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Author Topic: A beekeepers confession  (Read 11384 times)

Offline bee-nuts

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Re: a beekeepers confession
« Reply #40 on: December 04, 2009, 08:12:20 pm »
I used the table saw today and made that bottom board.  Blade is still nice and sharp!

I almost walked away but figured I better get over it before I catch a table saw phobia.

bee-nuts
The moment a person forms a theory, his imagination sees in every object only the traits which favor that theory

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Offline Lone

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Re: a beekeepers confession
« Reply #41 on: December 04, 2009, 08:25:08 pm »
We all make sacrifices for our bees, Bee-nuts, and sometimes it hurts. (especially fingers!)

Lone

Offline cow pollinater

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Re: a beekeepers confession
« Reply #42 on: December 04, 2009, 09:06:48 pm »
Hate to tell you, but you'll never quite get over it.  I lost my fingers twelve years ago this Thanksgiving to a big feed grinder... I was back at work on the same machine within a few days and it never really bothered me. But... BUT... A few days ago I was shredding brush and my grinder plugged up.  Everything was off and as safe as I could make it and it STILL took everything I had to stick my hand up there to clean it out. :-\
If it doesn't kill you it makes you stronger... Or maims you for life.

Offline woodchopper

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Re: a beekeepers confession
« Reply #43 on: December 06, 2009, 09:31:14 pm »
Bee-nuts
 

Doc's are great mechanics.  They can do some impressive stuff.  Heal up & slow down.
Modern medicine has come a long way hasn't it ? I cut my left hand almost completely off in 1988 in a cement truck. After five operations you'd hardly know now. I have most of my use of it but it'll never be the way it was before. Hope you mend up quickly Bee-nuts.
Every man looks at his wood pile with a kind of affection- Thoreau

Offline slaphead

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Re: a beekeepers confession
« Reply #44 on: December 06, 2009, 10:12:08 pm »
Bee-Nuts,

Glad to hear your thumbs healing up. 

SH
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself - FDR, 1933

Offline bee-nuts

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Re: a beekeepers confession
« Reply #45 on: December 08, 2009, 07:55:53 pm »
I have a question for all you folks out there who have a similar injury.  My thumb is completely numb and the doc says it will probably stay like that.  It seems to function fine but I'm not sure I will be able to hold stuff right.  Will I get used to it and be able to do most stuff or will it just be in the way now.  Im wondering if it will even be worth having the darn thing.  I know this question can not be answered with certainty but if you had a similar situation I would like to know how it turned out after you got used to it.

Thanks

bee-nuts
The moment a person forms a theory, his imagination sees in every object only the traits which favor that theory

Thomas Jefferson

Offline asprince

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Re: a beekeepers confession
« Reply #46 on: December 09, 2009, 12:04:58 am »
Don't beat yourself up too much. Accidents happen. I am a contractor and use power tools everyday. About four years ago I too stuck my thumb into a table saw blade. Healed ok but I lost some of the feeling in it.

Good luck,

Steve

Mine was very numb for awhile. It will get better over time. Mine is still has no feeling on a portion of my thumb but it no longer bothers me.

Steve
Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resembalance to the first. - Ronald Reagan

Offline treebee

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Re: a beekeepers confession
« Reply #47 on: December 09, 2009, 08:23:10 am »
 I am a firm believer in rehabilitation If you put the work in, it will get better. I twisted a pinky and ring finger almost completely off and could not close my hand for better than a year.  I did find a rehab nurse that showed me things to do that would put the flex back in my hand. It took more than a year or two before I could manipulate nails to hammer strikes and I had to take all my change at the store with my good hand. My original doctor wanted to cut off the two bad digits so the others would close independently, and I am glad I found the rehabilitative nurse We spent 1/2 a year in a cast with rubber bands holding my hand closed every night and a lot of back and forth work but now I almost don't notice the problem but its been ten+ years ago now. Things always get better as our thoughts and attitudes get better.
P.S. I put my signature on my profile a few days ago before I had read this thread, as a reminder two myself not to get in a hurry during the winter work season and did not intend it to relate so well here. Have a great day John
Relax, step back, take a deep breath, the finger you save just might be your own!

Offline cow pollinater

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Re: a beekeepers confession
« Reply #48 on: December 10, 2009, 10:51:16 pm »
It will take a few years but you'll be fine.  The key is getting your mind used to what your body can and cannot do... not so much feeling but actual ability.
I had phantom pains for quite a while that were downright spooky. When my forehead itched i could reach up and give it an imaginary scratch with an imaginary finger and the itching stopped. Once I was holding a nail between my stump of an index finger and my thumb and I missed with the hammer and struck where my finger would have been if I still had it... My hand ached and swelled up just as if I had struck it with a hammer. Lots of weird stuff like that until my brain adjusted.  Now most all is well and I don't even miss them. sometimes if I'm exhausted I'll still be a little clumsy but that's about all.
The key is to ignore it. The faster you get back to life as ussual the faster your brain will adjust. :)
If it doesn't kill you it makes you stronger... Or maims you for life.

Offline bee-nuts

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Re: a beekeepers confession
« Reply #49 on: December 10, 2009, 11:54:31 pm »
Thank you guys for the replies.  The doc said it was up to me if I wanted to return to work or not.  I decided to go for it.  I called the boss and told him I wanted to come back but that there were a few things I would not be able to do for a while.  So anyway Ill be back at it but I know it will take a while before I don't have to baby it.  I'll have you know though that I have never been so dam scared in my life.  I ruptured a disk in my back, tore tendons in both knees, shattered a finger bone, fractured a jaw.......... but when it came time to possably say goodbye to my thumb I was scared as heck.  I have never been so paranoid about infection ever before.  It is also very ebarasing and humiliating to admit I did it.  Im sure to catch heck at work for a while.

Anyway, I have decided to still make my equipment.  I am going to be very careful and take my good old time.  Nothing is so important to warrant rushing an losing any body parts or a trip to the E.R.  From the looks of it after insurance my bill is about 1200.00 and then all my doctor visits.  My short term disability is only 67% so I lost 32% of my wages while off work as well.  All in all I will probably never save enough money making my own equipment to pay it off but dont care, after all I'm bee-nuts. Oh, as long as my thumb is numb I have a place to build up immunity to stings without much pain now.
The moment a person forms a theory, his imagination sees in every object only the traits which favor that theory

Thomas Jefferson

Offline mgmoore7

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Re: a beekeepers confession
« Reply #50 on: December 20, 2009, 09:51:57 pm »
Sorry to hear.  Hope it heals up well and quickly.

This is one more story that makes me want to get a http://www.sawstop.com saw.  I did recently get a nice aftermarket blade guard that will greatly increase the safety of my table saw.

Offline mgmoore7

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Re: a beekeepers confession
« Reply #51 on: December 20, 2009, 09:57:11 pm »
Sorry to hear of your injury and wish you the best in recovery.

I am looking into buying a table saw. Have any of you seen the new saws that run an electric current through the blade. In the event a piece of flesh contacts the blade it instantly stops the blade, thus preventing the loss of digits seems like a brilliant idea

Keith

Keith
Those saws are the real deal.  At the beginning lots of people bashed them... probably because they were mad that they did not invent it.  Anyway, the inventor is making the best saws out there even if it did not have the amazing safety device.  Go to their website and you will see some videos of how it works.  I don't have one but will someday.  I use the table saw enough that at least the contractors version is warranted. http://www.sawstop.com

Offline Irwin

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Re: a beekeepers confession
« Reply #52 on: December 21, 2009, 11:44:53 am »
Sorry to hear.  Hope it heals up well and quickly.

This is one more story that makes me want to get a http://www.sawstop.com saw.  I did recently get a nice aftermarket blade guard that will greatly increase the safety of my table saw.
I met the guy's that invented that before it hit the market when the were looking for Investor's they had a both at a logging conference I went too I think they were still in collage. I wish I had the money back then to invest.
« Last Edit: December 21, 2009, 04:38:11 pm by Irwin »
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Offline bee-nuts

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Re: a beekeepers confession
« Reply #53 on: December 21, 2009, 03:14:15 pm »
I wish I had one

My thumb is getting better every day.  I was just thinking about getting back to work on my bottom boards.  Its gunna take a lot of bottom boards, top covers, and inner covers to pay for my ER bill.  After insurance it looks like I owe about 1200 bucks.  I also lost 33 percent of my income for a month.  Oh, and cant forger all my follow up visits. 
The moment a person forms a theory, his imagination sees in every object only the traits which favor that theory

Thomas Jefferson

Offline catfishbill

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Re: a beekeepers confession
« Reply #54 on: December 22, 2009, 02:27:21 pm »
feeling will come back in about 6 mo.cut left middle and one next to it while using dado blade last year working on bottom boards.cut middle almost plum off.but doc fixed me up.
there is an old saying we have in aviation-there are those that have and those that will.it looks like the same may be said in beekeeping. good luck      bill

 

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