Today I've destroyed the tip of my left middle finger.

[Jackroadkill]

Whilst pulling up a fence post today, I caught my finger between the post and the chain that was being used to remove it.  One trip to A&E later and they've sewn it back on but there's every expectation that the repair will fail and I'll have no flesh left on that fingertip.  The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital team that did the job were absolutely brilliant - I can't stress this enough.  The efficiency and the skill that they worked with was humbling to watch.

 

As it stands though, there's not much hope for the fingertip (which is being held on by 11 stitches):

 

 

It looks like I'll be re-learning how to play bass when it has healed.  Does anyone have any experience of an injury like this and the road back to playing?

 

Thanks,

 

JRK

Edited July 22, 2024 by Jackroadkill
Spelling

[Len_derby]

Bad luck Jack, and all the very best for a speedy recovery. It puts into perspective the blisters I’ve got tonight after digging out a fire pit for a local youth project. 
As for the road back, I’ve no personal experience but are you familiar with Django Reinhardt? Amazing gypsy jazz guitarist. He lost the use of some of his left hand after a being in a caravan fire. You’d never know listening to his recordings.

Good luck.

[Lozz196]

Really sorry to hear this Jack. Whilst I’ve not had anything like that I’ve had to work on my playing style this year due arthritis in my left thumb. In a period of about 4 months I’ve managed to get from a place where it hurt pretty much every time I played to hardly any pain at all, so hang in there and once that bandage is off look to what you can do and how to improve it. 

[Reggaebass]

Sorry to hear this jack, wishing you all the best for your recovery 

Edited July 22, 2024 by Reggaebass

[ezbass]

That sucks, big time! Sorry for your troubles ☹️. If, in the worst case scenario, it doesn’t take, Sabbath’s Tony Iommi is probably the leading authority on playing with missing/damaged digits. Like him, I suspect you might need some sort of protective, prosthetic. 

[SamIAm]

OUCH JRK!

So sorry to hear of this ... glad tho that you got great care.

Sam x

[PaulThePlug]

Slide Bass?..

[Jackroadkill]

Just now, PaulThePlug said:

Slide Bass?..

 

It may well come to that.  Whether the finger heals or not I'm not taking this lying down; I will play my bass again.

[LowB_FTW]

Dude. 😲

Wishing you a speedy - and full - recovery.

 

Mark

[simonlittle]

Very sorry to hear this Jack. 
I did once have an older student who sustained a very similar injury as a child (in fact I’m pretty sure it was the same finger). He’d had a skin graft and whilst he had very little feeling in that finger tip he was playing fine on it, even as a complete beginner. 
Wishing you a speedy recovery! 👊

[smithy]

Sorry for your accident.

Don´t want to palliate your injury, but in my case some cut off tendons in my right middle finger (I`m right handed) brought me into playing bass as a kind of exercise therapy. It worked. Then I cut off  the tip of my left pinky (I know- it´s not really essential for fretting.) Looks somewhat strange, but hey- it also works again. Just had to get used to it.

Modern surgery can work miracles. So hopefully you´ll have a complete recovery.

IF (!!) you´re going to end up with a shorter middlefinger and you´re righthanded (hope so!), you´ll adjust to another fretting technique.

Best wishes

 

Edited July 22, 2024 by smithy

[DDR]

2 hours ago, Jackroadkill said:

Whilst pulling up a fence post today, I caught my finger between the post and the chain that was being used to remove it.  One trip to A&E later and they've sewn it back on but there's every expectation that the repair will fail and I'll have no flesh left on that fingertip.  The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital team that did the job were absolutely brilliant - I can't stress this enough.  The efficiency and the skill that they worked with was humbling to watch.

 

As it stands though, there's not much hope for the fingertip (which is being held on by 11 stitches):

 

 

It looks like I'll be re-learning how to play bass when it has healed.  Does anyone have any expereince of an injury like this and the road back to playing?

 

Thanks,

 

JRK

 

Hey Jack

8 years ago I was operated on my left (fretting hand) index finger tip to remove a melanoma (skin cancer). They replaced my nail and part of my index finger with skin from my arm. I was very afraid and frustrated, but, while there are some technical things I can't really do with that finger I am still playing bass and drums and enjoying a lot. You'll adapt to find a way around it I'm sure. 

Sending you peacefulness and positivity 💫

Dave

[Phil Starr]

That’s awful but don’t give up hope. My son’s finger was 95% severed but the tip healed. He actually had two fingernails at one point. Now you wouldn’t know that anything happened.
 

Coincidentally Sat night I gigged without my middle finger. I sliced the knuckle with a carving knife. It was ok, a couple of runs had to be dropped and more hand shifts than usual but it wasn’t too bad. If I’d had a chance to practice it would have been better. You still have all your sense of rhythm and musicality and your knowledge. You’ll be playing bass for a long time yet.

Edited July 22, 2024 by Phil Starr

[Jackroadkill]

Thanks all, I really appreciate your input.  I'm a bit down (could just be the codeine wearing off!) but determined to keep positive and to recover to play again.  I'm intending to go to rehearsal tomorrow night and work out with my bandmates what the best course of action is for us.  Thus could take a while and I'd hate for it to mean the end of the band, so I'll do what it takes to ensure that we can continue,  As much as I wouldn't like to miss out, I think they should perhaps get a dep in until I'm fully fit again.  Until then I can always sing or dance around like a fool, I guess.

[AndyTravis]

Effffin ell!

 

Wowzers!

 

so sorry to see a fellow bassist with damaged digits…

 

I now know why I borderline refuse to use tools or do DIY other than painting and hanging pictures.

 

Wishing you a speedy recovery mate - hopefully a good result and some rehabilitation work and you’ll be back at it.

[Happy Jack]

God, that's awful. 

 

No helpful advice or experience to offer, I'm afraid, but I hope this pans out better for you than it's currently looking.

 

 

[PaulThePlug]

As long as the tendons are are OK, you will have a finger 'pad' maybe not the 'tip' you had...

Hope you mend well, maybe get on some Anti-Bionics to stem off any infection.

[Dankology]

Obviously not bass and also a far more comprehensive injury but Django Reinhardt is just dazzling:

 

 

[paul_5]

I've not had anything as serious as that, only a couple of very near misses. I'll echo what's already been said on here and hope for a quick and painless recovery for you, and a rapid return to playing.

[tauzero]

At least it doesn't seem to have affected your typing.

 

You're going to have to wait and see what emerges - too early to know what the effect will be. You may have the good fortune to make a recovery (fingers crossed, if that's not in bad taste). If not, you've either got to not use it or find some means of ameliorating the situation - possibly some sort of thimble to fit over it. You could use the interim period with experimenting with not using it.

 

Best of luck anyway.

[police squad]

hang in there Jack, we're all rooting for you

[Mickeyboro]

I slammed my left hand index finger in a car door before a gig six years ago. Nothing like as bad, but never got the full feeling back. Hasn’t affected my playing. Good luck Jack!

[joeystrange]

Sorry to hear that, Jack. Sounds like a nasty injury but I hope you heal well!

 

As mentioned above, Django Reinhardt used only two fingers on his fretting hand. Tony Iommi lost the tips of some of his fingers. Rick Allen lost an arm etc.

 

If you have the will, which it sounds like you do, then you can retrain yourself should the worst happen.

 

But for now stay positive 💪

[KingBollock]

I’ve not had an injury as bad as that, but I did manage to snap the last bone in my left ring finger. I could see in the X-Ray that the bone sections had moved apart, leaving a gap, and the end of the bone at an angle. I asked if the bone was going to be pushed back together, but was told that it would do that itself… It didn’t, and it left a bony lump under the finger pad. Fortunately it didn’t take too long to get used to it. The worst part was not be able to play, and losing over thirty years of callouses…

 

Just in case they might prove useful to you, I shall mention these rubber thimbles that I keep getting with just about anything music instrument related that I buy cheaply from Amazon.

 

 

I actually find them useful for when building models, because I am a menace with a scalpel…

 

I hope your recovery is speedy and complete.

[Bigwan]

Bad luck Jack! I suppose the full effects won't become clear for some time, but you have 3 other digits to keep you going! Adapt - a few more index finger position shifts and more use of the pinky than you may have had before but reassess the situation when you've healed. "Where there's a will..." and all that:

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CsO8cZVJ3sB/?hl=en

Edited July 23, 2024 by Bigwan