Should I remove this?

[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.

[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.

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.