# Knife wounds



## jaredstone (Dec 18, 2011)

Does anyone have experience with bad knife wounds to the finger/hand area while working in the kitchen?  Its a little embarrassing but using my brand new knife I managed to cut a sizable chunk of my left pointer finger clean off, down to the bone.  If anyone knows any info on these type of wounds or have similar stories you can share em here...plus then I'll know I'm not the only one who's removed a chunk of finger in front of everyone.


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## leeniek (Aug 21, 2009)

Ouch!

Worst I have done is filet my left middle finger.  It was knife change day and I was making soup, and I had started out with a dull knife.  In them midst of my onion cutting the knives had been changed and for some reason I had a brain fart and used the new knife like I was using the old one and ended up fileting my finger down to close to the bone.  It was a throwup moment for sure...  The owners taped me up and while I should have gone home stupid me ended up finishing my shift but I was really off my game for the rest of that day...


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## chefhow (Oct 16, 2008)

When I was an apprentice my chef changed me from a lefty in the kitchen to a righty.  On my first Mothers Day I took a chunk off my left middle finger;  side, tip and part of the nail.  Chef looked at me and said I need you to stay, I was 18 and thought I was tough so I let him tape me up and continue to change out the gauze/duct tape during the coarse of the day until we were done.  At that point he had to call me a ride to take me to the hospital.  They put some knew skin on it and sent me home, there is still a bit of a difference in the shape of my middle fingers and that was 23 years ago.


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## jaredstone (Dec 18, 2011)

Yea, the docs said something about a skin graft, and they tell me I shouldn't work for a few days but I can't really blow off shifts for one finger. But atleast I don't feel like a total dumbass now haha


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

I have taken sizable chunks of my fingers a few times.  Never had a skin graft nor a doctor who ever mentioned one.  On all occasions (3) it was all soft tissue damage (never cut through bone although through nail) and in all cases it all grew back pretty normally-all fingertips are nice and round and only a very small flat, smooth area on the side of one finger.  I think as long as you take care of the wound and don't allow it to get infected it should probably grow back to normal, or almost, although it may take a couple of years.


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## tigger (Jan 5, 2012)

All professional chefs have cut themselves.  I usually put it down to one of three reasons (although I'm sure that there are others).

1. Incorrectly taught knife skills.  The most dangerous cause of all.

2. A change of knife.  A different weight of knife, or grip, can cause temporary problems.

3. Blunt knives.  Too much pressure is often applied, when using a blunt knife, this can cause it to slip.

I have to admit that whenever I have cut myself, I've had to blame myself.  Chefs have to be confident; sometimes we can be too confident and too quick, and that's when accidents can happen.


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## ozziegirl (Jan 10, 2012)

When i was in training i did a stupid thing..

I was cutting a loaf of bread and wasn't looking down at the cutting, when i did I noticed it was red.. found out I nicked my finger so just cleaned up put bread in bin, put bandage on and started it again.. But yea stupid me for daydreaming..


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## planethoff (Apr 25, 2011)

I was a relatively new EC at a 250 seat.  It was my sous' Birthday on a Sat night and he had a party (I did not attend, but was invited) and the entire line called out for Sunday brunch.  It was me and a trainee prep on his first day.  I had a window full of tickets and a 3 inch pile waiting to go up with a 2 hr wait at the door.  I had a line on the counter of about 5 - 6 sandwiches that needed to be sliced in half.  On the second one in, I cut my thumb to the bone.  I wrapped it/ cleaned area  / started everything over and worked until 2AM when I finally went to hospital to still get 9 stitches and 20 + years later still have a nasty scar.  I won't tell you what I put the guys through for the rest of the week (but they wished I had fired them) and the trainee never came back to work.  Such is life in the kitchen.


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## pirate-chef (Jan 25, 2012)

Same with me, the intern chef ran my station empty the night before and someone didnt look into prep so i came to an empty station and started flying through prep for a 200 cover lunch filling in on pantry. I was about halfway through my second case of romaine cutting with a razor sharp vegitable cleaver and was dragging the tip toward me like a razor flying through romain when i got my finger i sliced the entire fingerprint area off but was luckily working in norway. trip to the er specialists( the most beautiful women i ave seen )  making sure i would get feeling back, 9 stitches putting my fingertip back on, bandaged up and back to work. my one good one.


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## eloki (Apr 3, 2006)

Beautiful enough to cut another finger?


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## pirate-chef (Jan 25, 2012)

I didnt go that far...... but honestly god yes..


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## itswhoiam (Feb 29, 2012)

Taking the fat cap off a roll of strip steaks, Fat Cap had an 2 inch indent in it. I stupidly tried to cut towards myself instead of away, knife slipped and cut my knuckle to the bone. I have a blood disease that makes my blood really thin...so it bled for 45 minutes...I had to sit down in the office for 15 min and let the adrenaline subside...bandaged it up and went back to work...feeling REALLY stupid.


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