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Sat Mar 01, 2008 7:30 pm

I'm sure everyone has a tale about doing "Field Repairs" on injuries to themselves in the workshop, or other ways to skip a trip to the ER.
Tonite I was working on a project and cut the back of my hand- nothing bad, it just kept bleeding on the project I was working on and pissing me off. A hunk of duct tape slapped over it kept the blood from dripping until I could finish my work and properly bandage it up.
And last Spring I was cutting something with a #11 Exacto blade and slipped, and sliced my left index finger to the bone. I ended up using my Good hand to snap a Popsicle stick to the right size for a splint, and sanded it smooth. I taped it to the underside of my cut finger to keep my finger from flexing, and to keep the wound closed, then went about cleaning it, applying antibiotics, and changing the dressings every day for about 3 weeks. The sucker healed GREAT! Ya can hardly see the scar!
I show that to my wife on occasion and say, "Remember when you wanted me to pay a DOCTOR to fix this???". :wink:

Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:17 pm

Moderator note:
Please restrict responses to mature replies.

Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:22 pm

Two words: Super Glue. It's all you'll ever need to hold all but the nastiest cuts closed.

Sat Mar 01, 2008 11:09 pm

Lidpainter wrote: Two words: Super Glue. It's all you'll ever need to hold all but the nastiest cuts closed.

Amen, Lidpainter! I sliced a finger down to the bone for nearly 4 inches with a utility knife cutting drywall. It should have had at least 8 stitches. Super Glue Gel to hold it together, taped it to the next finger to keep it straight and went right back to work. Great Stuff!! :)

Sat Mar 01, 2008 11:42 pm

stymie wrote: Lidpainter wrote: Two words: Super Glue. It's all you'll ever need to hold all but the nastiest cuts closed.

Amen, Lidpainter! I sliced a finger down to the bone for nearly 4 inches with a utility knife cutting drywall. It should have had at least 8 stitches. Super Glue Gel to hold it together, taped it to the next finger to keep it straight and went right back to work. Great Stuff!! :)

The key is to seal up the leak. You go to the doctor when your run out of Bars Leak.

Sat Mar 01, 2008 11:43 pm

Super glue was originaly used in open heart surgery to keep the grafts sealed and keep them from bleeding. And yes we still use it today with a different name.

Super glue is a great fix, burns a little but it works fine.

Worst one I ever did was collapse a folding pocket knife on my finger when I was about 10. Didn't want to tell mom so I wrapped it with duck tape and went on my way. Still have the scar and a little numbness.

Sat Mar 01, 2008 11:44 pm

Broke toes too many times to count on Tatami mats. Straighten them if possible, tape it(or them) to the next ones and continue on. It was a real thrill to reinjure the same ones two or so days later, but I guess that was half the fun.

Sun Mar 02, 2008 6:36 am

I like super glue too. Does anybody else have the skin on their fingertips and thumbs just crack open in the winter time? I think it's from a combo of wearing leather work gloves and road salt that does it. Original Super Glue, The thin runny stuff works for me, it will run into the cut/crack and seal it right up. I tried the gel and it just sits on the surface of the skin, it won't run into the cracks and seal the.

Bill

Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:12 am

I tore a piece of skin (about half the size of a dime) on my middle finger while installing an engine in my Beetle. I washed it, put a bandaid on it, then taped a plastic finger cut from a glove onto the finger. We finished the install without getting blood on everything. Two days later it was still bleeding. The surgeon congratulated me on the repair and finished sealing the wound. The skin re-attached itself, leaving a small "C" scar on the knuckle.

Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:38 am

I'll spare the gory details of home-doctorin' on my ingrown toenail, but suffice to say it involved a modeler's X-Acto saw, a #11 X-Acto knife, tweezers, and liberal amounts of "Liquid Pain Killer" applied internally. :shock: It wasn't Pretty!

Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:45 am

A few years ago when I hiked the Grand Canyon with a couple of my brothers-in-law, one of them, who happens to be a medical doctor, took his "field medical kit" with him just in case we had anything go wrong. It consisted of a bottle of ibuprofen, a bottle of super glue and a roll of duct tape. He said those three things were all you needed in an emergency. Luckily we didn't need to find out if he was right.

Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:55 am

Duct tape is for sucking chest wounds! Gotta seal them uBill

Sun Mar 02, 2008 8:41 am

Duct tape was developed as a military field dressing that could be used even when it was raining. At least that's what I read somewhere.

Sun Mar 02, 2008 8:55 am

zozo wrote: Duct tape was developed as a military field dressing that could be used even when it was raining. At least that's what I read somewhere.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape

Sun Mar 02, 2008 9:27 am

as usual, wikipedia is wrong.

http://www.soak.com/topic/hardware/article/tshow/45749/duct+tape+makes+the+world+go+round

Sun Mar 02, 2008 9:35 am

bljones wrote: as usual, wikipedia is wrong.

http://www.soak.com/topic/hardware/article/tshow/45749/duct+tape+makes+the+world+go+round

Quote:
Beauty pageant contestants use it for that "perky" body shape.

Huh? Details?

Sun Mar 02, 2008 10:19 am

I have a "ganglion cyst" on the top of one foot. It's not painful at all. I went to a doctor, then podiatrist who punctured it and pressed out clear gel, then gave me a cortisone shot. That was about $35 with two deductibles, but when it returned within a year I went back but it cost me over $200 out of pocket because of different medical insurance. So I've done it since about three times, just wipe with alcohol, pierce with sterile needle (it's easy about the size of a junior Tootsie Roll, hard not to puncture), and squeeze out the "gel". I don't like doctors, especially medical insurances.

Sun Mar 02, 2008 10:27 am

Go see "No Country for Old Men"......they got some great tips in that movie!

Sun Mar 02, 2008 10:45 am

Neither of those duct tape origins are correct.

Duct tape was made originally to seal up ammunition cans to keep it dry. I know this, we used it a lot. :wink:

http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/ducttape.htm

Sun Mar 02, 2008 10:51 am

Had a tooth absess while one travel. Woke up in the hotel with golfball sized swelling just above my mouth next to my nose that hurt like a SOB.

Soaked a washcloth in hot water, used some dental floss inbetween the offending teeth. Put the wash cloth in my mouth then pressed down my face until the swelling was gone.

You don't want to know what the washcloth looked like when I was done.

I don't recommend this procedure for the squeamish or weak. It was easily the worse pain I have ever felt.

Flew home that day, had a root canal the next week. The root canal was like sex compared to "reducing" the swelling.