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This happened around September last year. I was cutting a hedge with an electric hedge trimmer (the kind with the serrated zigzag blades) for my mum, and somehow (I'm still not really sure exactly how) I managed to get the index and middle finger of my left hand into the fast moving blades. In retrospect I was lucky not to lose the entire end section of the index finger. I immediately dropped the hedge trimmer and swore profusely. I was surprised that I stayed so calm, even though it hurt like, uh, having your fingers ripped open.

Anyway, I headed back up to the house and met my mum on the way. I think she was a lot more shocked than I was. I washed the wound in some water, and was then able to get a clean look at the wound. It wasn't a clean cut like what you'd get from a knife; the flesh had basically been ripped up. It was quite a mess, and so we decided it was time for a trip to the local A&E. After what seemed like a very long wait, I got to see a nurse, who had a look at the wound and cleaned it up a little bit. Then after another wait, I actually got to see a doctor. He had a good look and cleaned it up thoroughly by actually sticking his finger inside my finger, which was quite a strange sensation to say the least (This was thankfully after a local anaesthetic). Then I had an X-ray, and it turned out that I had taken a chunk out of the bone on my index finger, and cut the tendon almost right through. The tendon on the middle finger was also cut, but not as bad. To get this fixed was going to be a fairly specialised thing, and they decided that I needed to go to London to see a specialist, and so without any stitches, just a bit of bandage, they sent me on my way.

I had to wait a few days before they could fit me in at the London specialist. The chap who fixed up my fingers was a nice bloke, but he didn't seem to be able to get the anaesthetic to work. He did a few injections to start with, and then got on with prodding about inside my fingers, but I could still feel what was going on quite well. So in went a few more injections.but I could still feel everything. So, in went more anaesthetic. By this stage, my hand was starting to inflate due to all the extra liquid being pumped into it. Finally the stuff started working and he was able to repair the damage. It actually hurt a lot more after the operation had been done than it did when I first did it. I also had to wear a splint on my hand and wrist for a few months, to let the tendons heal.

I now have full movement and strength back in the two chopped fingers, although the nerve endings never fully repaired themselves and so it does feel a bit strange sometimes. The scars aren't that visible either, my compliments to the surgeon.

The moral to this story is: Always wear protective gloves when doing any kind of gardening work that involves sharp stuff.

Regards

M@

P.S. Good site man, I'm sure it'll end up with a mini-cult status. Also, feel free to edit my ramblings, I got a bit carried away ¦)

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ED: Mini-cult status? No, No, No, we want to be bigger than that. We want groups of people to dress up, get together and look at the website every Friday at Midnight on a data projector. People would be showing up with hedge trimmers and huge splints, emulating their favorite wound on the site, re-reading each wound out loud, inserting their own comments to the monologues. I can see it now. Well, that's the long term goal anyway.

Now, back to you. I think your Mom was more shocked than you because she probably didn't know you knew some of the words you were saying. It seems very odd that you had to wait DAYS before you could get this fixed. I don't know anything about shredded flesh (well, except for pork, mmmm...pork) or medicine in general (well except for beer, mmmm...beer), but seems like you'd like to fix something like that as soon as possible. If any doctors want to comment on that in the comment board for this wound, feel free. Anyone can comment, but don't pretend to be a doctor just to try to get some poor guy to give himself a hernia check. There are already chat rooms out there for that. So for dispensing voodoo on the comment boards, real doctors only please (or healing preachers). In fact, include your UPIN number (or your country's equivalent).

I would say the best side effect of this injury is that you'll never get asked to do yard work again. Now all your chores will be indoors. Don't worry, I'm sure you can find a way to injure yourself with the vacuum cleaner to get you out of that, too. And a bottle of bleach will get you off laundry duty before you know it.

Photos:
Stitches- from an edge trimmer bite
Splint- La-Z-boy for your hand