Day 55

[Cera]

So, I sliced off a big chunk of my dominant hand's pointer fingertip yesterday while cooking. Oh, I feel so dumb. The reason I cut it was that I was slicing carrots and they were too long to use the handle with yet, but they were wet and my hand slipped. And it hurts terribly.

I called my mother, a nurse, and asked what to do. Since I don't have insurance and I don't trust my hospital not to diagnose me with Crohn's and lock jaw and a broken leg and send me on my way without bandaging my finger. I just did what my mom said they'd do.

In reality, it wasn't a big slice- definitely not big enough to sew back on, but it was enough to make a decently squared-off tip. The bone doesn't show, and I barely cut it past the tip of the nail bed. It was far enough to make me cringe every time I think about it. It's going to take a long time to heal. I have things to be doing, most of which requires the use of my hands. Oh well. I am just going to ask for a proper chef' knife, because I am good with a knife, and never cut myself with one. Oh, the price we pay for
convenience.

May you all have better luck with your mandolins than I had with mine.

[sharonsoars]

Oh! thats awful! I did it once too, years ago, slicing tomatoes on a big electric slicer... I did need to have it sewn back on (it was almost completely thru my finger halfway down my nail bed) and it took a year before I started being able to feel it again... but I didn't know about raw food then! Yours will probably heal much faster!

[rawmama]

Oh yikes! Two things I've read that helps healing is:
1. packing it with cayenne pepper or
2. Coating it with raw honey
Then covering it up with a band-aide or gauze. You should change it daily. I know that the raw honey really helped to heal a big gash in my daughter's leg super fast with no scaring! What we used was dark raw honey, like a buckwheat, but any raw honey should work. Cayenne is a suggestion from Dr. Richard Schulze and also Dr. Christopher, they heal with herb. You could find info on that thru google. Hope this helps...lots of prayers too, I did this to myself years ago, ick :(

[Susan Stevens]

Oh! I am so sorry to hear about your injury! I recently flayed the side of my thumb (fortunately not the dominant hand) while cleaning a quartz crystal. Every time I bend my thumb it splits open again. The top half has healed but there is still about and inch and a half that is not. So I want to say in solidarity, I feel your pain and hope you heal soon!

[Susan : )]

Ooooo...that must have hurt! I am personally scared of mandolins myself! I have to have absolutely NO distractions when using one!