I did a very very stupid thing. It’s karma really. What goes around comes around…
I once went to a Pampered Chef party where we had to prepare foods using some of the tools sold by Pampered Chef. One of those tools was the Mandoline Slicer. This is a great kitchen tool when used properly. Just minutes into the use of these tools I watched a woman cut part of her finger off with the Mandoline Slicer. They had to rush her to the minor emergency. I said “Wow, how on earth could she have done that“, pretty much implying that nothing like that could ever happen to me. I may have said a few other things too…
HA!
So I have this Mandoline Slicer that I got not too long ago and I love it! I use it all the time to prepare my raw meals. It is such a time saver. Yesterday was my Raw Foods Meetup, so I was preparing a dish to take.
A dish with a little raw flesh and fingernail.
Yup, turns out something like that would happen to me and it most certainly did! Karma for me talking crap. I had this brilliant idea that I could cut asparagus. I would just hold the stalk and slice it down as far as I could. I didn’t count on that stalk bending and throwing my finger through the slicer. Not once, but twice before I even realized what had happened.
The blood…oh lord the blood! I was dizzy, I was nauseous. How come no one was calling 911?? Then came the pain! Now lucky me, having RSD means that I not only had pain in that finger, but pain pretty much everywhere. Intense pain. All the rest of my fingers felt like someone had taken a hammer to them. It was nerve/brain confused pain party!
Jeremy just so happened to be 2 hours away in the middle of a lake. I had the truck, but there was no way I could drive because I was losing quite a bit of blood and had to keep pressure on. Thankfully my daughter Morgan kept her cool. She called the J-man’s granny and told her that I needed to go to the hospital because I had cut my finger off. Ha! So here she comes to take me to the hospital thinking I had cut the whole darn thing off. Poor woman was covered head to toe in paint. I guess we caught her at a bad time.
We went to the same ER that kicked me to the curb when I was dying. I know, stupid move. They get us back there and I am still bleeding, but the gauze I was holding is sticking to where my fingertip and nail used to be. The nurse starts to pull it off and every pain sensor in my body went into total overload and I grabbed that woman. Yes, I put my hand on her and prevented her from doing it anymore. It hurt so so bad. She didn’t care. Not one bit. Jeremy’s granny asked them several times if they were going to give me anything for pain. We told them I had RSD. They didn’t care.
She tore it off and I cried. I couldn’t help it. I had blood on my hands, my face and smeared across my eyes…
It kept bleeding, she gave me a huge stack of gauze that I soaked through in less than a few minutes. Finally another nurse came in and applied some special thing to make it clot and immediately wrapped it all up. They gave me one Hydro-codone a Tetanus shot and sent me on my way. You would think they could have written me a script for a few to get me through until my doctors appointment on Tuesday. They could have, but they didn’t.
I think when people hear that you have a chronic pain condition that they automatically think you are a pill seeker. Funny thing is, I could have been on pills for years, but I refused them. Now I am to the point where I need them some days, but don’t have them because I have been waiting to get into to see the doctor that took over my doctors practice.
Thankfully my appointment is tomorrow. The contraption on my finger is supposed to be taken off tomorrow as well. I’m going to see if they will do it while I am there at the office. I’m scared. I don’t want to see the deformity right now. I don’t want it to bleed again.
I didn’t sleep last night. The pain is out of control. My entire arm is a throbbing mess. It sucks.
Lesson to be learned: Don’t be stupid and don’t talk smack!
Girl on Fire
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Oh my gosh…that is awful!! And they should have given you a prescription…that is just ridiculous. It’s not like you intentionally cut your finger for pills…duh!
I hope it looks better than you expect when they remove the contraption, and I hope the pain stops soon HUGS
It’s crazy, no one wants to help. I’m saving my pennies to go to the Neurologist. I have got to get in and get something to make things better.
Youch!! I’m cringing!! I have cut myself on one of those things but not near as bad as you. I haven’t touched it since, I’m scared of it!!
I can’t believe that hospital. I hope it goes well for you at the doctor tomorrow. HUGS!
Things with the new doctor didn’t go so well. She is questioning my diagnoses, but at the same time spouting off untrue facts about RSD. I don’t think she knows much about it. Today was definitely a wasted visit.
Omg. I wish I could help you. How’s the finger, though?
Mandolins are not to be trifled with.
You got that right! I will respect the power from now on!
I did the same thing but I was 13 and babysitting my cousins at the time. I called everyone but 911 and couldn’t get anyone on the phone. So I started going from neighbors house to neighbors house with a whole roll of paper towels on my hand.
I tried cutting a block of cheese without the guard. 🙁 I had a male nurse who was super cute so that made it easier. LOL
When we got back to the house I had left part of my thumb on the counter and blood all over the telephone. haha
Still have a nice scar and lopsided thumb.
I can’t believe you didn’t get pain meds!! Crazy!!!
EEEEK! That’s horrible! Your poor thumb!
Just sliced two fingers with a new mandolin. So dumb the warnings are everywhere but I thought the cucumber was so long I would wait to add the guard. So much regret. 5 hours of blood pouring out I’d I didn’t squeeze it. Fi ally went to doc and they cauterized it. When will the throbbing stop? On day 5 of pain.
HUGS BRANDY!!!!!!! <3
As I sit here wtih Sponge Bob on and he says " and i call this thing the slice and dice!"
I hope you feel better today, and i hope your Dr gives you some good drugs at your appt! <3
Yes, definitely some slicing!
oh no. My husband sliced his finger off with a mandolin a number of years ago. You are right oh the blood. OMG so much blood. I didn’t have enough gauze so I took him to the drug store with me and made him sit in the car while I bought them out and then taped him up in the car.
The end of that finger is now flat but it works. He still uses that same Mandolin.
How did you get your finger in the Pampered Chef one? We have that and it has an extra guard on it so you can’t slice fingers. I won’t use either mandolin because they scare me.
Mine isn’t the pampered chef one. Mine does have the guard that holds the food, but I had the bright idea that I could hold a stalk of asparagus and slice it. Stupid move on my part 🙁 Good news though! I took the bandage off today, which SUCKED it was all stuck in there and in the nail bed all dried. EW! BUT it is not as bad as I thought. Still got the tip and a good bit of my nail it gone!
Oh, oh, oh…I could feel your pain while reading this.
LOL me too…haha!
Oh my goodness! Ouch!! You know, I wish that people in the healthcare industry actually cared about the people they are “caring” for. I know many of them do and much of the problem is just “red tape” bureaucratic mumbo jumbo…but geez. I hope your finger gets better soon!!
This is the same ER that told me I had a tumor and then kicked me to the curb. The next hospital was shocked and could not believe that this hospital had discharged me. I needed emergency surgery because I had a 10 1/2 lb tumor that was killing me. They suck…
I am so so so sorry Brandi!! *HUG* I hope it’s not going to be bleeding when it gets taken off!!
It didn’t bleed when I took it off today, but it sure did hurt!
So happy that it didn’t bleed! Sorry it hurt though. 🙁
OUCHIE! Funny thing is, I want a mandolin slicer badly. With my Ulnar Neuritis, I can’t do the fine motor skills need to slice and dice with a knife. My hands cramp up too severely.
Let me know how your appointment goes. I hope you get your pain meds. And OMFG can you please make a complaint about that damn ER? They should not be allowed to treat people that way…insurance or not.
Unfortunately, once Obama’s Healthcare bill goes into full effect, that’s what’s going to happen to ALL hospitals, Er’s and doctors offices. Sad, isn’t it?
No pain meds 🙁 I just need to get to the Neuro as fast as I can. That is who needs to be treating me.
I will still use my Mandolin, I love it! I was the one that made a stupid move with it haha!
No pain meds? WTF??? Well did you at least get a diagnosis you can take to Social Security?
And you found a Neuro that will take self-pay?
I gotta say, I’m NEVER squeemish about blood, cuts anything like that but your description just made my whole body wriggle away from the computer screen. I sure hope they get you fixed up because that sounds painful as hell!
I think everything with Fingertips is more painful. It really did hurt and it bled a whole lot! But I am doing much better today! Thanks!!!
Holy cow, Brandy. I’m so sorry!!!!
Oh my – you poor dear! I have so little respect for the medical community as a whole already, but how you were treated upsets me all the more. They should be ashamed of themselves!
Oh man that sucks! Can you go to a walk-in clinic and see if they will give you a prescription? Pill seeker…yeah. I’m so desperate for drugs I sliced my finger to trick the medical professionals.
Yikes! Mandolins scare me although I use mine all the time. Hope you feel better soon and heal quickly.
I just did this. Exactly. It’s been two weeks and the pain is still pretty bad. How long before your nail grew back?
It grew back eventually….I still have pain (but I also have RSD). The chunk that was cut away also filled in, but it is weird looking. I hope you feel better soon!
Ok, I couldn’t read the whole thing. I skimmed, though! I PURPOSEFULLY bought a mandolin slicer when a “shield” that you “hold” your veggies with so this DOESN’T happen. I am and IDIOT. How long should I expect the pain to last?!