I think this thread should be entitled who doesn’t cut their fingers.....
Fortunate thing about your hand is there are only tendons in it and no muscle. If you cut yourself with a sharp tool cleanly, you can usually be fixed by simple stitching. If you ever cut through a tendon it can be stitched back together fairly easily by surgeons, you may lose some sensation below the cut but even that repairs itself to some extent over time.
What you don’t want to do is injure your hand with a blunt tool. I read stoneware that hammers are the most dangerous hand tool as the crush injuries effectively kill the digit and it has to be removed.
Squeak!!!!
As for myself, my work holding hand looks like it should belong to a depressed emo with a draw full of razor blades. Keep your knife clean and razor sharp and even deep cuts will heal very quickly without stitching if held together and prevented from moving.
It’s worth pointing out that if you do nick yourself; you have about two days to decide if it needs stitching. After this time the skin around the cut effectively dies if it keeps getting pulled apart and then it will not mesh back together properly.
Near medical help, go see the doctor just to be safe before then. In the bush, more than two days out, carry sutures by all means but these need to be done properly not bodged which is difficult if you’re on your own, with one hand, and no anaesthetic. Best to carry some steri-strips to close the wound in these situations.
Let the initial blood flow to wash out any debris or bugs. Don’t be tempted to apply any antiseptic as this will kill the cells on the wounds surface making it hard to heal. (If the knife, or you hand was really dirty (cuts in water environments are very nasty), you can use a sterri-pod of saline to jet clean the wound. These are really useful for removing debris from the eye as well, particularly sand, and I always carry at least one, ask at the counter in Boots).
After this apply pressure to close the wound until any bleeding has stopped. Now apply the sterri-strip ensuring slight tension is closing the wound.
Next get a thumping piece of strong medical fabric tape and ensure that the wound stays closed /stabilised once taped up (not too tight so that it stops proper circulation though).
Don’t be tempted to take the dressing off again until you get to medical help unless something is obviously wrong (infection) as this will do more damage than good.
Keep the dressing dry and take your broad spectrum antibiotics that you had the good sense to get from your doc just before you went on the trip. (If you explain why you may need them most doctors are glad to help on this one.)
Good knifes are not that dangerous really, unless you’re stupid enough to cut inside of your leg and risk a 5 minute total bleed-out from an artery. Misused axes on the other hand (excuse the pun) are quite literally lethal. Far out in the bush, I use a saw most of the time, slower, less sexy, but much safer.
Just what I’ve gleaned over the years, I’m no medical professional......
Fortunate thing about your hand is there are only tendons in it and no muscle. If you cut yourself with a sharp tool cleanly, you can usually be fixed by simple stitching. If you ever cut through a tendon it can be stitched back together fairly easily by surgeons, you may lose some sensation below the cut but even that repairs itself to some extent over time.
What you don’t want to do is injure your hand with a blunt tool. I read stoneware that hammers are the most dangerous hand tool as the crush injuries effectively kill the digit and it has to be removed.
Squeak!!!!
As for myself, my work holding hand looks like it should belong to a depressed emo with a draw full of razor blades. Keep your knife clean and razor sharp and even deep cuts will heal very quickly without stitching if held together and prevented from moving.
It’s worth pointing out that if you do nick yourself; you have about two days to decide if it needs stitching. After this time the skin around the cut effectively dies if it keeps getting pulled apart and then it will not mesh back together properly.
Near medical help, go see the doctor just to be safe before then. In the bush, more than two days out, carry sutures by all means but these need to be done properly not bodged which is difficult if you’re on your own, with one hand, and no anaesthetic. Best to carry some steri-strips to close the wound in these situations.
Let the initial blood flow to wash out any debris or bugs. Don’t be tempted to apply any antiseptic as this will kill the cells on the wounds surface making it hard to heal. (If the knife, or you hand was really dirty (cuts in water environments are very nasty), you can use a sterri-pod of saline to jet clean the wound. These are really useful for removing debris from the eye as well, particularly sand, and I always carry at least one, ask at the counter in Boots).
After this apply pressure to close the wound until any bleeding has stopped. Now apply the sterri-strip ensuring slight tension is closing the wound.
Next get a thumping piece of strong medical fabric tape and ensure that the wound stays closed /stabilised once taped up (not too tight so that it stops proper circulation though).
Don’t be tempted to take the dressing off again until you get to medical help unless something is obviously wrong (infection) as this will do more damage than good.
Keep the dressing dry and take your broad spectrum antibiotics that you had the good sense to get from your doc just before you went on the trip. (If you explain why you may need them most doctors are glad to help on this one.)
Good knifes are not that dangerous really, unless you’re stupid enough to cut inside of your leg and risk a 5 minute total bleed-out from an artery. Misused axes on the other hand (excuse the pun) are quite literally lethal. Far out in the bush, I use a saw most of the time, slower, less sexy, but much safer.
Just what I’ve gleaned over the years, I’m no medical professional......
yea I know. And some of the videos and stills you could get to scare the b'jesus out of folk were pretty gruesome. Do a google search!
