01 April 2009

It's a miracle that I can walk...

Today began like any other day with coffee, breakfast, laundry, dishes, getting everyone dressed and off to the gym for my morning workout. I managed to complete my workout in spite of the fact that my entire hand was throbbing.

See, last night while fixing dinner I learned why they put all of those warnings on the mandolin. I was fixing my family a yummy dinner of baked fish, green beans, and sweet potato "fries". I had pealed the sweet potatoes and was running them through the juliane attachment on my mandolin. And yes, I was using the guard. Well, apparently that particular sweet potato had a knot in the middle that I caught just right on the blade, the guard flew out of my hand and I sent my innocent pinky finger into the blade.

I poured hydrogen peroxide over it, bandaged it up and finished dinner.

A few hours later I called a nurse friend of mine to find out what I could do to stop the bleeding. Jennifer gave me a quick tutorial on a pressure dressing and I did that. When I got home from the gym today after my shower I removed the bandage from last night and realized that it was STILL bleeding. So, I gave in and called the doctor to make an appointment.

I knew it wasn't good when the doctor even cringed and promised pain meds before she even touched me! She had to cauterize my finger to get the bleeding to slow down (no, they couldn't even get it to stop completely) so that they could do a pressure wrap on it that I have to leave on until at least Friday morning. Bonus, I also got a tetanus shot that has made the rest of my arm sore!

David has been super dad tonight and taken care of dinner and the kids and is letting me rest.

I have to say, this is the worst kitchen injury that I have ever experienced! My finger will eventually heal but I'm sure I will have a reminder scar. My mother in law called to check on me and told me that she was going to get me one of those cut proof gloves to wear the next time the kids want sweet potato fries! I have often thought about buying one but thought that I was safe since I was using the guard. Wrong. I have always showed a preference to learning things the hard way. I am hard headed like that.

When I first told David that I had cut my pinky finger on my right hand... his response was, I don't think you have ever injured that one before! Seriously, I am always burning my hand or my arm while baking. Getting steam burns and basic knife injuries are common place with me and my cooking. I'm sure that it has nothing to do with the fact that dinner time is also prime time for whining and fighting at my house!

But this injury has effected more than just my cooking.... my typing is almost impossible! So if I get behind on commenting on your blogs the next couple of days, I blame my injury and the pain meds!

Please tell me that I am not the only kitchen klutz!

sign

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear about your pinky..Take care! Glad you are going to be okay

Kelly the Happy Texan said...

OMG, you poor thing! I lost the tip of a finger on a mandoline once. Those things are dangerous....but "handy" too. :)

Unknown said...

ouch, ouch, ouch!!!

My hubby has needed stitches on his fingers/hands on more than one occasion from sharp things in the kitchen. Three...if I'm remembering right. He almost lost the top of his finger one time with a chef's knife (at work even). Once was on one of those fancy schmancy apple peeler/corer/slicer things. Once was before I met him as he was deboning a turkey.

Come to think of it, I'm glad he gave up his chef aspirations.

Feel better soon!

Cynthia said...

Oh my Lord...I think I am going to faint. I hope it heals quickly:)

McCullough Family said...

Okay...I couldn't even really read this post because it makes me cringe and feel sick! I just picked out the main points that you somehow hurt your finger bad....so sorry! I hope it heals fast!

Kamis Khlopchyk said...

I think it's best that I don't ever get one of those mandolin's. I a chronic kitchen accident "victim", usually of my one clutziness.

Ouch! Get better soon! And take your MIL up on her offer, stat!

Unknown said...

The mandolin scares the heck out of me. I've only used mine a few times. A glove is a good idea.

Hope your poor little pinky is healing well! : )

Ally @ Waiting For Rain said...

Don't worry, you are not alone, not even close! I have, during the course of cookery school and four years catering, chopped off the ends of almost all my fingers on my left hand... over-ambitious knife work my tutors called it!!

Heal soon!

Laura N said...

Ouch! My husband is a huge kitchen clutz. He's a great cook, but almost always cuts something or sets something on fire when he's cooking. He burned up a kitchen hot mit the other night when he turned on the wronger burner--the mit was lying on the stove because I'd pulled a baking dish from the oven & left the mit on the side, so he'd know it was a hot dish. For whatever reason it's hard for him to remember which knob goes to which burner. I cut my finger recently while slicing a bagel.

Hope you heal quickly!

LuckyOnce said...

My husband sliced his thumb on a plastic wrap box cutting edge last summer... He needed 7 stitches. You're not alone. (But I still make fun of him for that injury...)

nicole said...

Ouch. I hope you are feeling better today. That sounds incredibly painful. I am scared of sharp kitchen things.

Rebeka said...

OH my goodness that's awful! I hope you feel better soon. yikes!

Cheryl said...

I am banned from using the cheese grater....enough said
Any injury is bad....finger ones especially as it is in your face everday!
Hope you are feeling better Natalie!

Sab said...

Oooh... I hope you heal up quickly! I hate cuts.... knives scare me... I'm serious.

Christina said...

Yikes Natalie! I've had some kitchen injuries, but I don't think they can compare to that. Owwww!

Unknown said...

you poor thing...see it's JUST these reasons that I REFUSE to be that Suzy Homemaker, I'm really thinking of my own survival. Really. ;)

Stacy said...

Ouch, that sounds so painful. I cut my hand a glass I was washing and ended up with 6 stitches in my hand, does that count?

Krystyn @ Really, Are You Serious? said...

Oh my goodness! All the more reason to order in!!!

I hope it's feeling better now.

Jaimee said...

OMG Natalie! I'm glad you are ok despite such a horrible accident! Yikes! I can feel the pain right now...I've sliced a few fingers in my cooking days too... :)