What I heard coming from an emergency exam room

[Disney1fan2002]

Dr: "hello, let's take a look at that hand. What is a log splitter?"

I immediately got a not very nice image of what might have happened to that man's hand on a log splitter.

The fact that the guy was talking was a good sign though. OUCH

Makes me think about Thanksgiving 13 years ago, when I tried to cut a butternut squash with a meat cleaver. I ended up spending Thanksgiving in the ER getting 14 stitches in my finger with the Dr explaining how lucky I was not to be in the OR getting my finger reattached.

Since then, we have spent 4 Thanksgiving at Disney. This year will be our 5th! I buy my butternut squash already cut now!

 

[Jennasis]

Two years ago, day after Thanksgiving, DH split his hand nearly in two. He was walking some horses out of the barn and one of them spooked and bolted, causing the lead rope to jerk through his hand, snagging on his wedding ring and causing his hand to split right between his ring and middle fingers.

It looked like a crime scene, there was so much blood! He was screaming and panicking, I threw him in the car and raced to our doc's office (they do walk-ins) and his own doctor stitched him up right in the office. Luckily no broken bones, torn muscle or tendons. He was very lucky.

 

[Disney1fan2002]

Two years ago, day after Thanksgiving, DH split his hand nearly in two. He was walking some horses out of the barn and one of them spooked and bolted, causing the lead rope to jerk through his hand, snagging on his wedding ring and causing his hand to split right between his ring and middle fingers.

It looked like a crime scene, there was so much blood! He was screaming and panicking, I threw him in the car and raced to our doc's office (they do walk-ins) and his own doctor stitched him up right in the office. Luckily no broken bones, torn muscle or tendons. He was very lucky.

OUCH!!!!!!!! OMG, I am glad he was okay.

 

[minkydog]

Two years ago, day after Thanksgiving, DH split his hand nearly in two. He was walking some horses out of the barn and one of them spooked and bolted, causing the lead rope to jerk through his hand, snagging on his wedding ring and causing his hand to split right between his ring and middle fingers.

It looked like a crime scene, there was so much blood! He was screaming and panicking, I threw him in the car and raced to our doc's office (they do walk-ins) and his own doctor stitched him up right in the office. Luckily no broken bones, torn muscle or tendons. He was very lucky.

OMG. He really was lucky! That could have been soooooo bad(not that it wasn't bad enough!)

A few years ago when I was working in a family practice office a guy came in off the street with his left hand wrapped in a bloody bandage. He was working construction nearby. Apparently, he was using a chainsaw. When he laid it down, for some reason he put his thumb on the moving blades. Yowsa! I've never seen a thumb fileted but this was like the Grand Canyon filled with dirt and oil! Fortunately, the doctor was able to clean it out good and the man didn't get an infection(truly a miracle, if you could have seen this thumb!) I think the guy was out of work for about 12 weeks, though.

 

[Juliegirl1]

When I was about 16 I was helping my mom and dad at their sign shop on a Saturday and put my hand through a rollercoater. A rollercoater is a machine with four barrels that rotate - two are rubber on top that hold paint and two on bottom are metal and pull a sheet of plywood through and paint is evenly distributed on the top of the board. We were putting 1/2 inch sheets of plywood through the rollercoater - I was feeding them through and my mom was catching them on the other side and laying them out to dry.

Unfortunately my mom wasn't paying attention and turned around just as I put a board in - I tried to grab the board and pull it back out but you can't do that. My hand went through the rollercoater on top of the 1/2 inch board through a 1/2 inch space - you do the math - hands are squishy, boards are not. I did pull the emergency switch and stopped the machine but only after my hand went through up to my wrist.

I spent that Saturday in the OR having 11 stiches in my middle finger, and my thumb reattached - basically the whole thumb pad was squished off from fingernail all the way around to the other side of the fingernail. But before they could do all this they had to get the white paint off. It was pretty nasty and to this day I have a permanent bruise on the top of my hand. Luckily no one can really tell unless I point it out. I was extremely fortunate that my uncle who is a plastic surgeon was in town from California, he keeps his doctor's license current in Texas and the hospital gave him special permission to operate on my hand.

 

[Scurvy]

My junior year in high school I had a free period and rather than going to study hall I worked in the office of the school Vocational Center. I saw all sorts of lovely injuries while I was there. The worst one was when a guy was working on a car that was up on the lift. When they were lowering the car, he somehow left his hand under the edge of the lift and when it reached ground level it squashed his hand. I never actually saw the hand itself, but I saw the rags that were wrapped around the end of his arm (which didn't appear to be at all hand shaped any longer) and they were completely drenched in blood, and blood was dripping steadily onto the floor. I called for the ambulance and he left, and I never heard what ended up happening to him. I didn't see him around school again after that.

 

[mlynn]

The Saturday before Thanksgiving last year. My husband was out cutting up logs with a chainsaw.(He has done this millions of times)Well this time the chain saw jerked back and got his let in 2 places. He got 186 stiches.But thankfully it didn't cut any major stuff. For Christmas last year he got chainsaw pants so that won't happen again.

 

[minkydog]

The Saturday before Thanksgiving last year. My husband was out cutting up logs with a chainsaw.(He has done this millions of times)Well this time the chain saw jerked back and got his let in 2 places. He got 186 stiches.But thankfully it didn't cut any major stuff. For Christmas last year he got chainsaw pants so that won't happen again.

Holy cow! That must have been some injury.

 

[minkydog]

When I was about 16 I was helping my mom and dad at their sign shop on a Saturday and put my hand through a rollercoater. A rollercoater is a machine with four barrels that rotate - two are rubber on top that hold paint and two on bottom are metal and pull a sheet of plywood through and paint is evenly distributed on the top of the board. We were putting 1/2 inch sheets of plywood through the rollercoater - I was feeding them through and my mom was catching them on the other side and laying them out to dry.

Unfortunately my mom wasn't paying attention and turned around just as I put a board in - I tried to grab the board and pull it back out but you can't do that. My hand went through the rollercoater on top of the 1/2 inch board through a 1/2 inch space - you do the math - hands are squishy, boards are not. I did pull the emergency switch and stopped the machine but only after my hand went through up to my wrist.

I spent that Saturday in the OR having 11 stiches in my middle finger, and my thumb reattached - basically the whole thumb pad was squished off from fingernail all the way around to the other side of the fingernail. But before they could do all this they had to get the white paint off. It was pretty nasty and to this day I have a permanent bruise on the top of my hand. Luckily no one can really tell unless I point it out. I was extremely fortunate that my uncle who is a plastic surgeon was in town from California, he keeps his doctor's license current in Texas and the hospital gave him special permission to operate on my hand.

OMG I can't even imagine how much that hurt.

 

[liamsaunt]

WHY did I open this thread??

I am glad you are all OK!

 

[Juliegirl1]

OMG I can't even imagine how much that hurt.

It did hurt - I had 33 stitches in my thumb but the worst part was I had to go to senior prom with my hand all bandaged up - poor guy that invited me was really sweet about it all. I really am fortunate that I have use of my thumb and that my uncle was available to come take care of it and that he is a well respected plastic surgeon. The hospital doctor wanted to amputate it completely .

 

[Jennasis]

Seems thatT-day and the weekend around it are prime injury time eh?

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I was extremely fortunate that my uncle who is a plastic surgeon was in town from California, he keeps his doctor's license current in Texas and the hospital gave him special permission to operate on my hand.

I really am fortunate that I have use of my thumb and that my uncle was available to come take care of it and that he is a well respected plastic surgeon. The hospital doctor wanted to amputate it completely .

Wow. It sounds like divine intervention more than coincidence. Is that how you and your family see it?

 

[Sgt Mickey]

Yikes


One time when I was home visiting my cousins son had drank red juice and then had not so nice stuff coming out of his diaper and she was paranoid it was blood even though I told her it was red juice. BUT while waiting they had brought in alady who had been hit by a train. She hadn't made it but thankfully her small daughter did. Even though thankfully I wasn't near where they brought her in I was near the family when they came in..it was horrible

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I worked in pediatric ER. One day a Dad came running in with a screaming child in his arms whose foot was covered with a bloody towel. He handed over a container and in it was small foot. Lawnmower accident. Needless to say I always made sure my kids were at a safe distance when DH was mowing the lawn, and now that DS is mowing himself, I always remind him to keep his hands and feet away from the blades and to wear protective shoes. This stuff just never leaves you. (I also grew up near railroad tracks and remember finding a dog's paw and half a leg laying near the tracks when I was little. So I'm protective of my dogs' feet as well!)

 

[SC Minnie]

Last year I was at the local urgent care for what ended up being bronchitis. While waiting for the Dr to come back into the room I heard him talking to someone out in the hall. He was telling them to then needed to go to the emergency room because he didn't have the equipment there to tell if the guy was going to have nerve damage in his hand. The guy was using a power nailer thing and shot a nail through his hand.

 

[mlynn]

Holy cow! That must have been some injury.

It was really bad. I was freaking.(not supposed to do that) but I was.He kept saying calm down.Thankfully we live 3 blocks from a hospital.

 

[momof1princess]

OMG! DH just recently sold his logsplitter, and let me tell ya, that is one dangerous piece of equipment! i hope that guy is ok.

funny story (ok, not then, but it's funny now): about 15 years ago, DH and his dad were out in the family acreage cutting firewood, and DH "nicked" his leg with a chainsaw. and instead of telling me, he comes home, gets dressed for work and leaves at the usual time. well, about 1.5 hours later, he comes walking back in the door. he'd gotten to work and his pants leg was drenched in blood, so he had to turn around and come back home! the silly boy had pushed the ends of the gash together and slapped a band-aid over it, and he actually thought that would take care of it!
of course, since it was so late in the afternoon at that point (about 5 pm), i had to take him to the ER instead of urgent care, so we spent about 4 hours in the ER for him to get 8 stitches just below his knee. you would think a man with a bloody towel wrapped around his leg would spur a doctor or nurse or SOMEONE into action....nope, lol, we sat in the waiting room almost 2 hours.

 

[Juliegirl1]

Wow. It sounds like divine intervention more than coincidence. Is that how you and your family see it?

Definitely! My mom originally wanted to take me to a bigger hospital that was a few more miles away but probably would not have granted my uncle the permission to work on my hand. I convinced her to let me go to the smaller hospital because it was closer. She was really freaking out until I offered to drive, lol. Also my uncle only came to Houston to visit about once every three or four years. So my angel was watching out for me that day!

 

[mrodgers]

....Lawnmower accident.

Also watch the hills with push mowers.

When I was very young (before school) my father was mowing the back yard which was a very steep hill. He slipped and his foot went right under the mower (this was well before they had the handle that stopped the mower when you let go.) Luckily, it only caught the tip of his big toe. He lost the toe nail and they had to wrap the skin from the bottom up over the top to "seal" it up.

Every year, he would get many cards in the mail from family that read "Happy Toe Day! on the anniversary.