# Non Power Tool Injury



## CanuckGal (Nov 26, 2008)

I just got back from the hospital with the spouse. I started taking off the trim in the kitchen so I can put down the laminate flooring. The transition piece between the linoleum floor and the parquet flooring was just a 1 inch wide strip of rounded oak that had been nailed and siliconed to the flooring. It wasn't easy to get up and in the process lifted some of the pieces of the parquet. The spouse just woke up and decided to help while waiting for the coffee to finish. We were using a utility knife to peel the silicone off the parquet pieces so we could glue them back down. I just bought this knife yesterday to replace the one I broke in the spouses tool box. Well the spouse managed to put a nice deep 1" long slice into the fleshy part of the heel of the left thumb. I almost had to call an ambulance cause the wuss nearly passed out...LOL. I knew it needed stitches, so off we went. Ended up with 3 stitches and a really big bandage which means I'll be hearing a lot of "honey can you do it for me" for a while. Fortunately no nerve or tendon damage. But a big bruised ego for sure. 
I make light of it only because I am very happy it wasn't worse. But again a reminder that danger lurkes in the smallest of tools. :nono:
I got all the trim off, but that's it for today. :blink:


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

If it ain't one thing, its another eh Deb?...

glad to hear it wasn't worse than it was... could easily have been..


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## CanuckGal (Nov 26, 2008)

Yep Bill you got it. Ususally I am the one getting sewed back together. We make jokes in this house all the time about me and sharp knives, tools etc. I guess I won't be the butt of these anymore.


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## levon (Sep 14, 2008)

CanuckGal said:


> Ijust got back from the hospital with the spouse. I started taking off the trim in the kitchen so I can put down the laminate flooring. The transition piece between the linoleum floor and the parquet flooring was just a 1 inch wide strip of rounded oak that had been nailed and siliconed to the flooring. It wasn't easy to get up and in the process lifted some of the pieces of the parquet. The spouse just woke up and decided to help while waiting for the coffee to finish. We were using a utility knife to peel the silicone off the parquet pieces so we could glue them back down. I just bought this knife yesterday to replace the one I broke in the spouses tool box. Well the spouse managed to put a nice deep 1" long slice into the fleshy part of the heel of the left thumb. I almost had to call an ambulance cause the wuss nearly passed out...LOL. I knew it needed stitches, so off we went. Ended up with 3 stitches and a really big bandage which means I'll be hearing a lot of "honey can you do it for me" for a while. Fortunately no nerve or tendon damage. But a big bruised ego for sure.
> I make light of it only because I am very happy it wasn't worse. But again a reminder that danger lurkes in the smallest of tools. :nono:
> I got all the trim off, but that's it for today. :blink:


hi Deb,

im glad to hear it wasnt any worse than it was. 

i am sorry to hear you call him a wuss after he was tring to help and that a razor knife cut is a painfull thing and it sounds as if were a deep cut.

my wife isnt a great woodworker or home improvement person, but she tries to help me at times and i know she does it from her heart. i love her for trying and couldnt find it in my heart to laugh at her.


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## CanuckGal (Nov 26, 2008)

The thought of the spouse passing out on me frightened me much more then the cut did. Is it fainting? a heart attack? I was by no means laughing at the time. I ran for a cloth to cover the cut and a cold wet rag to stop the "fainting". 
The spouse has raised 4 boys and obviously witnessed many cuts, scrapes, broken bones and god knows what in the last 30 years. Never hiccuped when it was one of them. But when it's your own flesh that's opened I guess it's different. I have had stitches in nearly every part of my body, most from foolish accidents so I'm kind of numb to it. 
The spouse was brooding badly while we waited at the hospital. All I could do was try to lighten the mood with silly jokes. I knew the ego was more damaged then the hand. It's all good now with both of laughing in hindsight ONLY because it was not more serious. And I will glady do all the "honey can you do it for me" requests. Even when I know some of it is just a sympathy request. I would get it back in spades if the tables were turned, as I have many times. 

BTW, the spouse was reading the post as I typed it. All I got was "Yeah yeah tell everyone!"


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## levon (Sep 14, 2008)

Hi Deb,

i have no doubts of your concern or love for your spouse. you sound like a great wife and partner. 


but i think if you will be honest, you might be sorry you called him a wuss and made fun of it. thats all i was saying.


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## MikeMa (Jul 27, 2006)

I feel for your husband! I did the same thing 7 years ago on my right thumb. The scar is a good reminder to SLOW down!


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

Deb,

Now you know why you cannot take one on a plane...LOL

Glad to hear that the injury was not too bad.

We all take these incidents seriously, even though we feel great that it was not us..

James


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## sourdough (Jan 31, 2010)

Deb and friends: You'll like this one : bought a VERY nice and VERY high quality and VERY big name pocket knife. Got it. Opened it in my shop and thought I'd put it right to use scribing a line on some oak. Started off, slip, zip, whiz.....lifted my hand up. Wrapped nice towel around it. Put knife in pocket. Called wife on cell while I drive myself to Emergency. I walked through the door holding my hand up, blood all over the towel and a nurse just looked at me and pointed. I walked right into a small office and they commenced stitching and scolding. I lost count of the stitches but the Polish lady doctor said "it vas a lot!"
Ha!
Called the knife guy and complained his $%%^% knife was too sharp. He got a kick out of it too.


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## CanuckGal (Nov 26, 2008)

Warren I feel for you. When I was about 9 I decided I could use my mothers very large and sharp butcher knife to whittle some wood. She caught me took away the knife and scolded me asking me if I was trying to cut my fingers off. About 20 minutes later there I was with the knife and the wood AGAIN. Yep it slipped right across the first two knuckles of my left hand. Right down to the bone. 11 stitches total. They weren't the first or the last. They are two of many scars, most earned in similar fashion. Of course I blamed the knife. Don't we all?


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## Noob (Apr 18, 2009)

Glad to hear there is no permanent damage and everything is going to be alright.


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## drasbell (Feb 6, 2009)

Next time have coffee first.. glad things are gona work out OK.


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## newwoodworker (Mar 27, 2009)

glad hes alright and it wasn't worst, ironically enough a box knife is what gave me the worst injury i have ever had in my life when i was 15 thinking i knew it all was making a speaker box well i couldn't find a pencil so for some reason got the bright idea of using a box knife to make the score lines where i was gonna cut needless to say after a 1 hour and 52 minutes of micro surgery on to reattach two tendons i cut threw and after 19 years later a nifty scare i get to carry around on the back of my lowest part that bends on the top side of my thumb where it attachs to my hand, a box knife is the one thing i am more leery about than anything else.


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## DerekO (Jan 20, 2010)

Very sorry to hear about his injury and very glad to hear it didn't do any damage to vital parts.

Small knifes can be some of the most dangerous tools as it is very easy to have them slip and not only cut you, but might put the person working near you in danger depending on the force being used.


My brother used to be a chef/cook and the message that got to us was he cut off his thumb one day. By the time we finally tracked him down I think he was going to the softball game he was supposed to play in that night (might have been supposed to umpire it) with just a large slice in the fleshy part of his thumb. I remember he was surprised we were so worried. 

He did just have an collision between his fingers and a router 2 or 3 years ago while doing things for deer stands. He never would explain how it happened. Nothing lost, just stitches and a lot of pain for a few weeks.


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## CanuckGal (Nov 26, 2008)

> Next time have coffee first..


You got that one right!


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## Ghidrah (Oct 21, 2008)

Good to hear no permanent damage. I have a couple stiff putty knives I kinda turned into chisels for just such jobs. Wide chisels also work well when removing linoleum.

Back around 1982 I was repairing a red cedar roof, back then they still used heavy bailing wire with long sharp barbs to dig into the bundle blocks. I went reaching for a handful of RCs and ran the barb through the top part of my left pointing finger. 

Bled pretty good, taped it and finished the job. No stitches but it took close to 6 yrs for the numbness to go away. It felt like the top of the finger was asleep, (cutting the circulation off).


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

Yeow, Deb..  Sorry to hear about your hubby and great it wasn't worse.


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## gallianp (Oct 13, 2009)

Ouch! sorry that it happened..

I want to think that I am NOT a wuss. I can deal with other people's blood and pain but my own will put me in the prone state very quickly!


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## CanuckGal (Nov 26, 2008)

Paul that seems to be the spouses problem. I can handle the blood and gore, but watching operation shows where they cut the skin open, THAT'S the part I can't watch. Once they are inside I'm fine.


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## DerekO (Jan 20, 2010)

My Wife has even helped the doc cut me open to remove a couple of cysts. She also had them turn the monitor so She could watch when Her knees were worked on. 

I can watch most stuff unless it is a hip replacement surgery. That makes me ill about 10 seconds ii or less. Been the same way about knee replacements the last few years. 

It is watching a bone break that gets me really squeamish. Mainly if it is an arm or a leg, not just a finger or a nose.


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