attached by bone only last year (ladder slipped with my hand wrapped around upright crushing my finger and almost degloving it). Its a bit scarred and misshapen but very much still there (it got horribly infected too). Worry not chap, as petrochemical says, every digit on your left will be scarred.

 

[grumit]

Did a very similar thing to you ended up with six stitches to my finger

 

[barbourdurham]

i was in south america years ago trekking in the jungle. on day one the guide handed out the machette's began a lesson on safe use. good idea. he moved onto show effective cutting techniques, in particular demonstrating how the weight of the blade is enough for brush clearing. it was at this point that he took hold of a long piece of bamboo and took a good swing, promptly removing his left thumb and index finger.............

 

[richardhomer]

Hope you recover soon denny