Bungy Cords Can Be Dangers

So on the 8th I was showing my student how to chain up tires. I was stretching a bungee cord across the tire to help hold the chains in place. The bungy slipped and the Jay hook cut my middle finger on my left hand. Not bad washed it off and put a bandaid on it. On the 12th I noticed it was getting red and infected. My student and I were running hard so I thought it will clear up just give it time. Like I have done hundreds of time, big tough trucker right?

Well on the 15th the pain and infection were bad so I took a cab to urgent care, the Dr gave me 2 shots in the rump, and gave me some antibiotics and tylenol for the pain and instructions to seek medical help, if it did not start to get better or got worse with in the next 72 hours. On the 17th I changed my bandaid and part of the skin on my finger fell off not cool. So I dropped my student at the terminal we were only 20 miles from it. I took a cab to the hospital and checked in to emergency room. The Dr took one look at my finger and put me into isolation, the infected area had spread to my hand.

The Dr did emergency surgery that night. And on the 18th I had a second surgery on my hand and finger. So things are improving but I have lost half my middle finger. I will be off work for the next 6 weeks will my finger heals and I go through physical therapy.

But on the plus side I will be home with my wife and kid for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Also for those that want to know I had MRSA staphylococcus infection and mild blood poisoning when I checked on the 17th the Dr said that that if I waited about 12 hours more I probably would have lost my finger, the blood poising would have been worse. So learn from my mistake, don't let your pride or greed endanger your life you are worth more then that. Keep it safe out there.

I am sorry to hear this, but I am glad your focusing on the positive! Thank you for sharing, and I hope you feel better quickly!

Man, that is crazy! Sorry to hear about your finger, but I'm glad it wasn't any worse. Very important lesson, thanks for sharing it!

OMG that is horrible man! Really sorry to hear about that.

A few years ago my two cats were fighting a bit so I separated them. One of them bit me on the thumb in the process and I thought, "No big deal I'm sure. Pretty deep but I'll clean it up and no worries." I cleaned it up and Googled "cat bites" just to see if there was anything I should know about and wow was there ever!!!

Turns out cat bites can lead to especially horrible infections because of the type of bacteria they have in their system. So I went to the hospital and got a shot just to be safe and everything was fine. But the nurse told me if I did have the infection and I let it go even 12 hours I could have quickly gotten enough of it in my system that I would have had to come back like twice a day, every day, for two weeks to get antibiotics administered intravenously because the infection can be so potent.

If I wouldn't have Googled that there's no telling what an ordeal that could have become. Something that seems so simple on the outside can quickly become incredibly dangerous when you least expect it.

Again, really sorry to hear about that. Unbelievable that something so simple could create such a mess for you. Really glad it wasn't worse though, that's for sure.

Murderspoly... Excellent post. Good reminder.

My son, a carpenter had a cut on hand, got infected with a red streak on hand, got the antibiotics and Drs cleaned it. Thank God it healed. I'm glad you pointed out that this could have been much, much worse.

Bacteria these days is pretty well evolved it can do some nasty stuff. I saw more than one man in Iraq with some kind of rot on him. Wish there was something I could of done for them but not much.

Glad your okay man! Gotta clean those wounds out Pronto!

Murderspoly... Excellent post. Good reminder.

My son, a carpenter had a cut on hand, got infected with a red streak on hand, got the antibiotics and Drs cleaned it. Thank God it healed. I'm glad you pointed out that this could have been much, much worse.

That's blood poisoning. I got bit by my cat and that's what happened to me, when I was in junior high. I was in the hospital FIVE days.

Dave

Murderspoly... Excellent post. Good reminder.

My son, a carpenter had a cut on hand, got infected with a red streak on hand, got the antibiotics and Drs cleaned it. Thank God it healed. I'm glad you pointed out that this could have been much, much worse.

That's blood poisoning. I got bit by my cat and that's what happened to me, when I was in junior high. I was in the hospital FIVE days.

Dave

Sounds like these might be 2 different things?- My son's infected hand (maybe blood poisoning), and murderspoly's rot (gangrene).

I'm not trying to be sickening. Maybe multiple things are going on at once in muderspoly's situation.

Murderspoly... Excellent post. Good reminder.

My son, a carpenter had a cut on hand, got infected with a red streak on hand, got the antibiotics and Drs cleaned it. Thank God it healed. I'm glad you pointed out that this could have been much, much worse.

That's blood poisoning. I got bit by my cat and that's what happened to me, when I was in junior high. I was in the hospital FIVE days.

Dave

Sounds like these might be 2 different things?- My son's infected hand (maybe blood poisoning), and murderspoly's rot (gangrene).

I'm not trying to be sickening. Maybe multiple things are going on at once in muderspoly's situation.

Jetguy's was blood poison, and murders was MRSA a bad type of staph infection that literally can eat the bone. Not gangreane.

If anyone gets a cut, even a small cut it is good to have alcohol or peroxide around so it doesn't start an infection. I always keep a bottle of alcohol and a tube of triple antibiotic ointment on hand. I used to work for a foot doctor and you cannot believe the stuff I have seen that just started as a small cut that barely broke the skin

Just a small word of advice from someone who handles bungees a lot while tarping: When you're pulling them tight, grab it on the rubber cord below the hook, never by the hook itself, and wear gloves when handling them. Also, they break often enough that you want to make sure that no one's on the other side if it snaps and goes flying.