Smashed my thumb with a hammer, gonna lose the nail, but for now its just hanging there.
Any suggestions on what to use for some protection while I wait for it to fall off and then heal? I keep catching the loose nail on things.
Ideal would be a “glove” for the thumb only with some sort of velcro strap.
Have checked surgical pharmacies etc. with no luck
(actually, the worst part was about 5 days after I did it, i had it wrapped up in tape and was using my drill to run in some 3″ screws. Steadying the chuck end in one hand (the injured hand) ,caught the tape in the chuck and RIPPED all the tape off my finger. OUCH!!!!!XXXXXX. Then went back and taped it all up again, went back and ripped it all off AGAIN!!. Talk about stupid!!!)
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Trojan extra heavy duty?
finger size of course...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
"Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints"
Ribbed for extra traction.
or dimpled...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
"Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints"
lol !!!!!!!! Get the lubricated one so it won't hurt.
Finger cot, like they used in the army. You can get them at a drug store (and some sewing stores have them).
Had the same problem many years ago; got a big toenail caught on a fastener when I was hopping out of my jeep. The nail was half on, half off. The corpman told me to lie back, he was going to anesthetize the area locally. After I lay back, he whipped around with a pair of surgical pliers and yanked it off. After I got down from the ceiling, I wanted to go after the schmuck, but I could barely hobble, and he was no where in sight. They sent some female corpsman in to bandage it.
Sooo, suck it up and have someone you hate pull it off for you.
Good luck. I feel your pain, and you could use some serious pain killers right about now, I think.
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.
Pull it off.
I know a guy who has to pull his big toenail off every year. The first year, he iced it and slammed it with a hammer LOL. The next year, he just used ice and vicegrips.
Oh, that's cold! I've done some bad things to my fingers, but my understanding is that pulling off fingernails is something you leave to medieval torturers.
Like Dan said. Go into the kitchen of any restaurant and at least one of the cooks will be wearing a cot.
Depending upon how swollen it is, I'd go get a large pair of Garden Gloves (a spandex glove dipped in nitrile) from Lowes. It'll be black and very stretchable. About $4.76. Once you get your thumb in, keep it there. If you need more protection for the rest of the hand, go get a weightlifters glove (without fingers and has a velcro strap) at the Sports Authority.
What about taking a cheap cotton glove and cutting off all the finger ends except the thumb? I do similar in the winter when I want to keep my hands somewhat warm but need my fingers to manipulate stuff.
You can get special band-aids for finger ends - looks like a square with 4 little tabs at the corners. Stay on pretty well. Combination of that plus a glove, perhaps?
Get well soon.
I've seen guys hitting it for like three weeks running. Amazing what colors your body can turn.
You have to laugh cause it hurts so much.
Will Rogers
Years ago I've seen bandages for sale for such things. The bandage was a hollow tube of fabric about the size of a finger in diameter. The bandage came with a metal tool for applying it. To apply, the tube was cut to a little over twice the length of the finger, and slipped over the tube. The tool was placed over the finger. Then, holding one end of the tube to the base of the finger, the tool was withdrawn to just the end of the finger. Then the tool was turned, twisting the tube closed at the end of the finger. Then the tool was pushed back on the finger, applying the other half of the bandage inside out on top of the first half. Then the tool was withdrawn and the bandage taped to the base of the finger. The bandage sealed the entire finger.
Sorry for the long explanation. I hope they still sell these bandages.
These aren't what I was talking about, but apparently there are many kinds.
http://www.healthaccessories.com/splints/finger_protectors.htm
I smashed my big toenail by dropping a rock on it. The doctor saved the toenail by drilling a hole in it to let the blood out. The drill was a red hot needle. It looked ugly for a couple of months as it grew out, but saved me the pain and suffering of losing it entirely.
No need to go to the doc. You can use a paper clip heated on a stove element. It smells and sometimes stuff shoots up quite a long way, but it sure feels better afterwards doesn't it?
I'm surprised Festool doesn't have a nail drilling blade.
Removal? Why you use a nail-puller of course!
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Afterwards you could leave it on your desk. I bet that would make clients sharpen their decision making skills during design meetings.
Less traumatic is a plain old drill bit, in a fine size, held in the fingers or in a pin vice.
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
There is a hard plastic splint made for such a thing. It's called a Stack splint and fits over the distal part of your finger. I have them in the ED. I don't know where you'd get one without going to the ED, and frankly that would be an expensive waste of your time. Occlusive, non absorbtive dressings might make your nail bed a gooey infected mess if you wore it too long.
I could mail you one of the splints, but I would need to know the right size and by the time we got around to it, the problem would be over.
BTW, the hot paper clip method is not as traumatic as the drilling method.
Put gauze on top of the nail so the tape won't stick to it. Then wrap thumb and gauze with tape or cloth bandaid. EASY! Might want to squirt some antibiotic ointment on your thumb as well, for germs and to further make the gauze or tape not stick to the nail and rip it again.
Jeannie
Head down to a nail salon and have them apply a fake nail over the top?
I used to have a little leather guard to keep me from sucking my thumb--probably too small, but you could probably make something out of a strip of leather--old leather belt or something.
spark plug socket or heat shrink tube.
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How's he get the heat to the shrink tube?
Is a propane torch OK?
rose bud....
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
"Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints"
Stick it in the microwave.
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz