Anyone know about amputated digits?

[y4m]

SIL was in a boating accident today and her left (non-dominant) thumb was severed below her knuckle. They airlifted her with the thumb on ice to a university hospital, but they were not able to reattach it.

My heart just aches for her. She's 22, with one year left of nursing school. Can someone please tell me she'll be able to live a more or less normal life without her entire left thumb? Anyone know anyone who has been through something like that?

[birdmom]

My FIL lost a finger and its not terribly noticible, IMO. It takes a while to heal, but she should be fine. That's a real bummer, though, for your SIL. Sorry that happened to her.

[takeonyou]

My cheerleading coach had 3 half fingers on both hands

[Pom]

H lost his at 3 years old, dominant left thumb, below knuckle. Since his was at such a young age it was probably easier. He says he just finds way to compensate, the worst part is trying to grasp a large soda at a drive thru. He needs both hands he says, lol. Mr. Pom says he often uses his non-dom. hand for more things than when he would normally have. You just adjust eventually. It would seem good for her that it is her non-dominant hand, I am sure occupational therapy will help her adjust.

Poor gal, I wish her a speedy recovery and positive adjustment period.

[vccake]

My neighbor lost three and a half fingers in a snow blowing accident (he picked up the snow blower while the fans were still twirling) and it did not slow him down one bit.

Im sorry - I hope her recovery is quick!

[takeonyou]

Sorry. It posted too quick. Anyway she had fingers missing from.both hands and she was a nurse. It wasn't noticeable even in cheer practice.

[Deleted]

How scary!

My great uncle cut 2 digits off a hand doing woodworking. He still continued to do it and he could produce the most intricate pieces. It's amazing how a person can adapt.

[Deleted]

My coworker (she's 25) lost the top two joints on her left index finger in a shop accident last year. She's much better than she has been, but she's still in physical therapy and regular therapy to deal with it.

CWer needed a lot of help right after the accident and was very dependent on her friends, since her family lives across the country. She still has a fair amount of stress about the accident and what she could have done to prevent it--which I think is really the hardest part.

Physically, I think she's doing great. Her fine motor skills are almost there and she's hoping to be done with physical therapy soon. She's said that seeing a therapist has been really helpful in her mental recovery, so I'd really recommend that.

[sjh722]

Aug 11, 2012 21:54:35 GMT -5 @ameliapond said:

She still has a fair amount of stress about the accident and what she could have done to prevent it--which I think is really the hardest part.

My H cut off part of his thumb in a construction accident years ago. I think the above was the hardest part - it really bothered him emotionally.

It was above the joint so it doesn't affect his usage as much, but he has difficulty grasping things or picking them up, but he was able to adjust.

Hope your SIL heals quickly.

[agnes]

I'm sorry about your SIL. I hope your she heals quickly.

My brother's best friend chopped off most of his thumb, half of his index finger, and part of his middle finger when they worked in a cannery in Alaska right after high school.

He leads a completely normal life.

[Deleted]

my favorite little boy in the world was born without his entire right arm and is independent and surprisingly capable of doing almost everything his peers can do.

[lys]

My old dentist did not have all of this left thumb (he cut it off with a saw).
People live perfectly fine lives with much greater losses.
Heck look at the guy in the olympics who had prosthetic lower legs!
This is more about attitude that actual disability. You are only limited by what you believe to be a limitation.
Helen Keller anyone?

[dapotato]

so sorry to hear.

i know a few people that have lost parts of their fingers in shop accidents--people i work and went to school with but none of them were thumbs. they all still work with their hands quite a bit and can function fine. it seems the combo of physical/occupational/mental therapy helps a lot.

[Deleted]

I ave a friend who lost his right/dominant pinkie - also in a boating accident. It hasn't changed his life in any noticeable way.

[h]

A good friend's mom (who is a nurse) lost her index finger in an accident a few months ago. She has had some issues with healing and pain management and is still doing occupational therapy, but she is recovering relatively well. She is able to work.

I would anticipate that it will take a while for your SIL to recover fully and adjust to doing things withour her thumb, but I am sure she will be able to lead a fully functional life after that.

[WOT?*]

I didn't realize one of my HS classmates had lost part of his ring finger for about a year. It just clicked one day when he raised his hand while we were talking. "Oh, you're missing part of your finger. I had no idea." He'd cut it off with a meat slicer when he was about 13-14. He was still one of the most popular kids on campus, in athletics (primarily baseball), woodworking, shop and ag. He bought a 1957 Chevy BelAir when he was about 13 with his savings and had totally restored it by the time he was a senior (most gorgeous car on campus if you ask me) almost all his own work. It was just a fact of his life.

I think Lys said it best. "This is more about attitude than actual disability. You are only limited by what you believe is a limitation."

[mcsangel2]

I'm sorry for your SIL but I am positive she will be just fine. DH's cousin had an accident with a horse when she was 8 and lost half the thumb on her *dominant* hand. She gets by just fine.

[chia]

My grandfather had two or three 1/2 fingers (shop accidents)...

I hope your SIL is OK. It seems like it will probably be a bigger hurdle mentally.

[Deleted]

My uncle lost most of his dominate right thumb to a grinding accident. His writing is terrible, but other than that he has no issues. He thoroughly enjoyed teasing his nieces and nephews that it happened because he sucked his thumb.

[Deleted]

While unfortunate, she'll be totally fine. She can still easily type which will make sure she has lots of career options and I suspect she will still be fine nursing.

[6fsn]

I'm sorry for your SIL. I hope she recovers physically and mentally quickly.

I worked in a papermill. There were at least 20 guys missing any number of fingers and they were all perfectly fine. There were several that I didn't even notice until years after working with them. I also had a college professer missing several. His only comment was about adjusting his bowling game.

The PA at my docs office was missing part of a finger. I still remember him asking my then 2.5 yo son if he was "this many" as he held up 2 fingers and his half finger.

[RitzyHeifer]

My uncle is missing a digit on each hand and part of his thumb on his dominant hand (lost them doing stupid shit, more or less). He's an electrician and guitarist and you honestly wouldn't notice he was missing them until he shows you or you really paid attention. He talks about having phantom pain still (the 2 fingers he lost as a teenager, he's in his 50s now) and that it's not so much a pain as an itch or an odd feeling they're still there.

A CW lost part of her pinky on her non-dominant hand a few years ago and is doing just fine. Again, has a totally normal life and can do what she always has. And again you don't really notice except if you are looking or she shows you. She said most people notice when they look at her (big and flashy) wedding ring set because it's her left hand.

Your SIL will most likely (I would even say definitely) grieve the loss, and like all grief do it in her own way. I wasn't even born when my uncle had his accidents but my CW talked pretty openly about her grieving process - in her case it was a fall, then drawn-out treatments before determining the nerve damage was so bad they had to surgically amputate so that was a differently situation as well.

[miesl]

A former coworker of mine was missing a hand. He had a grasping hook prosthetic - and he was a chemist handling delicate glassware.