Frigilux vs. Deli Slicer = Trip To E.R.

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frigilux

frigilux

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Joined
Mar 3, 2007
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12,665
Location
The Minnesota Prairie
Well, I had an exciting afternoon. I had used my deli slicer to make a huge meat & cheese platter for work tomorrow; I'm always very careful with it, especially when cleaning the blade.

Unfortunately, in a moment of mental abstraction I put the blade guard on backwards, then proceeded to gouge a huge chunk out of my thumb and put an 1-1/2 inch gash in my index finger when I was putting it away---on my right hand, no less. Now I know what the bone in my thumb looks like.

Went to the emergency room for stitches. The index finger will be fine, but the chunk from the thumb is iffy. The anesthetic has worn off and MAN does it hurt! Can't use right hand for much, because every time I do, the thumb starts bleeding profusely.

The doctor put a latex glove on my hand and taped it on at the wrist. Every time the thumb bleeds, the glove fills with blood and starts oozing out at my wrist. Changing the glove is super-gory with blood flying everywhere. The latex gloves he gave me are lavender-colored, which I'm sure I'll take NO shit for at work tomorrow, LOL.

It's difficult to do things without the use of the all-important thumb/index finger. And my freaking house looks like the shower scene from Psycho. I was wearing gym shorts and a white T-shirt when it happened, and there was no way I was going to the ER dressed like that, so I managed to get a shirt and jeans on---both appropriately bloodied---but walking around my kitchen, dining room, bedroom and bathroom upon my return, I realize how much I was bleeding; You'd think a murder had been committed!

Good thing I still have a box of Tide Coldwater in the house! What a memorable way to enter my fifth decade.
 
OMG!

I feel quite ill after reading the first few lines of that...........thankfully I'm sitting down or I could need assistance and smelling salts!
 
Eugene,

I guess you could look at it this way: After this, turning 50 is not such an awful thing.

Seriously, I am sorry to hear about this. I had to have a finger reattached back in 1995, the most fun is when the nerves regenerate...one at a time over eight years or so.

Take it easy for awhile if you can.
 
Yikes! Well, at least the thing wasn't running, and the blades were clean (I hope) when you got sliced.

I got a good view of the tendons on the back of my hand in a work accident last summer. Everything healed up ok but there's a 2 inch long scar that will be there for a long while.

I know how it is to be without full use of a hand ... not fun ... but it will get better.
 
Frig,

Healing thoughts coming your way! I still have a "dead spot" on my L index finger from a run-in with a radial arm saw about 11 years ago!

Best from both Rich and I-

Chuck
 
Better luck, Eugene.

I'm reminded of a story mom has shared about my grandma. Grandma used her treadle Singer sewing machine often. In a moment of carelessness, the needle penetrated her finger and split her fingernail before breaking off of the machine. She had to pull the broken needle out of her finger herself!

Take care.
 
Hobart

I worked in a deli back in the 70's and one of the cooks walked out during our busyest lunchtime.I was able to continue on his orders and went to make a sandwich consisting of pastrami,swiss cheese and bacon.I had to slice some pastrami and went to use the slicer.The piece was small but I was able to place it under the press to keep it so it would go across the blade and slice a few pieces.As I pushed it across,the blade took the entire slab and,instead of the pastrami,my index finger slid across the blade and I felt no pain but knew what happened.I emediately ran to the sink and, with some help,wrapped some paper towels around the bleeding stem.Thyere was a hospital directly across the street and I walked into the ER where everybody knew us because they'd come over for lunch.As I was examined,Tom,a co-worker,came over saying he figured he'd bring me lunch.It was the tip of my finger!Dr.Curtis<one of the best skin doctors,sewed the tip back on perfectly and I never lost any feeling or use of it!However,after the stitching,it throbbed and was very painfull.
 
Finger and heads bleed ALOT! I work in an ER and I live for that stuff. Not for the faint of heart but......a few years ago I had an eyebrow ring. It got caught on this puff thing I used to use in the shower and pulled half of it off. I had to go to work and have one of my friends get the rest of it out with a tweezer.
 
I had occassion to eat at that very Wendy's recently, but opted for something besides the chili!

Sorry to hear of your mishap Eugene. I can sort of relate. I smashed my thumb with a hammer this past Friday (by not following the most basic rule around use of a hammer) and it took a couple of days for me to be able to even lightly touch anything with it and not experience serious pain. All part of replacing a 9' section of galvanized sprinkler pipe out front that the tree stump grinder sliced open.

Here's hoping it all heals up for you fast.

Ralph
 
YIKES! Take care of yourself Eugene, that was a close one! Could have been much worse.
 
I'm sorry to hear this happened Eugene.

I stuck a paring knife into the bone three joints down from the tip of my index finger, severing 2 nerves and hitting the bone.

The washed it out, stitched and wrapped it, and within a couple of days the bleeding stopped and most of the pain went away.

The hard part was eating, because I had no feeling in the side of finger, I could never guage how hard I was pressing down on the fork and was either too loose or would press way to hard. I spent almost 3 months where Michael was cutting up my meat for me, so I could use the fork in my left hand :)

Most of the feeling came back eventually, so I wish you well in your recovery.
 
Thank G-d I've never been invited to a bris.

Eugene! UGH All that blood!

I sliced off the very tip of my finger as a teenager. all that was left was a little flap of skin (as "hinge"). Stuck my hands into one of those plastic stacking cup/stemware/mug (beaker) racks that go through a commerical dishwasher. There was a chip in the base of a stemmed glass that was in the space by the handle. It acted as a knife and well, you get the picture. That freaking injury (healed well, yay!) still sends me jolts of electricity when rubbed/touched just right.

A rapid healing to you!
(I hate those freaking slicers!)
 
Thanks for your thoughts and encouragement, guys! I see I'm not alone in having similar mishaps.

Went to my regular doctor today. He changed the dressing to a gauze wrap (mummy fingers!) and put me on an antibiotic for a week. He seemed concerned the ER rent-a-doc put dissolving stitches on my thumb, but said we'll just have to keep an eye on it. It's gross, I'll tell you that much.

Other than this debacle, I've had a great 50th birthday!
 
Eugene--Hope all goes well. And, at least I'm glad to hear that you had a great birthday otherwise.
 
Here's to a speedy recovery. Expect numbness in the severed areas for a couple of years. Been there, done that!
 
I did the same thing once (though not as bad)...

I worked in a local supermarket's deli in college one summer. One night, My coworker/boss was rushing me when I was cleaning the meat slicer my hand slipped and the tip of my pointer was cut about 2/3 of the way off. Had to fill out workman's comp forms and go to the doctor. Yesh, what a pain in the butt (err... finger) that was. Heal up soon!
 
I few years back when I was building my first house I was cutting some aluminum trim. I used a square as a straight edge and when scoring it also cut back my left thumb with the Stanley Knife. It was a good deep cut but I bandaged it up and kept working. After a few days it healed up pretty well, but i discovered I could bend my thumb but not straighten it!

Turned out I cut a tendon. Had to have surgery to repair it. Luckily it was within the proper time frame, if you wait too long it won't reconnect. But the down side was I had a pin with a knob like a push pin sticking out of the my thumb for 6 weeks while it healed.

Every now and then I get a twinge there but it healed well and is full functional. I am much more careful cutting aluminum now.
 
Frigilux take care of that hand. These mishaps usually happen when one is "home alone", and that makes it even more scary. arthur
 
Ouch

I hope you are doing better. When I was still living with my mom, her boyfriend would sharpen all our knives and of course he would tell her, but he would never tell which he should have, because I did all the dishes. So one day while washing some knives I cut clear through the dish rag and cut a large chunk out of my middle finger (how appropriate). I bled like a stuck pig. To make matters worse this happened the day before school started in the fall, so I couldn't type, I had to wear a finger guard for a few weeks. I still have a scar there to remind me of it too.
 
Jeeesh, and I have a roast I have to slice up with our Braun slicer this morning, and now I read this!
Sorry to hear of your accident. Slicers are one of those luxuries to have in your kitchen, they are so useful but they can be sinister if you are not careful with them.
I was in a deli once and a woman there sliced some layers of skin off of her finger while slicing a ham for someone. I just walked away feeling faint.
I could never work in an emergency room, injuries like these really creep me out.
Eugene, I really wished that this hadn't happened to you. Take care of your hand and keep it clean and we are wishing for a speedy recovery for you!
 

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