Ok - gotta admit my brain was on vacation this morning or something - still
not sure.

Anyways here is the senerio. I have a Xmas Bizarre on Sat and Im trying to
get w/ the stuff Im selling. Got done w/ a majority of it last night and
woke up this morning w/ a great idea on 1 last thing add. They are cigar
holders that clamp on your golf cart. Not to go into details on how to
build it but It requires a 3/4" cove to be cut in 1 peice.

To mass produce these you make profile of the peice in a long board and then
cut the board into 1" peices.
So I need to make this cove in a peice that is 12" long.
I only have a 1/2 cove bit - so I figure 3 cuts - 1 in the middle then 1 on
each side a little shallower then sand to complete the cove.

Chuck up the cove bit - run the first cut - no problem.
Move the fence, lower the bit and cut the groove on the left side of the
middle (but is to the left of the center)
again - goes thru no problem.

Now this is where my brain decided to leave my body. I know that when I
make this last cut the tail end of the bit will be cutting so I need to feed
the opposite direction or this baby will go flying. But for what ever
reason I move the fence - turn on the router and start feeding - 1/4 way
thru the cut - zing - it flys out of my grasp and shoots accross the shop.
Now this is where I still have no idea where my brain is I really dont know
why - but I walk over to it - pick it up and go back to the table - I
proceed to do it again - start feeding and zing - again it flys out - this
time shooting my left index finger into the spinning bit.

Yes - Number 1 idiot here - first off not using push sticks - second - as if
someone warned me - hey moron - your doing it wrong - I did it a second time
and payed for it.

Well after the immediate shock of clenching my finger - and seeing the blood
coming thru my fingers I thought "oh sh*t".
I grabbed a clean towel and wrapped my finger tried to clean it abit and
inspect the damage.
The right side of my left index finger got a few big chunks out of it from
the top knuckle to the tip around to the nail. Looks damn ugly. Headed to
the ER to have them take a look at it.
3 hours later Im heading out of there w/ a big bandaid on my finger. No
stiches b/c there was pretty much chunks missing - not a slice. Got some
xrays and saw it missed the bone by about a 1/16 of an inch.
All in all I was lucky - It could have been a lot worse. Got back home to
inpect the carnage saw a few nice chucks of finger on my router table -
nice...
Looked things over and saw exactly what I did - still not sure why I did
what I did.
Guess I just got complancent. Stupid,Stupid,Stupid
Anyways got back on the horse later and finished the peice the correct way
and injury free.
It was a bit nerve racking to say the least when that thing started up again
but hey - just learned more respect for the machines.

Anyways - be careful out there.
Lesson learned.....


Thanks,
Rob

You can reply to me at
r_b_v at v_e_r_z_e_r_a doht c_o_m
(remove the _ to get the address)

"Rob V" wrote in message
.. .
Ok - gotta admit my brain was on vacation this morning or something -
still not sure.

Anyways here is the senerio. I have a Xmas Bizarre on Sat and Im trying
to get w/ the stuff Im selling. Got done w/ a majority of it last night
and woke up this morning w/ a great idea on 1 last thing add. They are
cigar holders that clamp on your golf cart. Not to go into details on how
to build it but It requires a 3/4" cove to be cut in 1 peice.

To mass produce these you make profile of the peice in a long board and
then cut the board into 1" peices.
So I need to make this cove in a peice that is 12" long.
I only have a 1/2 cove bit - so I figure 3 cuts - 1 in the middle then 1
on each side a little shallower then sand to complete the cove.

Chuck up the cove bit - run the first cut - no problem.
Move the fence, lower the bit and cut the groove on the left side of the
middle (but is to the left of the center)
again - goes thru no problem.

Now this is where my brain decided to leave my body. I know that when I
make this last cut the tail end of the bit will be cutting so I need to
feed the opposite direction or this baby will go flying. But for what
ever reason I move the fence - turn on the router and start feeding - 1/4
way thru the cut - zing - it flys out of my grasp and shoots accross the
shop.
Now this is where I still have no idea where my brain is I really dont
know why - but I walk over to it - pick it up and go back to the table - I
proceed to do it again - start feeding and zing - again it flys out - this
time shooting my left index finger into the spinning bit.

Yes - Number 1 idiot here - first off not using push sticks - second - as
if someone warned me - hey moron - your doing it wrong - I did it a second
time and payed for it.

Well after the immediate shock of clenching my finger - and seeing the
blood coming thru my fingers I thought "oh sh*t".
I grabbed a clean towel and wrapped my finger tried to clean it abit and
inspect the damage.
The right side of my left index finger got a few big chunks out of it from
the top knuckle to the tip around to the nail. Looks damn ugly. Headed
to the ER to have them take a look at it.
3 hours later Im heading out of there w/ a big bandaid on my finger. No
stiches b/c there was pretty much chunks missing - not a slice. Got some
xrays and saw it missed the bone by about a 1/16 of an inch.
All in all I was lucky - It could have been a lot worse. Got back home to
inpect the carnage saw a few nice chucks of finger on my router table -
nice...
Looked things over and saw exactly what I did - still not sure why I did
what I did.
Guess I just got complancent. Stupid,Stupid,Stupid
Anyways got back on the horse later and finished the peice the correct way
and injury free.
It was a bit nerve racking to say the least when that thing started up
again but hey - just learned more respect for the machines.

Anyways - be careful out there.
Lesson learned.....

You were lucky.

Take good care of the wound and heal up nicely.

And NEVER disrespect a machine that goes several THOUSAND revolutions per
minute.

"Rob V" wrote in message
Yes - Number 1 idiot here - first off not using push sticks - second - as
if
someone warned me - hey moron - your doing it wrong - I did it a second
time
and paid for it.

Hey Rob, you sound like you'd make a good drinking buddy. Once you were
loaded if we talked you into trying something stupid and it didn't work, we
might be able to talk you into trying it a second time.

Glad you've still got all your fingers. In the great scheme of things, a
lost piece of finger flesh might well be the catalyst to saving you more
than that in the future.

"Rob V"
snip
Now this is where my brain decided to leave my body. I know that when I
make this last cut the tail end of the bit will be cutting so I need to
feed the opposite direction or this baby will go flying. But for what
ever reason I move the fence - turn on the router and start feeding - 1/4
way thru the cut - zing - it flys out of my grasp and shoots accross the
shop.
Now this is where I still have no idea where my brain is I really dont
know why - but I walk over to it - pick it up and go back to the table - I
proceed to do it again - start feeding and zing - again it flys out - this
time shooting my left index finger into the spinning bit.

snip
The right side of my left index finger got a few big chunks out of it from
the top knuckle to the tip around to the nail. Looks damn ugly. Headed
to the ER to have them take a look at it.
3 hours later Im heading out of there w/ a big bandaid on my finger. No
stiches b/c there was pretty much chunks missing - not a slice. Got some
xrays and saw it missed the bone by about a 1/16 of an inch.
snip

A very good lesson well learned and all it cost you was and ugly finger that
will heal.
The tip of one of my fingers had a difficult time stopping a table saw
blade! The lesson learned, don't try to flick a short piece away from the
spinning blade!

Dave




Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services
----------------------------------------------------------
** SPEED ** RETENTION ** COMPLETION ** ANONYMITY **
----------------------------------------------------------
http://www.usenet.com

jesus, thats rough. router and mitre saw both terrify me.

if that had happened to me i would taken a pic of the router bit with
chunks of my finger on it and laminated it to the table or something as
a reminder for each time it gets used!

"Rob V" wrote in message
.. .
Ok - gotta admit my brain was on vacation this morning or something -
still not sure.

3 hours later Im heading out of there w/ a big bandaid on my finger. No
stiches b/c there was pretty much chunks missing - not a slice. Got some
xrays and saw it missed the bone by about a 1/16 of an inch.
All in all I was lucky - It could have been a lot worse. Got back home to
inpect the carnage saw a few nice chucks of finger on my router table -
nice...


Looked things over and saw exactly what I did - still not sure why I did
Thanks,
Rob


Wow, I got that sick feeling while reading your post. I hope that you are
truly OK.

Frank

Frank Drackman said:


"Rob V" wrote in message
. ..
Ok - gotta admit my brain was on vacation this morning or something -
still not sure.

Looked things over and saw exactly what I did - still not sure why I did
Thanks,
Rob


Wow, I got that sick feeling while reading your post. I hope that you are
truly OK.
Frank

As did I. And I'm still a little queasy...
I hate cutting through-slots on the router table, because they can
easily decide to take off on you if you don't keep the part firmly
against the fence or get your bearings (front/rear cut vs rotation)
messed up. I've considered drawing little directional arrows on
everything as a memory jogger. But then the wimp lazes out.

The fact that you actually went back to face the beast, still
bandaged, demonstrates great valor... or something... g

Hope everything heals well, and that the remainder of the year is
incident free. Remember, you can't type without fingers...


Greg G.

wrote:
jesus, thats rough. router and mitre saw both terrify me.

if that had happened to me i would taken a pic of the router bit with
chunks of my finger on it and laminated it to the table or something as
a reminder for each time it gets used!



Or posted it in Alt.Pictures.Binaries.Woodworking...

You say that is your first bonehead move. You still must be an infant.

Stay well and safe

I posted some pics for those that requested them.

Also - odd thing is talking w/ the ER doc - he said today was the day that
power tools fought back.

3 others in there for power tool accidents.
1 - bandsaw blade vs hand.
2 - circular saw vs fingers (cut 2 off - in the OR at that time getting them
back on)
3 - chainsaw vs Leg (big storm last night blew down a tree - he figured he'd
save a few bux)

Anyways - enjoy the pics.


"Rob V" wrote in message
.. .
Ok - gotta admit my brain was on vacation this morning or something -
still not sure.

Anyways here is the senerio. I have a Xmas Bizarre on Sat and Im trying
to get w/ the stuff Im selling. Got done w/ a majority of it last night
and woke up this morning w/ a great idea on 1 last thing add. They are
cigar holders that clamp on your golf cart. Not to go into details on how
to build it but It requires a 3/4" cove to be cut in 1 peice.

To mass produce these you make profile of the peice in a long board and
then cut the board into 1" peices.
So I need to make this cove in a peice that is 12" long.
I only have a 1/2 cove bit - so I figure 3 cuts - 1 in the middle then 1
on each side a little shallower then sand to complete the cove.

Chuck up the cove bit - run the first cut - no problem.
Move the fence, lower the bit and cut the groove on the left side of the
middle (but is to the left of the center)
again - goes thru no problem.

Now this is where my brain decided to leave my body. I know that when I
make this last cut the tail end of the bit will be cutting so I need to
feed the opposite direction or this baby will go flying. But for what
ever reason I move the fence - turn on the router and start feeding - 1/4
way thru the cut - zing - it flys out of my grasp and shoots accross the
shop.
Now this is where I still have no idea where my brain is I really dont
know why - but I walk over to it - pick it up and go back to the table - I
proceed to do it again - start feeding and zing - again it flys out - this
time shooting my left index finger into the spinning bit.

Yes - Number 1 idiot here - first off not using push sticks - second - as
if someone warned me - hey moron - your doing it wrong - I did it a second
time and payed for it.

Well after the immediate shock of clenching my finger - and seeing the
blood coming thru my fingers I thought "oh sh*t".
I grabbed a clean towel and wrapped my finger tried to clean it abit and
inspect the damage.
The right side of my left index finger got a few big chunks out of it from
the top knuckle to the tip around to the nail. Looks damn ugly. Headed
to the ER to have them take a look at it.
3 hours later Im heading out of there w/ a big bandaid on my finger. No
stiches b/c there was pretty much chunks missing - not a slice. Got some
xrays and saw it missed the bone by about a 1/16 of an inch.
All in all I was lucky - It could have been a lot worse. Got back home to
inpect the carnage saw a few nice chucks of finger on my router table -
nice...
Looked things over and saw exactly what I did - still not sure why I did
what I did.
Guess I just got complancent. Stupid,Stupid,Stupid
Anyways got back on the horse later and finished the peice the correct way
and injury free.
It was a bit nerve racking to say the least when that thing started up
again but hey - just learned more respect for the machines.

Anyways - be careful out there.
Lesson learned.....


Thanks,
Rob

You can reply to me at
r_b_v at v_e_r_z_e_r_a doht c_o_m
(remove the _ to get the address)

Glad you are here to tell us about it. Live and learn. And I hope you are
having a Xmas Bazaar, otherwise, please invite me.

Steve

"Rob V" wrote in message
.. .
Ok - gotta admit my brain was on vacation this morning or something -
still not sure.

Anyways here is the senerio. I have a Xmas Bizarre on Sat and Im trying
to get w/ the stuff Im selling. Got done w/ a majority of it last night
and woke up this morning w/ a great idea on 1 last thing add. They are
cigar holders that clamp on your golf cart. Not to go into details on how
to build it but It requires a 3/4" cove to be cut in 1 peice.

To mass produce these you make profile of the peice in a long board and
then cut the board into 1" peices.
So I need to make this cove in a peice that is 12" long.
I only have a 1/2 cove bit - so I figure 3 cuts - 1 in the middle then 1
on each side a little shallower then sand to complete the cove.

Chuck up the cove bit - run the first cut - no problem.
Move the fence, lower the bit and cut the groove on the left side of the
middle (but is to the left of the center)
again - goes thru no problem.

Now this is where my brain decided to leave my body. I know that when I
make this last cut the tail end of the bit will be cutting so I need to
feed the opposite direction or this baby will go flying. But for what
ever reason I move the fence - turn on the router and start feeding - 1/4
way thru the cut - zing - it flys out of my grasp and shoots accross the
shop.
Now this is where I still have no idea where my brain is I really dont
know why - but I walk over to it - pick it up and go back to the table - I
proceed to do it again - start feeding and zing - again it flys out - this
time shooting my left index finger into the spinning bit.

Yes - Number 1 idiot here - first off not using push sticks - second - as
if someone warned me - hey moron - your doing it wrong - I did it a second
time and payed for it.

Well after the immediate shock of clenching my finger - and seeing the
blood coming thru my fingers I thought "oh sh*t".
I grabbed a clean towel and wrapped my finger tried to clean it abit and
inspect the damage.
The right side of my left index finger got a few big chunks out of it from
the top knuckle to the tip around to the nail. Looks damn ugly. Headed
to the ER to have them take a look at it.
3 hours later Im heading out of there w/ a big bandaid on my finger. No
stiches b/c there was pretty much chunks missing - not a slice. Got some
xrays and saw it missed the bone by about a 1/16 of an inch.
All in all I was lucky - It could have been a lot worse. Got back home to
inpect the carnage saw a few nice chucks of finger on my router table -
nice...
Looked things over and saw exactly what I did - still not sure why I did
what I did.
Guess I just got complancent. Stupid,Stupid,Stupid
Anyways got back on the horse later and finished the peice the correct way
and injury free.
It was a bit nerve racking to say the least when that thing started up
again but hey - just learned more respect for the machines.

Anyways - be careful out there.
Lesson learned.....


Thanks,
Rob

You can reply to me at
r_b_v at v_e_r_z_e_r_a doht c_o_m
(remove the _ to get the address)

yea - always seem to spell that one wrong - then again Ive attended a
few of these (first time as a vendor tho) I have met a few ppl that are
worthy of Bizarre!
"Steve Peterson" wrote in message
news
Glad you are here to tell us about it. Live and learn. And I hope you
are having a Xmas Bazaar, otherwise, please invite me.

Steve

"Rob V" wrote in message
.. .
Ok - gotta admit my brain was on vacation this morning or something -
still not sure.

Anyways here is the senerio. I have a Xmas Bizarre on Sat and Im trying
to get w/ the stuff Im selling. Got done w/ a majority of it last night
and woke up this morning w/ a great idea on 1 last thing add. They are
cigar holders that clamp on your golf cart. Not to go into details on
how to build it but It requires a 3/4" cove to be cut in 1 peice.

To mass produce these you make profile of the peice in a long board and
then cut the board into 1" peices.
So I need to make this cove in a peice that is 12" long.
I only have a 1/2 cove bit - so I figure 3 cuts - 1 in the middle then 1
on each side a little shallower then sand to complete the cove.

Chuck up the cove bit - run the first cut - no problem.
Move the fence, lower the bit and cut the groove on the left side of the
middle (but is to the left of the center)
again - goes thru no problem.

Now this is where my brain decided to leave my body. I know that when I
make this last cut the tail end of the bit will be cutting so I need to
feed the opposite direction or this baby will go flying. But for what
ever reason I move the fence - turn on the router and start feeding - 1/4
way thru the cut - zing - it flys out of my grasp and shoots accross the
shop.
Now this is where I still have no idea where my brain is I really dont
know why - but I walk over to it - pick it up and go back to the table -
I proceed to do it again - start feeding and zing - again it flys out -
this time shooting my left index finger into the spinning bit.

Yes - Number 1 idiot here - first off not using push sticks - second - as
if someone warned me - hey moron - your doing it wrong - I did it a
second time and payed for it.

Well after the immediate shock of clenching my finger - and seeing the
blood coming thru my fingers I thought "oh sh*t".
I grabbed a clean towel and wrapped my finger tried to clean it abit and
inspect the damage.
The right side of my left index finger got a few big chunks out of it
from the top knuckle to the tip around to the nail. Looks damn ugly.
Headed to the ER to have them take a look at it.
3 hours later Im heading out of there w/ a big bandaid on my finger. No
stiches b/c there was pretty much chunks missing - not a slice. Got some
xrays and saw it missed the bone by about a 1/16 of an inch.
All in all I was lucky - It could have been a lot worse. Got back home
to inpect the carnage saw a few nice chucks of finger on my router
table - nice...
Looked things over and saw exactly what I did - still not sure why I did
what I did.
Guess I just got complancent. Stupid,Stupid,Stupid
Anyways got back on the horse later and finished the peice the correct
way and injury free.
It was a bit nerve racking to say the least when that thing started up
again but hey - just learned more respect for the machines.

Anyways - be careful out there.
Lesson learned.....


Thanks,
Rob

You can reply to me at
r_b_v at v_e_r_z_e_r_a doht c_o_m
(remove the _ to get the address)

Lord - that sounds very familiar. Your pic looks very much like my finger
did after a bone-head move I made with a table saw a few years ago. I was
cutting off trim pieces with the miter gage, turned the machine off and
walked away with a hand full of pieces. I looked over my shoulder and
realized I left one piece on the saw. Absent mindedly I didn't realize the
blade had not spun down and it got the pointer on my right hand. Knocked a
chunk out similar to yours. Expensive and painful safety reminder.

BTW - . Mine did get to the bone - barely nicked the end. They gave me a
round of pretty strong antibiotics. Apparently bone infection is pretty
serious stuff.

RonB

"Rob V" wrote in message
. ..
Ok - gotta admit my brain was on vacation this morning or something -
still not sure.
--snip--
Yes - Number 1 idiot here - first off not using push sticks - second - as
if someone warned me - hey moron - your doing it wrong - I did it a second
time and payed for it.

Congrats on learning a lesson the easiest of the hard ways. Your
little scars will often remind you of that, too.


The right side of my left index finger got a few big chunks out of it from
the top knuckle to the tip around to the nail. Looks damn ugly. Headed
to the ER to have them take a look at it.

rant

WTF for? Clean it up and, if you think it's bad enough for stitches,
go see _your_ doctor, not the freakin' ER! That was bonehead maneuver
#2 AFAIC. The ER doctor should have said something to that order, too.
Now the insurance company is stuck with a $1,500 bill for a bandaid.
(One of my hotter buttons. SO, everyone, call your doctor and ask what
they can and can't handle in the way of emergency surgery. Chances are
high that they'll be able to handle you for about $1,000 less than the
ER would. Limit the ER visits to appendage amputations and severed
muscles/tendons, eh? Y'know, things your doctor would faint over.)
/rant


Guess I just got complancent. Stupid,Stupid,Stupid

Ayup. Anyway, for next time, try one of these (or build one):
(Crap, can't find a make/model number on my yellow-blocked, dual
handled parts holder with angle gauge.) Anyway, it holds blocks
of wood from the top so you can route or saw them on the TS with
your hands safely on top.


Anyways got back on the horse later and finished the peice the correct way
and injury free.
It was a bit nerve racking to say the least when that thing started up
again but hey - just learned more respect for the machines.

It's good that you went right back to work with it. An unhealthy
fear can come up if you wait too long, and you can be overly cautious
to the point of danger once again because of fears like that. Ya
done good gettin' back on the horse, boy.


Anyways - be careful out there.

Ah, you betcha!


Lesson learned.....

Bueno, bwana.


--
"Menja bé, caga fort!"

Larry Jaques wrote:


rant

WTF for? Clean it up and, if you think it's bad enough for stitches,
go see _your_ doctor, not the freakin' ER! That was bonehead maneuver
#2 AFAIC. The ER doctor should have said something to that order, too.
Now the insurance company is stuck with a $1,500 bill for a bandaid.
(One of my hotter buttons. SO, everyone, call your doctor and ask what
they can and can't handle in the way of emergency surgery. Chances are
high that they'll be able to handle you for about $1,000 less than the
ER would. Limit the ER visits to appendage amputations and severed
muscles/tendons, eh? Y'know, things your doctor would faint over.)
/rant

Good rant. A friend just did something similar to his finger with a
utility knife, and asked an ER nurse neighbor who told him pretty much
the same thing. She cleaned it up and bandaged it for him. Absent such
a neighbor that does pro bono work, a doc-in-the-box is a good
solution, at least around here. Better hours and easier to get to see
than your own doc.
--
Alex -- Replace "nospam" with "mail" to reply by email. Checked infrequently.

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message

WTF for? Clean it up and, if you think it's bad enough for stitches,
go see _your_ doctor, not the freakin' ER! That was bonehead maneuver
#2 AFAIC. The ER doctor should have said something to that order, too.

Don't know about your doctor, but I need to make an appointment a few weeks
ahead before I can get in to see mine. Anything else that needs to be done
right away, I'd get the standard line to go to the hospital.

Of course, I'm talking about the Canadian medical system. Guess it's a
little different down in the good old USA.

On Thu, 01 Dec 2005 14:25:31 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

WTF for? Clean it up and, if you think it's bad enough for stitches,
go see _your_ doctor, not the freakin' ER! That was bonehead maneuver
#2 AFAIC.

Here in the UK you'd not only be welcome in hospital A&E with an injury
like that, but it would likely also be a queue-jumping grade of injury
as they treat it as a potential open fracture (happened to a friend of
mine who stuck a sewing machine through his finger). If I took such a
finger into my GP I strongly suspect I'd be packed off to hospital for
an X-ray at least.

On Thu, 1 Dec 2005 18:11:52 -0500, with neither quill nor qualm,
"Upscale" quickly quoth:

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message

WTF for? Clean it up and, if you think it's bad enough for stitches,
go see _your_ doctor, not the freakin' ER! That was bonehead maneuver
#2 AFAIC. The ER doctor should have said something to that order, too.

Don't know about your doctor, but I need to make an appointment a few weeks

Here, too, but if you have an emergency, walk-ins are accepted.


ahead before I can get in to see mine. Anything else that needs to be done
right away, I'd get the standard line to go to the hospital.

How long is -that- line?


Of course, I'm talking about the Canadian medical system. Guess it's a
little different down in the good old USA.

If called, they send an ambulance (only $1,200USD) and put you right
in the ER. Walk-ins are sent through the triage system (if the ER is
busy) and minor problems might wait an hour or 3 before getting seen.
Bleeding stumps, particularly those nurturing baggies with fingers on
ice, are usually taken in right away.


--
"Menja bé, caga fort!"

On Thu, 01 Dec 2005 23:56:57 +0000, with neither quill nor qualm, Andy
Dingley quickly quoth:

On Thu, 01 Dec 2005 14:25:31 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

WTF for? Clean it up and, if you think it's bad enough for stitches,
go see _your_ doctor, not the freakin' ER! That was bonehead maneuver
#2 AFAIC.

Here in the UK you'd not only be welcome in hospital A&E with an injury
like that, but it would likely also be a queue-jumping grade of injury
as they treat it as a potential open fracture (happened to a friend of
mine who stuck a sewing machine through his finger). If I took such a
finger into my GP I strongly suspect I'd be packed off to hospital for
an X-ray at least.

"Why in HELL does anyone need an X-ray taken on a -flesh- cut?" I
gasped.


--
"Menja bé, caga fort!"

Larry Jaques said:

"Why in HELL does anyone need an X-ray taken on a -flesh- cut?" I
gasped.

I was wondering that myself, but I'm the kind of guy who won't go to a
hospital unless a major artery is severed. To many gaping flesh
wounds as a child, I guess, combined with no money made us quite
frugal about throwing large sums to the winds. And the way hospitals
are these days, you're just as likely to come out missing a totally
non-involved body part.

"Menja bé, caga fort!"

Are you from Spain? It IS the Christmas season - and those little
crapping statues sure are cute - the kids love 'em. g

FWIW,

Greg G.

Yep, ever since I sliced my thumb sharpening that drawknife, my wife
put 911 on the speed dialer. It's now #38. Tom

On Thu, 01 Dec 2005 18:08:25 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

"Why in HELL does anyone need an X-ray taken on a -flesh- cut?"

How do you _know_ it's only a flesh cut?

You've stuck a marginally upholstered important finger bone too close to
a whirling bone-chewing cutter. The likelihood of bone damage is high
and the consequences of a finger injury are serious for future loss of
dexterity. Now I'm not a radiographer and I've no idea if an X-ray would
even tell you much more (maybe a local and simply poking at it closely
is more informative) but this seems like the sort of thing that would
get upgraded to a hospital visit.

Last time I went to hospital I'd only bruised my foot - but until we'd
got an X-ray, it was entirely possible I had broken something (steel
plate bounced off my toecap and hit the arch). Everyone was relieved
that the "cheap" X-ray was adequate treatment for it and I could head
home there and then without costing any more money.

Maybe it's because of the UK's excellent NHS and their cost structure.
"Visiting" A&E doesn't carry a flat fee cost, it just costs what you
actually use. A cheap visit in time saves money overall compared to even
a small fraction that turn serious later on.

On Fri, 02 Dec 2005 10:57:31 +0000, Andy Dingley
wrote:

On Thu, 01 Dec 2005 18:08:25 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

"Why in HELL does anyone need an X-ray taken on a -flesh- cut?"

How do you _know_ it's only a flesh cut?

You've stuck a marginally upholstered important finger bone too close to
a whirling bone-chewing cutter. The likelihood of bone damage is high
and the consequences of a finger injury are serious for future loss of
dexterity. Now I'm not a radiographer and I've no idea if an X-ray would
even tell you much more (maybe a local and simply poking at it closely
is more informative) but this seems like the sort of thing that would
get upgraded to a hospital visit.

Last time I went to hospital I'd only bruised my foot - but until we'd
got an X-ray, it was entirely possible I had broken something (steel
plate bounced off my toecap and hit the arch). Everyone was relieved
that the "cheap" X-ray was adequate treatment for it and I could head
home there and then without costing any more money.

Maybe it's because of the UK's excellent NHS and their cost structure.
"Visiting" A&E doesn't carry a flat fee cost, it just costs what you
actually use. A cheap visit in time saves money overall compared to even
a small fraction that turn serious later on.


Most Doctors could make an educated guess as to if the bone was
damaged or not, The X-ray in most cases are taken to protect the
doctor in a lawsuit.

"Andy Dingley" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 01 Dec 2005 14:25:31 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

WTF for? Clean it up and, if you think it's bad enough for stitches,
go see _your_ doctor, not the freakin' ER! That was bonehead maneuver
#2 AFAIC.

Here in the UK you'd not only be welcome in hospital A&E with an injury
like that, but it would likely also be a queue-jumping grade of injury
as they treat it as a potential open fracture (happened to a friend of
mine who stuck a sewing machine through his finger). If I took such a
finger into my GP I strongly suspect I'd be packed off to hospital for
an X-ray at least.

how would one get a sewing machine through a finger?

On Fri, 2 Dec 2005 12:52:27 -0700, "Charles Spitzer"
wrote:

how would one get a sewing machine through a finger?

Pointy end first of course!

On Thu, 01 Dec 2005 22:05:15 -0500, with neither quill nor qualm, Greg
quickly quoth:

Larry Jaques said:

"Why in HELL does anyone need an X-ray taken on a -flesh- cut?" I
gasped.

I was wondering that myself, but I'm the kind of guy who won't go to a
hospital unless a major artery is severed.

Right you are, Greg. Too many people die in those places, and far too
many of those deaths are from things OTHER than what they went to the
hospital for, too. (Want flesh-eating staph? YOu know where to go!)


To many gaping flesh
wounds as a child, I guess, combined with no money made us quite
frugal about throwing large sums to the winds. And the way hospitals
are these days, you're just as likely to come out missing a totally
non-involved body part.

Yeah, I survived a helluva lot worse stuff as a kid, wrapped a paper
towel and a rubber band around it, and it healed in 2 weeks. No big.


"Menja bé, caga fort!"

Are you from Spain? It IS the Christmas season - and those little
crapping statues sure are cute - the kids love 'em. g

No, I'm a unique and original Heinz 57, thanks. I simply saw that
phrase on the wreck.metalheads group, thought it was funny, and added
it to my sig file.


--
"Menja bé, caga fort!"

On Fri, 02 Dec 2005 10:57:31 +0000, with neither quill nor qualm, Andy
Dingley quickly quoth:

On Thu, 01 Dec 2005 18:08:25 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

"Why in HELL does anyone need an X-ray taken on a -flesh- cut?"

How do you _know_ it's only a flesh cut?

Um, common sense? Logical inspection of the wound? I guess that's
hard for some people. We're all built differently. If I truly needed
to, I'd do my own stitches with a needle and thread. I slit the last
digit of my thumb in half once (dicing meat for Mom, nice freshly
sharpened by me knife) cleaned it out, put some Bacitracin on it, and
a good fabric bandaid over it. Two weeks later it was mostly healed.
A doctor probably would have put 20 stitches in it but I can no longer
tell which thumb it was by looking. shrug No, I'm no macho fool,
either. It didn't hurt much (that day) with a clean cut halfway
through the nail and all. I laughed when I did it, showed Mom, and she
almost fainted. (Yes, this was after I quit drinking, too. Touching
that thumb for the next weeks was NOT fun but I survived without a
doctor. The human body is an amazingly self-repairing tool. (see sig)


You've stuck a marginally upholstered important finger bone too close to
a whirling bone-chewing cutter. The likelihood of bone damage is high
and the consequences of a finger injury are serious for future loss of
dexterity. Now I'm not a radiographer and I've no idea if an X-ray would
even tell you much more (maybe a local and simply poking at it closely
is more informative) but this seems like the sort of thing that would
get upgraded to a hospital visit.

If you can see/feel bone during the cleanout, yeah, probably. An x-ray
would show missing pieces of bone or shattered bones, but not pick up
much in the way of missing flesh. If your finger still works, you
haven't severed a tendon. Why worry?

Otherwise, it seems an unnecessary expense and hassle. Missing pieces
aren't repairable and cuts/breaks in the bone HURT LIKE HELL. You'll
know when it's really time for a hospital or ER visit. 90% of things
aren't.


Last time I went to hospital I'd only bruised my foot - but until we'd
got an X-ray, it was entirely possible I had broken something (steel
plate bounced off my toecap and hit the arch). Everyone was relieved
that the "cheap" X-ray was adequate treatment for it and I could head
home there and then without costing any more money.

ER work for that over hear would be in excess of $1,000. A doctor's
visit with x-ray might be $90-100. In your case, yes, it sounds like
a doctor's office or hospital visit was in order.

I bruised my foot once after slipping off a thong. (No, the type of
shoe, not the bathing suit. That would have been a tongue bruise.)
I couldn't walk the next day (that was my hint to get to the doctor)
so had it x-rayed. It showed a possible crack in the last metatarsal.
DAMN those bone pains hurt! A prescription for staying off it as much
as possible and an order of Naprosyn (NSAID for bone pain) worked. I
could walk on it the next day but was careful for a few weeks.


Maybe it's because of the UK's excellent NHS and their cost structure.
"Visiting" A&E doesn't carry a flat fee cost, it just costs what you
actually use. A cheap visit in time saves money overall compared to even
a small fraction that turn serious later on.

Perhaps it's quicker, cheaper, and MUCH less hassle over on that side
of the pond. It's hellatiosly costly and tiresome here, especially for
the uninsured.



--
The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient
while nature cures the disease. --Voltaire (1694-1778)
--
www.diversify.com - Medicine-free Website Development

On 1 Dec 2005 19:26:37 -0800, with neither quill nor qualm, "tom"
quickly quoth:

Yep, ever since I sliced my thumb sharpening that drawknife, my wife
put 911 on the speed dialer. It's now #38. Tom

You need your wife to dial 911 for an ambulance to take you to the
hospital for a thumb wound?!? thud

Why didn't she drive you to your doctor?

Damnfool 'murricans. I swear...


--
The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient
while nature cures the disease. --Voltaire (1694-1778)
--
www.diversify.com - Medicine-free Website Development