Inexcusable carelessness with sharp things:a cautionary tale

S

stilgar

Joined
Sep 28, 2004
Messages
184
Please forgive my lack of details,I'm typing with one hand! I'm doing this because you should NEVER under any circumstances resheath a very sharp knife while distracted!
You can see where this is going,right?
Yep,my clumsy ass managed to slice my left thumb right to the bone.
I can testify to that because I SAW the bone when I rinsed the cut out! :barf:
One trip to the ER later,the verdict is that I also managed to lacerate the tendon. That in turn may require a micro surgeon to fix. Naturally there are none in my insurance network,and the chances of the insurer approving an out of network referral appear slim.
So why am I publicly admitting that I am a moron? I relearned a lesson that I never should have forgotten:knives are just like firearms. One moment of carelessness is all you need to really ruin your day!
 
Dang, sounds like it ruined more than your day.
Hope the micro-surgeon isn't needed.
 
Been there, done that:( I was careless in resheathing a Cold Steel Desperado and managed to sever the tendon that makes the tip on my left little finger move. I had mirco done, but it didn't take. Now i have a little finger that works, but not the tip of it. it also contracted back a bit so now i have a finger that is half useful and cocked at stiff 45 degree angle. Best of luck to you.

Jake
 
Keep an eye on those knives when they're coming and going. Good thing it wasn't a balisong.
 
It happens. I'm the last one who should be preaching about it.

Keep it clean and keep it closed. I'm glad that it wasn't worse.
 
Since Krull fools around with a 24 1/2 cutlass all the time I guess I know about "careful" :eek: so I'm glad you still HAVE a hand! also I take after my Viking/Celtic forefathers....when a sharp thing bites it's telling you you're doing something wrong!! :D
 
Hey Stil?


We need new pictures for the safety thread. Wanna be a poster boy?



(No fishnet stocking shots, please.)
 
I might be able to arrange the pics. I have no doudt that the surgeon is going to open it back up tomorrow and do some more prodding around in my poor mangled flesh.

Kis,I'm rather disappointed in your lack of interest in the fishnet shots. Unfortunately they're in the laundry right now.

The doctor really needs to part with some more Vicodan too. They only gave me 6 in the ER. It's odd how cuts only hurt much later.

The dear wife said that I should go back to buying guns because I'm safer with them! In every setback lurks a hidden opportunity!

Be well guys.
 
stilgar said:
The dear wife said that I should go back to buying guns because I'm safer with them! In every setback lurks a hidden opportunity!

Be well guys.
Click to expand...

LOL! There's that silver lining for you! Nice to see you've maintained your sense of humor in the midst of tragedy. Thank you for sharing as well, we all do need to be reminded of the dangers inherent in our hobby on a frequent basis.
 
Holy crap!

Hurts just reading this thread! :(
 
yo bro...Sorry to hear that..

Remind me sometime and I will tell ya about the time I rammed a large hunting knife through the sheath and into my leg while deer hunting in Moore County

samhain...I love that avatar...Very underated group IMO
 
Stilgar, OUCH!!! Get Microsurgery and FOLLOW WHAT THE DOCTOR TELLS YOU TO DO!!!!! Like jake said, tendons only heal once. I was lucky severed 4 tendons in my left wrist and the Microsurgery saved my hand. Got 85% usage now and it's still healing. :) Hope they can fix you up. Even if your health care doesn't cover it, the surgery can be worth it. Mine is costing me over $10,000 which is almost payed off and soooo worth it. Good luck and God Bless!! Painkillers are your friend. ;)

Heber
(Safety Thread Poster Boy)
 
stilgar said:
Please forgive my lack of details,I'm typing with one hand! I'm doing this because you should NEVER under any circumstances resheath a very sharp knife while distracted!
Click to expand...

I hope everything works out in a good way for you Stilgar.
We all do dumb ass things but I think I've done about the dumbest.
I went to sleep with a bare handleless Hanuman blade on my lap and it fell onto my left foot.
I was damned lucky in that it only cut two toes and only one needed stitches, had five put in it.
Since then I don't handle bare blades when I'm tired.

Leatherface said:
Remind me sometime and I will tell ya about the time I rammed a large hunting knife through the sheath and into my leg while deer hunting in Moore County
Click to expand...

That had to hurt!!!! Sounds to me like the sheath needed to be a scabbard or a much better designed sheath.
I like some of the German sheaths with the metal reinforcement around the side where the edge goes and on around the point.
Stiffens the sheath and makes it almost impenetrable.
 
stilgar said:
. . . I can testify to that because I SAW the bone when I rinsed the cut out!
Click to expand...

Ever see anything else so white?

First time I cut myself that deep, the WHITENESS of the bone amazed and impressed me. Stood there bleeding, holding the cut open, staring at the bone. Perhaps because all of the skels I'd seen in elem. and high schools were all yellowed. Each successive deep cut that I experienced had almost as much amazement. Later when employed in heavy industry, I noticed it when others were injured and I happened to be nearby and lent first aid, or running to put the odd finger in a bag full of ice or whatnot. I don't miss that part of Corporate America.

Anyway, a great reminder, although I'm sorry it's at your expense. Hope you don't need the microsurgery, and that you heal up quickly!

Noah
 
Knife safety in a nutshell;
- Pay attention to what's going on with the knife
- Think about what you're doing and what could result if you do it wrong
There's a whole gamut of finer points, how to hold it, cut with it, et cetera, et cetera, but it's almost always not paying attention or not thinking about what you're doing (which is basically the same thing), that gets a fellow cut.

Wisdom comes from experience, and experience comes from making mistakes, the best way to gain experience is to learn from the mistakes of others. How "wise" am I? Let me count my scars. ;)

Sarge
 
Speaking of wisdom, yesterday I was in the process of feeding the cat and doing the dishes. I did not pay attention and wound up filling the detergeant tray with cat food. Neither the cat nor the dish washer were amused.

Not as bad as cutting myself, I admit, but there were witnesses. I expect to hear about this one for some time.
 
ten years on i can almost feel the end of my left index finger which lost a battle with a serrated kitchen knife. bone is white. so are nerve fibres, at least after you sever them. luckily had a US educated saudi surgeon sew me back up in dammam hospital. touch receptors have come back, but pain receptors are disconnected - feels funny - (literally)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top