My Finger Warring not for the faint hearted

[Nai84]

Hey Everyone

Well I went and seen the nurse today to get my dressing changed and I saw my finger for the first time in nearly 3 weeks and OMG wow my finger looks F@#$ up but at least I still have most of my finger I also saw hand therapist and OMG I am gonna be in for smoe pain but all is good she was impressed with me so was the nurse shed it was healing well I go back next week to have the stiches out and for more therapy

Ian
(i will load pic via my moblie ASAP)

[hughie]

Looks very familiar, my Dad lost the top of the same finger on his spindle moulder many years ago.

[Nai84]

how long did it take your dad to heal and to get back to normal

Ian

[Evan Pavlidis]

how long did it take your dad to heal and to get back to normal

Ian

Ian, I don't intend to put you off in any way, but I will say that nerves take a very long time to heal; nobody can say exactly how long. I'm just on 5 months now since my accident, and building strength in my hand by excercising and massaging everyday but still have sensitivity issues (electricity zaps ).

You will not like this at all; your therapist was right in saying that you'll be in quite a bit of pain given from the pics that the cap of your finger was torn off where the tactile senses are. Your therapist will show you how to manage your condition to de-sensitize the injured area.
The extremities of the body, ie, fingers and toes, are the most sensitive and take the longest to heal; they have a small surface area and need a lot of blood and oxygen supply.

Brace yourself when you go in for the stitches to be pulled out; try not to focus on your finger.
I was told that the surgeon used degradable stitches on my finger and 3 weeks later some were still there (false advertising ). My therapist said she has to take them out otherwise I'd have problems. I had no choice and agreed with her and when she pulled the 1st one out with tweezers I went through the roof , no kidding. If I was an olympic athlete I would have broken world records.

In all, I had 6 to be pulled out, and when she tried on the 2nd, I just couldn't bear it and went home. For the following week I pulled them out myself at my own pace. Maybe things will be different for you; I hope so.

I'm sorry to be the bearer of this to you, just indicating what's involved in rehabilitation. Stay in touch on your progress and leave woodworking and physical work aside for some time; your body will now work in it's own way to recover and it won't allow you to do what you want.
Keep your chin up mate and have a good recovery.

Cheers, Evan

[The Bleeder]

Ian,

Looking good. Your hand therapist is going to become your best and your worst enemy. Yes they hold your hand, and yes they will cause you pain.

The electricity zaps that Evan is talking about might not happen but if they do it means the nerves are there which in itself is a good thing. Unfortunatley for me, even after 8+ years the zaps are still there. I now just live with it.

As I said before, this is now the hard yards. Time, time and time ... you'll wonder after a few weeks why it hasn't healed and your back in the shed. It's going to take time.

You'll probably get frustrated and you maybe in some pain. Just let us know and we'll try and keep you going.

Stitches, yes Evan they eventually had to numb my whole hand to get the sitches out as they weren't the normal variety but big 'S' shaped ones so it would hold the flap of skin on.

As the Pommies say 'Chin up old boy, you'll be right'.

[munruben]

Wow! Ian, what a mess mate but all will be well in time I am sure. keep us up to date on your progress. Good luck and make a speedy recovery but sounds like it wont be all that speedy. Just hang in there.

[wheelinround]

Ian more study time required or learn to turn one handed for a while mini stuff finials egg cups and work up.

[mic-d]

I also saw hand therapist and OMG I am gonna be in for smoe pain but all is good she was impressed with me so was the nurse shed it was healing well I go back next week to have the stiches out and for more therapy

Ian
(i will load pic via my moblie ASAP)

:barf: The trick is to get a good looking hand therapist - it helps.

Good luck.

Cheers
Michael

[rsser]

Yeah, you can ask her what kind of living she makes out of hand jobs, if you have the courage! (I didn't.)

I would reinforce the comments already made. Take it easy. And you can turn one-handed but I would strongly advise that you get lessons from a pro if you go down this path.

A number of cuts once started are essentially self supporting and you only need one hand.

As for nerve regeneration, it's in the hands of the gods. I sustained some nerve damage after or during a bad wrist fracture and it's still with me nearly a year later. Gets worse when I load the hand. But I'm lucky. My therapist said that some crashes like the one I had shred the main arm nerve and you lose the use of the lower arm and hand.

[Nai84]

Hey guys thanks for all the support and I will take all the comments and put them to use I may need to go to the local libray and get some books out sorry WR if it felt like i was bugging you about the OT turning the other night when spoke to my therapist she said a couple more sessions and we would talk about turning if she happy with my progress so i have been doing everything she said and more so we will see in couple of weeks and once again thankyou every one for the support Ian

[wheelinround]

Hey guys thanks for all the support and I will take all the comments and put them to use I may need to go to the local libray and get some books out sorry WR if it felt like i was bugging you about the OT turning the other night when spoke to my therapist she said a couple more sessions and we would talk about turning if she happy with my progress so i have been doing everything she said and more so we will see in couple of weeks and once again thankyou every one for the support Ian

Ian o way were you bugging me, its a passion OT for me sadly I don't do enough as i don't have my own set up yet. Once the shed make over happens and Nova is home I can get back into building my Rose Engine and adaptions for OT work.

Email or PM me when you want you may not get replies as fast.

[fubar]

Gday I feel and have shared the same pain had one of my fingers rebuilt with skin from my wrist and flesh from my ass so at least i can lick my own bum did they give you any dietary advice as I remember getting a huge list of foods that I shouldnt eat due to the caffeine content (caffeine effects blood pressure) meant no coffee or tea for six weeks
took about 2 months to heal without seepage but couldnt touch or knock for weeks after probably six months before ok to grip a hammer and use it
10 years later I really dont want to hit it as the pain is still worse than any of my other fingers
good luck with the therapy

[Oddjob1]

Hi Ian,

don't worry, I did the same thing with a buzzer, nothing to stitch back on.
It grew back with little or no probs. But good to have a little numbness because it is a reminder for you.

Cheers...Oddjob1

[China]

Ian just so you are prepared I took part of my middle finger of in 1986 as the the result of someone elses bad gluing job and the piece flew to bits as I ran it past cutters on a spindle. I asked the same question about how long it would take for the nerves to come good, I was told 6-12 months well it's now 2010 and they have not ever recovered, everyone is unique so hopefully yours will come good

[Ad de Crom]

Ian, your finger heals, but it will take a while before you can go back to your workshop.
I can not go to my workshop, but that's another reason, as it appears on the North Pole. My advice, a nice walk to the library for some good books.
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