Hawthorn in the thumb joint

[Lorry thompson]

I suggest before using a knife or needle, run it through a candle, blow lamp, cigarette lighter or a gas ring flame a few times. It will totally sterilise the implement. I know you will get away without doing this nine times out of ten but on occasions you could end up with something nasty (do you know where that knife has been?).

 

It's a trick my dad taught me that he learnt during the 2nd World War in the Royal Engineers (North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Yugoslavia + 3 years afterwards taking up minefields). He saw a lot of injuries and saved a few lives -- and it wasn't thorns he was digging out of men's limbs! Sorry -- I'm not trying to belittle thorns -- they bloody hurt!

 

I learned the same mate but from watching Rambo:lol:

[ScotClayShooter]

Know what you mean about satisfying.

We plant hedgerows, (When it's not too frosty), and get loads of thorns every week. Would be at the docs more than planting, and besides the missus loves getting the needle out and having a good prodle! Bit sadistic. Pyrancanthas are fierce but REALLY satisfying to get out, the long thorn squeezes out lovely. Weird I know

 

Dont even mention Pyracntha we have loads of it to do and many of the beds require wading into to, Quilted boilersuit helps. and when the hedgetrimmer batters them off my knuckles instead of cutting them im well pissed off.

 

Loads of berberus around as well who evers idea it was to plant those around a car park should have been made to prune the damn things naked! Grrr

 

I find pins are a waste of time I use a nice new Irwin bimetal stanley blade and a pair of modded tweezers.

[woodpile]

Years ago I was cutting a blacktorn hedge, and a branch under tension from my ladder pinged out and hammered a thorn into the side of the knuckle of my left little finger. There it sat as a dark speck too deep to did out for at least a year.

 

The speck subsequently moved gradually over the next couple of years and ended up swelling painfully at the inner base of my index finger, which is where my GP cut it out from. By now it was a gristly white ball aroung 3-4 mil diameter, I believe the doc said it was called an occlusive cyst, the gristle having formed aroung the tiny thorn tip to prevent further damage.

 

Right, I'm off. All that has made me quite peckish!

[blazer]

Had a few thorns in joints, I use surgical forcepts that I keep in my truck so I can often get them out before they hurt too much when trying to dig them out. I had one large Yew splinter go through a finger using a bilhook and broke off, couldn't get it out without risk to tendons - so left it in. It didn't cause infection or hurt after a while, i could move it side to side - it came out a year later.

 

I don't worry about the forcepts being sterile as the thorn wasn't sterile? if a wound/thorn site gets hot after say 24 hrs, thats infection building up but in the Nelson era the wooden ships were filthy and with no sterile instruments but many survived major surgery

 

Many thorns seam to leave a tip inside that causes infection and can't be extracted, often they come out with puss when ready.