Lost the tip of my left ring finger today. One little slip jointing some white oak.
The irony is that I used power tools for years and years when I was drinking with no serious accident. 21 months sober, though... Go figger.
Didn't lose the whole joint, though, which is good. The surgeon said if I had to do it, I did it very cleanly.
Just call me "Stubby". And remember to keep your blades SHARP.
djb
Lost the tip of my left ring finger today. One little slip jointing some white oak.
The irony is that I used power tools for years and years when I was drinking with no serious accident. 21 months sober, though... Go figger.
Didn't lose the whole joint, though, which is good. The surgeon said if I had to do it, I did it very cleanly.
Just call me "Stubby". And remember to keep your blades SHARP.
djb
Damn sorry to hear that.
Do this long enough and it is simply a matter of when, not if. Loving my SawStop these days. Glad to hear that you did not loose more, which could have easily happened especially on a jointer.
I don't turn away from any reminder to work safe. I'm glad your accident was not worse than it was--it sounds like a plenty bad enough experience to endure. Take care.
Bill
On Fri, 21 Jun 2013 18:42:12 -0600, Dave Balderstone
Pictures. Pictures. If we don't see any pictures, it didn't happen.
~ Condolences.
I know that is sensitive. Hope it heals fast. I think you should sue SawStop because they didn't invent a JointStop.
QUESTION:
While I did not loose any finger, in November I pealed the end of my finger on my table saw, because I DID SOMETHING STUPID. The equipment had nothing to do with it. This was just a skin event no bone involved.
They were able to sew the flap back in place and it is has healed. It is still slightly sore to the touch, and and the end of the finger still feels like it is not part of the finger. (I am touch typing with the finger) It is not red or any indication of infection, or any thing like that.
My question is; is it normal that after 7 months I still have this sensitivity.
For those who will say I should ask a doctor, the doctor will give me a medical opinion, not the opinion of someone who may have had a similar experience.
[snip]
I am not a doctor but a "veteran" of several major surgeries. The answer is "Yes, No, or Maybe"
You are dealing with nerve damage and nerve damage, whether traumatically or surgically induced, heals very slowly or in many cases not at all. Every "insult" to the nerves is different and every person heals differently as a result.
I have an area on my chest that was, apparently, normal prior to cardiac surgery. Now, 16 years later, a small area is insensitive to most stimuli and an adjacent area is hyper-sensitive. Bottom line: It is what it is or whatever it eventually will be.
Time will tell.
On Sat, 22 Jun 2013 08:37:19 -0500, Unquestionably Confused
+1
I would say it is normal, especially if you are middle aged or beyond. You may never get full, or any, feeling back in it.
In my experience with injuries I've had to bone and flesh, feeling doesn't pass well through scar tissue or damaged nerves endings, and those things don't heal enough to ever feel right again, once you're "old."
Thanks, I am beyond middle age, so from what I am hearing I will probably always have "something" on the end of my finger. Part of me but always feel like it is not.
I should be grateful there is "something" there.
I have used the table saw for about 55 years, so the odds are that something would happen.
Thanks again
Ouch!
Glad it wasn't worse than it is, hope you have a speedy recovery.
basilisk
Nerves grow about one millimeter per month. It takes time to reconnect your finger. I did a similar thing 30 years ago, and there still is a little loss of sensation, but not much. It probably took a year and a half to get to 75%, and longer to get back to 90%, like a couple extra years.
Patience.
Jim in NC
You have to be more careful than ever from now on. Your brain thinks that where the feeling ends, that is the end of your finger.
Absolutely normal, you probably relocated a nerve and or exposed the nerve to areas that were not exposed before. A lot of it is getting used to feeling things that you don't think you should be feeling.
It could take a few years. I cut half my thumb off 24 or so years ago and still can have strange sensations now and then. I removed the bone between my thumb print and my thumb nail... The surgeon removed the nail and wrapped the thumb print around the knuckle. Talk about strange feelings... I took a long time before I realized that something touching the top end of my thumb was not actually touching the bottom of the thumb.
An a less severe cut when I was about 20 I was working on a 2020 Coats tire machine and use the pry bar to remove the valve stem. The bar missed the stem and my pinky finger ran along the sharp edge of the rim. Sliced the side of the finger and nail and laid them over. I pushed every thing back in place and put a band aid on it. Should have gone for stitches but,,,I was 20 and invincible. I lost the feeling in that part of the finger for about 8 years, and then it came back.
There's an "after" pic on my facebook page.
djb
Several factors going on. If the nerve is growing, it is growing slowly an d doesn't extend into the adjacent tissues, as a plant's roots extend into neighboring soil. On the other hand, the neighboring tissues do, somewhat, grow into adjacent tissues, more readily than nerve tissue grows into adja cent tissues.
In conjunction with neighboring tissues growing "into" the nerve or growing into other adjacent tissues, most of that growth will be in the form of sc ar tissue. Scar tissue is not linear, as normal tissue is. Scar tissues a re knotty or are knarled growth, i.e., equate it to figured wood growth whe re the knarly wood grain goes in all directions. Examples of scar tissue: A cut lip will end up with a bump on the lip. In knee surgery, the knee w ill bind up, if movement is kept at a minimum, after surgery, giving time f or the scar tissue to bind itself down, preventing ease of movement. That' s why a patient will immediately start range of motion therapy, to prevent the scar tissue from being knotted, and be more linear, to the future motio n.
Scar tissue is building up or has built up at or near the ends of your nerv es and each time you move or flex, the scar tissue tugs on the nerve or on the nerve endings. Scar tissue is not flexible or not as flexible as other tissues. You might even be able to feel the knot of scar tissue in your f inger, compared to the non-knotty other tissues adjacent to the cut site.
If you or anyone ever has a cut in an otherwise sensitive area (lips or on one's face are good examples), during the healing process immediately after the injury, have them flex the cut site in all directions to prevent the s car tissue from forming a knot. Stretching out that growing/healing tissue will make the growth pattern more linear or in the direction of normal ran ge of motion usage, and there will be less knotting, less of a bump to form , and less sensitivity, in the future. Flex the cut site- meaning gently m assage the wound, as the patient can tolerate the massaging/pain. Many wom en do this to their abdomen, after pregnancy, to help remove stretch marks. .... somewhat the same thing, to prevent knarled tissue appearance.
*A cut lip or other facial inury on a young girl, if it forms a bump, can b e a ulgy blemish for them in the future, as girls, in particular, are sensi tive to any unsightly scar on their appearance. When applicable, some girl s don't even like stitch marks showing... there are subcutaneous stitching to help hide those kinds of unsightly marks, respective of/for girls' futur e appearances.Sonny
On Sunday, June 23, 2013 9:26:10 AM UTC-5, Sonny wrote:
e: > For those who will say I should ask a doctor, Several factors going on . If the nerve is growing, it is growing slowly and doesn't extend into the adjacent tissues, as a plant's roots extend into neighboring soil. On the other hand, the neighboring tissues do, somewhat, grow into adjacent tissue s, more readily than nerve tissue grows into adjacent tissues. In conjuncti on with neighboring tissues growing "into" the nerve or growing into other adjacent tissues, most of that growth will be in the form of scar tissue. S car tissue is not linear, as normal tissue is. Scar tissues are knotty or a re knarled growth, i.e., equate it to figured wood growth where the knarly wood grain goes in all directions. Examples of scar tissue: A cut lip will end up with a bump on the lip. In knee surgery, the knee will bind up, if m ovement is kept at a minimum, after surgery, giving time for the scar tissu e to bind itself down, preventing ease of movement. That's why a patient wi ll immediately start range of motion therapy, to prevent the scar tissue fr om being knotted, and be more linear, to the future motion. Scar tissue is building up or has built up at or near the ends of your nerves and each tim e you move or flex, the scar tissue tugs on the nerve or on the nerve endin gs. Scar tissue is not flexible or not as flexible as other tissues. You mi ght even be able to feel the knot of scar tissue in your finger, compared t o the non-knotty other tissues adjacent to the cut site. If you or anyone e ver has a cut in an otherwise sensitive area (lips or on one's face are goo d examples), during the healing process immediately after the injury, have them flex the cut site in all directions to prevent the scar tissue from fo rming a knot. Stretching out that growing/healing tissue will make the grow th pattern more linear or in the direction of normal range of motion usage, and there will be less knotting, less of a bump to form, and less sensitiv ity, in the future. Flex the cut site- meaning gently massage the wound, as the patient can tolerate the massaging/pain. Many women do this to their a bdomen, after pregnancy, to help remove stretch marks..... somewhat the sam e thing, to prevent knarled tissue appearance. *A cut lip or other facial i nury on a young girl, if it forms a bump, can be a ulgy blemish for them in the future, as girls, in particular, are sensitive to any unsightly scar o n their appearance. When applicable, some girls don't even like stitch mark s showing... there are subcutaneous stitching to help hide those kinds of u nsightly marks, respective of/for girls' future appearances. Sonny
Addendum: A cut site is not a clean cut, as you may think you see it. On the cellular level, each side of a cut looks like strands of a wet mop, i.e ., the tissues are torn and ratty looking, not nice clean straight cut edge s.
When you put the sides of a cut back together, to bandage it, the 2 cut edg es meet one another as 2 wet mops would be pushed together.... all the mop strands (tissue strands) are in a jumble and their subsequent growth repair is not back to their original normal linear formation. Each strand will t ry to grow its own crooked (wet mop) way, resulting in what is scar tissue.
The ratty cut (wet mop) edges of a wound will include the ratty cut edges o f any nerves, also.
Sonny
On 6/23/2013 10:50 AM, Sonny wrote:
For those who will say I should ask a doctor, Several factors going on. If the nerve is growing, it is growing slowly and doesn't extend into the adjacent tissues, as a plant's roots extend into neighboring soil. On the other hand, the neighboring tissues do, somewhat, grow into adjacent tissues, more readily than nerve tissue grows into adjacent tissues. In conjunction with neighboring tissues growing "into" the nerve or growing into other adjacent tissues, most of that growth will be in the form of scar tissue. Scar tissue is not linear, as normal tissue is. Scar tissues are knotty or are knarled growth, i.e., equate it to figured wood growth where the knarly wood grain goes in all directions. Examples of scar tissue: A cut lip will end up with a bump on the lip. In knee surgery, the knee will bind up, if movement is kept at a minimum, after surgery, giving time for the scar tissue to bind itself down , preventing ease of movement. That's why a patient will immediately start range of motion therapy, to prevent the scar tissue from being knotted, and be more linear, to the future motion. Scar tissue is building up or has built up at or near the ends of your nerves and each time you move or flex, the scar tissue tugs on the nerve or on the nerve endings. Scar tissue is not flexible or not as flexible as other tissues. You might even be able to feel the knot of scar tissue in your finger, compared to the non-knotty other tissues adjacent to the cut site. If you or anyone ever has a cut in an otherwise sensitive area (lips or on one's face are good examples), during the healing process immediately after the injury, have them flex the cut site in all directions to prevent the scar tissue from forming a knot. Stretching out that growing/healing tissue will make the growth pattern more linear or in the direction of normal range of motion usage, and there will be less knotting, less of a bump to form, and less sensitivity, in the future. Flex the cut site- meaning gently massage the wound, as the patient can tolerate the massaging/pain. Many women do this to their abdomen, after pregnancy, to help remove stretch marks..... somewhat the same thing, to prevent knarled tissue appearance. *A cut lip or other facial inury on a young girl, if it forms a bump, can be a ulgy blemish for them in the future, as girls, in particular, are sensitive to any unsightly scar on their appearance. When applicable, some girls don't even like stitch marks showing... there are subcutaneous stitching to help hide those kinds of unsightly marks, respective of/for girls' future appearances. Sonny
cellular level, each side of a cut looks like strands of a wet mop, i.e., the tissues are torn and ratty looking, not nice clean straight cut edges.
meet one another as 2 wet mops would be pushed together.... all the mop strands (tissue strands) are in a jumble and their subsequent growth repair is not back to their original normal linear formation. Each strand will try to grow its own crooked (wet mop) way, resulting in what is scar tissue.
any nerves, also.
Thanks to all who responded. As I said I could see no reason to go back to the doctor as the wound has healed without any complications.
To amplify how the finger was cut. if you look at the end of the finger, the cut was about 300 degrees of the circle around the end of the finger.
They told me it would take time, but I was getting impatient.
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