Almost lost my finger

rljlll

New member
Ok! So i know i have not been around in a few weeks but i have a la-git excuse. I was working two weeks ago last Wednesday and i was helping an operator to change out a bucket on a backhoe to a compaction wheel. Well! I put my finger in a 1 1/2 - 2 " hole (where a still pin goes to lock the bucket in place) to clean out some dirt (can't be mixing that in with the grease you know). While my finger was in there the operator moved the bucket and off goes my finger. My finger was put in a bag of ice and i was rushed off the St. Joseph's and waited for 13 hours for one of the best reattachment surgeon in AZ too see me. Well he came in and said that basically i had little to know chance for my body to accept my finger back and most likely it would be rejected. I as stubborn as they come and there was a small chance like 10- 20% so i took it. after being put in an open back dress, waiting for about 13 hours, being kept on Morphean till my head spins, and then about 2 hours of surgery i woke up in the trauma ICU and had to have leech therapy every 2 hours for the 6 days i was there. After that i was moved to my own private room and the therapy was taken to ever 3 hour slowly over the next 8 day i was taken down to 8 hour and then released yesterday.

The surgeon fused my bone back together and placed two pins, fixed the ligament, nerves, and repaired the only artery he could find which was 0.4mm. The blood vessels were to small for him to find and so i had to have leech therapy for 2 weeks, which gave my body time to build new blood vessels. That usually takes 7-10 days but since the doctor was so doubtful about the finger they kept me longer just to be sure i would have enough time for my body to rebuild the new vessels.

While i was at the hospitals a got sick several times due to my blood count dropping from 14-16 for someone my age down to 7.8 once and 8.3 once. Both time i had to have 2 units or blood given to me through an IV which is called a blood transfusion. The drop did not happen all at once since i did not have the propper channels for the blood the flow my reattacked finger constanly dripped blood for the two weeks i was there which is what made my blood count drop so low. The first transfusion brough me from 7.8 to 8.6 and the second from 8.3 to 11.6. The lowest the blood level can get is 8.5. If it drops below that they give you two unit usually as a standard amout.

Well i know this is long but it is a short summary of my two weeks at the hospital.

At home meanwhile:

The weekend before this happens we (My wife and I) bought a 06 Chevy Cobalt with 29000 miles on it and still has the factory warrantee. Then this happend so ill be out of work for a while. While i was in the hospital the appartment maintanence called and said my tank was leaking. Come the find out the 10 gal. sump had a faulty seal that failed which dripped slowly for a few days till it leaked through the downstairs tennants roof. Of course we are laible for the damanges. They want the tank moved to check for rug mold or some crap. Two days after this happened another call from maintanence says out toilet broke a seal or something like that and it was leaking through the roof the the downstairs tennant. (Not reasponsible for damages thankfully)

After all said and done i have my finger one and must must go back in a week so the doctor can see if the finger is going to take. Meanwhile though i have use of only one hand (other in a huge splint) and an fighting with maintanense i can't move my tank weith one hand and wont even if i had two. I will just repair the dammaged part of the carpet if it is in fact damaged.

I guess when it rain it poors HUH!
 
i have one hand available an it took me about 45-60 min just thought i would let everyone know though what happened
 
Yeah i had my sister empty my sump and luckly i had a 5 gal spare sitting around she replaced the 10 with my Tunze Osmolator saved my tank even though the salinity dropped to 1.018 i didnt loose everything like my pumps and stuff like that
 
I hope everything works out and the finger stays. Just do everything you're supposed to. If you need tank help, I'm sure there are many people here willing to help. I had a friend whose glove got caught on a blade and sucked his hand in. He lost his entire trigger finger. They didn't even try to put it back on. I hope yours sticks.
 
Roy, sorry to hear about the string of (bad) luck. I hope all works out with the finger.

"Leach therapy" - Real live leaches? If so, that's kinda cool. ;)
 
oh man thats a rough time, I hope everything works out, yeah I think there are def. reefers around that could help you I think there are a couple around you
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8099457#post8099457 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MSM
Roy, sorry to hear about the string of (bad) luck. I hope all works out with the finger.

"Leach therapy" - Real live leaches? If so, that's kinda cool. ;)


yeah it was real leeches. They sucked new blood into my finger tip to keep it circulating.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8101170#post8101170 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Philwd
And I thought my week was bad. Hang in there.

Will do. God only gives you challenges to make you stronger and wont give you any challenge you cant overcome. So this is all for the best in the end.
 
Just as a side note my bad luck always runs in threes. Looks like you got all three out of the way so hopefully the finger gets to stay. Good luck with your recovery.
 
glad to see youre taking it with a grain of salt, wish you the best in your recovery, and hopefully the finger is not rejected. Good luck and god speed.
 






Some pics of my finger in the hospital

Ill get one of what it looks like now up in the next day or so
 
Man I'm glad you're doin better bro, but DAMN those pix are gnarly!

9 3/4 - that's funny. :lol:
 
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