this morning when i opened the front door to collect the daily newspapers, i found out that the there was some problem with the burglar/security alarm. each time, when the door was opened, it would make a beeping sound. but, this morning, it was mute. i discovered that the cover had been dislodged.
so i grabbed the nearest available chair, got onto it and tried to fix the cover. the next moment i came crushing down. i must have shifted my weight and this caused the folding chair to collapse. as i came down, my ring finger got caught between the gap on one side of the chair. i felt as if my finger was in a vise.
my cry of pain brought my wife and younger girl ida rushing down. ida went to get some crushed ice pieces and put them in a plastic bag. my wife, in a panicky state, did not know which side to move the leg of the chair so as to free the finger. if she moved it the wrong way, it would cause the grip to tighten around the finger which was stuck in the gap. finally, ida managed to figure out the correct way.
i used some tissue papers and applied direct pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding. i also placed the plastic bag of ice over the crushed part. then my wife got some bandage and poured proflavine hemisulphate lotion onto it before wrapping it around the injured finger.
later, ida messaged me from her work place - she is doing her internship at kpmg - to persuade me to go and see a doctor.
i just checked the damage - the skin just before the nail got scrapped off, revealing the flesh beneath and on the other side of the finger, there were some lacerations.
lesson from this incident: make sure your place your weight at the right place when standing on a collapsible platform or don't stand up on something that lacks a strong foundation.
14 comments:
Seems like a nasty little accident YG. I had a similar problem when I was taking down a wall cupboard and just as the last screw came out the chair collapsed. Although the cupboard fell on top of me and was heavy all I got was a couple of bruises. I rebuilt the chair, regluing all the joints asit was the glue that had failed. I also took all the other chairs from that set apart and did a regluing excercise on them all.
I now make it a rule that I do not use chairs for anything except sitting on and always get the step ladder out to do such jobs.
john , my ladder is in the storeroom most of the time, so i use whatever is at hand. have learnt my lesson...must rememeber, chairs are meant for sitting only.
Hello Pa.. You stood on THAT chair?!?!?! A bit the cannot make it right?!?!?!? Remember.. you are growing old.. you need to take it easy...
I think it is good to see a doctor.
Sitting on chairs also have to take care - once the chair I was about to sit on, rolled away and I had a nasty shock. Luckily no harm done.
Actually not just chairs, we only learnt to take care after something happened.
Hi yg, sorry to hear this bad news. Is your finger better now? properly disinfected and treated at the clinic? Better take it easy and stop blogging for a while.
When I read the title of this post, I thought you had a fight with the person who put the ring on your finger. :p
I am sorry to hear about the accident. Hope your finger is getting better now. Ya, better go for an x-ray if you don't feel ok.
When he was a kid, my elder son fell from standing on a roller chair and cracked a bone his elbow.
This is a case of a collapsible chair which literally collapsed due to improper use. As an old man now, you must not 'climb up and down' as you are not as agile as what you would see at a zoo. Take care.
vee, accident can happen to anybody, old or young. it happened because i placed our weight at the wrong place. anyway, i am okay.
fr, thks for your concern. it should heal in time. true, must use proper equipment/furniture for the job; should have used a ladder or a flat stool.
hi seenthisscenethat, thks for your concern. i used antiseptic solution and had the wound properly covered.
blogging, can use the other fingers. now, i know why we have ten fingers.
victor, i think i am a copycat. i saw you post a photo of your hand after the slight accident to your car, so i decided that i must also show mine.
still have not seen picture of you in your blog. in the pictures featuring catholic high school, are you the boy in the green tie?
anyway, thks for your concern.
mr nah, old or young, still need to climb up and down. only make sure the tool/equipment is right for the job.
I think as we age, we have to be extra careful. A bone specialist friend at our church gave a health talk. He said, as people aged, their sense of balance gets worse. He often sees cases of older people who fell. Plus reaction is slower and bones weaker. He recommended Tai Chi as a good way to improve balance.
Thanks for sharing your 'pain', so we can learn from it. Hope you get better soon.
chun see, i know about older people being more prone to falling; my 86-yr old mother fell a few times and twice had to be hospitalised. i think tai chi, qigong or any regular exercise will help us to maintain that sense of balance.
thks. my wound is healing normally.
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