Lessons in injury prevention

Guest post by Don Marentette, Manager, National First Aid Programs
 
Five weeks ago I learned a very painful lesson to slow down and focus on the task at hand (no pun intended) when using power tools.

While renovating my house (a hobby of mine), I was rushing to meet a self-imposed deadline to finish the kitchen. As I released the power switch on the miter saw my left hand came across to grab the toe kick (piece of wood) that I had cut. Only the blade had not finished spinning. It cut into the space between my thumb and forefinger.

As a first aider, I knew I could control the bleeding by applying direct pressure and closing the wound together. I asked my brother to grab the Red Cross first aid kit from my vehicle and retrieve the pressure dressing. Thankfully my wife was there to drive me to the ER.

I must have been a little ashen, because the triage nurse dropped me into a wheelchair and wheeled me into the trauma room, where they began to insert needles and clean the wound.

The doctor came in and asked me why I was still doing these silly things (several years ago I was brought by ambulance to the same ER after falling off a roof (on another project) and saw the same attending physician). We both agreed that it’s time for me to take up a new hobby, but not likely I would.

The following morning I met wonderful staff at the hand clinic of the Health Sciences Centre where the plastic surgeon proceeded to teach his medical students how to sew a tendon together using my hand as the training aid. He finished with a few jokes about the fact that a Canadian Red Cross staff person who has dedicated most of his adult life to injury prevention could end up with an injury such as this.

I have since gained a new appreciation for what our thumbs enable us to do, such as open a mini Ketchup bottle or cut a steak - both of which resulted in me wearing half my meal.

I am so lucky to still have my thumb, and so very lucky to live in this country - the care I have received has been nothing short of fantastic. My wonderful physiotherapist (AKA the prince of pain) has helped me regain 65% of my range of motion so far. My neighbours still think this whole incident is hilarious and have given me a pair of Kevlar® gloves.

I am super lucky to have had a first aid kit handy, making sure I had the appropriate supplies.

I’m not sure if I will get my full range of movement back or be able to hold a pool cue in quite the same way, but I do know that I will always give a thumbs-up to first aid training. Pun intended.

See your impact in action.

Sign up to receive impact updates from the Canadian Red Cross, inspirational stories from the field and be the first to hear about emergency relief efforts.

The Canadian Red Cross takes your privacy seriously. We do not distribute or sell your email address to anyone. View our privacy policy.

Blog Archives