I Fought the Saw and the Saw Won...

with apologies to the Robert Fuller song 'I Fought the Law'.

I was making a barred owl nest box on Sunday December 13th. ML was in the garage with me assisting as I used a table saw to cut a 12x6x1 board. My left hand made contact wth the saw blade. We grabbed a dish towel and ML drove to the ER, only 4 minutes away.

I cut all 4 fingers except the pinky of my left hand. Yes I am a lefty! I was in the ER for 9 hours. I have gruesome pics but will only show the x-ray,


The purple marks are where the bone was cut or crushed. Serious complications besides the tissue, tendon and nerve damage.

I had emergency surgery just to hold every thing together and staunch the blood flow. That took 2 plus hours.

On Monday we travelled downstate to see a hand orthopaedic surgeon. He immediately scheduled  surgery for Tuesday.
Fortunately our daughter lives down there so we stayed with her family.

Tuesday's surgery took almost 4 hours. While I was recovering ML had a second cataract surgery done. This is the two of us resting.



Amy and her young man were a Godsend with all of their care and help.

We came home last Friday. Being one handed is an experience. ML is great. Not only her help but her patience in me as I deal with frustration. Simple things like buckling a belt or opening the toothpaste can be impossible.

[font=helvetica]I had my post surgery follow up yesterday. It went well.  They cut off the cast, removed the gauze and tape and took x-rays. [/font]
 
[font=helvetica]During the second surgery he put pins in 3 of my fingers. These are to hold the repaired tendons. The index finger required more work. He drilled a hole the length of the fingertip bone, ran the pin and thread through that and needed a button to anchor it all. Yes I have a button sewed to the finger tip.  [/font]
 
[font=helvetica]In 5 weeks I will have a third surgery to remove the pins, button and sutures. Hopefully they will have done their job and my tendons will be attached to bones. A 4th surgery is a very real possibility.  The doc told ML that in a year I will have an operable hand. Not the hand I had pre sawblade but one that works.[/font]


[font=helvetica][font=helvetica]All in all I have the best outcome for my boneheaded move - I have all 5 digits and they are all the original length!![/font][/font]

[font=helvetica]ML's cataract and lense replacement went stellar. Pre operation with no correction her one eye was 20/300 (yes 300) and the other was 20/85. Now both are 20/20! Amazing. For the first time since she was 7 she does not need glasses. Just amazing. Her night vision is great as well.[/font]

Turning out to be a lovely Christmas after all.

Oh man Phil, I'm glad you're ok.  That table saw can be a nasty customer.  I hope your surgery and rehab goes well and you get to have fully functional fingers on that left hand.  In the meantime you get to practice all those great life skills with your non-dominant hand!  Thats great for your brain apparently.  I've had three major shoulder surgeries with long sling time following so I'm familiar with all the little day to day things we two handed people take for granted, buttons, zippers, laces, flossing, dressing, driving, wiping your butt (sorry), cracking an egg, writing and yes, shaving.  I grew a beard.

Heres a website of a company that makes a table saw safety system that makes it impossible to seriously injure your fingers/hands.  The technology works.  I know its closing the barn door after the horse got out but its something to consider for the future.

https://www.sawstop.ca/support/faqs/#

Speedy recovery

Phil, please, just heal ASAP! I think most of us, at one time or another, make mistakes. Some have much worse consequences than yours so thank goodness the prognosis is decent even if recovery will be long. My thoughts are with Mary Lou and you.

Oh no !!!!!!!!!! Not your shaving hand !!!!! All kidding aside, I'm glad you are all well and healing . Best wishes for a complete recovery

That's a bad deal but thank goodness for modern medicine and surgeons. 
   I hope that comes out terrific for you.
  Are you shaving with the right hand and have you learned any tricks and tips while shaving with the non-dominant hand?

Yikes! An accident with a table saw is never a good thing. I always lock the shop door when I operate equipment.

I hope you wind up with far more use of the fingers than predicted.

Yikes! I'm so sorry Phil. Best of luck to you for the speediest and most thorough healing possible - and then some!

dang...best wishes and speedy recovery, Phil.

Sorry to hear - at least you can walk this time

Ouch! Here's wishing you a speedy recovery.