Saturday, February 27, 2010

Less than a week and the pins come out!

Well, the finger still looks pretty rough but the pins will come out this Wednesday and then I will start physical therapy.

At the follow-up visit two weeks ago, the Doctor said that everything looked fine. In our brief discussion I mentioned some hard skin that was starting to peel on the palm side of the middle knuckle. He mentioned that he would take it off and he proceeded to give it a good tug. It was at this point that I decided that watching was not a good idea and I very effectively shielded myself from the good Doctor's work. He then proceeded to pull a section of skin off my finger that extended from below the middle knuckle to the initial cut just below the end knuckle. It all came off in pretty much one piece with no resistance. He explained it was the callused skin being pushed off by the new skin growing underneath. I guess since the normal sloughing process was stopped by the bandage, the skin held together in one piece until it was tugged at which point it gave up the ghost and came off.

When I felt it was safe to look, I saw the old skin on the table and the shiny bright pink new skin on my finger. The new skin was very sensitive at first but has become more tolerable as the days have progressed. Cherri remarked later that she was amazed that I didn't save it to take back to work to impress the people I work with. Trust me, I thought of it but I have become less gross in my old age.

The tip of my finger has the same dead skin on it and I have been gently starting to work it loose without messing with the pins. There is still a lot of dried blood (scabs) along the -self inflicted- incision site and I suspect the Doctor will remove all of the scanky leftovers when he pulls the pins this week.

And no, I will not watch.

So all in all things are going well and I am as pleased as I can be considering the damage that I have inflicted to myself. I feel confident that the flexibility of the finger will come with time and practice. My hope is that the feeling will return to the places that are numb and that I can move past this temporary setback quickly.

Does anyone know if it hurts to have the pins pulled?

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Why I should not be allowed to have power tools

This is the path that the wayward bandsaw took as it cut through my Kevlar gloves.


The pins that hold the bone together are evident here. They come out in about 4 weeks.



I still think he put it back on crooked...


The underside of my finger is where the good Doctor did the hard work of putting all of the plumbing back together.




I have feeling everywhere except the area on the right side of the finger from the cut to the tip. The finger looks really bad but -and you can't really tell this from the photos- a lot of the dark skin is that way from a marker that the Doctor used prior to the surgery.

I am very happy the the finger was saved but the the same time I am saddened by the fact that I made a foolish mistake that led to an accident that resulted in trouble and work for so many people.
My thanks goes out to all of the people that helped out during and after my accident.
You are the BEST!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Two weeks after...

I wrote a post a week or so back detailing the accident that nearly cost me a finger. After long reflection, I decided to not post is because it was:
  1. too long
  2. even after numerous revisions it didn't make sense (with or without pain medication.)

Here is the Cliff notes version:
At work, working, reacted incorrectly to a perceived danger and dropped power tool on hand, finger nearly completely severed, finger re-attached and healing nicely.

Even though the injury affected only a finger, the outpouring of sympathy & support has been tremendous. Most of my friends have reacted as I wished they would, with good natured barbs and well-aimed insults. The folks that I work with have razor sharp wits and are trained to use them well. I appreciate the names that have been foisted on me with great humor:
  • Rick Sawbree
  • Ricky Danglefinger
  • Ricky Bandsawhands
  • Stubby
  • Lefty
  • Sole survivor of the great TMMK bandsaw massacre
  • Ricky Stumpbree
  • FarFromFinger.

Folks and friends around the homestead have also been supportive in a more refined and dignified way. I can assure you that no matter the response, it is appreciated.

You folks are great and I am a better person for having known you. I only hope that I can repay a portion of your kindness.

Maybe later I will post pictures...

and then again, maybe not.