Last August I was out scouting for places to put deer stands. I was crossing a field when I felt a sudden jolt of pain in my right hand. I looked down and saw blood just pouring from my right thumb and thought "what the heck?" It was one of those long and sharp black thistles that are tough and don't bend. I tried to pull it straight out but the tip broke off and when I later examined it at home the cut had sealed over with the tip of the thistle under my skin.

Well, a couple of weeks later I got brave and decided that, rather than go to the doctor and fork over $100 for my annual deductible, I was going to remove that little bugger myself. I took a carbon steel surgical blade (I work at a hospital), had two drinks, put a little lidocaine on my thumb and got the towels ready. I'm right handed, so it was bad enough working with only one hand but having to use my off hand made it worse. Making the cut was easy; a scalpel opens the skin like butter. Then the blood came, which at first didn't bother me due to the drinks. The problem was it bled so bad I couldn't see to find the thistle. I'd wipe it off with a towel, spread the cut open and by that time it filled up again. This went on for a few minutes and then the wooziness set in. The sight of so much of my own blood on the towels threw me into shock and I knew I was in danger of passing out. Anyone else's blood is fine but not my own. I kept digging but I ran out of time and had to lay down with my legs up on the counter to get blood to my head. Didn't pass out but my mission to remove the little bastard failed.

So, it's 3 1/2 months later and it's still under there. I'm surprised my body hasn't rejected it. What do you guys think I should do? Get some more Whiskey and have a friend try and remove it or break down and go to the doc? Keep in mind that it's buried near the bone but I can turn my head away and for $100 I can get 5 used 30 rounders.

[b]Update! An hour ago I was looking at my thumb and saw something black near the cuticle. I got scared from all the posts about infections and thought this might be some infectious pus or something. I grabbed a sewing machine needle and slid it under the cuticle to see what it was. It was the thistle working itself out as my thumbnail grew! I got some tweezers and pulled that sucker right out. It hurt worse then the scalpel episode but then I haven't had anything to drink tonight (yet). Saved $100! ha ha ha![/b] [BD]

If it is that deep go to Doc and save up for more Mags, at least you will have a thumb to help load the Mags when you get them.

Reminds me of a similar episode a few years ago where I had to remove a buckbrush thorn that embedded itself in my hand (I had been hiking in the snow, tripped, put my hand down to break the fall, hand went through the snow and right down onto the thorn, which broke off in my palm).  I Held a snowball in my hand for about 10 mins to numb the area, then dug in with my knife to get the thorn out.  Didn't take too long and didn't hurt at all because of the numbness.  It also hardly bled at all.  I'd recommend going to the doc to get it out if it's in that deep.  

Get your ass to the doctor.  

Yes you should go to the doctor.

At least you didn't nearly bleed to death from opening a package of tube socks though.

Oh yeah. This'll be good [:D]


Oh BEAUTIFUL!
Two drinks and you're using your off hand too? Why don't you just put a blindfold on as well![:D]


Okay, good.
So far your plan is working splendidly!


Oops!
Um... did ya try more alcohol?
Sometimes that'll sharpen your vision.  


Uh-oh. So.... right about now you're thinking "Gee, I wish I had a Plan B" right? [>:/]


Uh... Houston, we have a problem. [:X*]


MADAY-MADAY!!! ABORT THE MISSION. ABORT THE MISSION!! [:O]


Arrgh!! That's the SPIRIT!!![;D]


Awwww... and it seemed like such a GOOD plan too! [:D]


[John Candy as Dewey Oxburger voice]

"If it were ME, I'd bet it all. But that's me - I'm a gambler."

[/John Candy as Dewey Oxburger voice]


Turn your head away?
Ah, see that's all your original plan was missing - a blindfold! [:D]

ROTFLMAO [:D]
Ah Macallan, I have to admit I was asking for it with this one. Two drinks and a scalpel; need to make sure the brain is engaged before handling dangerous items! [:D]

I accept no responsibility if you try this.  Do not try this yourself.  But here's what I would do.
1.  Get a Penrose drain and use it as a tourniquet for your thumb.  Or a wide rubber band.
2.  Or get some injectable lido w/epi.  Yeah I know: ears, nose, fingers, toes and penis.  But I would use just a little.  Plus it's me, not you.
3.  Drink more alcohol.

Maybe you should change your nickname to Ventilated

Charlie

Id' have a Doctor do it.
In Medic School (military) they showed us pictures of a guy that almost list his arm up to the elbow from an infection due to a thorn in his hand (like you described).

It was gross.  His whole hand was black and mostly dead, and the only thing that saved him was oxygen theropy.  they would place him into a pressurized room with pure oxygen for an hour a day.


BISHOP

The_Macallan, you crack me up!

I had a similiar experience.  Running down an embankment drunk and the brush had been recently cut.  Got a branch about 3-4mm thick went into my calf.  I thought it was just a jab, but two weeks later it was still hurting pretty bad, swelling up, etc.  I got a needlenose pliers and sat down.  Oh lookit that, that's a branch!  I couldn't get it out, it hurt too much (I was sober) so I made my then girlfriend yank it out.  It was probably about 1/2" long too.  Ouch!

You work at a hospital and cant find a intern to help ya out for a 12 pack  $7.55

ROTFLMAO!!!!........Oh, holy shit, that was funny! [b]The_Macallan[/b] comes through once again..........

Before you got to a doctor you need to try the procedure again. This time with [b]pics[/b]! That way if it is unsuccessful again we will be better able to instruct you on your next decision.

Don't forget the PICS!!!

Dude, you are getting way to modern with your removal method.

Just smack your hand 20 or 30 times with a really big hammer. Then pee on it (your hand, not the hammer).



...wait, maybe that's for sea urchin spines.
Oh well, how different could it be?

For the next attempt, don't forget that you, sir, are a member of AR15.com, and therefore a dremel tool will have to come into play.

hey, don't knock it; a dremel tool with a wire brush attachment works wonders on "recluse" bites.

Ven...
You really ought to have it checked.


tc6969, I know what you mean about that itching!

MM419

Is that you ComputerGuy?

We had a guy in the army who lost half his hand (two fingers and change) from a splinter he got climbing a fence.  He left it in, figuring it would eventually work its way out. Bad move.

Definitely go see a doctor.

I actually likeded your plan - except for the TWO DRINKS part - that's definitely where things started to go downhill.  I completely sympathise with wanting to try it yourself before seeing the doctor.

Have some compassion for the brother and give him some credit for a do-it-yourself attitude!

[:D]

btt!

Definitely need antibiotics.  Then intern suggestion is a good.  We were always willing to experiement on people!  But you need that sucker out before it festers and they have to cout off your entire arm.  Its amazing how it will heal once the foreign body is removed.

I cut a catfish fin out of my foot in my senior year of highschool. It had been in for 2 years. I used my deer butchering Case folder to remove a fin that measured 5/8" long. Nasty.

I was a dumb kid though.

ROTFLMAO!

God I love this place!!!
Sorry about your pain, Venerated, but you'd have to experience my day today to understand why this is so damn funny!

Glad you're okay, though.

I would have used an X-acto knife (No. 11 blade) and some ORALGESIC (anesthetic for tootheaches) for the anesthetic. Yes, a tourniquet would have been nice too. In fact, it if was just your thumb, you could have used black electrical tape to push the blood out of your thumb, and then used it as a tourniquet for the operation.

3 years ago I was burning some trash in the rear yard..

Little did I know my wife had tossed in a box from my gun room that had some shotgun primers in it..

BLAM!!

The damned thing hit me on the right thight and went through the seam of my pants just as I was turning away from the fire.
It burried itself about an inch deep in the flesh......
Not wanting a police report ( remember this is Canada) I went into the house and removed it with the tools at hand.....xacto knife, needle nose pliers and tweezers....
I operated in the bathtub so as not to make a mess.....bled like a stuck pig ( no pun).
The Mrs was NOT impressed but my doctor who noticed the scar last year says it looks like I did a decent job of it....
Oh BTW...if I had not turned at that second..I would have gone to the hospital...because it would have nailed me in the nuts!!!

Vulcanized? that sounds like a NFSJoJo or Computerguy accident...

the day may come that you find yourself a darwin award winner

the alcohol makes your blood a little thinner.....the more you drink, the moer youre gonna bleed.

Next week's episode: "The Do-It-Yourself Vasectomy", or what I like to call, "the $40 buck snip."

[BD]

There was this time at Pre-Med Camp...

Holy Crap!

And the Mrs. wonders why I keep coming back here...

This is classic crap.

[:D]

I mentioned this in another thread a while back. I am a master ingrown toenail surgeon with an xacto knife, scissors, and tweezers.

Nothing like grinding through a nerve bundle on the nailbed to get at some putrified nail flesh.

One time, one was so festered it shot pus like a zit when I first lanced it.

The worst one was when I woke up at 3am with my whole foot throbbing in pain. I drew about 1/2 inch of water in the bathtub and went to town. When I was done, the water was opaque red with blood cells and infection. But I cleaned that thing up and 3 days later pink skin was all over it.

I haven't had any good ones in a while, I think my amateur hack surgeries have finally killed off the nail root on the corners.

[:D]

I think I could give myself an appendectomy if it came down to it.

  I thought i had a decently strong stomach before i read these posts...the chair is going to fall apart from me shivering so much.

I have had many injuries no self surgery though.
Kid at school got in a fight with me and bit my thumb?!?!?  Went right through the nail.  There was blood trail from class to nurse office.  I almost passed out when it had to be washed.  Or when the dog bit my nose and i had to get 35 stitches that hurt like a SOB

-DEERSSNIPER
[sniper]

Don't be such a skirt ya' big wussy. [:D] What's a little blood & guts conversation amongst friends?

Well, gotta go... my greasy pizza's ready to eat.

I know a guy who could challenge you for king of the ingrown toe nail thing. What is up with people from Ohio and cutting opening their feet. He is from outside of Youngstown. He will wait until it looks like its got maggots in his toe then go to town. You damm OHIO people, crazy.

Funny thing is you kind of look like him too.

Genitic mmmm maybe

I had a growth on top of my big toe. So one day I decided to cut it off with a sharp scissor.When I snipped it off, the blood just started to flow like a river.To stop the bleeding I took a gauze pad and wrapped the toe real tight with electrical tape.About 2 months later that lump came back bigger than before. So off to the doctor I went. He decided to remove it in his office.Well he found not one but 2 tumors one on top of the other and the bottom one was real deep.My wife was in the room at the time and said she saw the doc starting to sweat because  it did not want to stop bleeding. 20 stitches later and a lot of cauterizing it finally stopped. I guess next time I would have to dig a little deeper.One day I will tell my story about getting slashed in the shin and taking care of it myself.