Please be more careful than I was!

[lloydsp]

This Tuesday, about 11am EST US, I 3/4 amputated the distal 5/8" of my left thumb by slipping on a table saw!  Owee!

It sawed completely through the bone.  The hand surgeon said that was actually a good thing.  Had it shattered, it would have required surgery.  As it is, it MAY heal.  Sensation will probably not return.  They really don't know the outcome, yet.  That tip may have to come off.  It just depends upon whether or not the severed portion re-vascularizes.  (irk!) So far, it looks 'favorable'.

Be careful, guys!

Lloyd

[dh42]

Hello

Ah! ...that's not cool! 

But it is better that it be cut than crushed, a long time ago a steel plate weighing around 300Kg fell on my fingertip (the apron of a forklift, following a breakage sling) and nothing was left of it but a puddle of crushed flesh and bone on the concrete floor ... even now, after more than 30 years, it is still very sensitive, especially to vibrations.

Courage and good luck for the future...

++
David

[Garyhlucas]

Lloyd,
Sorry to hear about your accident. My dad did it too, as well as one of my best friends.  I cut the tip of my middle finger off on a fire siren. It was sensitive for almost ten years and finally grew back entirely.

[Bubba]

Sorry to hear that Lloyd. Am sure you will recover soon. Yep, never know what can happen when working with machinery. Stay well.

[EddyCurrent]

Did it hurt ?

It sounds a silly question but I once cut the back of my hand with a hand held circular saw and the pain was zero until they started to stitch it back together at the hospital.

As David said, it is very sensitive to vibration, especially though the car steering wheel at times.

Anyway I'm sure it will come back to a useable condition so best wishes with that.

[lloydsp]

Eddy, it hurt quite a bit, but only in the proximal portion of the thumb.  The (mostly) severed distal portion had no sensation at all -- dead-numb.

It is starting to become 'uncomfortable' in the tip, which means some nerves in the un-cut top are still intact.  That's a good sign.

Lloyd

[EddyCurrent]

It looks like pain is felt when bone is involved, mine was skin and meat.
It's amazing how the body can knit things back together, the main thing is to ensure that the tip keeps a colour that indicates blood circulation.

I'm left handed but hopefully you are right handed.

[lloydsp]

Yeah... I'm just going to keep faith on that one.  They've got it securely bandaged and in a heavily-wrapped splint.  I won't know until Monday afternoon how the tip actually looks.

If the sensations are any indication, it's still viable.

Lloyd

[dh42]

Hello

It looks like pain is felt when bone is involved, mine was skin and meat.

Yes, bones and nerves...and it's not the same thing if it's cut or crushed !! (that's what the surgeon told me)

For my part, following the crushing of the finger, the pain spread throughout my right arm, which was almost unusable, and I was practically unable to sleep for a week despite the high doses of painkillers.

https://www.sawstop.com/

++
David

[Bob La Londe]

I hope it winds up okay for you Lloyd.  Being bit by a saw is a real eye opener.  My worst one was a meat saw (bandsaw) in my early teens.  Not as bad as your injury, but the scars are still with me.

[lloydsp]

Well, I just HAD to do some mowing this morning -- Florida!  I put a big, fat rubber cushion on the left handle (ZTR mower) and mowed about 2 acres.  I didn't experience any problem, except for a little itching from the vibration, so I think it's still doing OK.

I get the dressings changed today.  I'll get to see the condition of it then.

Lloyd