I got an owie

[atgcpaul]

I was in the shop sorting through several hundred board feet of walnut for a
new dresser. The boards are all rough, mostly 6/4 and over 8' long and 10"
wide. Heavy boards. I was taking them off the pile and standing them up
vertically. If anything, something should have happened here. Nope.

I then went back to the house to grab a drink and walk the dogs. After the
dog walk, I went to scoop up the leash and inadvertently dragged my nail
against the deck with my palm up. A splinter went right under the nail!

I resisted my first instinct to yank it out and found tweezers instead. The
tweezers only got the portion that was sticking out. The rest broke off and
is still under my fingernail--probably 1/8". I can see it but there's nothing to
grab onto.

If it was in another part of my hand, I'd probably dig it out with a needle. The
nail is a different story. It's pretty tender. Should I just leave it? I don't
want it to get infected. See my GP to have them take it out? I would very
much like them to use local anesthetic. It's just dull pain now. Maybe I should
drop a board on my foot to distract me from the splinter in my finger?

[cabinetman]

Bite on a silver bullet, and pull it out, dig it out, any way you can if you can. Don't think it will feel better by leaving it there.

.

[gsmittle]

Bite on a silver bullet, and pull it out, dig it out, any way you can if you can. Don't think it will feel better by leaving it there.

.

Yep, get it out—it's pretty certain to get infected, and one thing you don't want is an infection under a nail.

I vote for the GP.

g.

[atgcpaul]

Well, it's out.

I went to the GP this morning and saw the PA. She trimmed the nail as short
as she could and then tried to jam a fat pair of splinter forceps under my
nail--no anesthetic. I, at least, had the foresight to place direct pressure on
my finger while she was doing it because I'm sure it would have hurt much
worse. Well, she couldn't get it out and then referred me to a dermatologist.

The derm placed three numbing shots in my fingertip. That was the worst pain
of all, waited about a minute, and then snipped a V into the front of the nail,
and simply lifted the splinter easily with some forceps. The numbing has just
about worn off and I'm feeling the shots as well as the nail. Not fun.

I'm happy to have it out and that it's not on my dominant hand or finger (left
hand, ring finger) so typing isn't too bad.

Paul

[natausch]

I "nipped" the front secton (past the nail) of my off-hand pinkie making breakfast for my wife about a month back. It just ender half severed and bled like a stuck pig. Against my own advice of tape it tight until it sloughed off I heeded her advice and went to the urgent care walk-in. After two hours of waiting and putzing around the GP decided it would be too much hassle to apply stitches since they'd have to go through my fingernail he instructed the RN to apply steri-strips and glue it up.

In the end the fingertip is fine, no noticable scarring and the new skin is finally sensitive again, but if I had listened to my inner voice instead of SWMBO I'd have saved a few hours and the $15 co-pay. Such is life.