My burly manly muscular husband is the biggest baby on earth when it comes to anything medical. Today he nearly lost his thumb on a chop saw like the one pictured and I had to drag his chicken-Italian butt to the doctor.He sneaks into the house about 6pm and heads for the bathroom. There I find him rinsing his hands, and his thumb is wrapped in kleenex and duct tape. Then I see the other cuts and blood on his fingers.
"Let me see it!" I demanded. "It's nothing" he answers. I put my foot down, and find a giant ugly gaping slash through the bed of his thumb nail. Obviously a dangerous wound. The wood he was holding had jumped and put his thumb right under the spinning blade.
If you've ever looked at power saw blade edges, you know that the teeth alternate directions, to the left and right. So this thing had ripped a valley through his thumb at 4:30 that afternoon! I took him straight to the doctor. There isn't enough flesh left to stitch together, but they cleaned it out, bound it up, gave him a tetanus shot, told us he'd likely lose the thumbnail, and to watch for infection and come back next week to check the scarring.
He also told Johnny C that bandages were very likely to get caught in power tools, and to stay away from them until the bandages come off next week. Do you think he'll listen??
If I hadn't been home, he would have left the kleenex and duct tape on it! I know because he's done it before. At home I asked if it hurt, and did he want some Motrin? His answer was "No, I took a Vitamin C". I'm telling you - a giant, hairy 4-year old. Who's digits I would rather remain attached.
