# Wrong tool for the job, Line of fire, and a trip to the doctor yesterday



## TheEplumber (Jul 20, 2010)

I'm cringing just reading this.... I had a similar accident several years ago except the driver went deep in my index finger when it jumped off the bit- the long screw fell over.
After jumping around the room in pain and saying some colorful phrases, I administered some first aid to myself and proceeded to ace hardware where I bought a driver bit with the sliding sleeve that helps hold the screw aligned.

I don't do well with self inflicted injuries either. I pulled some stitches out of my thumb once. They were slightly infected and the sight and feel of the thread moving through my skin forced my to sit down on the toilet seat because my knees were giving out.... after resting for a short spell with my head between my knees, I was able to finish


----------



## 123pugsy (Oct 6, 2012)

That sucks.

I stabbed myself in the fingers a whole bunch of times when I was framing my basement. For me, it was the junky screws didn't fit worth a ^%$#& onto the bit. Same Robertson bits which are nice when the screws are made properly.


----------



## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

Here's hoping that mends well.


----------



## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

I had a helper do that once, ran the bit through his hand, in the skin between his thumb and index finger. 

Got to urgent care, stitches both sides, upper and lower. 

I posted a month or so ago either here or elsewhere about the need to be careful with those Drill drivers. used to be called screw guns, because they really screw up your body when they are used wrong.

You will find out now that you are getting older that you don't heal as well as you did in the other personal injury. 
So take it easy on the hand for a couple of weeks and it will function proper again, until then enjoy being dressed by your SWMBO.


ED


----------



## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

I once was drilling a hole in a piece of wood, which I was holding in my hand (you know where this story is going). I even looked at how I was holding it and convinced myself the drill bit would not hit my hand when it went through. I was wrong. Rather painful, but still really just a minor injury. Live and learn.


----------



## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

Ouch! I feel your pain just reading your post. Probably all of us here have done something similar that did - or should have- ended in tears. It's gonna hurt for a while. Remember, your hand movements are made possible through muscles connected up through and into the forearm.

You learned a key lesson (well, in addition to keeping body parts out of harm's way!) - the trick to Robertson screws is a good quality driver and driving in line with the screw. Many people seem to have trouble with them - they have been common up here for years - but I still prefer them over other common heads.

Heal well.


----------



## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

A couple days later, and doing much better. Still feel a bit of tension when trying to lift weight, but otherwise no complaints. I finished the project I was working on (used phillips screws) without an issue, but mowing the grass gave me the most trouble because of the angle that the hand sits when holding onto the mower. Thanks for all of the responses. 



TheEplumber said:


> I'm cringing just reading this.... I had a similar accident several years ago except the driver went deep in my index finger when it jumped off the bit- the long screw fell over.
> After jumping around the room in pain and saying some colorful phrases, I administered some first aid to myself and proceeded to ace hardware where I bought a driver bit with the sliding sleeve that helps hold the screw aligned.
> 
> I don't do well with self inflicted injuries either. I pulled some stitches out of my thumb once. They were slightly infected and the sight and feel of the thread moving through my skin forced my to sit down on the toilet seat because my knees were giving out.... after resting for a short spell with my head between my knees, I was able to finish


Ouch. I think I would rather take it in the arm than in the finger. 

I sliced my thumb open right on the fingerprint, when I was 17, while working on a car. The cut looked like the roman numeral for II. Just two perfectly straight lines. By the time I got into the house, I had left a trail of blood drops on the ground. When I wrapped it and applied pressure, it was like all of the blood ran out of my head and I had to sit on the floor for a while. 



123pugsy said:


> That sucks.
> 
> I stabbed myself in the fingers a whole bunch of times when I was framing my basement. For me, it was the junky screws didn't fit worth a ^%$#& onto the bit. Same Robertson bits which are nice when the screws are made properly.


I have yet to find the perfect combination of Robertson bits and screws. I was only using them this time to try and get rid of the small collection I have.



de-nagorg said:


> I had a helper do that once, ran the bit through his hand, in the skin between his thumb and index finger.
> 
> Got to urgent care, stitches both sides, upper and lower.
> 
> ...


I'll find your post. :thumbsup:

I don't know about healing as well, but it sure feels like I healed faster when I was a kid/teenager.

My girlfriend was reading the replies with me, and I had to look up what SWMBO means. She found it very funny. 



SPS-1 said:


> I once was drilling a hole in a piece of wood, which I was holding in my hand (you know where this story is going). I even looked at how I was holding it and convinced myself the drill bit would not hit my hand when it went through. I was wrong. Rather painful, but still really just a minor injury. Live and learn.


About a year or two ago, my girlfriend was holding a sweet potato in her hand, and trying to poke holes in it with a knife. The knife slid off of the side of the potato and right into her hand at the meaty pad just below the thumb. I was in the other room and could tell from the sound of her voice when she was calling me that something was bad. She got a stitch from that one and a lesson learned.



lenaitch said:


> Ouch! I feel your pain just reading your post. Probably all of us here have done something similar that did - or should have- ended in tears. It's gonna hurt for a while. Remember, your hand movements are made possible through muscles connected up through and into the forearm.
> 
> You learned a key lesson (well, in addition to keeping body parts out of harm's way!) - the trick to Robertson screws is a good quality driver and driving in line with the screw. Many people seem to have trouble with them - they have been common up here for years - but I still prefer them over other common heads.
> 
> Heal well.


Yep, and I can point out on a chart exactly which muscle/tendon area I hit just from the way it feels. :laughing:

I'm going to stick with phillips or flat head wood screws. I've not had much luck with the Robertsons.


----------



## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

r0ckstarr said:


> _ I can field dress a deer, rabbit, etc no problem. I've had no problem helping someone else when they slipped with a kitchen knife and needed stitches. When I see anything more than a minor scratch on my own body, my head cannot handle it, and I turn into a weenie. I don't know why, and this makes the 2nd time in my life this has happened from an injury._


http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/vasovagal-syncope/home/ovc-20184773

It's called vaso-vagal syncope. I guess she didn't want to confuse you when you weren't feeling well.

A lot of guys do this when they go to visit friends in the hospital. I used to do it at the sight of blood but realized it's the concentrating on the blood or pain that does it. So, I was able to work with blood & gore for decades, if I had a job to do.

This is much like a mother or father who doesn't like blood but if their child is hurt, they don't just stand there & say "EEW!", they do something about it.

It's a psychological effect on the physical body & you are one of many.

The only time I've seen this be a serious problem was when a woman did it over & over & needed a pacemaker, but that's extremely rare.

Next time you feel woozy, my own advice is try not to concentrate on the blood, just put pressure, lie down where you are or get to a couch. Don't take the risk of falling on your head! You never know when you will faint.

Got to go, will tell you about the out of body experience, tomorrow.:biggrin2:


----------



## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

I have had framing nails shot through my finger, cut by a table saw, chain saw, screwdriver bits through the palm of my hand, and way too many other things to list here. Some of the things didn't hurt at the time but later they did. Doing construction/wood working over the years, something is going to happen. Sorry you got injured.


----------



## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

Nik333 said:


> http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/vasovagal-syncope/home/ovc-20184773
> 
> It's called vaso-vagal syncope. I guess she didn't want to confuse you when you weren't feeling well.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the link. It's not the sight of any blood that gets me. I've scraped myself many times and bled, but it didn't bother me. When my girlfriend stabbed her hand, I was unaffected. It's when I lose quite a bit of blood that it got to me. 

I was concentrating on the tiny details in the grout lines of my floor and forcing myself to think about Magnificent Frigatebirds (seen some the day before). I wasn't even thinking about the blood. I was more concerned with my fading hearing and vision. 

Maybe I just need to read more about it to understand better. :yes:


----------



## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

I'm gonna steal your thread for a bit.

I knew this man that every time that he had to go in for a dental procedure, extraction, filling , cleaning, anything to do with the dental chair, he passed out .

Would be fine right up to sitting in the chair, sit down, and OUT. 

The dentist said that it was a rare event, but every time he went in, he had to be carried out. 

So you are not alone in your mindset. There are others with a similar but different trigger event.

I now return the thread back to you.


ED 

P.S.: I'm glad to have entertained your SWMBO. :devil3:


----------



## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

de-nagorg said:


> I'm gonna steal your thread for a bit.
> 
> I knew this man that every time that he had to go in for a dental procedure, extraction, filling , cleaning, anything to do with the dental chair, he passed out .
> 
> ...


I'm almost that guy. I cannot stand the feeling of dental work. Anything other than a checkup or cleaning, and I choose to pay extra for Halcion just so I don't have to endure it.


----------



## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

r0ckstarr said:


> Thanks for the link. It's not the sight of any blood that gets me. I've scraped myself many times and bled, but it didn't bother me. When my girlfriend stabbed her hand, I was unaffected. It's when I lose quite a bit of blood that it got to me.
> 
> I was concentrating on the tiny details in the grout lines of my floor and forcing myself to think about Magnificent Frigatebirds (seen some the day before). I wasn't even thinking about the blood. I was more concerned with my fading hearing and vision.
> 
> Maybe I just need to read more about it to understand better. :yes:


Think of it as the opposite of adrenaline, although, it's not exact. (We give atropine for it in the hospital. But, only with an EKG.) Your heart slows down with the effect of the vagus nerve and your blood pressure drops. Imo, it was the pain & blood quantity. Imo, you hit a nerve & possibly an artery. 4" down on my thumb is vastly different than on yours, so I don't really know where it occurred on you.

Some men faint while emptying their bladder standing up. That's the effect of the vagus nerve. ( Will see if I can get a link) We are always cautioned not to catheterize & empty too quickly if very full or the heart may slow down & they may faint. Weird but true. Also, when removing a line from someone, say in their femoral area. Happens a lot with pain.

I was hit turning left in a car @ an intersection by a speeding truck. I was stuck in the car. I became woozy & told the Fireman EMT that I was going to faint fr. the pain in my chest ( seatbelt), & that I had vaso-vagal syndrome ( the name then) but that I would come back.

I fainted & when I came back, he grinned & said "you were right!" He then showed me about a foot of EKG paper with a flat line for over 12 sec. My heart had slowed down so much it looked like I was dead. They got a collar on me & pulled me out of the window STAT! Just in case.

I had been in this warm wonderful tree-filled place at a family reunion. . .
then I was back in the cold intersection with pain in my chest. There's a lot of controversy about whether the experience is really leaving your body or a chemical resuscitation ( adrenaline-like plus other stuff) that your body does to save you. That might explain your dreams but that's more extreme. I wonder who was in the car with you? 

It's not a wussy thing. You can't really control it, especially once it starts.

IMO, just check it for redness, heat or increased swelling, try to rest it (!!!) so it can heal. If you still have numbness, tingling, or paleness in a the dependent area, there are hand surgeons that can examine it.

Get a First Aid kit!:biggrin2:


----------



## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

Although, it's a smaller person, & not a chair, this is the way to lower a person to the floor using your thigh. Leaving you sitting & fainting can leave you open to a heart problem. You guys can practice :wink2:


----------



## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

Nik333 said:


> Imo, it was the pain & blood quantity. Imo, you hit a nerve & possibly an artery. 4" down on my thumb is vastly different than on yours, so I don't really know where it occurred on you.


If it were an artery, would it have closed up so fast on its own with just pressure applied? I'm thinking I hit a nerve for sure because of how my hand went numb.



Nik333 said:


> Some men faint while emptying their bladder standing up. That's the effect of the vagus nerve. ( Will see if I can get a link) We are always cautioned not to catheterize & empty too quickly if very full or the heart may slow down & they may faint. Weird but true. Also, when removing a line from someone, say in their femoral area. Happens a lot with pain.


About 10yrs ago, I drank a little too much at a party. I was in the bathroom, and next thing I know I wake up on the floor. What you say is what happened to me. I thought it was the alcohol, now I know that it was the vagus nerve, or a combination of both. On my way to the floor, I must have fallen straight forward into the wall and down. I caught the handle of a toilet plunger on my chin. A minor scratch and some light bruising. 

The thought of the wood plunger handle hitting a couple inches further back under the chin, where there is no bone was enough to make me stop drinking for almost 6yrs, and I only have the "occasional" drink now. 



Nik333 said:


> I was hit turning left in a car @ an intersection by a speeding truck. I was stuck in the car. I became woozy & told the Fireman EMT that I was going to faint fr. the pain in my chest ( seatbelt), & that I had vaso-vagal syndrome ( the name then) but that I would come back.
> 
> I fainted & when I came back, he grinned & said "you were right!" He then showed me about a foot of EKG paper with a flat line for over 12 sec. My heart had slowed down so much it looked like I was dead. They got a collar on me & pulled me out of the window STAT! Just in case.


I asked my girlfriend how long I was passed out. She said it felt like about 30 seconds. She said that I wasn't breathing, and she couldn't find my pulse. She was screaming and shaking me trying to get me up, then all of a sudden I took a deep breath and asked where I was. She said it sounded like I just came up for air in a swimming pool.



Nik333 said:


> I had been in this warm wonderful tree-filled place at a family reunion. . .
> then I was back in the cold intersection with pain in my chest. There's a lot of controversy about whether the experience is really leaving your body or a chemical resuscitation ( adrenaline-like plus other stuff) that your body does to save you. That might explain your dreams but that's more extreme. I wonder who was in the car with you?


I know the exact car that I was in, and who was in the car with me, but I had not seen either the car or the people since I was in highschool. Just my opinion, but to me it felt like my brain took a moment to reorganize memories and thoughts. 



Nik333 said:


> It's not a wussy thing. You can't really control it, especially once it starts.


Nah, I am a weenie. :tt2: 

I agree. You have no control. You can only fight it, but you're only delaying the inevitable. 

For an update, it's just a dark red scab now. No numbness, barely sore. Been cleaning it and doing my best not to bang it on things.


----------



## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

r0ckstarr said:


> If it were an artery, would it have closed up so fast on its own with just pressure applied? I'm thinking I hit a nerve for sure because of how my hand went numb.
> 
> -*Sorry, been having a hard time replying on this Wifi.
> 
> ...


-*I'm glad it's better. Esp. the numbness.*

*You & I should prob. get Medical bracelets. Hard for most to tell what they are, but First Responders will know. There are some nice ones. I don't know your age, doesn't really matter for this, but getting an EKG done with a check-up won't hurt, just to clear your heart's conduction system. Then when you relate your history, you can get an actual diagnosis. IMO. *:


----------



## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

Oh, and since I've known what it is, I can control it much better now. I try not to concentrate on the blood or the pain. And I lie down. Not being able to lie down was the problem in the car.


----------



## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Must be the season. In my case the wrong tool was by omission... not wearing gloves. Working to replace the ignition switch on my mom's truck last week I removed a large sheet metal piece that protects the underside of the steering column. I left it on the floor (mistake 1) then blindly reached for a tool (mistake 2). By now you've guessed that I caught my hand on the razor sharp edge making a 1 inch long gash to the bone on the top of my thumb. Felt like a combination of a knife cut and a blow torch, blood freely flowing. I had a momentary touch of dizziness then sat down and wrapped it up. Turns out to have apparently severed a nerve, but due to location it is a relatively unimportant nerve, if there is such a thing. Cut was clean so I skipped the doc and will see how the healing goes before worrying too much about the nerve. I don't mind the numbness but the cut area had better get less sensitive than it is or I will have to do something. Like the OP, I couldn't remember my last tetanus shot so my GF insisted I get one so off to the walk-in. My arm is still sore from the shot I had last Friday.


----------



## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

raylo32 said:


> Must be the season. In my case the wrong tool was by omission... not wearing gloves. Working to replace the ignition switch on my mom's truck last week I removed a large sheet metal piece that protects the underside of the steering column. I left it on the floor (mistake 1) then blindly reached for a tool (mistake 2). By now you've guessed that I caught my hand on the razor sharp edge making a 1 inch long gash to the bone on the top of my thumb. Felt like a combination of a knife cut and a blow torch, blood freely flowing. I had a momentary touch of dizziness then sat down and wrapped it up. Turns out to have apparently severed a nerve, but due to location it is a relatively unimportant nerve, if there is such a thing. Cut was clean so I skipped the doc and will see how the healing goes before worrying too much about the nerve. I don't mind the numbness but the cut area had better get less sensitive than it is or I will have to do something. Like the OP, I couldn't remember my last tetanus shot so my GF insisted I get one so off to the walk-in. My arm is still sore from the shot I had last Friday.


Ignition switch, razor sharp metal under dash.... This isn't a Ford is it? :laughing:

That metal sheet under the dash of my Ranger is sharper than knives in my kitchen. Sorry about your thumb. 

I hate cuts to the fingers, because I am always using my hands. It's so hard to let them heal and not use them when you have to use your hands for everything you do. 

Three days ago, I was replacing the front turn signal housings on my '96 Ranger. They were looking all cracked up from years of sunlight. 

While twisting the light out of the housing, my thumb got between the connector and sharp plastic edge of the lens as it popped loose. My thumb pressed against the sharp plastic edge giving me what looks like a bad paper cut just to the left of my thumbnail. Barely any blood, but more an annoyance every time I bump it on something. 

I've since discovered just how much a person uses the sides of their thumbs. Just when it closes up and starts to heal, I grab something in a way, that it makes it open up enough to seep a tiny bit of blood out. 

My little cut to the thumb is minute compared to you slicing yours, so I can only imagine how much trouble it is for you trying to do something with your hands. Especially when you know the cut is there, and don't realize that what you're doing will require you to bump it on something.


----------



## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Nope it's a Chebby but I guess they have the same issues! In addition to the pain and blood I hate dealing with bandages for a week or 2 every time I cut my hands. Can't count how many I have gone through already but maybe only need them a couple more days.



r0ckstarr said:


> Ignition switch, razor sharp metal under dash.... This isn't a Ford is it? :laughing:
> 
> That metal sheet under the dash of my Ranger is sharper than knives in my kitchen. Sorry about your thumb.
> 
> I hate cuts to the fingers, because I am always using my hands. It's so hard to let them heal and not use them when you have to use your hands for everything you do.


----------



## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

raylo32 said:


> Nope it's a Chebby but I guess they have the same issues! In addition to the pain and blood I hate dealing with bandages for a week or 2 every time I cut my hands. Can't count how many I have gone through already but maybe only need them a couple more days.


I've learned to shave the area where the band-aid will be applied. Makes it much easier to get off. :laughing:


----------



## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

Once all them "Short Hairs" get pulled out by the surgical tape you have weeks before they grow back. :surprise::vs_OMG::surprise:

ED


----------



## TheEplumber (Jul 20, 2010)

r0ckstarr said:


> I've learned to shave the area where the band-aid will be applied. Makes it much easier to get off. :laughing:


ABS glue and duct tape makes a good band aid for fingers....
Stings a little though


----------



## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

de-nagorg said:


> Once all them "Short Hairs" get pulled out by the surgical tape you have weeks before they grow back. :surprise::vs_OMG::surprise:
> 
> ED


It only takes 4 days of hair growth before the tape starts pulling at them again, though not nearly as bad as not shaving. 



TheEplumber said:


> ABS glue and duct tape makes a good band aid for fingers....
> Stings a little though


Where did you apply the glue? Directly to the wound?


----------



## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

r0ckstarr said:


> Where did you apply the glue? Directly to the wound?


Not sure if you can see this article without signing in, but there are lots of articles on "skin glue" :wink2:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/705223


----------



## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

It wants me to login, sorry. After I posted my previous message, I think I remember that a while back TheEplumber had mentioned the glue before and I just forgot all about it. I remember something about the glue falling off as it heals.


----------



## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

Denture adhesive makes a good way to close a wound until you can get to a facility to stitch up your body. :surprise:

ED


----------



## rjniles (Feb 5, 2007)

de-nagorg said:


> Denture adhesive makes a good way to close a wound until you can get to a facility to stitch up your body. :surprise:
> 
> ED


I use super glue.


----------



## 47_47 (Sep 11, 2007)

For finger cuts, I use a can of cold beer. You are applying direct pressure on the can, the cold will promote clotting and your hand is elevated when you drink.


----------



## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

47_47 said:


> For finger cuts, I use a can of cold beer. You are applying direct pressure on the can, the cold will promote clotting and your hand is elevated when you drink.


There's one problem with that though. The alcohol will thin your blood, preventing clotting. I do like your idea though.


----------



## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Have to be careful with this method, tho. Works OK for smaller cuts but if you are really bleeding it can make the can slippery and you drop the beer. Don't let that happen!



47_47 said:


> For finger cuts, I use a can of cold beer. You are applying direct pressure on the can, the cold will promote clotting and your hand is elevated when you drink.


----------



## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

47_47 said:


> For finger cuts, I use a can of cold beer. You are applying direct pressure on the can, the cold will promote clotting and your hand is elevated when you drink.


Make mine an Arnold Palmer.

Alcohol kills brain cells, and I'm trying to save the ones I have left.


ED


----------



## 47_47 (Sep 11, 2007)

de-nagorg said:


> Make mine an Arnold Palmer.
> 
> Alcohol kills brain cells, and I'm trying to save the ones I have left.
> 
> ...


Ed, did you know that besides being a drink and a golfer, Arnold Palmer was a busy, forgetful auto tech. I would find his tees under the hood on every 70's and 80's car left in the vacuum lines.


----------



## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

raylo32 said:


> Have to be careful with this method, tho. Works OK for smaller cuts but if you are really bleeding it can make the can slippery and you drop the beer. Don't let that happen!


I think this is funny, but just have to add that alcohol is a vasodilator, so it opens up your vessels wider and you can bleed more. Your body will try to vaso-constrict & alcohol will impede that. :wink2:


----------

