kgunz11 Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 (edited) So I've had this big toe on my right foot for a while now, you'd think I knew it was there... Today I was working on the off shore boat, it's a 26' Stamas with a pair of Honda 130's on it. Brought it home from the beach over the winter so I could do a few things to it. Those of you that own them know B.O.A.T. is really an acronym that stands for "Break Out Another Thousand". Well I was replacing all the bilge pumps and running new switches and wires for them so I had the back deck out of the boat. It wasn't really out, just stood up and propped against the hard top. In the back deck is a huge ice box mounted into the floor. This portion of the deck is probably 4' wide and 5' long. The well insulated ice box and many layers of fiberglass make it weigh about 200 pounds. After completion of my work inside the hull compartment and all my wires and new hoses were tied up it was time to lean the deck back over into it's place. It recesses into the main deck of the boat. Of course I am out there working on it in shorts and a t-shirt... no shoes. I get it about a foot from being down, struggling to hold the awkward weight of the thing with limited area to stand in and I lose my grip. Yeah yeah yeah, right on the barefoot, across the toes. The big pig took most of the impact. Immediately blood rushed under the nail, I said a few expletives uncontrollably for the neighborhood, packed up my tools and hobbled inside. This was about 4:30. At 12:30 tonight I could no longer take the pain. Elevating it and applying ice was doing very little. No way I was going to sleep with that kind of pain. Susan finally talked me into a few Advil (I don't take ANY kind of drugs, not even aspirin for 20 years now), but I was at a breaking point. I know at the ER they are just going to burn a hole through it so I googled it for home remedy solutions. Followed the instructions about heating a paper clip and burning a hole through the nail. Did that twice but the hot metal seemed to dry the blood around the hole on contact and none drained out. Another suggestion was to drill a hole. I had to do something. Some guy on YouTube had a video, worked like a champ for him, but the lying ba$&*%d said there were no nerves under there so it wouldn't hurt. *cough* BS *cough* Have you ever tried drilling a hole into something and the moment the bit breaks through the material the drill just kinda takes off? Yeah, it did, into my toe. And that hurts like hell too, but it feels much better than it did an hour ago. So I'm probably going to lose my toe nail, I just hope I am healed in time for the Mississippi Classic, and I'd like to shoot Cool Springs this weekend. We'll see... At least it wasn't my trigger finger!!! Edited April 22, 2009 by kgunz11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajg308 Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 My toe hurts reading that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-JQ- Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 :sick: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentlemanJim Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 I think you best consider some antibiotics...puncture wounds can be nasty in themselves. One UNDER the toenail made with a less than sterile drill...and toes dont live in the cleanest conditions as it is. Best to stay on top of this one! Best wishes Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgunz11 Posted April 22, 2009 Author Share Posted April 22, 2009 Thanks Jim. I soaked the bit in denatured alcohol before using it. As far as I know, I've never used it for anything before this. I have to go out in the morning and get some hydrogen peroxide to keep it fixed up and germ free. Not the worse of the wounds I have experienced over the years. I think my middle name should be "Murphy". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JThompson Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 (edited) I must say I laughed when I got the image of drilling through steel into a wood bench. I know I shouldn't have laughed at you bro, but it hit me as funny as hell and I been there with a thumb last year. I used the Dremel for it... , but I cut a bit down so it just had enough to get through the nail. Worked good. Yes, you will lose the nail too. You'll want to be careful with it because it won't all die and once, so you need to tape it to keep from peeling the whole thing back before it get there. I kept mine tapped down with gause in between so it could breeth. Then I started hacking away the dead bits and tape it back up. You'll be dealing with it for a couple months prob.... JT Edited April 22, 2009 by JThompson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6-shot Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Owwwww! Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tzygä Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 My toe hurts reading that! :sick: Owwwww! Autshhhhh!!!!!!!!! That hurts even reading your story. I hope you get well soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Payne Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 I feel your pain. Did the same thing only when I drilled through the nail I just rotated the drill bit through my fingers back and forth, kind of like trying to start a fire with a stick rubbing between your hands. It took a while, but made it through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Next time just use a safety pin. Heat that bastard til its RED hot and just rest it on the nail. It'll melt through POST HASTE. Watch out for the spraying blood. And you WILL lose that nail. Seth (BTDT, got blood on the CEILING) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Norman Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Been there, done that. Actually I didn't have to drill a hole, the 1/4" high nail wide blood blister burst on it's own. Have to admit that reading this post made me shudder with the memory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale Rader Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Yea, that hurts just reading it. You start drilling and think you will never get through the nail so you put more pressure on the drill and then BAM!!! and the pain really starts. By the way, I like your B.O.A.T. acronym. After owning a couple boats, I have always said that a boat is just a hole in the water to pour money into. Hope you get better soon and watch the infection. Dale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David.Hylton Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Ouuuuuuch, at least it wasn't last week before area 6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Sierpina Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 When I first saw this, I thought you did something like my uncle did. Nailed his foot to a roof with a nail gun. Like Jim said, punctures can infect very quickly, and sometimes very seriously. I'll bet you'll wear shoes next time too. If you don't want to wear regular shoes, look at Keen sandals. They cover the toes, kind of like sneekers with no canvas. They were designed by a guy that sails. Good luck with the toe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoShootRanger Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Bobby, you know that toe wouldn't stop a RANGER from shooting this weekend! I'm just saying is all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronEqualizer Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Ok, I'm over it now. I rarely drop anything on my toes as both feet are usually in my mouth. That's why I wear a hardhat at work. Take care and don't piss Susan off as you are very vunerable right now. See ya buddy. AL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighVelocity Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 I suffered a similar injury about 18 years ago. It never healed right and is still giving me problems. In 2008, my Dr went in with what I swear was a soldering iron and killed the nail bed so it wouldn't grow back anymore. Looks like hell but doesn't hurt, finally. See your doctor. You do not want to have to tear the nail off every 6 months for the next 20 years trying to make it grow back properly. I mean it, SEE YOUR DOCTOR. It will not correct itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Dremel bits.. turned by hand to gnaw a hole. They wear through but don't grab and take off. BTDT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dajarrel Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Bobby, I hate to hear it. I"ve done the same but let the doctor blow the hole in the nail for me. He used what looked to me to be a cordless soldering iron. Blowed a couple of holes in it and once the pressure relieved.....well the pressure was all that was gone, it still hurt. I'm in agreement with most of the other folks, that toenail is gone. The doctor removed mine and let it grow back from the base. It's almost normal Hope it gets better soon. Looking forward to seeing you and Susan at the Mississippi Classic. dj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uscbigdawg Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 That's funny Bobby! Future reference...call your friend in CA that's a medic. Heating a bit (drill, dremel or otherwise) would have been a good idea for a couple of reasons. Pins/needles work okay, but a sterile cardory is best. Toenails grow back. You'll be alright Labowsky. Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Cheely Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 used what looked to me to be a cordless soldering iron. I had that done on a finger before. Doc was leaning with all his weight on my arm so I wouldn't move, still jerked so violently when he popped through the nail that I broke the tool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ima45dv8 Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 OMG. Sounds terrible. *Why can't I get the image out of my head of Chester hobbling down the street yelling, "Marshall Dillon! Marshall Dillon!", but wearing an STI? Get well soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgunz11 Posted April 22, 2009 Author Share Posted April 22, 2009 Thanks guy for the well wishes. I tried burning a hole thru the nail twice and each time no blood came out. Drastic times call for drastic measures, so I went out to the shop and broke out the drill. Grabbed the smallest bit I had. Sat down on the floor in nothing but my Superman underoos hoping this was not going to be one of my more stupid ideas. Toe looks pretty nasty today, but it sure feels better. I reckon I smashed on it a little harder than I thought, but I am able to get around on it now, and I can bend it pretty easily, but I'm not ready to put a shot on it yet. Kev'O, don't make me shoot Production this weekend! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear23 Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Sweet One of the best parts of my job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uscbigdawg Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 ...Sat down on the floor in nothing but my Superman underoos.... This probably could have been omitted. Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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