Please be careful!!!

G

gottahaveit27

Joined
Aug 31, 2008
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Just got bag my back from the hospital. I was using my ESEE-3 to shave the bark off of a branch (just practicing some woodworking skills) and did something I never do. I placed my non cutting hand further down the branch in the direction that I was cutting. Just as I was thinking my hand probably shouldn't be here the blade slipped and sliced clean through the tendon down to the bone at the second joint on the back side of my thumb. Luckily the plastic surgeon at my hospital was able to come in immediately so they did the surgery right away (at first they were just going to stitch it up and have me visit his office later in the week for the repair because they didn't think that he would be able to come to the hospital today). Now I'm splinted for 6-8 weeks just in time for my college midterms. I have a ton of papers to write which are going to take me twice as long typing one handed. :grumpy: I'm in a lot of pain right now and just thinking about how stupid I was to be so careless.

Please ALWAYS be aware of what you are doing when using sharp things. I know it should go without saying, but believe me I never thought I could be so careless as I'm usually very cautious and would never put any part of my hand near the business end of a knife, but it only takes one brief lapse in judgment...

As an aside the surgeon made a comment as to how sharp the knife must have been to make such a clean cut. Hopefully the tendon will heal the better for it.
 
Heh. That's funny, that's a common comment I've gotten the few times I've been in the ER for cuts too. They can't believe how surgical the cut is.

Sooner or later, if you spend enough time around sharp things, you're going to get cut. Some of them are going to be bad. Some of them are going to need stitches. I've got scars from knives, a Gerber Mark II that I dropped and which went point-down through my foot, an axe, and even a chain saw.

Being careful is important - I don't want to downplay that. And it sounds like you did a stoopid. Now you know better. But cuts are inevitable.
 
ouch man, glad they could put you back together.

I just spent a few days in the bush doing everything I can think of with my ESEE's and thankfully I walked out with only a small poke in the index finger and a decent cut on the top of my thumb by the nail, but nothing a band aid couldn't fix.

heal up and have fun.
 
now you own it. I get nervous after owning a knife for a while, they all nibble on me once, so I know sooner or later, I'll get bit.
 
pics?? :p

I've done the exact same thing when I was younger, made the mistake of holding what I was chopping with the knife. missed and went down to the bone on my left index finger, but it healed without going to the hospital. still occasionally hurts on a rainy day and can't bend the finger 100%.

luckily these tend to be lessons you actually remember lol.
 
G/L with that. And as it seems, the hard way is sometimes the best way to learn, don't think you'll make that mistake again.
 
LOL only knife nuts can be bandaged head to toe and still get a pang of pride from comments like "that knife must have been razor sharp to cut so cleanly!".
 
Samael said:
Heh. That's funny, that's a common comment I've gotten the few times I've been in the ER for cuts too. They can't believe how surgical the cut is.

Sooner or later, if you spend enough time around sharp things, you're going to get cut. Some of them are going to be bad. Some of them are going to need stitches. I've got scars from knives, a Gerber Mark II that I dropped and which went point-down through my foot, an axe, and even a chain saw.

Being careful is important - I don't want to downplay that. And it sounds like you did a stoopid. Now you know better. But cuts are inevitable.
Click to expand...

I cut my hand with a Temp 2 and the doctor was asking why I was playing with razor blades. :rolleyes: Four stitches, barely a scar. I'm not even sure I can find it.

If you're going to get cut, best to get cut with sharp knives. They heal faster and better then jagged rough ones. You also get a pain reduction (in my experience).
 
The same thing happened to me back in '03 (same kind of cut, not the same circumstances). I cut four tendons, radial artery, radial nerve, a vein, cut open the bursa sac and totally opened the joint. The good news for you is that except for some numbness on the back of my hand and aching when it's cold, my hand works fine. I guarantee you'll never do that again!
 
If you make knives a hobby, you will definitely get cut. How often and how bad is determined by how much thought you put into what you're doing. I have a few small, not very interesting scars. It is, at least to some degree, better to be cut by a sharp knife, than a dull one.

You can always take a bit of comfort in the notion that those who think they are clever with power equipment risk far more than we do. I know one fellow personally, who cut off the tips off two of his fingers misusing a table saw. I recently heard of another fellow (friend of a friend) who cut off his thumb. Reattachment was not possible in both cases.

I'm glad to hear you're going to heal!

SP
 
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Hope you heal quickly and find some cute girl to type your papers for you.

Even the little cuts hurt. Can't imagine cutting through a tendon. Yikes.
 
Sorry to hear about the cut. It happens occasionally. Heal fast ,and best of luck on the exams :thumbup:

Knife hand always forward from now on :)
 
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