» Fri Feb 18, 2011 9:20 pm
I lost the tip of my left index finger in a door when I was about eight years old. Some people have talked about cutting their fingers almost off in this thread, but I crushed the tip of the finger OFF. Exposed the tip of the bone, which fractured. I of course lost the nail, which the doctors thought might not grow back and they were thinking they would have to surgically replace it with the nail bed from one of my toes. Thankfully it grew back on its own. I remember my mom putting a washcloth over my finger and having me hold it there until we got to the hospital. Once we got there, much of the blood had dried and stuck the washcloth to my finger, so a nurse had to pour water directly onto the wound to try to loosen it while simultaneously prying it off. Ugh.
Fast forward about 5 years. My friends are play-wrestling at a boy scout meeting, and my much larger friend allows the smaller guy to take him down. Sarcastically I ask, "How did you do that?" to which the big guy replies, "Here, I'll show you." This ends up with my ankle bending such that the outside edge of my foot meets the outside edge of my calf; the joint was folded completely sideways. Thankfully, the doctors didn't have to set the bone; I remember the sickening feeling of my sinew pulling the joint back into place. Then I tried to walk on it... Anyway, I was in a cast for months, and it apparently broke through the "growth plate" which meant that the doctors were fearful it may cause my foot to not grow necessitating surgery yet again. Fortunately I managed to avoid surgery this time as well. However, the ankle was significantly weaker than the other for at least a couple of years afterward; it would occasionally buckle under me and send me to the ground.