The axe-ident thread

Well guys thought I'd do an update. Tomorrow will be 6 weeks since the injury. For all intents and purposes I'm all healed up. Still a little ways to go but I can do most anything. I do have scar tissue and nerve damage on my middle finger but whatever. At least I still got it! Haha. It's numb and tapping it feels like I'm whacking it with a screwdriver. Maybe that will go away. I didn't expect to heal this fast! I can say keeping them wrapped and moist really does help the process.
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It's amazing how quickly you get out of shape from inactivity once you hit 40. I lost callus's and hard blisters, my waist increased and I slept too much! Went to hell in a hand basket! Haha.
But I'm back to burning the candle at both ends and got the steady stream of income coming in again. So it's all good! Take care guys! Watch those fingers, hands and eyes!
 
Lookin' good.

About the nerves, they find ways to re-connect. New nerves grow and connect. And here's the funny part. Nerves have different functions. Some feel heat, some feel texture, some feel pressure and others feel pain. My experience has been that as new nerve pathways connect they don't start with such differentiation. They all start with, "Hi, I'm new here. I'll do pain!" They all announce themselves with a temporary sharp pain. But that goes away and after awhile they do differentiate. Just be thankful you can count to ten. I'm grateful that I completed my professional career as a carpenter with all ten fingers still full length. Now they're pushing pencils.
 
Looks like you're over the hump!

I'll echo what was just said about nerves. I tore my left first finger pretty much inside out about 12 years ago, shoeing a rank horse. In the midst of kicking away, he hooked a bent over nail in, and just ripped it right down to the tip. The bone was exposed and the flesh peeled back off it for the last 2 segments.

After orthopedic surgery, which I am now very glad I did, for a couple years it hurt with constant tingling and sharp pain at every touch and temp change. I couldnt bend it as far as before either.

Now, there's a wishbone shaped scar, a dull tingle, and less sensation than the others, but pretty much no pain other than if its really cold and wet. I can feel a small lump of scar tissue in it. It doesnt affect what I want to do in any appreciable way.

Amazing how the body can heal up!
 
Thanks for sharing your experience! That's encouraging! I've already decided that I can easily live with the way it is now. I kinda figured it would improve but now I'm sure of it.
As far as being sore later in life i've broken every finger except one, a couple several times, two toes, my right hand collar bone, right shoulder dislocation, dislocated a rib and bruised two others and the worst one was fracturing the 3rd vertebra in my neck.:confused: Not to mention the sprains, strains and the like from a life of do it first and ask questions later. ;)Haha. I haven't broken anything in awhile though so I've chilled out quite a bit. :thumbsup:
 
Have only read the first page of posts bit I have an axe-ident story too that might help someone not do what I did.
Had some of rounds off a telegraph post that needed splitting into kindling (it's excellent kindling being treated with creosote and the grain is dead straight) at the time I only had one hatchet and it had a broken handle so I was holding my 4lb elwell felling axe right up by the head and using that. I'd done an awful lot of kindling like that so was quite comfortable doing it. Anyway for some reason one of them wasn't cut straight and the piece I'd split wouldn't stand by itself and I was holding it in one hand and trying to get it to stick in the axe... I'd done it a hundred times before...
This time I missed the wood hit my left index finger and cut right down to the bone. Dad drove me to the a+e department of out local hospital and i bled into a bucket all the way there with my finger wrapped in a blood soaked bandage. It had stopped by the time I got there so the bandage was left in the back of the pickup so as not to scare anyone :rolleyes: I was told the usual sit down and wait your turn sir we will be with you shortly. Anyway it started bleeding again and I was making quite a mess :oops: some older gentleman offered me his empty coffee cup to bleed into and as a nurse felt pity on me and I got to jump the queue and go in to be seen right away :D
After cleaning it up the nurse said she could see a little ding mark on the bone. She then tried tickling the end of my finger to see if I could feel anything or if I had nerve damage. My finger still had a numb patch on it that goes from the scar to the tip of the finger on that side :poop:
Moral of the story is don't hold the piece of wood your trying to hit in your hand you stupid **** o_O:oops:
Using a felling axe as a hatchet isn't ideal either
 
Have only read the first page of posts bit I have an axe-ident story too that might help someone not do what I did.
Had some of rounds off a telegraph post that needed splitting into kindling (it's excellent kindling being treated with creosote and the grain is dead straight) at the time I only had one hatchet and it had a broken handle so I was holding my 4lb elwell felling axe right up by the head and using that. I'd done an awful lot of kindling like that so was quite comfortable doing it. Anyway for some reason one of them wasn't cut straight and the piece I'd split wouldn't stand by itself and I was holding it in one hand and trying to get it to stick in the axe... I'd done it a hundred times before...
This time I missed the wood hit my left index finger and cut right down to the bone. Dad drove me to the a+e department of out local hospital and i bled into a bucket all the way there with my finger wrapped in a blood soaked bandage. It had stopped by the time I got there so the bandage was left in the back of the pickup so as not to scare anyone :rolleyes: I was told the usual sit down and wait your turn sir we will be with you shortly. Anyway it started bleeding again and I was making quite a mess :oops: some older gentleman offered me his empty coffee cup to bleed into and as a nurse felt pity on me and I got to jump the queue and go in to be seen right away :D
After cleaning it up the nurse said she could see a little ding mark on the bone. She then tried tickling the end of my finger to see if I could feel anything or if I had nerve damage. My finger still had a numb patch on it that goes from the scar to the tip of the finger on that side :poop:
Moral of the story is don't hold the piece of wood your trying to hit in your hand you stupid **** o_O:oops:
Using a felling axe as a hatchet isn't ideal either
Do you still have the Elwell? :D
 
Was going to PM but everyone should know this-- lion's mane mushroom though sounding like some kinda alternative bogus snake oil has been proven so effective at regenerating nerves not only in the brain but all over that ten times as much research as necessary has been done on it because science just refused to believe a mushroom could be this medicinal.
Host Defense is the brand I trust, I know the mycologists that developed it and he is a true man of science and not a charlatan.
I manage to get stitches at least every year and a half or so and this has helped with old wounds that felt like scar tissue as well as memory and other brain issues. It's usually a good deal at Vitamin Shoppe.
 
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