An Odd Souvenir

[wolfe]

Since my last visit to the lake, I've been carrying around a special little souvenir. Every day, it's with me and reminds me of fishing.

Here's the math involved... a simple equation really:

Big Rockbass + Big Heddon Spook + Big Clumsy Dogs x 2 =

Hooks in hand, flipping fish and a tiny piece of dorsal fin in my pinky.

No civilized amount of digging could get it out, so I settled for keeping it clean and hoping the healing would eventually push it out. Good news, no infection 2 weeks later. Bad news, it's still there and there's a little pocket of what feels like fluid around it and when I push on a certain spot, part of my finger goes numb.

So....

Has anyone else ever experienced anything so bizarre and how did it work out for you?!

I should have a comic strip fashioned after my life, I'm telling you...

W.

[RJ]

I had that happen once while throwing out some frozen crappie remains on garbage day...I reached in and got stuck bigtime right under my nail with a spine.....it broke off.......it hurt like a %#*#(# for about a week...good luck with it...

RJ

[Raminator]

I commercial fished for alot of years,all we ever used was epsom salt in the hottest water you can stand,let it soak while you are sitting around,it will force it out,to where you can grab it with pliers,this works for steel and wood splinters also.

[Raminator]

tweezers are likely easier to use than pliers

[Bass Addict]

Dorsal fin in pinky + bad wrist = Cut off arm at elbow..

[Badger Shark]

I have not had a spine stuck in me but I did have a fiber optic firber embedded in my thumb while I worked in high tech. I didnt realize it for a very long time until one day I felt something uncomfortable in there. I started digging into the skin and felt something hard. Luckily the tools we had to use included tweezers so I started grabbing for it and finally I pulled it out. Didnt realize how long it was! I guess it was working its way out. So I am sure your little extra fishy part will too unless you start to mutate and develope fish parts, which would be good for you to catch more fish.

[Jimmy_1]

That "hard" part full of fluid is your body rejecting it. It may end up coming up like a boil in which it fills with white blood cells as it tries to ward of bacteria/infection. It may begin to hurt as it comes to a head.

I'd suggest soaking it in warm/hot water for a few minutes, gently opening the skin with a sanitized pin and then gently using tweezers to remove it.

[almontefisher]

I have not had a spine stuck in me but I did have a fiber optic firber embedded in my thumb while I worked in high tech. I didnt realize it for a very long time until one day I felt something uncomfortable in there. I started digging into the skin and felt something hard. Luckily the tools we had to use included tweezers so I started grabbing for it and finally I pulled it out. Didnt realize how long it was! I guess it was working its way out. So I am sure your little extra fishy part will too unless you start to mutate and develope fish parts, which would be good for you to catch more fish.

You are lucky Don....Fiber Optic glass can get into your bloodstream and head for the heart. It will lodge itself in there and cause a tear over time. When I was in cabling field they told us to be very careful when splicing the ends together and if there was a break off of fiber to make sure you knew it did not go into the skin!!

As for Wolfe it will work it's way out but make sure it gets cleaned and washed to stave off infection

[Wallyboss]

Margie don't worry you will not have to get your pinky cutoff(OH some guys with there ideas) just give it 3-4 weeks and it will fall off by itself.

Seriously the Epsom salt thing is the way to go.


BadgerShark you are lucky with that fiber optic splinter. All our splicers at Rogers have to keep an accurate count of all the fibers they cut and keep the splinters in a small jar and count them. You are lucky it didn't get into your bloodstream.

I wrote it as Almonte fisher was sending it.

[Wallyboss]

That "hard" part full of fluid is your body rejecting it. It may end up coming up like a boil in which it fills with white blood cells as it tries to ward of bacteria/infection. It may begin to hurt as it comes to a head.

Just like an oyster would do to a grain of sand.
Wolfe I always knew that you were a pearl.

[tinman454]

this tip came from my mom and it does work for steel splinters. (shes a nurse) take and have a cup of tea well you are drinking the tea use the tea bag on the splinter the hotter the better this will help draw it out. The skin must be opened for this to work so if it has closed over take the needle out and just open it a bit . try it it does work also it does make it feel better. good luck !!

[wolfe]

I had a feeling a few of you would have some experience with this...

Thanks for the tips, no pun intended. Sounds like a mini "surgery" might be in order. Funny thing is it does not hurt (anymore). Just that odd numb jolt once in a while. I need to see my doctor on Friday anyway for cholesterol issues so I might hold off on the digging at it myself 'til then. Not exactly relishing going back in after it now that it's closed up!

I wonder how the rockbass is making out. Oh the perils of fishing!

W.

[wolfe]

Dorsal fin in pinky + bad wrist = Cut off arm at elbow..

Some how I knew you were going to say something like this, BA.

I notice Wallyboss was so sweet and nice, unlike you.



W.

PS: it's the other hand, by the way!!!

[Badger Shark]

I have not had a spine stuck in me but I did have a fiber optic firber embedded in my thumb while I worked in high tech. I didnt realize it for a very long time until one day I felt something uncomfortable in there. I started digging into the skin and felt something hard. Luckily the tools we had to use included tweezers so I started grabbing for it and finally I pulled it out. Didnt realize how long it was! I guess it was working its way out. So I am sure your little extra fishy part will too unless you start to mutate and develope fish parts, which would be good for you to catch more fish.

You are lucky Don....Fiber Optic glass can get into your bloodstream and head for the heart. It will lodge itself in there and cause a tear over time. When I was in cabling field they told us to be very careful when splicing the ends together and if there was a break off of fiber to make sure you knew it did not go into the skin!!

As for Wolfe it will work it's way out but make sure it gets cleaned and washed to stave off infection

Pete and Dan that is a myth. Yes the fiber is smaller than a hair but it is still to large to travel through the blood stream. We asked about this when we started working there. They werre more concerned with fibers flying into your eyes.

[bl8ant]

Well, I have had to dig with a sterilized needle for some nasty splinters—held it under a lighter until it got glowing red then began.

Used a sharp edged set of tweezers and pulled from the tip of the splinter making sure not to bend/break it. Maybe no the smartest thing to do but it worked.

My guess is that is pretty much what the doctor will have to do albeit in a more sterile environment.