Topic: Spent the whole day in Broomfield hospital!

[Mrs Ava]

Honestly, only me huh!  Worked yesterday cutting down a sloe hedge.  Had my thickest, chunkiest leather gauntlets on, but at the end of the day, the last few branches to go, and one of the long thin thorns got me in the middle knuckle of the ring finger on my right hand.  It went way in and hurt like +£$*%$!_(*^, I thought I was going to pass out!  It bled like billy-oh and by the time I got home the finger had started to swell.  Well, I had a ring on that finger and by the time it struck me to remove it.....I couldn't.  My finger was throbbing.  This morning, dropped the kids at school and shot to A&E in Chelmsford.  Saw the triage nurse who very efficiently, if rather painfully, cut the ring off my finger.  Now she starts poking my knuckle and is worried about what is stuck in the joint.  Next off to see a doctor.  He is also worried, prescribes a double dose of antibiotics for a week and suggests a tetanus injection.  He talks to ultrasound who agree that they should do a quick scan to see what they can find in the joint.  Trapse off there, have the scan, no waiting around, I seemed to jump the queue, and sure enough, not one, but 2 splinters in my joint stuck in the tendons just on the bone, so well in.  Back to A&E.  Probably need surgery I am now told.  Bloods taken, tetanus, canula left in just in case, then walked over the the plastic surgery and micro surgery unit.  Sit for nearly 2 hours waiting to see a surgeon.  He finally arrives and takes a look.  Does more poking and proding and explains that it is actually quite a big op opening the knuckle to look for something so small, and most peoples bodies are very efficient at dealing with foreign bodies stuck in them, so rather than cut me open, I am left sitting in the day room with my hand up in the air doing finger exercises until the swelling goes down.  It is now 3pm - I only had porridge and a coffee at 8am and nothing since.  Feeling rather light headed.  The surgeon makes me a cup of tea, bless.  At 6pm they finally decide the swelling has gone down enough for me to come home, but there will probably be long term problems, aches and stiffness and they are concerned as I cannot bed the very top of my finger, not even under force so the thorn may currently be interferring with nerves and tendons that deal with that joint.  Anyhow, have lots of emergency numbers and names and if it flares up I have to call to ensure they have a bed and go straight back - they will then peel back my knuckle skin and have a poke around, as the doc said and if they cannot find anything, wash the joint, stitch me up and keep me in for a couple of days!!!  Couple of days.  When I had my hernia done I was in and out in 6 hours!! 

So, my day, 12 hours I will never get back.  Will be bathing my sore finger, and it is still sore, in sloe gin from now on!!!!

[saddad]

Ouch!

[Al37]

Hi EJ many years ago I had a similar problem, I managed to cut the tendons in my ring finger right across the knuckle.
Ended up having surgery to repair them and now that finger is very week.
I know you have to take advise from the medical people but I would try to avoid surgery if at all possible.

[grawrc]

Gosh! Poor you. Sounds like you've had a bit of an ordeal. Hope you get a good night's sleep and the soreness gets less.

[ceres]

Poor you!  I do hope the thorns 'dissolve' quickly and don't leave any problems behind.

[asbean]

Poor you, that sounds so painful.  My son (when he was 18) severed the tendon in his ring ringer at a rave (don't ask).  He was in hosp for 3 days, had an op and it didn't fix it. That finger is mis-shapen and he can't bend or straighten it.  I managed to slice my finger and had 11 stitches, luckily just missed the tendon, but have no feeling in the tip.

These things always happen when you're at the end of a job, possibly concentration is less then.  What bad luck.

[betula]

Ouch indeed. :o

Hope it sorts out soon :)

[Vony]

Gawd sounds awful,   I hope it's getting a little better now. ?

[lorna]

Oh EJ reading that made my b-m go cold. Really hope you managed a nights sleep. How is it this morning? Let us know.
Lorna x

[ACE]

You just make sure that tetanus is up to date.

I had to do a risk assesment once on removing a blackthorn hedge. It was pointed out that blackthorn is one of the biggest culprits for lockjaw.

[tonybloke]

I had a thorn in my palm from early july, it came out just B4 christmas!! (loads of washing-up)
To avoid issues with wedding rings, I had mine TATTOOED on!!!![attachment=1]

[hopalong]

Ouch. I was planning to plant a blackthorn hedge for sloe gin.  Might be having second thoughts.

[caroline7758]

Ow! Feeling a bit nauseous after reading that! Hope it doesn't give you too much trouble, EJ.

[thifasmom]

sorry to hear about your ordeal, hope it stops hurting soon and hope the thorns work themselves out quickly, in my experience they can take weeks to months, but normally i get them in places that are not to painful with daily use they normally callus over and fall off in time but in a knuckle joint might be a bit more bothersome I'm sure :-\. goodluck and like i said hope the pain and swelling goes soon.

[RSJK]

Hope it's feeling a bit better now Emma.

[Emagggie]

Aaaggghh...you poor thing EJ. I do hope it's not too painful today. I trust you are tasting the sloe gin before inserting your finger... ;D

[Tin Shed]

Hope your finger is better this morning EJ

[Lauren S]

Hope you get better soon.

[Barnowl]

What bad luck EJ.  Hope it gets better quickly.

[Trevor_D]

Sorry - slow catching up on this one. Made my blood run cold just reading it, so I can imagine what you must have felt like! Poor you.... Hope it's started healing by now.