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beware of fans......
clairetoo - 8/10/12 at 11:44 PM

Never put your fingers near a running fan - I am writing this from my hospital bed at the Leicester Royal Infirmary..........
Yep , I got too close to a fan that I thought might have been running the wrong way - the result is three chewed fingers , one of which I may lose the end of . I won't know until the morning , when the surgeon gets busy on it ..........

blakep82 - 8/10/12 at 11:49 PM

ouch
hope it all turns out ok!
was it a car fan?



[Edited on 8/10/12 by blakep82]

Ninehigh - 9/10/12 at 12:27 AM

Bloody hell mate, I hope for speedy and full recovery.

owelly - 9/10/12 at 12:55 AM

Ouchy! I'm heading to Leicester on Wednesday, you want me to bring grapes? I'll even peel them for you. X

clairetoo - 9/10/12 at 01:09 AM

quote:
Originally posted by owelly
Ouchy! I'm heading to Leicester on Wednesday, you want me to bring grapes? I'll even peel them for you. X

I hope I'm home by then - if not , could you make sure the grapes have time to ferment first

clairetoo - 9/10/12 at 01:11 AM

quote:
Originally posted by blakep82
ouch
hope it all turns out ok!
was it a car fan?



[Edited on 8/10/12 by blakep82]

It was the fan on my Mx5 (from a Golf Vr6 so q bit strong.......)

dave r - 9/10/12 at 05:36 AM

this thread is no good without pictures ;-)

imp paul - 9/10/12 at 05:53 AM

omg i hope you get fixed up and get well soon

scootz - 9/10/12 at 06:02 AM

Flippin eck woman! You're not having much luck recently!

Hope all goes well.

twybrow - 9/10/12 at 06:16 AM

Your signature says it all Claire - blond moment!

Get well soon!

[Edited on 9/10/12 by twybrow]

theconrodkid - 9/10/12 at 06:30 AM

welderman - 9/10/12 at 06:42 AM

quote:
Originally posted by dave r
this thread is no good without pictures ;-)


ooooh nasty but ^^^^^ agree lol

hope your ok though

russbost - 9/10/12 at 06:58 AM

We all think it will never happen to us - unfortunately it still can.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery & hope you don't lose any bits along the way!

stevegough - 9/10/12 at 07:05 AM

Oh! crap, Clairetoo! Still, as the yanks say, 'do the math' .....10-3 = 7..... yep, you still have enough left to hold the glass of fermented grapes etc!

Any good at welding fingertips back on?

GOJO - 9/10/12 at 07:07 AM

quote:
Originally posted by clairetoo
Never put your fingers near a running fan - I am writing this from my hospital bed at the Leicester Royal Infirmary..........
Yep , I got too close to a fan that I thought might have been running the wrong way - the result is three chewed fingers , one of which I may lose the end of . I won't know until the morning , when the surgeon gets busy on it ..........


Loosing the end aint too bad try loosing 3, if they need skin grafts or are gonna scar on the backs,ask them about setting them straight while they heal as the skin heals to tendons because your muscles are stronger to close the fingers than open them.
I always use a peice of paper on the non fan side see if it sucks or blows away

David Jenkins - 9/10/12 at 07:20 AM

quote:
Originally posted by dave r
this thread is no good without pictures ;-)


Nooo! Please, no pictures!

Even the thought of it makes me cringe...

(Get well soon, and good luck with the finger-tips...)

Proby - 9/10/12 at 07:36 AM

Ouch Claire. Hope you have a speedy recovery.

hughpinder - 9/10/12 at 07:47 AM

Having had my swiped by a fan I know how much it hurts. I hope you get no permenant damage from it.
get well soon
Hugh

mcerd1 - 9/10/12 at 07:47 AM

Ouch

I did it once with big heavy leather gloves on and that hurt alot - if I'd not had the gloves on.....

quote:
Originally posted by welderman
quote:
Originally posted by dave r
this thread is no good without pictures ;-)


ooooh nasty but ^^^^^ agree lol

I don't want to see pics I've just eaten

whitestu - 9/10/12 at 07:47 AM

Ouch! How on earth did yo make it through childhood with all your limbs attached?

Get well soon!

Stu

Peteff - 9/10/12 at 07:55 AM

I thought a member of your fan club had been stalking you Claire There's a lot of nerves in fingers so they really hurt. Hope it turns out alright for you not too much inconvenience, a friend of mine recently cut 1.5 of his fingers off on a circular saw and now can't play his guitar or the expensive tin whistle he just bought.

mangogrooveworkshop - 9/10/12 at 07:58 AM

Oh my thats bad .........

pewe - 9/10/12 at 10:49 AM

Best of luck for a speedy recovery.
Guess it will act as a warning to us all - we know reciprocating parts are dangerous but it's easy to become complacent.
My old man was an aero-engine engineer during WW2 and all but paranoid about that kind of safety and NEVER wearing rings etc. when working on mechanicals!
Make sure you let it all heal properly before picking up the spanners again.
Cheers, Pewe10

mookaloid - 9/10/12 at 11:07 AM

Get well soon - and please no pictures

Bumble - 9/10/12 at 11:41 AM

Ouch.....hope you make a full and speedy recovery!!

bartonp - 9/10/12 at 11:50 AM

The important part - was it running backwards?

clairetoo - 9/10/12 at 12:31 PM

Twenty five minutes after the accident I was at the hospital.........eighteen hours later I'm still waiting while ways left of my finger is dying............

Daddylonglegs - 9/10/12 at 12:33 PM

Ouch!!

Here's wishing you a speedy recovery Claire

Benzine - 9/10/12 at 01:06 PM

ouch, really hope you get sorted asap!

NigeEss - 9/10/12 at 03:53 PM

A few years ago I caught the back of my wrist on a fan, that hurt, but finger tips..............ow.
Wishing you a speedy, full recovery.

steve m - 9/10/12 at 06:41 PM

get well, Claire, and not what you want to here,

but my fan was running backwards, honestly !!
i had wondered for a while, but confirmed it tonight

Steve

Simon - 9/10/12 at 07:01 PM

Claire,

Speedy recovery wishes from me too!

ATB

Simon

FuryRebuild - 9/10/12 at 07:57 PM

Good luck for a recovery. I lost one above the knuckle on my fury. I got it trapped in the alternator belt. I know how much it knacks.

Get well soon.

ReMan - 9/10/12 at 08:31 PM

Ohhh. Is it still stinging or have the NonHS sorted it yet?

adithorp - 9/10/12 at 08:38 PM

Oooh, not good. I'm sitting here with my thumb throbbing after I "caught it" with the lump hammer today; Wouldn't swap places though.

Seen it twice. One was an apprentice at another garage I was visiting. He tod the boss he'd finished fixing a Kenlow kit to a car when the boss said "Is it spinning the right way?". So he stuck his finger in to check! I could see him doing it and couldn't shout quick enough. The other was a customer who lifted her Metros bonnet to check the oil, leaned on the engine (still running) and took her fingers off at the first joint in the alternator fan.

clairetoo - 9/10/12 at 08:41 PM

Three hours in theater..........hand feels about the size of a small planet ! I can't see much of my hand , but I can only see three nails , and a bandaged thing with wire sticking out the end
Ward 18 , bay 1 if anyone happens to be passing.........

[Edited on 9/10/12 by clairetoo]

02GF74 - 9/10/12 at 08:45 PM

they hammered nails into your hand!!?!!? that's NHS for ya!

speedy recovery.

top tip - to see which way round a fan is rotating, turn off power to fan and as it comes to a stop, observe which way it was spinning.

Xtreme Kermit - 9/10/12 at 08:49 PM

Oh that's terrible.

Surely something can be done with tie wraps and duct tape???

McLannahan - 9/10/12 at 08:59 PM

Sorry to hear this Claire. Get well soon!

I do hope it's not your drinking hand?

mark chandler - 9/10/12 at 09:44 PM

Nasty, I hope the fingers recover quickly, enjoy the pain killers

Fingers do recover well in my painful experience.

Regards Mark

MikeR - 9/10/12 at 09:45 PM

I can buy some straws if it is your drinking hand.

Get well soon and hope everything is still where you had it a few weeks ago.

rb968 - 9/10/12 at 11:35 PM

Bloody hell Claire, get well soon.

Rich

Ninehigh - 10/10/12 at 06:29 AM

quote:
Originally posted by clairetoo
Ward 18 , bay 1 if anyone happens to be passing.........


Do you think I'd be allowed in if I asked for "the lass who's missing some fingers"?

I wouldn't recognise anyone on this site

welderman - 10/10/12 at 06:44 AM

quote:
Originally posted by clairetoo
Three hours in theater..........hand feels about the size of a small planet ! I can't see much of my hand , but I can only see three nails , and a bandaged thing with wire sticking out the end
Ward 18 , bay 1 if anyone happens to be passing.........

[Edited on 9/10/12 by clairetoo]


You might be in luck with your finger tips. A friend did something similar. But be warned when they removed the pins in his fingers he said it hurt more than when he had the accident

How's the hospital food these days

clairetoo - 10/10/12 at 08:34 AM

quote:
Originally posted by rb968
Bloody hell Claire, get well soon.

Rich

I've got a straw - thing is , its sticking out the end of my finger !
From what I can see most other the badly damaged finger is still.there - it seems a lot of the damage was to the joint , so they were going to try and fuse the end rather than cut it off .
First and second fingers are full of stitches as well , so not a lot of movement !

Mr Whippy - 10/10/12 at 11:15 AM

Very sad hope you heal up quickly, unfortunately an easy mistake to make

James - 10/10/12 at 11:26 AM

You out of the queue yet?

Get well soon!


Cheers,
James

bi22le - 10/10/12 at 12:13 PM

quote:
Originally posted by James
You out of the queue yet?

Get well soon!


Cheers,
James


As my teacher always was said. "Put your finger up if you want to be seen"

Claire, If your joint is damaged and they are going to fuse it then ask for it to be spun 180deg. It will help you get into them hard to reach places to undo stuff on your car. What a great little LCB mod, we will all be jealous!!

Get well soon.

iank - 10/10/12 at 07:14 PM

Just saw this, sounds very painful, must be horrible looking at it waiting for the pain to kick in!

Get well soon.

clairetoo - 11/10/12 at 03:58 PM

Good news The surgery appears to have been a success , ant tip of my finger is saved - a bit messed up , but it aint gonna fall off .
I get to go home tomorrow , but I won't be going straight into the garage

I did get to snap a picture of the damage - shame I can't work out how to post it from my phone .......

scootz - 11/10/12 at 05:48 PM

Glad to hear you're keeping a full compliment of digits!

mads - 11/10/12 at 09:45 PM

hey Claire,
just seen this post. glad to hear your fingers are OK. just take it easy when you get home!!

hope they heal quickly.

mads

Nickp - 12/10/12 at 06:25 AM

At least you'll be able to stick 2 fingers up at the fan when you see it next

Get well soon

clairetoo - 12/10/12 at 07:22 AM

They are sending me home today - things have improved rapidly , I've even managed to roll a fag by myself
All the support and good wishes I've had from you guys has really helped lift my spirits - so a massive thank-you and a big hug for the whole of the locostbuilders community from me

The hardest part is yet to come - how do I stay out of the garage long enough to let it heal ? Four days of doing nothing is about my limit

bartonp - 12/10/12 at 08:51 AM

Quick tip - lay off the fags - at least until fully healed (if not forever). The improved circulation really helps the healing process.....

chrsgrain - 12/10/12 at 09:01 AM

^^^^ The man is right!

Get well soon - and post some pictures!

Chris

whitestu - 12/10/12 at 09:41 AM

quote:

The hardest part is yet to come - how do I stay out of the garage long enough to let it heal ? Four days of doing nothing is about my limit


Have you seen those people that paint with their feet? I'm sure the technique could be modified to work with a spanner!

kipper - 12/10/12 at 11:10 AM

Get well soon Clair, Now get your finger out and get in the garage .
Denis.

clairetoo - 12/10/12 at 11:25 AM

quote:
Originally posted by kipper
Get well soon Clair, Now get your finger out and get in the garage .
Denis.

I put a lot of myself into my projects - blood , sweat , bone ..........(no , they couldn't find all my finger ! )

RichardK - 12/10/12 at 11:42 AM

Claire how terrible, must have been awful, glad they seem to have done a good job and saved quite a lot, you do need to take care of it cos if you don't it'll sting like barstuard oh and best keep it clean too so defo keep out the garage,an infection is the last thing you want.

Was it your drinking hand btw? Coozer wants to know

Take care

Love

Rich

Xx

rb968 - 12/10/12 at 12:02 PM

Good news Claire.

Never mind drinking hand was it your carbon trumpet layup hand

Rich

MikeR - 12/10/12 at 12:48 PM

it also just occurred to me we've all been asking the wrong question. you can drink with either hand or a straw. more importantly is it your welding / lay up / lathe / general working hand?

clairetoo - 12/10/12 at 05:54 PM

quote:
Originally posted by MikeR
it also just occurred to me we've all been asking the wrong question. you can drink with either hand or a straw. more importantly is it your welding / lay up / lathe / general working hand?

The worst bit is I tend to use both hands for quite a lot of things...........and now that I'm finally back on a proper computer , instead of my phone , even typing is painfully slow

I plan on spending the weekend just recovering , and catching up - also I've checked my Mx5 and now need to get a new fan - there are bits broken out of several on the blades ! No sign of the missing bits of finger though

And for those of you that have been asking for a picture , heres one I snapped when the dressings came off a day after surgery.......




slingshot2000 - 12/10/12 at 06:05 PM

I should NOT have clicked the down button while eating my tea!


That looks SORE, but at least it is all fastened together. Hope it heals quickly !

Regards
Jon

big_wasa - 12/10/12 at 06:14 PM

oooow

MikeR - 12/10/12 at 06:16 PM

That will polish out :-)

owelly - 12/10/12 at 06:16 PM

Ouchy. I hope your fingers get better soon. x

perksy - 12/10/12 at 06:35 PM

Sorry to hear this, that looks painful


Get well soon

dave r - 12/10/12 at 07:39 PM

1st thought.... looks sore....

2nd thought.. sausages!!!

Ninehigh - 12/10/12 at 08:08 PM

Looks like that could have been worse!

Xtreme Kermit - 12/10/12 at 08:14 PM

EEEEEEuuuuuuwwwwwww!

Another thing from t'interweb that I can't unsee...

But seriously, glad you have the full compliment still.

rusty nuts - 12/10/12 at 08:36 PM

Probably just as well I can't see the photo for some reason. Hope you make a quick recovery Clare

DIY Si - 13/10/12 at 09:26 PM

I think I know you well enough to say this: you bloody muppet!!

For someone who knows a lot about cars and is a machinist, you really should know better Claire! But equally, that does look like it stings a touch. Does it hurt if you touch the bit sticking out? Being a bloke, I think I'd be sat there playing with the stitches and what not.

As for staying out of the garage, I doubt you'll have much choice. And TIG welding is off the cards for a while!!

clairetoo - 13/10/12 at 09:39 PM

Even now , after having a good look at where I did it , I still cant work out how I did what I did

rb968 - 13/10/12 at 09:51 PM

Oww! Christ that's nasty.

NigeEss - 13/10/12 at 10:30 PM

Holy Moley.........Worse than I expected from your original post.....

clairetoo - 13/10/12 at 11:10 PM

quote:
Originally posted by NigeEss
Holy Moley.........Worse than I expected from your original post.....

Although it could have turned out worse - I consider myself very lucky to have a neighbor with enough good sense to drive me straight to the Leicester Royal Infirmary , I was in A&E just twenty minutes after the accident (which certainly improved my chances of saving the end of my finger)

blakep82 - 13/10/12 at 11:25 PM

whats the bits sticking out the end?
glad its a better result than it easily could have been! surprising how powerful these fan are isn't it?!

clairetoo - 14/10/12 at 07:22 AM

quote:
Originally posted by blakep82
whats the bits sticking out the end?
glad its a better result than it easily could have been! surprising how powerful these fan are isn't it?!

The bit sticking out is a wire 'splint' that runs through the now non-existent end joint , which was too damaged to save .

NigeEss - 9/11/12 at 12:01 AM

How's the recovery going Claire ?
ATB
Nige

clairetoo - 9/11/12 at 12:12 AM

Slow
I still have very little movement and virtually no feeling in the two worst damaged fingers . The wire comes out next Tuesday - maybe things will start to improve then

olimarler - 9/11/12 at 07:37 AM

Hi,

My thoughts are with you on this!

I did the same years back on the side of the a1 on my mr2!!!

Middle fingers was ripped open.

God luck with the recovery the feeling did come back.

Oli

clairetoo - 23/11/12 at 11:02 PM

I just spent 4 hours at A&E today.........and now I'm sitting here feeling slightly sick
The ring finger with the destroyed end joint , that had a wire down the middle for six weeks to fuse the bones together isnt fused......... It felt like it moved , so I touched the tip , and it does , with a sickening clicking feeling .

So I went to the hospital , to get it checked out - and on the x-ray there is clearly a gap where there shouldnt be
I now need to see the consultant , but that cant happen till Monday - so two days of worry for me , right when I was starting to feel a bit better ( I even managed an afternoon if TIG'ing yesterday )

NigeEss - 24/11/12 at 12:58 AM

Bugger
On the upside, you can weld

mistergrumpy - 26/11/12 at 06:12 PM

Considering myself lucky now. I got a blade on the end of the finger that cut in and pulled away from the nail. It bled everywhere and hurt like buggery. Steri strips just floated off it. Hope yours get sorted soon. Cold weather probably doesn't help either.

clairetoo - 14/12/12 at 09:15 AM

Still no progress....................I've seen a hand specialist , who decided a permanent pin and bone graft is needed .
So I turned up at the hospital - having had a light breakfast at 6.30 am then nill by mouth - at 11 as I was told to . Sat by a bed all day...............then at 6.30 pm I'm told the op has been cancelled
Why ? Because I didnt turn up .....................

I had been booked into the wrong ward/department , and the consultant didnt know I was there - and what makes it even more annoying was the contact number they have for me is my mobile , which was in my pocket all day

So..................try again Monday....................if I dont chop the bloody thing off myself over the weekend (and believe me , I am thinking about it )

rb968 - 14/12/12 at 10:01 AM

Bloody hell Claire. Sorry to hear that.

My local hospital has a pretty poor reputation so I'm afraid that sort of thing does not really surprise me.

Hope you get sorted soon.

Rich

PS I am nearly ready to start my KL.

mcerd1 - 14/12/12 at 01:26 PM

same story with the hospitals up here - it drives the GP's nuts aswell