DISCLAIMER: I know this is a morbid topic, so please, just stop reading further if you don't like it.

Do you know anyone who's ever lost a limb or body part?

My sister lost half her pointing finger when she was 18. She was working in the meat room of a large grocery chain. She was pushing meat into the machine that turns it into hamburger. They couldn't reattach it, as it was "gone".

My husband's cousin had diabetes and had to have his leg amputated from the knee down. My brother-in-law lost the tips of a few fingers trying to unjam a lawn mower.

My friend's father had both his legs amputated due to blood clots, from a lifetime of heavy smoking.

My mother-n-law lost all of her toes on one foot from diabetes.

My friend in high school lost a few of his fingers from a meat grinder. He was cleaning it and he accidentally turned it on and lost about 4 of his fingers.

My great aunt had gang green and lost limb after limb until there was nothing left of her.

My dad lost the top of his pinky a couple of years ago, filing cabinent fell onto it at work. gah.

My friend in high school lost a few of his fingers from a meat grinder. He was cleaning it and he accidentally turned it on and lost about 4 of his fingers.

My great aunt had gang green and lost limb after limb until there was nothing left of her.

I've never heard of gang green. Sounds horrible. :(

I've never heard of gang green. Sounds horrible. :(


Oh it was brutal, I was always scared of her as a kid, because she was always losing a finger or a leg. Now that I am older, I realize that she was a sweet little old lady who was stricken with a horrible disease.

My mother-n-law lost all of her toes on one foot from diabetes.
Oh, I am so sorry to hear that. My husband has diabetes, and I worry about that so much. His feet are the worst too. He gets neuropathy, and the pain is awful. He takes meds for it, and creams his feet with a special lotion. He has a podiatrist. Insurance pays for special shoes, sneakers, and his doctor cuts his toenails.

We've been having an 8-year fight over him trying to walk barefoot at home. I've even called his foot doctor and ratted him out, as my husband was going for an appointment. The doctor kept my confidence and gave my husband a lecture on the importance of always wearing footwear, slippers, etc. Odd though, the doctor's nurse called and told me about the lecture, but my husband never mentioned it to me. It must have slipped his mind, lol.

Sorry for straying, Bandito. Again, I'm sorry that happened to your wife's mother. I pray it ends there.

My dad lost the top of his pinky a couple of years ago, filing cabinent fell onto it at work. gah.
Wow, that pain, he must have seen stars. Sorry to hear it. :(

Wow, that pain, he must have seen stars. Sorry to hear it. :(
Ugh, I can't even imagine how much that must've hurt.

Oh it was brutal, I was always scared of her as a kid, because she was always losing a finger or a leg. Now that I am older, I realize that she was a sweet little old lady who was stricken with a horrible disease.
Poor thing, I can't even imagine...

We had some farm dogs who would roam all over the countryside. Well one day our black dog Zorro came home with his back leg dangling. Someone had shot him. He ran under the house and stayed there for days. Finally he came out. He healed up but was never able to use that leg again. That didn't stop him from still gettin around and enjoying life. Until he was hit by a car. He was a great dog.

My brother in law lost his big toe and his right foot in an accident while mowing the yard. He was very lucky it was just a toe.

My friend in high school lost a few of his fingers from a meat grinder. He was cleaning it and he accidentally turned it on and lost about 4 of his fingers.

My great aunt had gang green and lost limb after limb until there was nothing left of her.

My friends mother lost both of her legs by gang green. And i have another friend that lost his leg the same way.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gangrene/DS00993/UPDATEAPP=false&FLUSHCACHE=0

Gangrene

Definition

Gangrene refers to the decay and death of tissue resulting from an interruption in blood flow to a certain area of your body. Some types of gangrene also involve a bacterial infection. Gangrene most commonly affects the extremities, including your toes, fingers and limbs, but can also occur in your muscles and internal organs.

Your chances of developing gangrene are higher if you have an underlying condition that can damage your blood vessels and impede blood flow, such as diabetes or atherosclerosis.

Treatments for gangrene include surgery to remove dead tissue, antibiotics and other approaches. The prognosis for recovery is good if gangrene is identified early and treated quickly.

I went to school with someone who had no right arm. Well, actually, it was amputated from above the elbow down. She's 28, will be 29 early on in 2009... anyway, from what I remember, her biological mother was really abusive to her when she was very little. When she was 3 years old, her mom somehow had access to one of these older washers from the 1930s - 1950s with a wringer on the side of it (this was 1983 when this happened), put her arm through the wringer and it did so much irreversible damage that it had to be amputated.

I barely even noticed her missing arm when we were in school together because she'd adapted so well to having only one arm.

My grandpa lost his thumb while using a wood saw. He was building my grandmother a birdhouse/birdbath. He says he didn't even know he cut it off, like, it didn't hurt or anything, but that may be just him being macho.

I went to school with someone who had no right arm. Well, actually, it was amputated from above the elbow down. She's 28, will be 29 early on in 2009... anyway, from what I remember, her biological mother was really abusive to her when she was very little. When she was 3 years old, her mom somehow had access to one of these older washers from the 1930s - 1950s with a wringer on the side of it (this was 1983 when this happened), put her arm through the wringer and it did so much irreversible damage that it had to be amputated.

I barely even noticed her missing arm when we were in school together because she'd adapted so well to having only one arm.

Those old wringer washers were horrible. I remember my mother warning me about them (we lived in a duplex and the family below us had one). The warning hit home and I wouldn't even walk within 3 feet of the thing. Many kids had their arms crushed in those.

My father had a golfing buddy who severed all the toes on his right foot while mowing the lawn (who mows in barefeet - bonehead asked for that one).

I had a friend at work who was born with a left arm that stopped at the elbow and only had 3 small "fingers" on it. Unfortunately, as a child her parents decided to have the fingers cut off so she could wear a prosthetic. It always maddened her because she could use the fingers to a degree much better than the stupid prosthetic. I don't think I ever saw her wear it but it didn't stop her. She could type about 55 wpm and file and put nail polish on herself, raised a daughter just fine, etc.. I didn't even notice it after a while but she loved my nickname for her which has stuck - she uses it on her email addresses now: "Lefty" ;)

My grandpa lost his thumb while using a wood saw. He was building my grandmother a birdhouse/birdbath. He says he didn't even know he cut it off, like, it didn't hurt or anything, but that may be just him being macho.


Actually, they say amputations don't hurt that badly (they also don't usually bleed as badly as you might think they would).

The body goes into immediate shock, reducing the pain and because the nerve endings have been severed, they tend to "numb" at first until they start healing when "phantom" pain starts. Even though they lost a leg say, they'll get the feeling they're itchy on the foot. Odd how nerves work.

Sure hope your grandmother appreciated that birdhouse!

Actually, they say amputations don't hurt that badly (they also don't usually bleed as badly as you might think they would).

The body goes into immediate shock, reducing the pain and because the nerve endings have been severed, they tend to "numb" at first until they start healing when "phantom" pain starts. Even though they lost a leg say, they'll get the feeling they're itchy on the foot. Odd how nerves work.

Sure hope your grandmother appreciated that birdhouse!
would the same apply with getting shot? years ago in my area, someone shot at a bus and hit a girl in the leg. she said later that she'd been sleeping and when the sound of the gunshot woke her up, she just thought her leg was asleep. nerves are definitely odd.

would the same apply with getting shot? years ago in my area, someone shot at a bus and hit a girl in the leg. she said later that she'd been sleeping and when the sound of the gunshot woke her up, she just thought her leg was asleep. nerves are definitely odd.


Apparently it does, although it would depend on where you got shot - sounds like she took a direct hit in a nerve. I've heard that often it feels like a burn.

I know when I had my whiplash, the pain in my back and neck sometimes felt like a hot poker being driven into me or some sort of weird electrical stimulation (spasms) beyond the aching type of pain.

It can sure be weird alright.

Sorry - this is sort of a side topic, but do you know that when you have a heart attack, they say that pain you get in your neck and down your left arm comes from when you were developing as a fetus. The heart actually starts off in our neck/shoulder area of the left side and moves down to the chest under the ribs as we develop. They figure there's some "memory" there with the nerve endings and that's why you get the pain higher up and down the arm.

(can'tchya tell I'm a "medical nerd") ;)

I was born with one hand.

Does that count?

I know several people. On my mom side of the family her uncle lost his hand in an mine explosion and one of my mom's female cousin's lost her to leg to cancer when she was 16. My dad served in Vietnam and formed several close relationships with a few guys and I have known these guys my whole life. One guy lost both legs above the knee and is in a wheelchair and one guy lost an arm and a leg but he uses a prosesthics very well.

Both of my Grandpas did. My Grandpa on my dad's side lost part of a finger, I believe he was working in a factory and his finger was crushed by some machinery. My other Grandpa shot off one of his toes with a gun when he was about 10 or so.

I was born with one hand.

Does that count?


Probably not, I only mentioned my friend Lefty because of her parents having her fingers amputated. Since you've never had to get used to it that way, I wouldn't consider that handicapped at all (as with Lefty).

If anything, I used to kid her that she'd be handy (no pun intended) for washing glasses because she wouldn't have to make a fist to get to the bottom. She laughed and said that was her chore as a kid - she was better at washing dishes than anyone else in her family.

I've also had friends born without some fingers, or misshapen fingers and it took me 5 years to notice it! Just proves that "perfection" is overrated. ;)

This thread makes me shudder, but I do have a couple of stories. My dad's uncle lost his right hand in a tractor accident back in the 50's (I think... my dad was in elementary school). he had a hook on the end of his arm and I was always so afraid of that thing when I was little. It was one of those hooks that you can open and close-not like Captain Hook! LOL He died back in 1993 and I sure do miss him!:(

At work there is a man who only has about half of his right arm-down to his elbow. I've been there coming up seven years this December and I still cannot bring myself to ask him what happened. I'm sure he would tell me, but I just feel really uncomfortable asking. He makes jokes about not having a hand though, so I'm assuming it's been a long time since it happened.

Andrea

This thread makes me shudder, but I do have a couple of stories. My dad's uncle lost his right hand in a tractor accident back in the 50's (I think... my dad was in elementary school). he had a hook on the end of his arm and I was always so afraid of that thing when I was little. It was one of those hooks that you can open and close-not like Captain Hook! LOL He died back in 1993 and I sure do miss him!:(

At work there is a man who only has about half of his right arm-down to his elbow. I've been there coming up seven years this December and I still cannot bring myself to ask him what happened. I'm sure he would tell me, but I just feel really uncomfortable asking. He makes jokes about not having a hand though, so I'm assuming it's been a long time since it happened.

Andrea

Maybe FSU could help answer that one for you, but I know with Diane, (my friend I mentioned who I call Lefty) when she did make a reference to it, I just took the opportunity and asked one day, "if you don't mind me asking, what did happen?". She had no problem answering. I think if anything, her jokes were some sort of "invite" to ask to "clear the air" so to speak. Let's face it, most of us are going to be curious.

Heck, I get a kick out of pointing out my webbed toes! (not that I pickup guys with that or anything!) ;) :lol:

Heck, I get a kick out of pointing out my webbed toes! (not that I pickup guys with that or anything!) ;) :lol:

*Cathie goes into a bar and finds a hot guy*

"Hey hot stuff, wanna know a secret?" *shows him her feet*
"My mom was a duck." ;)

:rofl: Just kidding Cathie!!

*Cathie goes into a bar and finds a hot guy*

"Hey hot stuff, wanna know a secret?" *shows him her feet*
"My mom was a duck." ;)

:rofl: Just kidding Cathie!!
:brent

:brent

:D

Cathie's Senior Picture. :lol: Kidding, love ya Cat!

http://www.mentalfloss.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/431_aflac.jpg

Cathie's Senior Picture. :lol: Kidding, love ya Cat!

http://www.mentalfloss.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/431_aflac.jpg

:brent :rofl:

O.k. you two - laugh all ya like but can you make a "peace sign" with your piggies?!?! :lol: Jealously will getchya nowhere! ;)

O.k. you two - laugh all ya like but can you make a "peace sign" with your piggies?!?! :lol: Jealously will getchya nowhere! ;)

:rofl: I admit it, I'm jealous