I'm Back (Well Most Of Me Is !)

[XJ900]

I've been off the forum for a little while,(Who the f*ck is he I hear you all ask)

To get straight to the point : I cut of my thumb in my son's motorbike chain & sprocket,

(I do have pictures if anyone wants to see them ! :!Removed!: Can Admin advise me if it's OK to post severed digit images?)

Well I've totally lost the part of the thumb with the nail on it.

It was too crushed & there are too many capillaries in the end bit to have made a decent re-attachment with feeling, they said if I'd amputated it further up it would've been easier.

& it's been a bugger healing after the operation. (they've had to keep "un-healing" it with silver nitrate because of over granulation. :( )

Anyway a few months on & my dressing should be off soon so I've started doing jobs on my car & bikes again.

I am actually a qualified motorcycle mechanic so the loss is especially annoying & potentially troublesome.

Has anyone else lost a digit(or part of) , how did you get on ?

[Phoenix999]

I used to work with a guy who lost the end of one of his thumbs.... guess how he did it

Yes it was in a motor bike sprocket under the chain

Anyway he managed to return to work as a fireman and was fine.... good luck

Sorry but I just had to use that smiley

[Devil-ish]

Not as bad but I chopped off the top of my thumb in the safe door (ouchy) ......had to have dressing changed regularly for about 2 months. It has healed over completely and looks ok now but never have got the feeling back the same since!

I am sure you will compensate alright. Good luck!!!!!!!!!!

[Bizarra]

Not the same thing But ages ago I had a mechanical till in work, [before these newfangled things :P ]And it stuck :censor: So, after the place closed & the girls had gone home, I took the cover off & saw a couple of sprockets, which I decided to twist manually. Yes, you've guessed it They moved & trapped my thumb between them & then refused to budge. On my own in the place, the only solution was to pull my thumb free & dash over to the Doctors across the way to get it stitched.

While the Doc was busy working away on me another came into his room & said " Ho, HO, HO, I hear you got caught with your fingers in the Till !" I couldn't help but laugh, & actually the till worked Ok the next day

My apologies, too, for the emoticon, but it is extraordinarily appropriate

[XJ900]

Sorry but I just had to use that smiley

No problem, I'm a big boy. :D

Trouble is I'm a righty & it's my right thumb so I'll have to practise do the delicate work with my left hand/thumb in future.

When I was in having the surgery they called me "No Thumbelina" !

That's the Scottish sense of humour for you !

[jw67]

Ouch!!!Hope alls well in the end for you :)

[KPARRIS-JONES]

I once cut the very top of my thumb off in a scissor fight.

Also almost crushed my fingers when lifting the 4A-GE, to get it out someone has to lift the timing end with their hand under the engine mount. I nominated myself and we had to slowly lower it, the crane dropped and ouch. It's amazing how much weight you can lift when you want to keep your fingers.... ;)

[Raistlin]

I used to work with a guy who lost the end of one of his thumbs.... guess how he did it

Yes it was in a motor bike sprocket under the chain

Anyway he managed to return to work as a fireman and was fine.... good luck

Sorry but I just had to use that smiley

It didn't harm Tony Iommi, in fact after his accident it gave the band ( Black Sabbath) it's unique style.

[XJ900]

Just changed my dressing,(Hospital gave me a good supply of specialised dressings.) & there is just one very small problem area yet to heal fully.

I'm getting excited because it won't be long until I can put my bike gloves on again & go for a good run on one of my motorbikes.

[KPARRIS-JONES]

You sir, have balls! :P

So have you only lost it from the bottom of the Nail upwards then?

Looks beastly mate...

[Raistlin]

You sir, have balls!

So have you only lost it from the bottom of the Nail upwards then?

Looks beastly mate...

Saves biting your nails...

[Cherry Red Pocket Rocket]

Euch! Not a nice touch Rast

[balli hi]

I saw a young guy once take the tops off his fingers and thumb on his right hand , many years ago when i was at college doing my city & guilds in C & J , this guy walked over to the thicknesser and ran a piece of wood through , but he didn't use a push rod he just held the wood between fingers and thumb and ran the wood through , Zing ... first go he didn't feel a thing , then ...Zing , he ran it through again :o and then screamed in pain , he just stood there holding his wrist aloft with his left hand and screaming :help2: ... i think he took off around 4mm in all

I wish you all the best XJ900 and a speedy rcovery

[XJ900]

You sir, have balls! :P

So have you only lost it from the bottom of the Nail upwards then?

Looks beastly mate...

Yeah it's the complete section with the nail covering it, I estimate about 20mm ?

Will know better when it's all healed ,all the swelling has gone & I can properly compare.

Thanks for all the replies, I'm not the squeamish type (my son who was yards away didn't even realise I'd done owt until I told him to get his Mum, while I got some frozen peas.) or see the points of crying over spill milk/blood, just thought I'd share .

It goes to show that even after being a motorcycle mechanic for the best part of 30 years,(without any serious incidents.)that one lapse of concentration, or lack of respect for potential dangers(Often bred from over-familiarty !)then a nasty accident can happen,

So be careful out there "home" mechanics, it can happen to the best of us. (& even me ! :D )

[KPARRIS-JONES]

Yeh I managed to learn that without any loss of limb. And I am actually very grateful...

That's a fair bit of thumb to lose. I know it sounds ridiculous, but can you not get an extension if the knuckle is still in tact?

That way it shouldn't affect you too badly with your work.... :)

[bothwell_buyer]

Not as bad but I chopped off the top of my thumb in the safe door (ouchy) ......had to have dressing changed regularly for about 2 months. It has healed over completely and looks ok now but never have got the feeling back the same since!

I am sure you will compensate alright. Good luck!!!!!!!!!!

dropped a safe on my foot - tell you its bloody sore. However I was lucky as the doctor in the casualty said it was just bad bruising. BTW, I'd bought the safe at auction for £20 and sold it for £150.

My toenail now is ingrowing.

[bothwell_buyer]

Sorry but I just had to use that smiley

No problem, I'm a big boy. :D

Trouble is I'm a righty & it's my right thumb so I'll have to practise do the delicate work with my left hand/thumb in future.

When I was in having the surgery they called me "No Thumbelina" !

That's the Scottish sense of humour for you !

I've not heard owt from Admin so I guess it's OK to post a pic.

In hospital I had to clean my own (stump) under a warm running tap,

while they assembled a plastics team.

This gave me an opportunity to take a quick pic (On a cr*p phone,hence the cr*p quality),

Also got some post op ones aswell.

you the bsttttd that made that Scotch Pie I ate with a finger in it?

[bothwell_buyer]

Yeh I managed to learn that without any loss of limb. And I am actually very grateful...

That's a fair bit of thumb to lose. I know it sounds ridiculous, but can you not get an extension if the knuckle is still in tact?

That way it shouldn't affect you too badly with your work.... :)

or why not just get nice red nail extensions for each finger??? Sorry - what is it you do again? Male escort?

whoops - a motorbike mechanic. Switch to being a Caterpillar Earthmoving mechanic - these guys have lost all their fingers, and most of their arms, and can still work with only 1 eye.

Or become a gas engineer with scotia gas - they just need to turn up on site in a van. no work required and experience is a barrier. Sorry, I meant to say you need to be able to erect barriers.