I was just taking the sanding block to a shop-made draw knife, when my block slipped off the edge of the tool, and the blade drew against the base of my thumb. Stood there for a moment, looking at the injury, wondering if stitches were gonna be involved. About an inch in length, and probably clear to the bone. Luckily the bone isn't deep, there. Damnfoolishness! Complacency is stupid. I'm done ranting for now. P.S. Don't feed the trolls. Tom Someday, it'll all be over....
Draw knives are vicious. My first ww accident was with one of those when I was about 11 or so. I was trying to round off a piece of wood that was going to be the brake for my coaster wagon. I had my foot holding the wood on the seat of a highchair, the knife slipped and managed to cut clear to the bone in my shin. Took about 8 stitches. I remember the doc saying to my dad, "here's the bone" while tapping on the exposed shin bone. Boy! did that hurt, but the pretty nurse made it feel better ;-)
Yep, that's got me a little perturbed. A little numbness is occuring, but my hands are probably more worse off from a life of roofing than this'll turn out. Someday, it'll all be over....
I have a theory that we're socialized by the people we surround ourselves with. After a while, we think like them, we talk like them, etc. For example, if you've ever been around a group of pilots you'll notice they use their own language (mostly to keep out the amateurs). Woodworkers have their own language and culture as well. As do nurses, computer people, cooks....
And your wife? She works around crazy people all day long. Need I say more?
Inflammation and swelling may cause some numbness initially. As the swelling goes down, the feeling should return. If the nerve is truly cut, it is possible that it may reconnect over time. Peripheral nerves can grow at a rate of about half an inch per month. Whether they reconnect or not is strictly luck of the draw.
Spinal nerves are another matter completely. Cut them and you're pretty much out of luck. But I digress.
The real danger here is infection. If it starts smelling bad or you start seeing red streaks running up your hand, RUN to an orthopedic surgeon IMMEDIATELY. Putting it off even a day may make the difference between having a hand or not. I work with abcesses and cellulitis all the time in my job. You would be amazed how a very minor injury occasionally blows up.
That being said, I get splinters and little cuts all the time playing with wood and nothing has happened of any consequence to me yet.
Get your tetanus shot updated, if you haven't already. Just went through about the same kind of mishap, had no idea when my last tetanus jab was, so went in and got one. No reason to fool with tetanus.
And it ain't just long exposed blades. The iron on a Clifton shoulder plane sticks out of both sides just a bit - enough to make a nice slit in my thumb. Didn't even feel it the iron is so sharp - it was the drops of blood that got my attention. Being alone in the shop and seeing a drop of blood and having no idea where it came from gives one cause to pause ...
Heck my finger tips have been numb for 25 years, repetitive motion injury, from being a barber. Funniest thing is that it seems woodworking is bringing the feeling back. Using my hands in a different way than my day to day norm.
On Tue, 17 Feb 2004 03:02:41 GMT, Joe Ahearn brought forth from the murky depths:
List of important things to do today:
1) Get a tetanus shot and write long list of all the people I've known with cases of tetanus/lockjaw.
2) Ground the DC hose so it doesn't explode on me.
3) Install incandescent lighting near the tablesaw so it won't disappear on me from the fluorescent lighting and I accidentally stick my hand into the invisible but still spinning blade. Hmmm, should I protect myself from the bandsaur blade, too?
4) Don't run with a pencil.
5) Don't swim after eating.
Let's see, what else...? ;)
- Inside every older person is a younger person wondering WTF happened. ---
Larry Jaques wrote:>List of important things to do today:
Well, we _are_ living in a world of superbugs now... The past indiscriminate use of antibiotics turned around and bit us pretty good. Sepsis (blood infection) has become a rising menace in the U.S.. Tom Someday, it'll all be over....
8) Always keep both hands on the steering wheel at all times.
9) Don't apply shellac in a room where you run electric motors and/or open flames.
10) Wash hands for 15 minutes and call a doctor immediately if you get one of the following on your hands: Bondo, construction adhesive, super glue, epoxy, Gorilla glue, dirt.
Unlike the rest of the stuff in your "long list", TETANUS is very real and there are lots fatalities every year from Tetanus world wide.
Only reason you don't know of anyone who has caught tetanus or died from it in your area is that the state requires DPT innoculation of children, so essentially everyone has SOME degree of protection against tetanus, AND virutally every injury with open wounds that goes to your local emergency room or Dr's office gets a Tetanus booster at that point in time
However, it is YOUR choice, and no one will force an adult to get a tetanus booster. It IS a horrible way to die.
My first shop accident happened in a boat shop, I was working at the bandsaw and somone was looking over my shoulder, just lost my concentration for a minute and the damn blade jumped up and bit me. Into the tip of the finger through the quick under the finger nail. Needless to say I laid a few curses on the guy behind me, the bandsaw, and boats in general.
On Tue, 17 Feb 2004 15:08:29 -0600, John Crea brought forth from the murky depths:
IDAGS and found only a few deaths (of junkies in GB) within the last few years from. Besides, gardeners are more at risk than woodworkers. It's not the rust, it's the bacteria in the soil. It's everywhere. People with good antibodies don't have a problem. Those who do can go see a doctor then.
Death by overworked/overtired/distracted doctor is also a horrible way to die. I try to avoid them whenever humanly possible. Many moons ago I was using mother dearest's fave knife in her kitchen to cut up some stew meat. It needed sharpening because when I hit a piece of gristle, it pulled my thumb into the way of the knife and cut down halfway through my thumb halfway up my thumbnail. I laughed, Mom about fainted, I washed it (and the knife and meat) off, dried it, put some Bacitracin in the wound, and butterflied it with a fabric bandaid. 2 weeks later I could hardly tell it had happened. You (and many others) undoubtedly would have gone to a hospital ER and had 20 stitches; 10 minutes worth @ a mere $699.83 per minute. That's your choice and not mine, thanks.
P.S: No, I'm not some big macho mutha. And it did hurt for a couple weeks, but WTF? So does arthritis.
- Inside every older person is a younger person wondering WTF happened. ---
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