Should I remove this?

[Cliff Newton]

I was using one of those Powershot staplers with 9/16" staples while trying to hang weather barrier around my house and like a moron shot a staple into my hand. It's one of those staplers that has a handle that depresses forward rather than rearward. I was using it in the rearward position and could not figure out why no staples were coming out because I had just refilled it. I held it in my hand and depressed it and POW right into the palm of my hand. Luckily, I believe it missed the bone. I removed it yesterday by sliding a paperclip under it and lifting up.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

YOW!! That one will leave a mark for some time! DAMHIKT. I guess the old addage of treat every gun as if it were loaded applies here.

Glad to hear that you are all right and that you will heal right up.

[Russell Svenningsen]

Yowza! That's painful!

When I was about 8 years old, my father, who was a contractor was doing some work in our basement. My mother had been after him for a long time to do some construction in the basement. You know how it is, it's the contractor's house that languishes the longest with projects to do. Well, they had a pretty good "row" and my father went to the basement in a huff. He grabbed the Remington shot gun(the kind that shoots nails into concrete, this is not a horror story!), and proceeded to nail down the "Chicago bars"(are they called that anymore?) and frame out a small, curved closet. I went with him to help. He sent me to the shop to get something, and I heard him muttering.....*BANG*.....more muttering.....*BANG*.......louder mumbling....*BANG*..........silence.....then...... ....(*&^#(&^(#(^%......RUSSELL.........come here!

In I went, and found that somehow my father had fired a nail into the concrete, through the metal stud, but that first, somehow, he had nailed the meat near the base of his index finger down as well. It was a clean entry and exit, firmly connecting my father and the basement floor. He calmly told me to get a hammer, and proceeded to pull the nail out, somehow. He didn't even flinch! I have no idea how he nailed his hand down in the first place, he was a careful worker. After he pulled the nail, he wrapped his finger with electrical tape(Ah, the wonders of first aid, Norwegian carpenter-style!), and got back to work. But not before swearing me to secrecy. He finished that closet and two others, drywall and mud, everything but the sanding by about 2:00 in the morning.

My dad's been gone now for almost 10 years, and my mother still has never heard this story. She has no idea what happened, or what the elec. tape on his finger was for.

He was a great man. And tough, with a capital T.

Russell

[Lou Morrissette]

Is that what they did to Kurt Shilling's ankle? Sure looks painful.:eek:

Lou

[Cliff Newton]

Russell, your dad was definitely a tougher guy than me. First thing I did was call my wife and ask her what I should do. I'm still trying to decide if it warrants a tetanus shot. I'm not sure what tetanus is, but I've been told it is not good.




Yowza! That's painful!

When I was about 8 years old, my father, who was a contractor was doing some work in our basement. My mother had been after him for a long time to do some construction in the basement. You know how it is, it's the contractor's house that languishes the longest with projects to do. Well, they had a pretty good "row" and my father went to the basement in a huff. He grabbed the Remington shot gun(the kind that shoots nails into concrete, this is not a horror story!), and proceeded to nail down the "Chicago bars"(are they called that anymore?) and frame out a small, curved closet. I went with him to help. He sent me to the shop to get something, and I heard him muttering.....*BANG*.....more muttering.....*BANG*.......louder mumbling....*BANG*..........silence.....then...... ....(*&^#(&^(#(^%......RUSSELL.........come here!

In I went, and found that somehow my father had fired a nail into the concrete, through the metal stud, but that first, somehow, he had nailed the meat near the base of his index finger down as well. It was a clean entry and exit, firmly connecting my father and the basement floor. He calmly told me to get a hammer, and proceeded to pull the nail out, somehow. He didn't even flinch! I have no idea how he nailed his hand down in the first place, he was a careful worker. After he pulled the nail, he wrapped his finger with electrical tape(Ah, the wonders of first aid, Norwegian carpenter-style!), and got back to work. But not before swearing me to secrecy. He finished that closet and two others, drywall and mud, everything but the sanding by about 2:00 in the morning.

My dad's been gone now for almost 10 years, and my mother still has never heard this story. She has no idea what happened, or what the elec. tape on his finger was for.

He was a great man. And tough, with a capital T.

Russell

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Cliff....as a young man out of high school one of the many jobs I had before getting my draft notice was assembling chair frames in an upholstered chair factory. The first time I had a nose safety on a air-driven stapler stick on and misfire....it just stapled the index finger to the one next to it. Off to the emergency room where a doctor taped my hand to a board...sterilized a pair of needle-nozed pliers and removed the staple. The 2nd time I managed to staple my index finger and the one next to it to a hardwood chair frame when the staple gun bounced and fired a 2nd time. Being an experienced "hand" at this....I took a pair of diagonal cutters...cut the top off the staple...slid my hand free of the frame.

Make sure your tetnus shots are up to date and watch that wound real close. Those "puncture" wounds are hard to clean out and therefore infections are harder to prevent.

[Ed Hardin]

I've told this before but it bears repeating. A contractor in Wiggins, about 40 miles from where I live, was working on a roof, tripped and drove a nail into his heart, ambulance delivered him to Hattiesburg where it was removed, He is doing well. Always treat ANY air nailer, stapler or whatever as you would any loaded weapon. They fire projectiles.

[Darren Ford]

Cliff, hopefully there won't be a next time, but if there is, I would appreciate a gross picture warning in the subject :)

[Russell Svenningsen]

Russell, your dad was definitely a tougher guy than me. First thing I did was call my wife and ask her what I should do. I'm still trying to decide if it warrants a tetanus shot. I'm not sure what tetanus is, but I've been told it is not good.

Cliff, He was a tough fella. Hands covered in callouses, especially the first and second knuckles on his right hand, where he reached into his pouch. I'm a choral conductor and make my living with my hands, so I tend to be very cautious with the power tools. However, if that had happened to me, I doubt I'd be wrapping it in elec. tape.

Funny thing..........my dad's name? Clif Svenningsen. One "f". Nice little coincidence.

[Silas Smith]

I think you should have left it in, chicks dig scars and it makes a great conversation piece when you hit that inevitable ackward phase of introductions. I too am guilty of shooting a brad nail into my finger before I learned that when you use too long of a brad it will follow the grain right into your finger that is holding that piece togeather.

[Frank Bertrand]

bwaahahahahahaha! :D

Should've left it in! You could have used it to attach your key-ring, or to permanently attach a yoyo!

[Tyler Howell]

Go for the drugs dude!:eek:

Puncture wounds are the worst. They take bugs and crud in but there's no way to flush it out. Let's be proactive about this. Get your shots.

[Jerry Olexa]

Shoud've used the stapler like in "Office Space". :D Seriously, glad you're OK. Be careful!

[Peter Gavin]

Get a tetnus shot and have a Dr look at it. My Dr has a policy of giving everyone a tetnus shot every ten years whether they have a puncture wound or not. The risk of tetnus (or any infection) just isn't worth risking.

Peter

[Matt Meiser]

Losing....Lunch.....

[John Longwitz]

...one of the more unpleasant ways to expire.

[Per Swenson]

I showed this thread to my son, (he is 15) With the
hope he would learn a valuable lesson.
His comments, roughly translated. Note, he saw the picture
first before the text.
Whoa dude! You old guys are into piercings too?
Thats way cool, what's he gonna do? Like wear a ring and
and attach a chain?
Rest assured he was corrected.
Maybe we should list the powershot in the tool mistakes
thread. Happy Healing. Feel better.
Per

[Mike Parzych]

I worked my way thru college building and servicing billiard tables. Had a job to set up a snooker table in the rec room of a condo development. It was still being finished on the interior, so just a few workmen around. The other guy working with me went to get us lunch, so I was working alone, covering the table with the cloth.

The cloth is attached to the tables by "spitting tacks" like an upholsterer, to the wood backing on the bottom of the slates. Attach one end, go down to the other and pull the cloth tight, and tack it. I drove a 3/4" tack thru the heel of my hand right into the wood. I had a tack puller, but it was about 10" out of my reach. I waited about 20 minutes for another workmen to come by. He gave me a strange look when Iasked him to hand me the tack puller.....but he did.

[Don Abele]

Cliff, I have seen quite a few of these injuries from those backwards staplers. In your case let me please give you a bit of advise. Most adults in the US have had a tetanus series (usually when we were kids). The recommendation is for a booster shot every 10 years. Common practice is to give a booster shot for any puncture wound if it has been more than 5 years since your last shot. So unless you've gotten a tetanus shot recently, I highly recommend you get one. The total cost for a Dr. visit, including the shot will be a couple hundred. But that's a far less amount than if you wind up with an infection. 9/16 is a big staple and it looks to be about 1/2 inch in. That may not have been deep enough to hit the bone, but there are tendons running down each of your fingers. Puncture one of their sheaths and get an infection in it, and...well, it ain't pretty. Please play this one on the safe side and get a booster.

If you choose not to, here's what to look for: redness, swelling, area hot to the touch, or any drainage. These are all signs of infection.

As for tetanus, well, not very many people die of it today, mainly because of the immunization (IIRC there were less than 50 cases in the US last year). The signs of tetanus usually begin about 7 days after the wound and involve headaches and muscle spams (hence "lock jaw"). Tetanus is the byproduct of a bacteria commonly found in dirt.

OK...that was long-winded and probably more info than you wanted/needed. Here's the bottom line:

Please get checked.

Be well,

Doc

[Brad Smith]

I've seen worse....on my niece....installed intentionally...paid money to have it done.:rolleyes:

[Cliff Newton]

Thanks Don. I have an appointment tomorrow. It is swollen and sore, but not red or oozy.

I was wondering if many other people had shot themselves with these staplers. I still accidentally use it backwards every now and then, but I have ceased pointing it towards myself. :D



Cliff, I have seen quite a few of these injuries from those backwards staplers. In your case let me please give you a bit of advise. Most adults in the US have had a tetanus series (usually when we were kids). The recommendation is for a booster shot every 10 years. Common practice is to give a booster shot for any puncture wound if it has been more than 5 years since your last shot. So unless you've gotten a tetanus shot recently, I highly recommend you get one. The total cost for a Dr. visit, including the shot will be a couple hundred. But that's a far less amount than if you wind up with an infection. 9/16 is a big staple and it looks to be about 1/2 inch in. That may not have been deep enough to hit the bone, but there are tendons running down each of your fingers. Puncture one of their sheaths and get an infection in it, and...well, it ain't pretty. Please play this one on the safe side and get a booster.

If you choose not to, here's what to look for: redness, swelling, area hot to the touch, or any drainage. These are all signs of infection.

As for tetanus, well, not very many people die of it today, mainly because of the immunization (IIRC there were less than 50 cases in the US last year). The signs of tetanus usually begin about 7 days after the wound and involve headaches and muscle spams (hence "lock jaw"). Tetanus is the byproduct of a bacteria commonly found in dirt.

OK...that was long-winded and probably more info than you wanted/needed. Here's the bottom line:

Please get checked.

Be well,

Doc

[Andy Henriksen]

I've only been around here for a few months, but I have to say that you MUST be a true creeker, to have grabbed the dig. camera before removing that thing...

Puncture wounds do stink. In december of 2003, I was loading a sheet of plywood into my wifes Jeep, and got the worse sliver imaginable. The piece of wood was about 1.5- 2" long, maybe 1/4" wide and basically entered my hand deep in the webbing between the thumb and 1st finger. went in about 1/4" deep, returned to the surface about 3/4" away, then plunged back in again. Of course, the splinter itself was splintered, so it didn't come back out clean. But I did my best, and yanked it out. god what pain! The darned thing is, to this day, the wound of course is healed, but there is still a piece of wood in my hand about 1/2" long. The doctor said (months later) it would "dissolve", but it hasn't. I can push on it at one end and see it poke at the skin 1/2" away. Doesn't hurt or anything. Kind of my little parlor trick.

I didn't realize it was there until things were mostly healed, because the scar tissue and inflammation and whatnot hid it.
not sure what compelled me to share that story, but maybe it will make you remember to bring gloves to the lumber yard.