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My fight with a prop.....and losing!

GET WELL!!!

Stein Man,

Sorry you got bit. I know you will get over this and back in the saddle soon!
Let me know if I CAN DO ANY THING ON THIS END FOR YOU.

Cheers
 
You guys & gals are one phenomenal group. I can't think of any other community with so many truly good people in it - and I sincerely mean that. I'm really lucky to have so much support from so many people. Some of my support has come in aimed at my sense of humor and I LOVE IT! Here's a quick sampling:

1...My dear employees made me an "ACME prosthetic finger" from an old stuffed animal (monkey) to tape onto my new stump :)

2...One of my nice customers kindly offered me a discount coupon for 10% off my next manicure!

3...Another friend/customer (most of the times these words are interchangeable) offered to buy me lunch....just with no "finger foods", but did offer to buy me chili from Wendy's in case I wanted to search for my missing finger!

4...Next 'friend' wanted me to work on my price quote I sent him last week, but then realized that since I probably won't be allowed around pointy or sharp objects that asking me to "sharpen my pencil" might not be a good idea!

5...Another guy realized that I'm one of the few people who'll be able to count accurately to 9.5 on my fingers!

6...Someone else realized that shaking my hand will be difficult, so they'd give me a "high 4.5" instead if a "high 5"!

7...Others suggested I might need seatbelts for the motorized couch given the fact that I must be dangerous around anything motorized.

8...One of you suggestd I have a "1/2" off sale to celebrate!

9...The last question I got was someone wondering if I'd be having a sale on "DIGITal" items!

Anyway, it might seem morbid, but I can either laugh or cry....neither of which will undo this, so I choose to be in good spirits. The humor is helping me cope, so keep it coming!

Belated happy BDay to Jay Pratt. At the rate I'm going I'll be lucky just to be alive at his ripe/wise old age, much less have all my remaining extremeties! I don't know how he does it, but perhaps I need to start living his lifestyle!

Thanks again to everyone. I wish I had the time or energy to write every one of you back...but the drugs are keeping me from doing much of anything productive (hey...at least now I have an excuse) right now. It warms my heart to see that people care so much...especially over somethng so little. I'm so much more fortuneate than many that I have no right to feel very bad. I walk past 2 finished RV10 instrument panels in my shop everyday that belong to 2 widows and it reminds me that my life really isn't that bad - even when I think it is.

Keep the jokes coming, I enjoy the reading and since I've been known to occasionally dish it out, this is one if the rare chances you'll have to throw it back at me!

FYI...things are just moving along OK. I have another surgery scheduled for Thursday (to work on the nerves and such). The missing finger hurts like heck - which is just crazy - but luckily some of the 28 pills I'm taking each day are helping me cope. I have pain killers, anti-biotics, muscle relaxing pills, anti-inflammitory pills, and other things I can't pronounce.

Thanks again everyone! I really and truly apreciate the support and am loving the chance to laugh so don't hold back with the creativity....Lord knows if the tables were turned I wouldn't hold back :)

Cheersm
Stein
 
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Heartfelt wishes for a quick recovery, Stein.

With some time and physical therapy you'll be operating a crimper, a phone, and a bratwurst simultaneously like before.

Paul Danclovic
RV-8A Flying
Carver MN
 
My fight with a prop.....and losing

Hi Stein,

Man I'm really sorry to hear about your accident. I can only imagine what a shock to the system that was. As you said, luckily it wasn't worse than it was. I hope your remaining surgery goes well and you have a speedy recovery. I hope it wasn?t the middle finger or you won't be able to give me the same answer you always give me when I ask you for more of a discount :D

Two short stories for you. My younger brother lost three of his fingers on his right hand, which were severed all the way to his knuckles, and they sewed them back on and you can?t even tell today that it happened. On your phantom pain issue, as you know I had a family member lose part of a limb recently and she had that issue and they ended up using a drug that is used for epilepsy and the pain went away, so tell your Dr. to get you some of that stuff.

I wish you a speedy and full recovery.

Wayne E
 
Thumb on finger...???

Hi Stein,
Years ago while helping another ag-pilot friend of mine, I met his other pilot. This guy had had a bad crash and burned. He lost his thumb and three fingers on his right hand. In order to hold the stick to fly again, they removed his big toe and attached it to his right hand. He flies with that toe/thumb and his forefinger........truly amazing bit of surgery.

Get well soon,
 
Hey Stein,
You like morbid humor eh?

One of our guys tangled with the Warp Drive on his Kolb Slingshot. The blade tips made a few passes through his triceps muscle. You know those barbed wire tattoos people get on their upper arm? That's what the scar looks like....but I digress.

I went over to the emergency room to check on him, and his only worry is that he somehow damaged his airplane (gotta watch those pain meds). I assured him since his arm was still present it was unlikely he hurt a carbon fiber prop. Still, I promised him I would go inspect everything.

So next evening I went out to the airport. It was summer, and hot. When I opened the hangar door, the first thing to register was the smell. Yeah, the prop had splattered, well you know, stuff, all over the airplane and nature was taking it's course. I didn't stay long. Next evening my wife and I went back with two bottles of spray cleaner and a whole case of paper towels. Having spent a long-ago summer on my daddy's hog farm, my dear wife didn't even gag once. The things we do for our friends!

BTW, the prop was fine.

As you know, the aviator's world can include more than a little kidding from your buddies. At the very next beer call things went into full swing. A little computer graphics work, a quick trip to the vinyl sign shop, and the deed was done. You know the spot on the boom tube under the prop arc where builders often place a decal that says "DANGER - PROPELLER"? Well, the next time my friend saw his airplane it was sporting a version of the logo made famous by Popiel TV ads: "VEG-A-MATIC - It Slices, It Dices".

I hope you realize you've probably earned a call sign. Such things are another great aviation tradition and apparently very popular with RV pilots. I think "Lefty" sounds good, but I'm sure some other suggestions will arise <g>

My grandfather was an ironworker and lost his right thumb on the Golden Gate job in the 30's. Didn't bother him and it didn't bother his grandkids either. You're still here, so I wish you a quick recovery and a whole bunch of grandkids.
 
Sorry to hear about your contribution to the Fickle Finger of Fate club. Hope things go well with your recovery.

I could do a root canal on you to get your mind off your finger if you want.....Just a thought...;)


Thumbs up Stein.....carefully tho..



REgards,
 
In a split second

It is amazing how quickly our paths can be altered. On June 13th this summer I was rehabing a house getting ready to move in, and lost an "argument" with a table saw and my left hand. 5 stitches in the tips of my first finger, 4 stitches in my 3rd finger, and since it ripped a hunk of skin off my middle finger they couldn't stitch it up. The good news was the tips were still there and x-rays showed no bone damage. The pain was very intense for several days, so I can imagine what you are experiencing. The point of this post though is to report that after 3 months, I have about 2/3 of my feeling back in my finger tips and I am playing my guitars again:D! So hang in there and let the healing happen. Also a plea for everyone to remember those safety items (blade guards do work :rolleyes:) and respect sharp/fast rotating objects.
Good luck with your healing!
Don
 
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Humor is good

Humor is good for such events. I've had a couple of serious encounters with model airplane props, small tools and a wood planer. (That one could have been bad.) I had a bad run with several incidents and was on a first name basis with the ER staff. I came in one time and one the nurses said, "I'll get your coffee cup."

I spent 30 years in police work and saw things people should not have to see. Many times only tears would heal. We just lost another police officer in Phx when he was shot by an illegal. Fortunately, the suspect was 'remanded to a higher authority,' with a single shot from a SWAT rifle.

When appropriate "Cop Humor," takes over. Stein, I'm glad you are taking this with no finger pointing. (Couldn't help it) Humor makes recovery much faster. Hang in there my friend!!!!

And, it is cooling down here. I'll pull out the Kettle Korn equipment and cook some up for you.
 
Call sign...

DanH said:
I hope you realize you've probably earned a call sign. Such things are another great aviation tradition and apparently very popular with RV pilots. I think "Lefty" sounds good, but I'm sure some other suggestions will arise <g>
Click to expand...

One more well wisher, Stein. Glad things weren't too bad, and best wishes on a speedy recovery. I have yet to buy from you, but have done lots of "window" shopping on your site. Getting to thinking about electrical, so you can expect an order pretty soon.

All in good fun, some other call sign possibilies :)
Stubby
Digit
Dice
Julienne (as in the french cooking term for slicing vegies like fries)
Zipper (surely you have some stitches resembling these right now)

Again, best wishes. Great to see your attitude about the whole thing.
 
Stein,

Sorry to hear about your accident... I can only imagine.

The closest I have ever come to that is when I stopped a nylon prop on a 0.40 size RC airplane engine with the back of my right index finger's first knuckle while adjusting the mixture. I still have a scar, but didn't lose a finger.

Hopefully you will recover full use of the ones you were able to save.

Dean Wilkinson
AeroLEDs LLC
www.aeroleds.com
 
Sorry to hear about that accident, Stein
If they ever tell you to travel to France to heal completely, you're most welcome and won't have a thing to do on my plane, right now I'm only saving-planning for my panel.
Best wishes
 
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SteinAir said:
Hi All,

I figured that this soon will filter out in the rumor mill because enough people already know, so I'd make a quick post personally to let you know what is going on.

This weekend I was helping a friend get his rotax powered quicksilver running and had a rather unfortuneate and messy accident (don't worry too much, it wasn't fatal).

Long story short. My right hand ended up contacting the running prop (sharp nylon 3 bladed ultra prop).....as you can well imagine the prop ended up much better than my right hand - which didn't fare too well....but in the end not as bad as it could have been. The prop has a tiny red stained nick on it from one of my bones, and we had to hunt (in the grass of our runway) for the severed flesh if mine, but we did ok and had everything on ice before heading to the hospital,

I'm home from the hospital now, had orthopedic surgery from a hand/upper extremity specailist and am going to be fine, albeit with 1/2 less of a missing digit on my right hand than I had last week at this time. They were unable to use the last half of my index finger - but the rest should be ok.......we hope!

Please bear with me while I'm slow to type (noy very fast with only 1 usable hand) and the other not feeling too good right now. I'll be working reduced hours this week due to more appointments with the surgeon, so to those of you waiting for "stuff" from me personally, your patience is appreciated. I would kindly ask that you not deluge me with lots of personal calls or emails because I just simply cannot respond right now. I'm pretty doped up, really tired and in a wee bit of pain.

After I'm feeling a bit better I'll post a long, detailed (and probably disturbing) account of the accident - becase that's all it is. After having a dog bite my running prop on the RV some years ago, and sitting in a cockpit when another old guy got hit by a prop many years before, I treat them like bombs.....but it still happenend to me, so PLEASE BE EXTRA carefull. I'm pretty carefull and it still happened in less than a blink of an eye.

I can't overstate how emotionally and physically painfull of an experience this is. I'm going to be fine in the end and won't be much worse for it, but it's still a miserable thing to deal with. The silver lining is I'm alive, didn't lose a hand or arm, and have most of my fingers back. It's embarrassing, humiliating and painful to type this note, but it needs to be done.

Thanks to all who have already sent their supprt, and I sincerely appreciate everyone's patience while I get through this. I'm still working as able, just reduced hours and reduced email responses. Again, thanks for everything from such a great community of people, many of you I'm proud to call friends,

Best Regards, God Bless and BE SAFE!
Stein Bruch
RV6, Minneapolis
Click to expand...


Brian, I want to first apologize for my late "well wishes". I thought when I read the thread title that your were struggling with mounting a prop on your plane and I'm nowhere near that point.

Second, I want to wish you the best in your recovery. Time and pain medication will make it better.

Third, I almost had a similar situation. I had a prop of an R/C plane some years ago strike my hand when I stuck right through the spinning prop to adjust the needle valve. Don't ask me why - I will never know myself. We, the group that was there for the flight, looked on the ground for "parts" before examining what I had immediately covered with my other hand. I was lucky and managed to keep all of my parts intact and all I have to show for it is a scar.

Once again, I am so sorry to here about your mishap and best wishes for a speedy recovery.
 
****!! So sorry to hear of your accident. My very best wishes for a speedy recovery. Sounds like you have the right attitude about it at the very least!

Lee...
 
Perspective....

I posted this some time ago here but here it is again. Putting Steins incident into perspective, this was from a quick BLIP from a prop on a small brushless motor on my R/C Zagi (flying wing).

Life altering changes are certainly what you make of it. Some people thrive on the pity of their misfortune; others like me just roll with it. I lost my leg below the knee at the young age of 12 when my mini bike decided to take on a Army Jeep. It was a very rural location and my leg was basically completely removed. I still don?t know how I lived without bleeding to death. At that age you really don?t know how to deal with the change. But the day I returned home from the hospital 2 months later, my poor mother found me riding my 10 speed with my only foot taped to the pedal. That just about gave her a heart attack. Soon after that I received my "wooden leg" and off I went even wilder than before. I will admit I applied for a "door ding free zone" placard for my vehicle but that?s about as far as I take my benefits available to me.

Stein stay in good spirits and our prayers are with you for speedy recovery!!

-Jeff


WOUND%20008.jpg
 
speedy recovery

Good luck and a speedy recovery Im glad your luck was holding. Now you gotta know this aint like those oleden days when you was a kid crankin on them 045 wasp model engines. You could wear a finger protector so that little 8 inch prop would just bounce off.. thanks for letting us know your OK.
 
Get well soon!

Stein,
Get well soon so I can shake your hand at SNF. I wish you all the best on your recovery, your a good guy and have always been good to me.

Best Wishes
Adam Silverstein
RV-8 Flying any day!
 
RV_7A said:
Life altering changes are certainly what you make of it. Some people thrive on the pity of their misfortune; others like me just roll with it. I lost my leg below the knee at the young age of 12 when my mini bike decided to take on a Army Jeep. (Clipped)

I will admit I applied for a "door ding free zone" placard for my vehicle but that?s about as far as I take my benefits available to me.
Click to expand...

A friend had a similar experience on a motorcycle. He hadn't applied for the "door ding free zone" placard on his first trip to Wallyworld with his new leg. Not seeing any close parking spaces, he grabbed one of the reserved spots. Some well-meaning lady jumped him big time; "You ought to be ashamed, young man--blah blah--reserved for the handicapped." He lifted his foot, rotated it 180 degrees and said, "is this handicapped enough for you?"

Sorry 'bout sharing that, but Stein started it...

Hope some of this stuff helps, Stein. You have helped most of us here. God bless.

Bob
 
Just wanted to add my two cents worth and say best wishes. I don't know if you will be up for it but maybe we'll see you at the Minn Wing VAF picnic tomorrow.
 
Stein,
Lets look at the bright side of this. Most of us here are homebuilders, tinkerers, innovators etc. I think you should get your Doc to mount a hex socket in the stump so you can plug a variety of bits into- you can change your loss to a gain! Does it hurt when you laugh?
Get well soon.
 
Hope you feel better!

Just read your post Stein and I really hope you are doing better this week.

The president of our old company had this bungy system built in his backyard. We would run up at lunch and get about 10 guys and launch eachother on it. It really was a blast. But he figured he could use his 4-wheeler to pull people even back further. Unfortunately, about 18 months ago he wrapped the nylon cord around the metal rack on the back of the 4-wheeler and rather than hold the pig tail, he just grabbed the cord around the metal bar and when he let go a loop found his wedding finger and popped it clean off. This is not the video of it, but you can see how it would happen. Since it yanked it off and stretched every tendon they actually removed the hole finger all the way down to the base of his hand.

He then had a 9 step safety program for the human slingshot.
Maybe you can do something similar for your safety program at work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2-od4n5Xl0

I have a great friend who has the same situation you do, and he always could freak people out when he picked his nose with his half finger. Looked like he was touching his brain. It will be a hit with the kids.

I'm very sorry it happened too, I hope everything goes well with your recovery and we will keep you in our prayers.

I've gotta ask, "Did you do the wiring on the starter switch?" JK:D
 
Get well Soon!!

Stein:

Just read about your accident. I've been on vacation (without a computer). I hope everything works out and thanks again for sharing your experience with us. It's always good to draw upon another's experience to remind you that it only takes a split second for something to go wrong. It keeps us on our toes!
 
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