Mourning the tip of my thumb

Ming65

Ming65

Joined
Sep 4, 2002
Messages
2,177
I’ve been spending too much time in cars, planes and offices lately so I decided to get in some bush time this weekend. Last night I was indulging in that nice, pre-trip ritual of having a couple of beers sorting and packing my gear. Of course that included making sure the RAT7 was razor sharp.

I finished loading my pack and grabbed the RAT by the sheath to stow it. I didn’t secure the clasp properly and the blade slid out of the sheath, right along the tip of my thumb. There is a lot of nerve endings there so I felt a serious bite (….and squealed like a baby to be honest). Looked down to see the 3-4mm tip of my thumb on the floor and a whole lot of blood.

I washed, disinfected and bound it pretty tight. I’m too scared to take off the dressing and look at it just yet. Man it aches.

Need I remind anyone to be careful out there? These are dangerous things we play with………
 
I did something similar many years ago, but the tip didn't come off entirely, so I bandaged it as you did and it healed back almost in place. If I look carefully, I can still see where the fingerprint grooves don't match :)
 
Sounds like the time I was trying the edge I just put on an Endura. I was slicing note cards, noticing how sharp it was, so I decided to take a harder swing. Well, my hands weren't exactly communicating their positions to each other very well, and I hit the top of the middle knuckle on my right hand. It sliced the skin off half of the knuckle. I knew I'd been cut, because it hurt like the dickens, but didn't realize how bad until I looked at the finger. Epidermis was completely gone. In fact, the chunk that had been cut off was still stuck to the Endura. It took a long time for that to stop bleeding, and a very long time for it to heal.
 
Look on the bright side: If there really is a knife-knut heaven, I'm sure St. Blade is standing there underneath the Polished Steel Gates, checking fingers for scars and forearms for shaved hair.
 
If it is deep, go see a doctor. If you can see tendons or bone or if things aren't working right, don't mess around... See someone.

Take care.
 
Thanks for the sympathy guys. I've changed the dressing a couple of times now and it is very, very ugly. Still, it's clean and not getting infected so I'll stay away from the docs for now. I can't see how a stitch would help it anyway. I've been wearing a glove, Michael Jackson style, on my left hand to keep it clean and protected.

Someone said to put the tip back on and tape it in place on the off chance it might heal. I don't think of that at the time and just threw it in the fire. What the hell, we are all getting cremated in the end anyway.

and yes, that is a very valid question devilnut, no need to apologise. I went the next day, just for the day. Something to keep my mind off the throbbing. I just didn't want to camp overnight in case of infection.

I'm not into drugs all that much but a neighbour gave me some 'herbs' to smoke for the pain (I can't really smoke either and had a coughing fit trying). Man, that is one effective pain killer - had a great nights sleep last night.
 
'm not into drugs all that much but a neighbour gave me some 'herbs' to smoke for the pain (I can't really smoke either and had a coughing fit trying). Man, that is one effective pain killer - had a great nights sleep last night.
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Haha, sounds like a festive neighborhood you live in :)

But seriously, I hope you feel better and look on the bright side, you'll have a nice battle scar to talk about. You can make the story interesting "And then, just as I was about to cut off the dragon's tail, he lunged at me, I however, used my tiger-like reflexes and he only got the tip OF THIS THUMB!" "Oooo's and ahhhh's as you thrust your thumb forward*

-Bryan
 
VultureParade said:
Haha, sounds like a festive neighborhood you live in :)
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Yep, whenever I drive in off the highway I seem to hear the opening bars from Copperhead Road in my head. I live amongst some of the most paranoid people on the planet.

Ming - G'day mate, what have you been up to?

Neighbour - What? Why? Who's been asking? What have you seen? You're not a cop are you?
 
ming,

Ouch, mate! Sorry to hear about your bite.

I won't be sending you any knives for review, now: "I give this knife 1.9 big thumbs up..."

maximus otter
 
Get some disposable rubber gloves, cut the thumb off of one, stick your thumb in it, and seal the cover with some electrical tape. I've found that this works pretty good for those kind of cuts where a bandaid doesn't work.

Also, you might want to get one of those metal cage thingies. It has 4 prongs, made of cheap, bendable aluminum. Put it over your thumb and use cloth tape over it (electrical tape would work but'll leave a sticky mess). That way, when you accidentally lightly bump your thumb against something, all that'll happen is a slight metalic clink, rather than a whimper, string of cusswords, and a thump as you hit the ground from the pain. When I was 8 my brother used our bedroom door to remove the top 3/4" off my left pinky finger, and those metal cages are a godsend.
 
Planterz said:
those metal cages are a godsend.
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Ah, good idea. I've bumped it twice already and the pain shot right up my arm like someone had hit me with a cricket bat.
 
I feel for ya', buddy! When I was but a wee lad around the age of 10 I cut all of the skin off the tip of my finger with a hatchet (it bled like a mother f*cker; just missed bone and couldn't be stitched...the doc put a huge wrap on it and I looked like I had a Flintstone finger for a couple of weeks). Then, when I was about 13, I stabbed myself in the knee. I didn't even really feel that one; just a poke. Then the blood started pouring down my leg. I had a hole in my knee about the size of a quarter! Knee caps are really white (until blood fills the hole again). 3 stitches for that one. Torn legiments, compound fractures, etc., etc. My parents should have named me "Lucky". :rolleyes:
 
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