Today i sustained an injury to my right index finger, involving an angle grinder, said finger, and a 1" diameter piece of Al clad Fe tube.
Effectively the finger has a deep wound that has some metal crap in it.
Washing didn't do much to remove it, so the question is really about how to remove Al and Fe (also probably silicates from the grinding disc) from a
human finger, other than by scrubbing a deep wound with a stiff-bristled bush (that didn't do much other than hurt a lot).
ISTR that things called 'chelating agents' exist.violet sin - 4-4-2015 at 14:47
a magnet might help with the iron bits. as a bonus it probably wouldn't hurt much. other than that irrigate it with saline solution. if you keep it
moist so the chunks aren't trapped, a few successive washings should help a lot. pretty sure a doc would just irrigate and scrub, at least that has
been my experience in the past. your results may vary.
funny, I just bought angle grinder metal cutting disks today. hope I don't have to follow my own instructions soon aga - 4-4-2015 at 14:53
Wearing Thicker gloves would have helped.
I was sporting blue nitrile at the time.
Removing Idiocy would have also helped enormously.
[Edited on 4-4-2015 by aga]j_sum1 - 4-4-2015 at 14:54
I'd wash it.
Treat with antiseptic.
Rely on the body's ability to expel any remaining foreign bodies.
Consult a doc if it is very deep or there is a large amount of immoveable foreign material or if it goes septic.aga - 4-4-2015 at 14:59
I tend not to go Septic, seeing as i'm a mongrel with a healthy immune gene mix.
It'll be one of those tattooed kind of scars for a few years, then fade i guess.
We'll see.
I should take photos every week to see what happens.Zombie - 4-4-2015 at 15:09
A 4" right angle grinder is my staple tool in fiberglass fabrication. I wear out about two of them annually (Makita) Those cut off wheels are
notorious for lacerations.
I have had more than my fair share of injuries from them including a 2" slice across my jugular vein when a disc shattered while cutting a stainless
propeller shaft. That was quite exciting to say the least.
Usually when a massive amount of foreign material is involved the Doc. will pack the wound with anti-biotic ointment, and gauze. You should probably
change this twice daily for the first 7 days. You will find the wound healing from the bottom up, and each time you pull the gauze you will find a bit
more debris is coming out.
The trick is to keep it PACKED with the ointment or the gauze will stick. No biggie...
Next time hire a kid to do your cutting. They heal faster.
[Edited on 4-4-2015 by Zombie]Loptr - 4-4-2015 at 15:54
Geez, aga. Take care!
Alcohol is a blood thinner, so be careful! blogfast25 - 4-4-2015 at 17:32
aga:
Sheesh! I would really have that seen to by a medic, if I were you. Non-removal of foreign matter can cause problems later on, I think.
Medical problems isn't something we're very qualified to deal with here at SM.
Chelating agents won't work on chunks of metal (small or large), they work on metal ions only, as far as I know. Some kind of mechanical removal is
the only option here, IMHO.Amos - 5-4-2015 at 03:59
Why hasn't anyone asked for pictures yet?phlogiston - 5-4-2015 at 05:20
My wife has had a shard of iron embedded deep into the tip of her little finger for 15+ years now, and it doesn't seem to cause any problems. You can
see the shadow of it when you shine a bright light from behind.
If the wound is clean and heals well, I would not worry too much about anything left behind.Zombie - 5-4-2015 at 06:49
On a comparative note... One of my dogs has a hind quarter containing approx. 6-8 pieces of lead "Bird Shot".
She was shot about 6 years ago. The dog is just fine but the guy that shot her now has to write left handed. Karma...aga - 5-4-2015 at 07:13
It looks fine today. Just need to hold it closed with some tape for a while (aka butterfly stitch) and it'll be ok.
Thanks for the chelating agent info.m1tanker78 - 5-4-2015 at 07:37
I've had bits of steel embedded in my hand, shards of broken glass in my forearm, and grenade fragments in my lower back/upper butt area. In all
cases, my body has slowly pushed them out. When my shirt gets caught on something on my back, I know it's time to dig another piece of rotten metal
out. But hey, I turned out alright *twitch*.
Yeah, first and most important thing is wound care and avoiding infection. Those OTC antibiotic creams don't work worth a damn for anything other than
minor scrapes, IMO. The foreign pieces of metal and grinding media will most likely work their way out. You may not even notice it.aga - 5-4-2015 at 11:22
So what you're saying is :-
If it's neither Swollen, Throbbing nor catching on clothes, then there's no need to touch it.
Sounds like a good Life Plan m1tanker78 - 5-4-2015 at 13:17
If it's neither Swollen, Throbbing nor catching on clothes, then there's no need to touch it.
Sounds like a good Life Plan
If going to the doc is out of the question or the doc blows you off, yes. aga - 5-4-2015 at 13:58
Jeez.
This is SUCH a Male convo.
As it happens, the local Doc is female, single (recent occurence) and HOT.
It also happens that i'm Married, and too Old to have that (previously) insane driving libido to throw away my love for my wife for the chance of a
quick shag.Zombie - 5-4-2015 at 15:57
I just had to state , I have nothing to state here.
If I went to the Doc. every time something was swollen or catching on my clothes... I'd be a stalker (Ha... Pun).
Glad the finger looks good.Amos - 5-4-2015 at 15:59
Welp, sliced open MY finger today and got a little piece of chromic oxide in the wound. Not even extensive painful probing with a safety pin could
remove it.m1tanker78 - 5-4-2015 at 16:21
Amos: Forceful irrigation would be my first reaction.
aga: One can look. And look one can. I can only imagine the waiting room...
