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Friday, July 15, 2011

When a finger meets a hedge trimmer, the finger loses

I knew what I had done the instant it happened.
Even before the pain went from my little finger to my little brain I knew I had screwed up.
I was trimming the top of a rather tall cedar hedge when I nearly lopped off the baby finger on my left hand.
I was half-way up a four-metre ladder and was reaching to the far side of the hedge when disaster struck. Sure, I could have moved the ladder over a little bit, but that would mean climbing down the ladder, moving it a few inches, climbing back up...It just seemed like too much effort, so I decided to reach for it instead.
Before I continue, I would just like to say I never claimed to be overly bright, something loyal readers will confirm no doubt.
To get to the far side of the top of the hedge I reached out as far as I could, holding the electric trimmer in one hand while squeezing the on-switch trigger thingy.
No problem and all went well until I brought the trimmer back toward me and attempted to grab the round handle on the top of the trimmer.
I say attempted because had I succeeded, this column would not exist.
Instead of grabbing the little black handle, I missed and my little finger did its impression of a branch and the trimmer did its impression of a trimmer chopping up my finger.
As soon as I felt the little metal teeth of the trimmer hit my finger, I knew what I had done. There was nothing else to do but wait for the pain, and stop the bleeding.
The pain arrived - big time - as did the blood.
It is amazing how much plasma you can distribute upon the earth from a few chops with a reciprocating metal blade.
I climbed down the ladder just as the Missus came outside to see me holding my hand with blood dripping to the ground, creating a kind of CSI home edition thing.
My wife is a nurse, so the injury did not faze her in the least. She leapt into immediate action, and grabbed gauze and whatever else she needed all the while doing her best to stifle any and all comments of the smart aleck variety, which I believe was the most challenging part of the whole scenario for her.
I know she had more than a few comments she wanted to send my way, but choked them down – until the medical procedure was taken care of anyway.
When my kids heard dad had cut his finger, they came running out to survey the scene.
“You mean you didn't cut it off? Awwww, bummer.”
“Thanks kids. I'm OK, really. Don't worry about your ol' dad. He's a trooper. He'll be fine. Thanks for caring.”
Once the bleeding was under control, it was off to the walk-in clinic for some up-close-and-personal care of the doctor variety.
After I had spent the mandatory amount of time in the waiting room, I was escorted into the little doctor room where the doctor does all of his medical type stuff.
In this case, the first thing he did was cause me a lot more pain.
The sadist, I mean doctor, put a needle directly into the open wound and it took a few seconds before the freezing kicked in - a few long and painful seconds.
“This may sting a little.”
A little? Did you just say a little?
“Hey doc, this might sting a little, because I am going to kick you square in the...”
But once the freezing kicked in all was forgiven.
Actually it wasn't, but the man was about to sew up a body part so I felt I should be on my best behaviour.
I set a record that day - eight stitches - beating my previous record by two.
I no longer have feeling in the tip of that finger, but that is OK, considering how much feeling I had when it was chopped and stuck with a needle, not feeling anything felt pretty good.

29 comments:

Dave412//91 said...

This same thing just happened to me now I have no feeling in the tip but that shot sucked so bad I think I hit the nerve so bad it hurts in my elbow but life happens..

Dave412//91 said...

This same thing just happened to me now I have no feeling in the tip but that shot sucked so bad I think I hit the nerve so bad it hurts in my elbow but life happens..

Dawn Elizabeth said...

I also had an up close and personal experience with my hedge trimmer .. yesterday evening. As we couldn't stop the bleeding, it's off to the ER! Not long before I'm in the "green zone" and enduring 4 needles to freeze my finger!! No one should ever go through this pain in a lifetime!! That pain was probably the worst! Now 8 stitches later, my saluting finger is all wrapped, since I have to keep it raised, I will spend the next 10 days "finger saluting"!
Much to my chagrin, the doctor was giving me updates of branch remnants they were removing from the wound!! Priceless!!
Thankfully the rain overnight washed away the crime scene and I will now spend the next week "finger saluting" everyone who sees me!

Unknown said...

This literally happened to me 4 days ago, except to my middle finger (luckily on my left hand). Right below the first knuckle. 4 HORRIBLY PAINFUL shots, and 14 stitches later, it's starting to become a little more bearable.

Unknown said...

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Anonymous said...

I did it last night. Stupid! I grabbed the bottom of the trimmer while the blades were moving. Luckily, (at least that is what everyone is telling me) I only caught the pad of my middle, left finger in the blades. It nearly removed my entire fingerprint, and about 3/4 of the meat was hanging on like a toupee in the wind. No stitches required, so no shot either. Yay! Still bled like a mama and is wrapped like a mummy. It stinks! I will never be that careless again! Yeah, right.

Anonymous said...

I wasnt so lucky to keep pinky. lost half. They stitched it up but didnt take .turned black and doctors finish what I started

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Unknown said...

It happened to me two days ago,on my left index finger while trimming in my yard. I was home alone. Lots of blood, I ran in the house and wrapped it up in a wash cloth and kept pressure on it, drove myself to urgent care. I was really be lucky, they cleaned and glued the wound back together. My finger is wrapped in gauze and is still throbbing. Luckily no stitches and I was up to date on my Tetanus shot!

DMO1842 said...

Unfortunately I just had a hedge trimmer accident, only mine involved 4 fingers cut down to the bone at the base, severing all the tendons and nerves,chewing an inch of nerve from each to the point of no repair. Imagine 3 shots each finger! Then they pushed all the stuff hanging out back In and stitched me up until I could see an orthopedic surgeom, 3 days later the surgeon had make full length vertical incisions in the opposite direction.

If I am lucky I will be able to move and feel them in 3-6 months!

The things homeowners do !!

DMO1842 said...

Unfortunately I just had a hedge trimmer accident, only mine involved 4 fingers cut down to the bone at the base, severing all the tendons and nerves,chewing an inch of nerve from each to the point of no repair. Imagine 3 shots each finger! Then they pushed all the stuff hanging out back In and stitched me up until I could see an orthopedic surgeom, 3 days later the surgeon had make full length vertical incisions in the opposite direction.

If I am lucky I will be able to move and feel them in 3-6 months!

The things homeowners do !!

DMO1842 said...

Unfortunately I just had a hedge trimmer accident, only mine involved 4 fingers cut down to the bone at the base, severing all the tendons and nerves,chewing an inch of nerve from each to the point of no repair. Imagine 3 shots each finger! Then they pushed all the stuff hanging out back In and stitched me up until I could see an orthopedic surgeom, 3 days later the surgeon had make full length vertical incisions in the opposite direction.

If I am lucky I will be able to move and feel them in 3-6 months!

The things homeowners do !!

Miguel said...

On July the 2nd. I was doing the backyard and cut my index finger with the hedge trimmer , eight stitches,came so close to the finger nail , its gotten better but it's still some pain not unbearable but tolerable, will be doing therapy next week , how frustrating but thank God cause it could've been worse

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Guy22 said...

I cut my finger with a hedge trimmer as well last week it was one of the most painful experiences of my life, half of my finger was hanging off and they sewed it back on.

Guy22 said...

I cut my finger with a hedge trimmer as well last week it was one of the most painful experiences of my life, half of my finger was hanging off and they sewed it back on.

Anonymous said...

I got 4 fingers mangled. None of the fingers came completely off, but some were dangling. The blocker anesthetic shots that they inject into the base of each finger were definitely memorably painful, as others have mentioned.

Also the pain about 6 to 8 hours later when the blockers and initial pain meds wore off was unbearable. I had to head into urgent care for morphine. It got better after that though.

I probably got 40-50 stiches, including the nerve and tendon surgeries. We waited about 22 days after surgery to remove (later than I see was recommended based on other info I've been able to find since), so the stiches were a bit stuck coming out and there was a good amount of blood from removing them. Also memorably painful.

On the bright side, all the fingers are still attached so I'm definitely grateful for that.

Darren thanks for the post and the interesting story! Comments are still going 9 years later.

Anonymous said...

Hedge trimmer: 3 me: 0. I almost severed 2 fingers and an arteriole. Kept gushing Put alot of pressure on it. Thank Yah my esposo
was home. To the ER we went. 18 stitches later it finally stopped bleeding.hello tétanus shot and some antibiotics. Ouch the pain.

Anonymous said...

I lost two fingers to a hedge trimmer. They were reattached with a 3 hour surgery and a 5 day hospital stay including hyperbaric chamber therapy. They took even though they had been without blood flow for 5 hours.
Needless to say l, I shake a little every time I use my trimmers now.

Anonymous said...

We should all start a club called both hands on both handles all the time every time. I was trimming low lying small branches that I was tired of getting a face full of when cutting the grass. Reached up to pull a branch down and using the trimmer one handed. Dumb, dumb, dumb. It's a nasty cut bit I think I got really lucky. Not the fingertip, and not the joint. An almost diagonal cut on the left hand middle finger on the index finger side between the fingertip and jount. I'm a guitarist, I'd rather lose a toe than the use of one of my left hand fingers. I'll sti use my hedger, but both hands on both handles, all the time, every time. Yalm be careful, dumb dumb like us are a dismemberment waiting to happen.

Unknown said...

Cut my finger with trimmer today. Went to grap the top handle and the finger tip was caught. Bled a lot. Rushed in the house grabbed a paper towel and applied pressure. Could not find a bandage. Remembered I had a first aid kit in basement. Put on bandaid and wrapped in gauze. Went to change bandaid later and it was still bleeding a lot. Not sure if I need to go to doctors or not for stitches. Guess I'll call in the morning.

Unknown said...

I just got myself with the hedge trimmers today,got very lucky,blood blister on one finger and a decent cut on my hand,could have been so much worse.i keep replaying in my head how much worse it could've been.ive been mad at myself for being so careless,but I feel better and know I'm not alone after seeing these comments.i will definitely be more careful from now on,and yes,keep both hands on the handle...

Anonymous said...

Apparently there are a whole lot of people out there who should not be trying to do manual labor. Call the dang landscapers people. I mean really how totally disconnected you have to be to cut yourself and in some cases die from a hedge trimmer. And these same people are driving automobiles on the road around me. I suddenly fill that there is very little help for our future existence

Anonymous said...

Another disconnected person here to share a hedge trimmer finger story. I was working the hedge trimmer with one hand and had finished what I need done, and started setting the trimmer down while simultaneously, shutting it off. My dumb self had s feeling the trimmer would pivot and cut my leg as I was setting it down with one hand so I decided to secure it with my second hand, and thanks to my fabulous hand I coordination, I reached for the blade, rather than the handle. Lacerated the top of my left Index finger, knicking the bone in the process. Luckily got stiched up (8 stitches) and it's been healing well so far. The freezing definitely was not pleasant, especially through the palm of the hand. Kept squirming around, so they turned my hand around and it was more bearable, although still painful. Best part was not feeling the pain after that whole ordeal and stiched

Anonymous said...

I'm in this crappy club now, too. Took my left hand off the tool to free myself from a sticker bush and caught the blade when I went to grab the handle again. Sliced through the top of my ring finger and broke the bone. They had to remove my fingernail 😔

Anonymous said...

i am 12 years old and i was trying to earn money buy cutting my parents bushes so i was cutting them and i cut my finger open but it is not dangling and no bone is visible but after reading these comments i fear i might need stitches but i haven't told my parents because i know they will not let me finish the job so i won't get money and my treatment has consisted of 3 bandaids and hope

Anonymous said...

Cut my index finger two days ago. Blade went through my nail cut the bone. I’m stitched and splinted. High dose antibiotics to avoid becoming septic. 6-8 week recovery.

Anonymous said...

Please have it looked at. Is it still bleeding. If so you’ll need stitches.