Anyone in the medical field?

musicmaniac · 03-12-2008, 02:09 PM

Hey guys hows it going? I haven't been aroung lately as I have a ton going on getting ready for my son to be born and working as many odd jobs as I can to cover for the lack of a raise at my current job. LOL, but anyway, on to my question. Alright so long story short, I cut my thumb saturday pretty well when I was opening a box with a pocket knife. At first I thought no big deal, I can butterfly it up or bandage it up nice and tight and be fine, but as I was trying to clean it up the best I could, I decided to listen to my better judgment (my wife! lol) and headed to urgent care to get it stitched up. Well, they put 6 stitches in it, wrapped it in gauze that I was told not to take off until Monday, and prescribed some antibiotics just in case. My question is, is it normal or ok for it to be numb on one side of the tip and right around it or is that a bad thing? Will the feeling come back as it heals or should I head to the urgent care again? I am going to attach a few pics before and after stitches so you can see where it is cut and all. Thanks guys!

Oh yeah, sorry about the quality of the pics. They were all taken with my phone.

jd1911 · 03-12-2008, 02:14 PM

well i am in the army and have been injured alot some in stupid ways and some by other controls out of my hand well when i got hit by a hatchet and was taken to e.r. my hand was numb around the area and my pinky for about 5 days after they said it was normal

trust no one

P.S. one sharp knive

Wingwiper · 03-12-2008, 02:23 PM

Doesn't look to be bad at all.

Fill a glass with Hydrogen Peroxide and soak it.

Keep it clean and try not to bend it for awhile as it heals.

.22hustler · 03-12-2008, 02:27 PM

Whenever you recieve a cut like that, there's bound to be nerve damage, probaly from a cut nerve. That's the reason for the numbness. Nerves are very slow-growing, and it will take some time, after the wound heals up, for all the numbness to go away. I had my spleen taken out back in 1987, and I have a scar approx 12 inches long, from just under the breastbone all the way to my left side. They cut alot of nerves that day, and I still have some numbness there.

samuel · 03-12-2008, 02:38 PM

I used to be in the medical field as a very important participant,but havnt been in the last few months.They couldnt even have had a medical field without me.I was a patient. sam.

musicmaniac · 03-12-2008, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jd1911

well i am in the army and have been injured alot some in stupid ways and some by other controls out of my hand well when i got hit by a hatchet and was taken to e.r. my hand was numb around the area and my pinky for about 5 days after they said it was normal

trust no one

P.S. one sharp knive

Haha! Yeah, this was one of those stupid ways that was in my control. Another reminder to pay attention to what you are doing no matter how mundane it seems. LOL! And yup, it is sharp! Of course it wasn't that sharp until I sharpened it the week before.... DOH!

Brother Bob · 03-12-2008, 06:33 PM

I did pretty much the same thing twice. I'm a slow learner. I had numbness in my finger for quite some time. It'll be alright. The last time I cut myself, I took the whole top off my left index finger and just cleaned it up and laid it back down, and taped it and wrapped it tight in gauze until I was done with my work.

musicmaniac · 03-12-2008, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samuel

I used to be in the medical field as a very important participant,but havnt been in the last few months.They couldnt even have had a medical field without me.I was a patient. sam.

Haha! Too funny Sam!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brother Bob

I did pretty much the same thing twice. I'm a slow learner. I had numbness in my finger for quite some time. It'll be alright. The last time I cut myself, I took the whole top off my left index finger and just cleaned it up and laid it back down, and taped it and wrapped it tight in gauze until I was done with my work.

Cool. Nothing to worry about then! Thanks!
I feel the same way about finishing my work too. After my wife dropped me off at home from urgent care she had to head back out to meet up with her mom to finish planning the baby shower. She couldn't believe it when she gpt back home the dresser was put together! She got upset that I had done it after just getting my thumb stitched up. LOL! I told her it wasn't going to put itself together and there was no way I was leaving it in pieces lying around the living room 'til my thumb healed!

TexasT · 03-12-2008, 07:00 PM

The nerves that were cut were probably very small and those nerves should regenerate themselves. Nerves grow about a millimeter per day after they clean themselves up. It could just be numb from swelling. Whatever the case, the sensation should return. If it's not back in a month or two then I would worry.

AKHunter · 03-13-2008, 02:23 AM

I did a very similar thing just below the knuckle which you cut above. I cut it to the bone, severed the nerve and suffered some nerve damage. It was numb for months but gradualy I regained feeling. I wouldnt be too concerned over it. Just be sure to keep it from getting infected.

ArkansasHunter · 03-13-2008, 02:34 AM

Hold on ! Did this happen on the job ? If it did, did you tell your employer ? If not you've messed up because you'll have to pay the bill and if you've damaged your finger you've suffered a percentage of use loss. This should be handled by Workers Comp.
That loss will get you some money too, you did say you were doing odd jobs to have more money didn't you ?
I'm not adviseing you to being dishonest, I'm adviseing what needs to be done if you did it at where you work full time.

troy2000 · 03-13-2008, 02:35 AM

I've cut my fingers badly several times, and experienced numbness that lasted anywhere from a few weeks to several years. The several years was half-cutting my thumb off with a Skilsaw, and when I asked the doctor how long it would be before I got feeling back he laughed, and told me I wouldn't. Fooled him...

At one time, I was carpentering with one thumb numb from almost the base (the saw cut) and the other one numb from the last joint on out (cut on a joist hanger). Even digging nails out of a nailbag was an interesting challenge.

musicmaniac · 03-13-2008, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArkansasHunter

Hold on ! Did this happen on the job ? If it did, did you tell your employer ? If not you've messed up because you'll have to pay the bill and if you've damaged your finger you've suffered a percentage of use loss. This should be handled by Workers Comp.
That loss will get you some money too, you did say you were doing odd jobs to have more money didn't you ?
I'm not adviseing you to being dishonest, I'm adviseing what needs to be done if you did it at where you work full time.

No it wasn't on the job. Sorry if I wasn't clear. When I said I have been doing odd jobs lately, I was just explaining why I haven't been arounf the forum for the last few months. I did this at home while opening the box so I could put together my soon-to-be-born son's dresser. Nope! No worker's comp for me! LOL!

jmp8927 · 03-13-2008, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by troy2000

I've cut my fingers badly several times, and experienced numbness that lasted anywhere from a few weeks to several years. The several years was half-cutting my thumb off with a Skilsaw, and when I asked the doctor how long it would be before I got feeling back he laughed, and told me I wouldn't. Fooled him...

At one time, I was carpentering with one thumb numb from almost the base (the saw cut) and the other one numb from the last joint on out (cut on a joist hanger). Even digging nails out of a nailbag was an interesting challenge.

Haha! Sounds like the injuries my Dad has inflicted on himself over the years dong construction. Lets see...he's cut the meaty part of the base of his thumb pretty bad I think twice(skill saw and some kinda knife), cut on of his fingers with a small specialty saw, had a router run around one of his index fingers a few hundred times before he could jerk it out the way...that's all the major injuries I remember him ever having. Oh and there was the time he fell a story and got a head injury, but that's in a completely different ball field. That was about 8 years ago and he's doing a lot better than most head injury folks. Just has a limp and can't smell. But yeah. Construction work can be brutal. I've been really lucky and only ever had minor injuries like the above. I think the worst I've ever done is nearly shop the end of my left thumb off with an axe and shoot my left index finger with a cabinet staple gun. I don't remember them being numb(both happened before I was 8) but I could have just forgotten by now. Anyway, they've had normal feeling for as long as I can remember.

mdj696 · 03-13-2008, 03:22 PM

Want to feel some out of this world pain? Stick your finger in front of a preesure nozel hose some time. Friend of mine raised on a dairy farm. As a kid he got the idea of testing the milking machine cups on himself. Go figure. He told me he never did that again.

BunnyWabbit · 03-13-2008, 03:33 PM

You must be pretty brave to not go to the doctor until your wife suggested it. My hubby has an ingrown toenail and is ready to go to an orthopedic surgeon. He woke me up at 11:30 last night to tell me this. So Dr. McElroy got out her cuticle sissors for an amputation but he squealed like a girl. So all I could do was make fun of him and cut it out. He didn't quit whining until about 2am.

jmp8927 · 03-13-2008, 04:10 PM

^LOL

musicmaniac · 03-13-2008, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BunnyWabbit

You must be pretty brave to not go to the doctor until your wife suggested it. My hubby has an ingrown toenail and is ready to go to an orthopedic surgeon. He woke me up at 11:30 last night to tell me this. So Dr. McElroy got out her cuticle sissors for an amputation but he squealed like a girl. So all I could do was make fun of him and cut it out. He didn't quit whining until about 2am.

Haha! No way! That is hilarious! Yeah, I think a few more minutes and I would have convinced myself to go anyway, but at first it was definitely for her. She was freaking out and having a pretty hard time with it once she saw all the blood that had squirted all over the refrigerator door and the kitchen floor. LOL!!!

03-12-2008, 02:09 PM	#1
musicmaniac Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Glendale, AZ Posts: 473 Images: 7	Anyone in the medical field? Hey guys hows it going? I haven't been aroung lately as I have a ton going on getting ready for my son to be born and working as many odd jobs as I can to cover for the lack of a raise at my current job. LOL, but anyway, on to my question. Alright so long story short, I cut my thumb saturday pretty well when I was opening a box with a pocket knife. At first I thought no big deal, I can butterfly it up or bandage it up nice and tight and be fine, but as I was trying to clean it up the best I could, I decided to listen to my better judgment (my wife! lol) and headed to urgent care to get it stitched up. Well, they put 6 stitches in it, wrapped it in gauze that I was told not to take off until Monday, and prescribed some antibiotics just in case. My question is, is it normal or ok for it to be numb on one side of the tip and right around it or is that a bad thing? Will the feeling come back as it heals or should I head to the urgent care again? I am going to attach a few pics before and after stitches so you can see where it is cut and all. Thanks guys! Oh yeah, sorry about the quality of the pics. They were all taken with my phone. __________________ A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity. -- Sigmund Freud

03-12-2008, 07:00 PM	#9
TexasT Mrs. HMFIC Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Everywhere you want to be. Posts: 4,218 Blog Entries: 16	The nerves that were cut were probably very small and those nerves should regenerate themselves. Nerves grow about a millimeter per day after they clean themselves up. It could just be numb from swelling. Whatever the case, the sensation should return. If it's not back in a month or two then I would worry. __________________ I'm just a little bit caught in the middle. Life is a maze. Love is a riddle.

03-13-2008, 02:35 AM	#12
troy2000 Resident Armed Liberal Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Southern California Posts: 9,460 Images: 9	I've cut my fingers badly several times, and experienced numbness that lasted anywhere from a few weeks to several years. The several years was half-cutting my thumb off with a Skilsaw, and when I asked the doctor how long it would be before I got feeling back he laughed, and told me I wouldn't. Fooled him... At one time, I was carpentering with one thumb numb from almost the base (the saw cut) and the other one numb from the last joint on out (cut on a joist hanger). Even digging nails out of a nailbag was an interesting challenge. __________________ If a million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing. -Anatole France

03-13-2008, 03:22 PM	#15
mdj696 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 265 Images: 1	Want to feel some out of this world pain? Stick your finger in front of a preesure nozel hose some time. Friend of mine raised on a dairy farm. As a kid he got the idea of testing the milking machine cups on himself. Go figure. He told me he never did that again. Last edited by mdj696; 03-13-2008 at 03:27 PM. Reason: clarification

03-13-2008, 04:10 PM	#17
jmp8927 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Walterboro, SC Posts: 1,145 Images: 17	^LOL __________________ Doing the unexpected makes the unexpected the expected and thus the expected becomes the unexpected.

03-12-2008, 02:14 PM	#2
jd1911 Banned Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 125	well i am in the army and have been injured alot some in stupid ways and some by other controls out of my hand well when i got hit by a hatchet and was taken to e.r. my hand was numb around the area and my pinky for about 5 days after they said it was normal trust no one P.S. one sharp knive

03-12-2008, 02:23 PM	#3
Wingwiper Banned Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 789	Doesn't look to be bad at all. Fill a glass with Hydrogen Peroxide and soak it. Keep it clean and try not to bend it for awhile as it heals.

03-12-2008, 02:27 PM	#4
.22hustler Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: New York Posts: 904	Whenever you recieve a cut like that, there's bound to be nerve damage, probaly from a cut nerve. That's the reason for the numbness. Nerves are very slow-growing, and it will take some time, after the wound heals up, for all the numbness to go away. I had my spleen taken out back in 1987, and I have a scar approx 12 inches long, from just under the breastbone all the way to my left side. They cut alot of nerves that day, and I still have some numbness there.

03-12-2008, 02:38 PM	#5
samuel Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 5,087	I used to be in the medical field as a very important participant,but havnt been in the last few months.They couldnt even have had a medical field without me.I was a patient. sam.

03-12-2008, 06:33 PM	#7
Brother Bob The Mayor Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Olive Branch, MS. Posts: 2,691 Blog Entries: 3	I did pretty much the same thing twice. I'm a slow learner. I had numbness in my finger for quite some time. It'll be alright. The last time I cut myself, I took the whole top off my left index finger and just cleaned it up and laid it back down, and taped it and wrapped it tight in gauze until I was done with my work.

03-13-2008, 02:23 AM	#10
AKHunter Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Alaska Posts: 899	I did a very similar thing just below the knuckle which you cut above. I cut it to the bone, severed the nerve and suffered some nerve damage. It was numb for months but gradualy I regained feeling. I wouldnt be too concerned over it. Just be sure to keep it from getting infected.

03-13-2008, 02:34 AM	#11
ArkansasHunter Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: South Arkansas Posts: 10,710	Hold on ! Did this happen on the job ? If it did, did you tell your employer ? If not you've messed up because you'll have to pay the bill and if you've damaged your finger you've suffered a percentage of use loss. This should be handled by Workers Comp. That loss will get you some money too, you did say you were doing odd jobs to have more money didn't you ? I'm not adviseing you to being dishonest, I'm adviseing what needs to be done if you did it at where you work full time.

03-13-2008, 03:33 PM	#16
BunnyWabbit Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Jayhawk Country Posts: 1,086	You must be pretty brave to not go to the doctor until your wife suggested it. My hubby has an ingrown toenail and is ready to go to an orthopedic surgeon. He woke me up at 11:30 last night to tell me this. So Dr. McElroy got out her cuticle sissors for an amputation but he squealed like a girl. So all I could do was make fun of him and cut it out. He didn't quit whining until about 2am.