Tell me about that scar...

[spencer rifle]

We all have them. Or so I thought.
My wife is teaching a children's class at the library, where they read a book and talk about it. This one was about the Indonesian tsunami, and talks about the scars left by the disaster. My wife tried to relate it to them by asking them about their scars. They had no idea what she was talking about - even the 14 year olds. None of them had scars. I remember gaining a few in my youth, but maybe I just engaged in more risky behavior? Or maybe kids today are over protected.

My most obvious:
I was cleaning a cheap tourist drinking glass by hand (because that's how we cleaned things back then) that I got where I worked. While swabbing out the inside, the glass shattered, slicing my hand pretty good in two places. That was over 34 years ago, and the scars stare me in the face every day.

Right thumb - ran it on a table saw while making snowman ornaments to give a way at Christmas, 1992. Of course they "had to check for bone fragments" - worse than the saw cut.

Left index finger - sliced it open while attempting to fix a slipping belt buckle on my backpack during a week long trip in the Blue Ridge, 2013.

Left palm - tripped on the steps while carrying an ash tray (remember those?) containing palms I had just burnt to make "holy ashes" -a Catholic thing back then. Shattered the ash tray. 1969.

Most of the other scars are on the inside .

 

[1775usmarine]

Horseshoe scar right side of my head from a brain tumor when I was 7.

 

[17 squirrel]

A man with a knife gave me a large scar just below my left elbow, and another one across my left wrist that goes about 1/3 of the way through my wrist, cutting the tendons to my four fingers. It was earned as a young man while working in central Africa in the 80's.

 

[jagee]

Right arm: 4 year old me with my grandpa washing hands in Pizza Hut bathroom before dinner. Guy comes out of the stall with his kid and the stall door falls off the hinges and busts my arm open. My mom heard my scream from the women's room across the hall. Hospital visit and stitches, gpa had to hold me down while I was in there. Still no dinner. All said and done, I still wanted pizza for dinner. They got it to-go this time.

Chin: Don't know how old (10-12ish maybe) riding my cousin's girl bike (cousin is a girl) to the neighborhood pool with a towel around my neck. Go downhill and towel starts to fly away. I reach to grab it and somehow end up crashing the bike, going over the handlebars and landing on my chin.

Eyebrow/Back of head: Fist to the eye, pistol to the back of the head. Lots of blood. I've already said too much...

 

[tmschuller]

Scar on neck from spinal fusion 6 years ago.. Zipper neck.

 

[T.Lex]

Left kneecap: about 10 years old, sledding on a very small hill, jump onto sled, leg goes over the side, hits a metal stake that was under the snow. Doctor who saw it later said it probably should've had stitches.

Back: faint scars from where a dog ran me down and clawed/bit me while I was on a boy scout paper drive when I was 11 or 12.

Left ear/cheekbone: in college, playing pick-up basketball, going for a rebound, dude's fingernail or ring or something sliced me. It is hardly visible anymore, except a little bit on my ear. That was a very odd one. Superficial, but freaked people out for a week or so afterward.

Left ring finger, across last joint: playing goalie in indoor soccer without gloves, kid had a wicked hard shot that I stuck my hand down for, but didn't get my ring finger extended. Saved the goal, but knew something was really wrong. Looked down and saw bone sticking out. Thought I had a compound fracture, but it turned out I'd disclocated it and the bottom of the last bone was sticking out of the skin. Had to take my wedding ring off at the hospital, or they were going to cut it off. The feel of going "around" the bone still makes me cringe. Never had to play goalie again.

Left knee above/below kneecap: ACL reconstruction.

Above the hairline, faint scar from the probes after the alien abduction.

 

[w_ADAM_d88]

Left forearm/elbow - Was probably 14 riding dirt bikes thru the woods after multiple days of rain. Going down a hill into a sharp turn and accidentally up-shifted instead of down-shifting. Ended up sliding the bike out from underneath me and dragging my arm across the trail/mud. Pretty good road/trail rash scar there.

Right index finger - about 2 years ago chopped to the knuckle with a Junglas while splitting kindling, 5 stitches.

Left hand, meaty part between thumb and index finger - 8 years old? Stabbed myself with a steak knife while trying to puncture holes into a pickle jar lid to catch bugs.

 

[HoughMade]

Between lower lip and chin- 5, fell off of a chair and bit through lower lip from the outside in.

Right calf- 14, slid into second base wearing shorts and a 6" x 1.5" scrape developed a very nasty infection, landing me on my back for a week.

Below left knee- 16, working a grocery store, opening sack of 5-5# sacks of potatoes, box cutter went through apron, jeans and 1/4" deep into flesh

Left index finger- 17, working at same grocery store, cutting potatoes for wedges, knife slipped took a large portion of the pad of my index finger off, I have a very distinctive fingerprint

Inside left thigh- 36, cutting vinyl siding with a utility knife- it went all the way in.

 

[littletommy]

Upper lip and lower lip, from when I was about 6 or 7, riding in a 65 corvair, hit the steel dash hard. I remember a county cop with a smokey bear hat picking me up out of the car, putting me in his car, and going lights and siren to the hospital, woulda been really cool if my face wasn't hurting so bad. I think it was 40 something stitches.

 

[HoughMade]

Upper lip and lower lip, from when I was about 6 or 7, riding in a 65 corvair, hit the steel dash hard. I remember a county cop with a smokey bear hat picking me up out of the car, putting me in his car, and going lights and siren to the hospital, woulda been really cool if my face wasn't hurting so bad. I think it was 40 something stitches.

Ralph Nader says: "Told you so".

 

[hoosierdaddy1976]

Probably '79 or '80- forehead above my right eye- tripped while carrying a pencil. More of a homemade tattoo than a scar

'82- scalp- jumped off of a swing set glider and didn't get out of the way in time, 5 stitches. Starting to show now due to baldness

'83- right side of face- playing backyard football and ran full speed into an oak tree. Lots of abrasion scars that have mostly faded

'94- base of right thumb- punched through a window

'95- left eyebrow- peeking around a door when a buddy ran into it.

'96- right foot- did a fire walk not knowing that people had been throwing their empty bottles and cans into the fire. It got hot enough to make them sticky.

'98- tip of left thumb- knife slip cutting a frozen cheesecake- 6 or 7 stitches to reattach

'01- lower back- emergency spinal surgery. Two herniated discs and a third that a piece sheared off and lodged against my spinal cord. 43 staples

'06- right shin and right heel- stepped off a dock (losing my sandals in the process) and landed on an oyster bed. 7 stitches in each spot, and my heel was deep enough to make the ER nurse go ewwww.

lots of various small scars and burns from '96-'02 due to work (cook). Most have faded though and none required attention.

 

[Southbendfamily]

got hit by a car when I was 5:
right hip, 45 stitches.
abrasion scars on left side of face, noticeable under eye

left brown; 8 stitches. fell into gas can. back when they were still metal

head, multiples. I had 3 brothers, so wars of many kind were had with many types of fighting instruments. but there is a scar from 12 stitches on the back of my head.

right ring finger; 6 stitches from washing a broken glass. I suppose that's why I don't like doing them anymore, at least that's what I tell the wife.

left index finger; shot a BB through it when about 7.

 

[Tactically Fat]

All of my scars have faded away.

And heaven help us should Rhino make his way into this thread.

 

[17 squirrel]

Ralph Nader says: "Told you so".

That's only when you were burned alive in a Corvair or a Pinto.
,

 

[indiucky]

Shepherds hook scar from belly button (hooks over the belly button, will never get a wash rag in there again ) on down to just north of the Johnson, another scar from infancy when I almost died because I couldn't drink milk...(Farrah Fawcett had the same scar which is why she wore a one piece bathing suit in her famous poster...)One scar heading towards the shepherds hook that looks like an aboriginal Komodo dragon carving...Half a dozen dog bite scars on my right hand from an insane bird dog I had once...(He got shot....), one fingernail scar from a fifth grade girl who bet she could squeeze my hand hard enough to make me cry (she lost and I got the scar), one scar on my forehead from Carrie R. (another fifth grade girl who took offense at my "you are a big, fat hairy ape" comment and slammed me into the corner of GRC Elementary School.) I turned my back to her and began high fiving my homies at my supreme wit and use of the English language when she sent me sailing into the corner of the school...I ended up with five stitches...What's funny is she was a big, tough girl....I never got teased by any of the guys at school over that...Just awe over my bravery in saying that to her...I used her real name in case littletommy sees this thread...He will be like "Rick got beat up by a girl at GRC...Oh wait...He called Carrie R. a big fat hairy ape and lived? Man.....He is one brave soul..."

What's funny is she is real religious now...A Mormon I believe and whenever I see her I grin and raise my hair up and point to the scar and she gets real embarrassed... She stands by her actions saying quote, "You had it coming that day..." And smiles.....She is the same size now as she was then.....Still pretty too....

Ironically enough she was my first playground kiss as well.....Isn't fifth grade romance a hoot????

 

[PUalum04]

Left forearm: I was cutting welded wire mesh from demolished concrete pavement and piece that was in tension came loose and sliced my arm. The steel was hot enough to cauterize the wound. left a nasty scar.

Top of my head: ejected from a 1976 Chevy Blazer (real blazer with removable top, not the cute s10 type) and landed on my head in the middle of a county road.

Left eyebrow: beer + college softball + beer + night game + beer = line drive to the eye brow

 

[littletommy]

Ralph Nader says: "Told you so".

I almost threw in a Ralph Nader line in my post! Believe me, every time I've ever told the story, somebody brings him up. A few people have even told me I'm the first person they ever met who was actually injured in a corvair!

 

[HoughMade]

That's only when you were burned alive in a Corvair or a Pinto.
,

Having read every page of "Unsafe at Any Speed" (it ain't a pamphlet), I can confirm that he has criticisms of many design elements. The swing axles were first on his list, but unpadded interiors was in there.

 

[littletommy]

Having read every page of "Unsafe at Any Speed" (it ain't a pamphlet), I can confirm that he has criticisms of many design elements. The swing axles were first on his list, but unpadded interiors was in there.

And seat latches, the one I was in didn't have any, or very inadequate, latches to lock the front seat back. I was in the back passenger side seat, driver had to hit the brakes hard, and I flew against the front seat, folded it forward, and ate the dash.

 

[walker]

I have 58 inches of scars from my chest to the lower abdomen. The results of 7 surgeries. Family members say it looks like a road map.