Cookieman Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 Hey Rocketman, it's been a while and frankly I'm shocked with disbelief. I haven't been on the site much because I'm facing a lot of legal problems myself and awaiting trial for my part in pyro. I wish you all the best and a speedy recovery. I know that you have a great family that loves you and supports you which is very important in the recovery process.
dagabu Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 Cookieman! Thanks for the update, I am not in any trouble with the law, just a long, long recovery. The burns were nearly fatal, I almost lost my hands but I was taken to the best place to heal, the Burn Center at Regions Hospital, Saint Paul, MN. Because of the specialized doctors and nursing staff, what may very well have ended my life, became a new beginning for me. I have a new normal now and everything is changed but still, God is good and I am still kicking! 'What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger...' It also makes you kinder, a better man, your heart changes. Even though I hate the disfigurement, the disability (I still work full time, do my share of housework and volunteer regularly) I dont think I would trade it for the blessings I have received because of it. After all, its just skin, right? Stay Green 2
Zumber Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 Nice to see you Grandmaster....:-):-):-):-):-):-)
goldwingnut54 Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 I don't visit here often at the moment, as I am so busy with work (self-employed), but I have followed this heartbreaking thread. Dag, your spirit DOES come through with your words! I'm such a safety nut with pyro already, that your experience shouldn't really have made much change in me.....but it has! Any words of wisdom you share here will certainly not fall on deaf ears. Glad you are doing better, and that you seem to be able to put it all into perspective somehow.
Cookieman Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 It's nice to know your doing well, sometimes life throws us curve balls and how we handle it makes us a stronger and determines our character. We never know why these things happen, but I'm sure it's all part of a master plan from God to test our inner strength and guide us on the right path.
dagabu Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 @Cookieman, I personally am not a subscriber to the test belief and I certainly don't think God "allowed" me to get burned, that is all part of the physical laws and I apparently was just following the law. ;-) This is 100% on me, there is no "wrong place, wrong time" excuse, there is no "poor me" or "WHY!", this was an exothermic reaction and it worked VERY well. At first, I was driven crazy by the songs 'Stronger' and 'Roar', they painted a picture of strength and overcoming a challenge bigger than themselves. I was just breathing, fighting to stay alive to the next day and then I was in a haze because of the meds and was mostly numb to what was going on around me. Then came the PT and OT schedule, Dr. Pain came to visit but moved in for about four months. Now I am living, fully living. Yes, I have to work on my OT every day, all day long to keep moving but I can do that, I can make this new normal a good normal. If I can just get people (only a specific few, you know who they are) to stop the judgement, quit with the berating and the beating down, I can get out and start speaking about burns, healing and the simple steps needed to keep this from happening to you or anybody. The takeaway is this: Leather gloves, a face shield and glasses, a leather jacket would have saved me from 99% of what I experienced. Yes, its hot, yes its uncomfortable and nobody will ever wear what is irritating so this has to be a decision you make, not an option but as much as your routine as using toilet paper or wearing clothes. Stay Green 1
LambentPyro Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 (edited) Thanks for the tips Dag, you certainly got me to buy fire-resistant clothing from Carhartt. I am going to get their long sleeve shirts, jeans, and a jacket to go along with it. It will run me over $400 for one outift, but no one can argue with the price of safety. Edited February 3, 2014 by LambentPyro
MWJ Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 Thanks Dag, I'm going to wear my fire gear for now on! $2500 and well worth all of it.
dagabu Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 $2500.00 for gear? WOW! My welders gear ran $100.00 new. JACKET HELMET GLOVES 1
ollie1016 Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 It's good to see you back Dave! Hope all is well!
dagabu Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 Thanks Ollie, far from well but working on it!
nater Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 I second the welding jacket and hardhat combo for hobby use. Turnout gear has some downsides besides cost.
LambentPyro Posted February 5, 2014 Posted February 5, 2014 For those gloves Dave, are they a comfortable fit? I have sensitive skin and I get blisters when I wear rough/gritty glove. 1
nater Posted February 5, 2014 Posted February 5, 2014 LambentPyro, a store that caters to welding and firefighting supplies will have Elkskin gloves. They are much softer than other leather gloves and approved for firefighting.
dagabu Posted February 5, 2014 Posted February 5, 2014 If the blisters are tiny and there are a lot of them and they itch, you may have Dyshidrosis and it is exacerbated by gloves of all kinds, not scratchy ones but all. Some make it worse faster, others hardly make any reaction at all. Nitril gloves are the worst for me.
MrB Posted February 5, 2014 Posted February 5, 2014 (edited) If the blisters are tiny and there are a lot of them and they itch, you may have Dyshidrosis and it is exacerbated by gloves of all kinds, not scratchy ones but all. Some make it worse faster, others hardly make any reaction at all. Nitril gloves are the worst for me. A quick Google gave pictures that looks like my blisters. I treat it with a hydrocortisone salve but the same wiki that had the images state that topical steroid treatment can be troublesome, as it apparently has skin thinning side effects. Guess i better cave in and tale my ass to the doctor the next time it shows up.B! Edited February 5, 2014 by MrB
MWJ Posted February 5, 2014 Posted February 5, 2014 Dag, my gear is to fight fire in structures. It's nomex and Kevlar. Good stuff. 1
LambentPyro Posted February 5, 2014 Posted February 5, 2014 (edited) If the blisters are tiny and there are a lot of them and they itch, you may have Dyshidrosis and it is exacerbated by gloves of all kinds, not scratchy ones but all. Some make it worse faster, others hardly make any reaction at all. Nitril gloves are the worst for me. I don't have a skin condition, it's when I put friction with rough material against my skin, it blisters very badly. For instance, I was making a bucket separation screen for my ball mill and was cutting stainless steel screen with a pair of dykes...for 4 hours. After I was finished, my finger was bleeding and my hand had been so swollen it looked like it had a 50 LB. weight dropped on it from 30 feet in thr air. Edited February 5, 2014 by LambentPyro
bob Posted February 5, 2014 Posted February 5, 2014 (edited) Hi Dagabu,I am glad to see you are on the mend, although I have not been on here for long enough to get to know you all that well, you did help me with several things and for that I am deeply great full. After seeing this I will be much more carefull when working with high energy compositions and such, infact just today I bought a full face mask. I believe that through you experience terrible as it may have been, many people will take a second look at safety which could very well save lives. Praise God that you have made it through the hardest part of this tragedy! You and your family are in my prays. Get well soon Dagabu! Also, hi Cookieman, I don't believe I have seen you post before but I've read your posts, and we are from the same country I believe.Adam Edited February 5, 2014 by bob
taiwanluthiers Posted February 5, 2014 Posted February 5, 2014 Accidents happen when we are least aware, or where we least expect it. I injured my hand installing a blade on my 18 inch bandsaw. Was turning the wheel by hand to track it and 2 of my fingers somehow got between the blade and the wheel. Hurts like crazy and it really feels worse than it looks. I'm lucky because those cast iron wheels have a lot of momentum and it's easy to be complacent because the bandsaw wasn't turned on.
LambentPyro Posted February 5, 2014 Posted February 5, 2014 I saw hand and band saw and that was enough to make me cringe.
Cookieman Posted February 7, 2014 Posted February 7, 2014 @bob, Hi Bob I'm from Maple On. I don't post very much anymore but still come to the forum every now and then. Great information from a great bunch of guys. I'm laying low until my trial coming up in the spring. Lets just say I had a crazy ex wife who left me and went to the Police accusing me of making fireworks and HE. A good lesson for anyone who is married with children and has a pyro hobby is make sure your better half is on your side.
BurritoBandito Posted February 7, 2014 Posted February 7, 2014 @CookieMan: I appreciate that advice. My interest in pyro ect. certainly annoys my wife. I'd like to think that she would never be so devious to do something like that, but I guess you never really know. Good luck with your legal issues and I hope all goes well.
dagabu Posted February 7, 2014 Posted February 7, 2014 I am blessed beyond words, my wife is 100% behind me all the way no matter what. It's great to have such a fantastic support system. Sorry about your troubles Cookie, thats a hard row to hoe. dag
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