Burns

[DL88]

I am in shit tons of pain so I'll keep this short. I burned my hands at work, with a rope, saving a customer's roof from an enormous limb because someone else wasn't paying attention when the final cuts were made. I have had my hands in ice water and on the container (halved milk gallon) since around 6pm EST and even now, 4am EST, I am still in horrible pain.

..It was bad...

My Boss (owner) has had some pretty rough ones including hot oil from a truck covering his hand. I just wanted to make a thread because I am interested to hear stories from some of you about burn accidents you might have had over the years.

[Codymoogle]

Burn accidents huh...

Once, a few summers ago (summer of 2007 I believe), I was taking the trash out. It was a hot day, and it was nice enough to go outside barefoot. I felt the asphalt (that was on the way to the dumpster) with my feet before crossing it. It didn't feel that hot, so I started crossing across the lot to throw away my trash. I should note that I have nerve damage or some sort of internal injury to my feet, particularly my left foot, that makes it difficult to tell how hot or cold something is...The heat or cold feels less intense to the bottom of my feet. I've had this since 1997, so I should have known better to test it with my hand, or a different body part like my arm. I didn't however, and my feet, especially my right foot, started burning about 2/3 of the way across the asphalt...

So I go as fast as I can to get off of it, and as I go inside I wonder why my feet are still burning...I look at my right foot that is in searing pain by now...First and second degree burns with blisters forming. Ouch! My left foot isn't hurting as much (not as sensitive, remember) but I decide to look anyway...My therapist at the time was with me, and a registered nurse, so she looked as well.

Her reaction? "Oh my God!"...I had a blister on my left foot that was - quite literally - half my foot large. It felt like I was walking on a squishy balloon, and did it ever hurt after popping. I went to the doctor for it, and his reaction was pretty much "What the ... did you do?!" not his exact words, but that was the basic reaction.

I was very lucky I didn't get an infection. Moral? Never go outside barefoot on anything but grass/dirt...

I hope your hands get better soon!

~ moogle

[~Skitty~]

i was smoking a cigarette and had a soft drink in the other hand. i took a puff and started to twirl my cigarette.

i noticed that i had an incredible urge to put one or the other in my mouth. so i figured i would take a sip of my soda.

needless to say it wasent myy soda, but the butt end of my cig.

>< ouchies.

[curiositykilledthecat]

I've burned my feet several times on hot asphalt/tar. I;ve managed to burn myself cooking on numerous occasions however I've never had a severe burn.

[TheMagicDragon]

Sorry to hear about this, DL88. I'll bet it hurts bad.

I was an arborist for a large treecare co and had to learn to estimate by working ground crew for two years. Rope burns are no minor thing. You are a hero, though, for saving damage to the roof. Often the homeowner has no knowledge, let along appreciation for such heroism. Its unfortunate but at least you know. Those kinds of repairs (house damages) can get costly and forget about what happens to the insurance premiums. You did the right thing so perhaps the burn will still have been worth it in the end.

For now, I suppose you'll have to keep the burn(s) immobilized and see a doctor immediately (if you haven't already) 'lest infection make it any worse. You need those hands for work! Let your boss know if you need to have a lighter work load for awhile, there are things you can do, temporarily. You can always find another job, especially labor - but you can't have another pair of hands.

(meanwhile, stay away from the dirty pictures, hehehe - sorry dude!)

[square_duck]

Don't you guys wear work gloves when working with something like this???? They should be part of your equipment, and if not, you got what you deserved! Sorry to be a hard ass, but I have worked at a lot of jobs and part of your equipment you use is also your SAFETY equipment. Currently I work in a restraunt, and they have a form you use to order safety shoes (non skid) I originally never bothered because I didn't know how slippery the floors can get and I did hit the floor a couple of times before I got the idea. The shoes are amazing and I will never fall in a slip accident. But someone else did, and hurt herself, all because she didn't have the correct shoes.

Sorry for your pain, but I do hope this is a lesson in using self protection next time.

As for burns, everyone gets them, and the only burns I have suffered were usually small, like a finger or small area due to touching something I didn't mean to or didn't think <dur>

At the same place I work now, I did get a burn on my foot, from hot water. One fool I have to work with was doing something while I was filling a bucket with hot water to mop the floor, he bumped the hose (or something like that) and it moved enough to pour scalding hot water into my shoe! needless to say I was pissed because it HURT! I ripped off my shoe and wet sock and put ice on the side of my foot for a while. It stung and hurt, then the next day it blistered up, a nice juicy 3 inch blister on the side of my foot. I put on burn cream and eventually popped it to drain it, but it was uncomfortable for almost a week...

I think that was the worst burn I ever had.....I have yet to retaliate.....still plotting

[fluff]

So glad I don't do manual labour.

[tenderheart]

Years back when I lived in San Diego I received a chemical burn on my left hand. (I also happen to be left handed) that covered half my thumb and a good portion of my hand. My thumb looked like a cross section I could literally see the muscle structure of my thumb. I went to the San Diego medical center burn unit and they gave me creams and such. But water didnt do shit to that ungodly pain. I'm surprised my hand isn't horribly scarred in all honesty.

[DL88]

Sorry to hear about this, DL88. I'll bet it hurts bad.

I was an arborist for a large treecare co and had to learn to estimate by working ground crew for two years. Rope burns are no minor thing. You are a hero, though, for saving damage to the roof. Often the homeowner has no knowledge, let along appreciation for such heroism. Its unfortunate but at least you know. Those kinds of repairs (house damages) can get costly and forget about what happens to the insurance premiums. You did the right thing so perhaps the burn will still have been worth it in the end.

For now, I suppose you'll have to keep the burn(s) immobilized and see a doctor immediately (if you haven't already) 'lest infection make it any worse. You need those hands for work! Let your boss know if you need to have a lighter work load for awhile, there are things you can do, temporarily. You can always find another job, especially labor - but you can't have another pair of hands.

(meanwhile, stay away from the dirty pictures, hehehe - sorry dude!)

That's funny because I am actually thinking about getting certified as an Arborist. Ya my hands are much better and it is back to work as usual tommorrow but hey, at least I got a day off from the deal. Kept my hands in ice water for 14 hours; my boss cut me a piece of aloe from the plant he has in his back yard and I applied some fresh stuff twice. I took a pic that I will post later, it isn't as bad looking in the picture as it was 14 hours earlier when it first happened cause of the water but it still hurt like a mofo! I went to bed after the 14 hours but I fell asleep with them in water too haha. Also, you can always find new hands, what are ya talking about!

The kicker is the homeowner had just left when it happened lol! People really have no idea what is happening outside of their house 95% of the time; part of selling the service is you have to get them outside and point at everything that you can see what they really need to get done.

Don't you guys wear work gloves when working with something like this???? They should be part of your equipment, and if not, you got what you deserved! Sorry to be a hard ass, but I have worked at a lot of jobs and part of your equipment you use is also your SAFETY equipment.

Sorry for your pain, but I do hope this is a lesson in using self protection next time.

You are absolutely right, it is my fault I was doing ground work without wearing gloves. The other side to that is I am a manager, so I do everything: management, financial/payroll, call backs, sales, and labor. I just don't normally have to go work with the crews unless they are behind, in which case gloves are my least concern to be honest. This was just one of those things that I saw coming from the pile of stuff that needed to be put in the trailer and had to act =\. Everybody does have a list of required safety equiptment though, which include gloves, hat, eye protection, jeans, and boots. Climbers must have additional stuff such as a bluetooth for their phones (they are generally the crew lead) and spikes.

[TheMagicDragon]

I know exactly what you are speaking about. It is a good thing you jumped in. In this business, shit happens even though we stress Safety First constantly.

Pardon my ignorance since I'm living in the Deciduous Forst Belt (some trees are over 100'), but what kind of trees do you have in Florida that get tall? Moi is interested in knowing. I have good DL Couple friends living down there, Ft. Myers area.

Oddly, when I was practicing Arboriculture, we didn't have Bluetooth, just pagers, which drove us crazy. Funny, now I couldn't imagine climbing without bluetooth to safety's sake. Much better than a radio in an emergency!

Hmmm, I think I'd just wear a daytime diaper with booster anyway, tell the crew its better than my peeing on them out of the tree. There's no way a climber can hide the diaper lol. They'd probably believe it, a diaper is safety gear IMHO. Why put down the chainsaw?

[DL88]

Pardon my ignorance since I'm living in the Deciduous Forst Belt (some trees are over 100'), but what kind of trees do you have in Florida that get tall? Moi is interested in knowing. I have good DL Couple friends living down there, Ft. Myers area.

When you look at the differences of FL you divide it into different sections because they are all very different. North Florida (panhandle) area is generally seemingly close to how it might be in North Carolina in look. The East Coast is what you generally imagine with a lot of palm trees and beaches. Central Florida is a big farming and agriculture area that reminiscent of the Mid-West. The West Coast is very much like a lot of the Southern states, and South Florida is South Florida.

You have many tall Live Oak and Pine down here as well as some I don't know exactly what they are, subspecies most likely. Most lawn companies will boast that they do people's palms, when they only do them up to about 10ft. and then half the time tell they people they do them when they don't touch them and still charge (check the work they say they do people). So most of our smaller work comes from palm cleaning, we'll get a couple big jobs a week on some oaks and such, most of our easy jobs are palms from 25-40ft.

[TheMagicDragon]

That was my favorite read of the day, DL88. I haven't travelled around enough to know, so you're description makes more sense to me than what most people (who don't know vascular plants) have ever been able to tell me. I have been to the Carolinas, West Fla and recently Pheonix, AZ so I can dig the cleaning the palms work and live oak work, Yeah, lots of big/tall stuff. I often wonder if there is anyone else in the AB/DL community who knows a monocot from a dicot. Stupid maybe, but hey, I often wonder anyway. Hope you don't run into any of those nasty tarantulas, scorpions and assorted nasties. Thanks for that!

[Snugglebug]

Ouch! Rough break! I can't say I've ever had a major burns, but I've gouged and cut myself plenty good on assorted job sites. My worst injury on the job, though, was severly putting my back out stacking pottery wheels. Yes, I was being very dumb and overconfident when I did so (stupid youth). I got the job done and the pottery shack organized, but wound up on my back for four or five days. I've been prone to hurting my back ever since.

[Snugglebug]

I often wonder if there is anyone else in the AB/DL community who knows a monocot from a dicot.

Sorry mate, I can only go so far as telling a connifer from deciduous. I at least understand how unseasonably warm winters (and global warming doesn't exist, right?) have resulted in an explosion of pine beetles that are wiping out pine stocks in western Canada and northwester America.

[Yvhuce]

Gloves don't always prevent burns. The most common work gloves are leather, which has this nasty tendency to not do much against heat. It generally takes something like welding gloves to protect against burns, and even they will let your hands get perty hot. While I haven't had anything more than a minor 1st degree burn, my brother burned his finger perty bad one time by sticking it on a vehicle cigarette lighter.

[Snugglebug]

Gloves don't always prevent burns. The most common work gloves are leather, which has this nasty tendency to not do much against heat. It generally takes something like welding gloves to protect against burns, and even they will let your hands get perty hot. While I haven't had anything more than a minor 1st degree burn, my brother burned his finger perty bad one time by sticking it on a vehicle cigarette lighter.

I'm assuming that, since large loads and ropes were involved, these were friction burns. Work gloves would've cut down on that, believe me.

Ever see welding gloves catch on fire? Potters get to play with the darndest things...

[DL88]

GlennDL:

Ya we even bid some jobs today with some interesting trees, but I forgot the name, but just really cool stuff. I also came across a tree that smells almost like "Vick's Vapor Rub" and also cut down one that smelled very strongly of cherry. Just cool stuff, I'll find out what they were for you though.

As far as spiders, we mostly worry about the Brown Recluse, especially its bite.

[TheMagicDragon]

Betcha it was a Eucalyptus Tree (eucalyptol is smelly)(tree from down under) (gets tall and gangly) If the other tree smelled really great and bark is sweet sorta like Rootbeer that might be a Sweet or Black Birch (northern tree). Did'ja run it through a chipper?

Funny quote I heard once and often repeat: 'Trees are my favorite vegetable'. (Some parts of some trees ARE edible, lol and some folks love trees like myself)

How's the hand? After the blisters get dry and when its healing use Johnson's Baby Oil, good for your hands and smells clandestinely great.

[aleyxsis]

was working with propane back in the early eighties before you had to take a test (in canada )I could not not get the valve shut off . Frooze or burnt both my index fingers the skin peeled off and i had no feelings for about two years !!

[:dlb]

I'm in dd chat every now and then and sometimes I'll be in there talking about my experiences as a severe burn survivor with an interested individual willing to listen. On april 19th, 1990 I was severely burned in an explosion in a scrap yard. I was only 10 years old and forever my life changed. I recieved 3rd degree burns to 98% of my body and both hands and feet were amputated below knee and elbow. For the first 5 years I had bowel problems. It was pretty much a 24/7 constipation. But the only time I was diapered was during hospital stays. And even then during the later years not so much actual diapering. Then at age 15 I thankfully regained control, one less huge discomfort to deal with.

Being severely burned has challenges and pains to overcome. Challenges that never end and deal with on a daily basis. Some people ask me how I stay so strong and positive. To be honest I don't really know. I liken it to me having a survivorman type personality. I'm a survivor, if You've ever watched survivorman or man vs. wild I am drawn to those shows for some reason. I cant really explain why. Even though physically I'd never be able to do many of the things they do because I am in a wheelchair and there are many things I am unable to do for myself. Such as dressing, bathing, preparing my own food, chores around the house, etc. Sometimes this makes me feel like a burden or useless but I try to rememeber God has a purpose for all of us. And mine I feel is to show people to be grateful for what they have and teach others not to make the same mistakes I did. This includes talking to kids about the dangers of fire and the consequences. I've been putting off writing my book for awhile now. I plan on getting started when I can get a laptop cause I'd be more productive, this is simply because in the position this keyboard is in I can only type with 1 arm and it slows down my wpm. Anyhoo thanks for reading, and I dont mind talking about this stuff at all. So any questions are welcome whenever you see me in chat..

[DL88]

I'm in dd chat every now and then and sometimes I'll be in there talking about my experiences as a severe burn survivor with an interested individual willing to listen. On april 19th, 1990 I was severely burned in an explosion in a scrap yard. I was only 10 years old and forever my life changed. I recieved 3rd degree burns to 98% of my body and both hands and feet were amputated below knee and elbow. For the first 5 years I had bowel problems. It was pretty much a 24/7 constipation. But the only time I was diapered was during hospital stays. And even then during the later years not so much actual diapering. Then at age 15 I thankfully regained control, one less huge discomfort to deal with.

Being severely burned has challenges and pains to overcome. Challenges that never end and deal with on a daily basis. Some people ask me how I stay so strong and positive. To be honest I don't really know. I liken it to me having a survivorman type personality. I'm a survivor, if You've ever watched survivorman or man vs. wild I am drawn to those shows for some reason. I cant really explain why. Even though physically I'd never be able to do many of the things they do because I am in a wheelchair and there are many things I am unable to do for myself. Such as dressing, bathing, preparing my own food, chores around the house, etc. Sometimes this makes me feel like a burden or useless but I try to rememeber God has a purpose for all of us. And mine I feel is to show people to be grateful for what they have and teach others not to make the same mistakes I did. This includes talking to kids about the dangers of fire and the consequences. I've been putting off writing my book for awhile now. I plan on getting started when I can get a laptop cause I'd be more productive, this is simply because in the position this keyboard is in I can only type with 1 arm and it slows down my wpm. Anyhoo thanks for reading, and I dont mind talking about this stuff at all. So any questions are welcome whenever you see me in chat..

Wow Dlb, reading this really makes me feel like a, for lack of a better term, crybaby because I am complaining about my hands when you had gone through such an ordeal. I find a lot of inspiration in people like yourself because as bad as I think my situation might get, there is always someone who has had to deal with a worse situation. I just can't even imagine the pain and suffering you went through. I am curious as to what caused the explosion though if you are willing to take the time to tell me about it more.

As far as a book is concerned, have you tried verbal recognition tools? I'm sure you have but I definitly think your story should be told.

[Horndog]

I put my hand on a hot stove once when I was little. I've had sunburns, but I can't complain because others have gone through a LOT worse.

[:dlb]

Yeah i've tried verbal recognition but I honestly have no patience for them. Even my interactive R2-D2 won't listen to me lol.

[Snugglebug]

Well, yeah, R2-D2 doesn't really listen to anybody, so that's about par for the course.