Red is not my color (warning, some discussion of blood)

[Dburkhead]

Serious ouch.

While cutting onions last night, my thumb slipped, got a bit ahead of the backs of the fingers that I use to guilde the knife blade, and I sliced off a chunk at the tip of my thumb as neat as you please.

Eeeeyouch!

Well, actually, it didn't hurt too bad (at least at first) as I keep my knives very sharp. It took a few seconds before it really started bleeding and that was enough for me to get a fresh paper towel (don't have any medical gauze) folded into a pad and over it. My next task was to get Athena (my 2 1/2 year old daughter) into the Explorer and buckled into her seat--one handed. I managed. Also got the piece I'd sliced off packed into a plastic bag with some ice. I figured it's better to have it in case the doctors wanted to try to sew it back on. (Turned out not.) By this time, of course, my thumb was really starting to hurt and the direct pressure to try to get the bleeding stopped was not helping in that regard. Probably the fact that I had been cutting onions contributed as well.

In any case, it was not long after my arrival and checking in at the ER that Athena told me she needed to be change. That was another awkward bit--back in the restroom trying to change her one-handed--but I managed.

Took about 20 minutes before I got called back to be registered and taken to a treatment room and another 10-15 minutes before a doctor got back to see me. Not too bad, I think, since my biggest problem was pain rather than anything life threatening.

End results:

• No, they were not going to try to sew the chunk back on.
• It had been about 7 years since my last tetanus shot, so to be safe they gave me one.
• A prescription for vicodin (sp?) which I will be picking up on the way into work this morning.

[Rkolter]

Did they at least give you your bit of thumb back? I'd think they should, since it's yours, after all.

Ouch. That sounds like it was a pretty painful experience all around. Good juggling.

[Nervous Spy]

I'd normally give you a 'thumbs-up' for pulling through that, but it seems oddly out of place in this case. I wish you a speedy recovery, though.

[Mr.Bob]

Ouch! Although it's preventing more accidents like these is part of why we were given fingernails I reckon. I've narrowly escaped dozens of onion related accidents purely by having the good luck of my knife bouncing off my little finger shields. But then again, I don't keep my knifes as razor sharp or chop as hard as others might.

[War]

I do that kind of thing all the time, I always heal well though so the only one you can pick out is the one on my index finger where the whorls of my fingerprint don't match up.
I've even managed to accidentally grate my hand with a cheese grater, but luckily only grated a callus, took out a big chunk but that didn't even manage to break skin.

[Saenie]

Yeeouch!
My mum did something like that once, but fortunately for her, it didn't go all the way through the thumb.
I hope you get a speedy recovery!

[Rkolter]

I sliced an even slice of my finger from tip to knuckle with a fruit slicer. Just got distracted while slicing apple slices for the dehydrator and fwip.

Hut like a bitch because I had to pull it off where it'd stopped at the knuckle. Bled a lot too. but it healed up normally.

[Warren]

Ugh. Been a while since I've been to the hospital for me... good job with your daughter, though. you managed well!

[Laemkral]

I've never cut chunks off, just done straight in cuts from slipped x-acto knives and whatnot. But yes, ouch.

Bit of information for everyone to learn from, Vitamin K is a key part of the clotting process.

[Grabmygoblin]

I was doing ok until War mentioned grating his hand.

[Dburkhead]

Well, I just changed the dressing.

A great deal of profanity was involved.

[DJMayhem]

and scotch?

[Dburkhead]

and scotch?

Not at work.

Vicodin instead.

[DJMayhem]

that works. Hope you feel better sooooooon.

[Americangothic]

I've never cut chunks off, just done straight in cuts from slipped x-acto knives and whatnot. But yes, ouch.

I'm afraid I've had a ton of x-acto knife accidents too. Things got better when I upgraded to a Logan mat cutter for most of my work....but then I started doing linoleum and woodblock prints and started jabbing the carving cutters into my hands and fingers by accident.

the perils of being an art teacher by day.

"Now look here kids...just do as I say...not as I do"

[Jesusabdullah]

I tend to cut my fingers on exposed jagged edges of things, like soup cans. Yesterday, I even cut my finger on a door (This particular door was a metal one missing the handle, so I was reaching into the hole, and...yeah)! Can't say that I've really cut myself much with x-acto knives (though I've sliced myself a few times with box cutters) and I don't think I've ever really cut myself up with a regular knife.

Sounds like you're recovering well, so...erm...keep it up, get well soon? Something like that.

[Pimpette]

My Oma sliced a chunk off the tip of one of her fingers once.
She freaked out and just stuck it back on and kept it there with bandages and stuff.
It just grew back together.

I always thought that was cool.

[Jesusabdullah]

My dad got part of his thumb lopped off with a hoe when he was little, I've gathered. It got reattached, but it's short and flat and stumpy now.

[Killbert-Robby]

My Oma

The Dutchness, I LOVE it

My dad cut off 1/3 (I mean 1/3) of his finger while cleaning out a salami making machine back in his farmer boy days.

No he never got it back stuck back on.

[Nicotine]

Owwwww!

Thinking about it makes <i>my</i> finger hurt. I hope you're feeling better. Geezz..