Hi Mountain Project... first real post

Wondering if anyone here is in the same boat as me? Last weekend, I managed to amputate my right index fingertip on a chossy approach to my local crag. The back story is HERE for anyone interested. In essence, I lost a bit of bone and half my pad but luckily, I didn't manage to foul up any tendons.

Although the surgeon believes I'll make a full recovery in 6 weeks but I doubt he had crimpy face climbs in mind. I'm not sure what to expect other than ultra-sensitivity at the stump site but I'd like to hope I'll be back to leading respectable grades within a few months.

I'd be interested to hear from any climbers who've been similarly injured and what their recovery experience has been. Cheers!

Caldwell would be a great person to talk to.

Best of luck on recovery, and a speedy return to climbing.

Ever here of Tommy Caldwell? Sorry to here about your injury. Heal quickly and get back out there!!

Edit: John, you beat me by seconds!

I've lost three fingertips. It made climbing a little more difficult at first, but after a while i don't think it has made much difference. They have been both more sensitive to pain and at the same time, less sensitive to touch. Not sure if that makes sense, but basically I'm saying they are hurt more easily and tend to be the first fingers to get splitters, yet at the same time they feel numb on a day-to-day basis and I don't really feel fine detail as well. In the end, though I don't think it has hurt me much in the long run.

A good friend of mine had the tip of his thumb bitten off by a dog a couple years ago. He lost half his nail and pad, and the skin is right against the bone at the tip. He just does a solid tape job over the end to help with sensitivity and uses his other digits more predominantly. It is not really a problem for him, he just had to adapt a little.

what? no pics of the gore? ;)

heal quickly man! I bet you'll adapt and after a few weeks won't even notice a difference.

That's generally good news Evans and csproul, thanks. Taping over the tip might be the ticket. I'll have to experiment with it when I heal. Curious csproul... did this set you back weeks, months, or more than a year?

Also, the Caldwell references are welcome, but not entirely useful... evidence suggests that he's not actually human!

After cutting all of my tendons on both wrists and median nerves serving both hands, a doctor told me that I would never be able to climb again. She was wrong. It just took a few years and effort on my part to come back to where I could lead some moderates. Your injury is nothing compared to that. Tommy Caldwell's injury was a bit more severe and it hasn't stopped him because he trains hard and gives himself no excuses. So you will be just fine in maybe a year at most! Hope this helps!

Tommy Caldwell - Superhuman?

I had a similar injury to one of my fingers years ago. I had the tip ripped off and only attached with a bit of skin and nerve. The Dr asked me how I wanted it fixed. He said he couldn't remove all of the main nerve that was left. He wanted to coil it under the pad but I told him I would need to put a lot of pressure on it for climbing and that it would feel like hitting my funny bone every time I tried to crank down. So I told him to put it off to the side. Even so, months later when I really pulled down on it, I literally saw stars in a black field of vision with my eyes open, but I made the move. About 9 mon after the original injury I had to go back to have the remainder of the nail bed coterized. So it took more than a year to get back to it. I had that Phantom Limb Syndrome for years.

About the only difference it makes for me is when I'm using that occasional hold that requires a fully spread open hand or it may not fit into a tight crack. So it shouldn't hold you back much at all.

I didn't have a graft from a different location. The bone was trimmed back such that the remaining material could be pulled over and closed. Thanks for sharing your experiences all; I think I've got a decent outlook.