Nope. I am not opening another can of pumpkin this entire season. Seriously. Here's why...
Rather than list safety tips, like these here, I'm sharing my recent story for a more personal connection to what kitchen safety really means. It all starts with you.
So aside from being my own seasonal version of a spooky storytime, this blogpost is also my friendly kitchen safety reminder, from me to you. If you plan on entering your kitchen this seasonal-goodies time of year, please please take a moment to read this post. Don't let a cooking injury slow you down this holiday season - or any time of year, really. My story will hopefully remind you to be extra careful in the kitchen.
Well, it's officially pumpkin season. Normally, I would be blissfully excited, stocking my pantry with towering cans of pumpkin purée. My kitchen buzzing and humming, happily churning out endless platters of pumpkin muffins, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin rice, pumpkin pie, you get the picture. And yes, those recipes will still happen for me. But not via can. And not any time soon. You see, instead of pulling a batch of warm and fluffy pumpkin muffins out of a steamy hot oven, right now as I write this, I am collapsed on my couch, wrapped in a cloak of sorrow, aka my fuzzy sky blue bathrobe. And as the sparkly sun sets through blustery green bamboo stalks outside my window, I am using all my energy to write this simple blog post. And instead of typing eagerly with both hands, I am using my talk to type feature on my MacBook air, my right hand draped sadly at my side, thumb wrapped in a puffy white bandage.
Here is the short answer of "why no more pumpkin cans?" - Well, I recently acquired pumpkin-can-a-phobia, aka a fear of canned pumpkin. Smirk and giggle if you must, I know it sounds silly. And yes I am making light of recent events and the ridiculousness of it all. But the fact is, a can of pumpkin can do some seriously scary damage if you are not careful. I unfortunately discovered this first hand, er, first thumb, last week. And thus, right now I seriously cannot look at a can of it without thinking about what happened.
The story. Last Thursday started out so simply. All I wanted was a freshly baked pumpkin muffin..
That day. I woke up to a beautiful sunrise. I bounced into the kitchen and decided to make a batch of pumpkin muffins. Dancing towards the kitchen, I pulled out all the necessary ingredients for my muffins, clicked on the oven, whipped up some fresh oat flour, tossed in some spices and reached into the fridge to pull out a giant half used can of unsweetened pumpkin. I had used just a small portion of the pumpkin the day before to make a delicious pumpkin spice latte, and the leftover puree was the perfect amount for a batch of muffins. Unfortunately, my can opener was not working properly when I initially opened the can, so I only opened the can lid about halfway. Enough room to scoop in a spoon. (And here comes the cringe worthy part, skip ahead if you don't like to squirm.)
For the muffins, I couldn't quite reach my large tablespoon into the half-opened can of pumpkin so I, very stupidly, decided to use my right thumb to push the can lid back bending it just so I could reach my spoon inside. I was just about to succeed, bending the lid back slightly, when the strength of the can kicked my ass (sorry mom) and bounced forcefully back into my thumb, slicing it quite badly. (end cringe-y part.)
I saw what happened and I immediately went into shock. Eyes wide, heart racing, adrenaline flowing. I felt no pain. I just saw the injury that just occurred and freaked out. After my internal stress-mode freak out, I screamed for my husband, who luckily had not left for work yet. I grabbed the dish towel off the kitchen counter, wrapped my thumb in it, tightly, and ran across the living room to tell my husband we had to go. Like NOW. I was very calm, yet very panicked all at the same time. I actually felt pretty good because I was, shockingly to me, in no pain. I mean, even when I get a tiny cut there is usually a little bit of pain. So this was strange to me. I decided that maybe it wasn't all that bad. I was wrong.
Still wearing my pajamas, aka, fluffy aqua sweat pants and an oversized purple T-shirt, I pulled on some hot pink flip-flops, yes I was looking like a fashion diva at this point, grabbed my purse and rushed out the door with my husband. I have never in my life cared less about what I probably looked like. Messy hair, mismatched everything. As we raced out the door, my thumb was concealed, still clutched tightly by my left hand, wrapped in that faded pink countertop dishtowel. I didn't dare loosen my grip, with fear it would start bleeding uncontrollably like in a horror movie scene.
We made it into our building's elevator. A man stepped in with his dog as we moved a few floors. I just stood there in silence trying to look normal. Oh don't worry sir, I'm just out for a morning stroll with my thumb wrapped in a dish towel. Keep on your way. I remember the dog giving me a sideway glance.
Once alone in the elevator again, we pondered where we should go for care. Urgent care seemed like a good idea. My husband googled directions on his iPhone and we hopped in the car. Or almost into the car. About halfway down the elevator ride I started to feel very dizzy. Then walking through the garage, I felt it. I started to black out. Splotches of purple appeared in my vision and I felt very lightheaded, dizzy and weak. It is a scary thing, blacking out. I have only blacked out a few times in my life. Once as a child getting out of a hot tub too fast, and once at a very loud and crowded concert. But this was different.
Luckily, I was able to pull myself out of fully passing out. My vision was completely purple for about 2-4 minutes, but I never lost consciousness. It was strange. It was scary. And all this for a darn pumpkin muffin. But the worst was yet to come. Deep breaths.
I propped my feet up on the the dashboard of the car to help blood drain to my head. They always say to keep your feet elevated if you feel like passing out, right? Well, it worked and I started to feel a little better although now my finger was starting to throb in pain. Great.
We made it to Urgent Care and rushed into the waiting room. The receptionist looked at my hand when I said it had been cut badly, and asked me if my thumb was cut off. I responded with a surprised, "No!" I was thinking to myself, would I really be this calm if my finger had actually been cut off? No. Way. At least I am not THAT guy.
After a few minutes I was taken back to a room. After telling the nurse that I briefly passed out, they told me to lay down and laid down is how I stayed for the rest of my time there.
And from there, it was pretty much how it always goes when you badly slice your finger. They take your vitals, ask you questions, clean your wound, and let you know what they need to do to get you on your way.
The doctor told me I needed stitches. I have never had stitches before so on some twisted and ridiculous level, I was excited to check that off my bucket list. Dumb. I am rolling my eyes right now at that notion. Going through life without stitches is a much more enjoyable route guys. I was gravely warned by the doctor that the local anesthetic, via the numbing needle procedure, would be the worst part. Hm, how bad could it be? No worse than novacaine at the dentists office, right? Well to put it simply, those numbing needles, at least three long pricks of them were by far the worst pain I had EVER experienced in my life. I felt like I was in a horror movie as my body clenched up, twitching in pain as I screamed out uncontrollably. Things like, "oh my god this hurts so much!" "owwwiiie!" "Oh. My. God." and "Oh my gosh. OhMyGoshOhMyGoshOhMyGoshOhMyGoshOhMyGosh" came out of my mouth. And my favorite swear word definitely made an appearance or two.
Two hours and seven stitches later I was ready to be sent home.
I took some Advil and had a rest day, blindly thinking that my body could have super powers and heal overnight. But after six days of stitches, healing, endless amounts of pain, Neosporin, arnica pills, gauze, hand cramps, stitches pain, swelling, wound checks and infection scares, I am now realizing this is going to be a long process of rehab. This entire experience has been a bold reminder of how fragile our bodies are. And how one accident can wipe your schedule and change your "to-do" list for a while.
So yeah. It's been a process. I've watched a lot of Netflix, finishing the OUAT series just in time for Sunday's season premiere. Taken a lot of Advil, something I avoid at all costs. Tried desperately to keep up with work, typing and texting with my left hand only. Cried in frustration. Whimpered when I could not put my hair up in a hair tie with one hand. Go on ladies, try it, it's impossible I tell you. Cringed at the site of my Franken-thumb. And acquired a very intense fear of open, sharp-edged can lids. Like I said, no more cans of pumpkin for me this season. I will gladly be using the box, tetra pack version, pumpkin ... or making homemade puree. Problem solved.
Friends, the moral of my not-so-Charlie-Brown , great pumpkin story is this: kitchen safety is no laughing matter. There are 1 million ways you could injure yourself in the kitchen. I had at least three people, in the past week, tell me that they similarly sliced their fingers on an open can lid. And a few other friends telling me their horror stories of slicing their fingers with knives while chopping. Other kitchen cautions include slipping on wet spots, oven burns, mandolin or peeler finger cuts, electrical shocks, broken glass accidents and more.
Perspective. It is just my thumb. I will heal. And while I may have a bit of permanent nerve damage, only time will tell, I got away pretty lucky! The kitchen injuries can get much worse, and I am thankful to have health care, a helpful husband (literally my right hand man through this) and a job that is flexible to life's ups and downs. So, me, I'm good. No pity party here.
You. To anyone and everyone entering the kitchen this holiday season, please please proceed with caution. I tried to take a shortcut by skipping the can opener, and it did not pay off. Shortcuts, bad decisions, risks, are all things you should avoid when cooking in the kitchen.
Stay safe everyone! And have a healthy happy holiday season, filled with delicious, home-baked goodies.
And with that, one of my fave fire-hazard kitchen safety vids..
RockMyVeganSocks says
Oh no you poor thing!!! That really sucks 🙁 Sadly, I understand. I have had kitchen mishaps with knives that required stitches in my fingers. And a couple of weeks ago, a door and my foot collided also resulting in stitches. Yuck. I hope you never have to go through that again.
Sending healing thoughts your way.
ps. chocolate helps =)
Cynde Routé says
Get a Trudeau StressLess can opener. It works by separating the lid from the can, not cutting it off. There are no sharp edges. It took me a little time to get used to it because it attaches to the can differently and the motion seems a bit awkward, but now I'm used to it and I love it. I bought mine on Sur La Table for $19.99, but I'm sure you can find it elsewhere.
Shez says
Cutting up a regular pumpkin to make purée is just as dangerous.... Hope you feel better though 🙂
TRL says
I'm so sorry! I hope that you are feeling better and recover quickly. I also hope that you truly don't get a phobia about opening cans!
K Fuller says
Oh gosh, feel better! I am currently six days into my worst knife cut ever (moral of story, if you have a twisted ankle and can't stand squarely and solidly to chop potatoes, either sit or have someone else do it), but I only needed four stitches. You are right, it is going to take time to heal, especially with nerve damage. I keep thinking it makes no logical sense to have shooting pains down my finger and then DH will remind me that cutting into nerves short circuits everything.
Dayna says
feeling your pain Kathy but as a long cut on the top of my middle finger caused by whacking the edge of a broken window pane while getting my fall decorations from the basement. wow, who would think something like that could hurt so much. I hope you feel better this week. I, happily, just found you yesterday through two peas and a pod 50 best pumpkin recipes. I am making the pumpkin apple harvest rice tomorrow. It sounds delish. As many people do I am changing just a little, from rice to quinoa and I don't eat sugar so a little maple extract but I can tell it is going to be outrageous. Looking forward to many of your other recipes. Something funny, you posted that recipe on 9/27/11. I thought you posted it today and almost commented down below the recipe from three years ago.
Meg H. says
Not that I am one to push products and I am not a "consultant" for this company - but - this is exactly why I bought a can opener from the Pampered Chef! The can opener cuts beneath the metal ring - and you lift off the entire top not simply the inner can top but the whole outside too so there are no cut fingers! I feel your pain - again which is why I bought the can opener - and have the giant scar on my left thumb to prove it.
jplantenberg says
I have the same kind of can opener (though a different brand) and it is seriously one of my favorite kitchen gadgets! I HIGHLY recommend it!!
7iThor says
So sorry about the injury Kathy. I wish you a speedy recovery and hope you enjoy the down time. I am scared that animals that rummage through trash / recycling could be hurt from the cut lids so over the last few months I have been compiling ways to make homemade roasted tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, etc. so I don't have to buy any more cans. Your story is a good reminder of how dangerous they can be. Maybe you will be able to give us some guidance on this with your expertise on food prep! Your experience was bad but it was told in a very amusing manner. Thanks for sharing and staying so positive.
Oh, about the nerve damage. I once had a bite that damaged the nerves, and while it did take a while it eventually fully healed. A doctor told me that nerves can take up to 8 years to heal so you just might have to baby your thumb for awhile and give it a lot of TLC.
Maureen says
Hi Kathy,
I was just about to make your PSL yesterday and reading over the instructions when I looked at my iphone and read your post! I hope you heal quickly and with ease. btw, I love the recipe and I haven't had a PSL in two years so this is a keeper! thank you for sharing and take care of yourself. Feel pampered!
Rachel Sews says
Whew! That had to HURT! I felt your pain, all of it! I stupidly did something similar using my chef's knife that my husband had just sharpened. Didn't feel anything at first ... but then I saw the blood. Took quite a hunk out of my thumb - yes the same thumb as you. Here it is a month later and it is still very painful to the touch, scabbed, swollen and a bit deformed. Doc did tell me that knives and your can lid happen frequently.
Sincerely hope you heal well and fast. And let your good friends and family help you!
Take care!
Marcia says
My thoughts are with you hoping for a safe and as speedy as possible recovery. Just remember that you should really listen to the doctor's instructions and not rush this. Let your family and friends help you, as much and as long as you can. Reprint copies of your favorite blogs with a note typed by someone else - we WILL understand. Sending strength and healthy thoughts your way. Take care of you.
Kathy Patalsky says
aw thank you Marcia, that was really sweet. Luckily, I have a long list of recipes I have made and photographed and not posted yet! So I can dig into that folder. And talk-to-type is ah-mazing for my one-handedness! <3 thank you!!
Guest says
I thought you were going to say because canned food contain bpa which is really really bad for you and I can't actually believe that someone who has a "healthy" blog still buys canned food...
Dawn says
You do realize there are companies who use BPA free cans for their canned goods, right?
Guest says
Yesyes, not many of them + even if it is BPA free it still leaches other chemicals that are dangerous
7iThor says
I hope you wouldn't make this comment to someone in person who had just shared a terrifying experience. There is a time and place for most things and knowing the time and place to say things is golden.
Leo says
holy crap! pictures to prove it! haha I'm just messing with ya!... Hope you heal swiftly and smoothly.. I thought you were going to say the can had worms in it.. or even that most of the canned pumpkin puree out there is actually squash.
Kathy Patalsky says
Trust me, you do not want to see the photos.
Daisy says
That sounds horribdlely painful! I dont know how many times I have bent open cans like that. ( shudder) not anymore. Feel better soon!
Kathy Patalsky says
thank you <3
Aimee Brimmer says
Aww, I'm so sorry! That sounds like it was a terrifying and painful experience. I've sliced my fingers more than once on an open can, thankfully, not requiring a trip to Urgent Care. Now, when a can doesn't open all the way and I need to pry it, I use a butter knife. Maybe that's not smart either... Please take good care of yourself and get some rest. You'll be all healed up before you know it. Sending lots of love your way. (((hugs)))
Kathy Patalsky says
thank you <3 boo cans
Kris says
That's why I never put an open can in frig! Yikes scary
Kathy Patalsky says
yup. careless mistake!
John Hartil says
Just so easy to do ~ hope you are feeling better!
Kathy Patalsky says
thank you John, me too!
Debra Chan says
I am sorry to hear about your thumb! I hope you feel better soon, and look forward to your future blogs.
Kathy Patalsky says
thank you Debra <3
Kal says
Oh sweetie....this just brought back in living technicolor, full on emotion redo my run in with a mandoline late this summer. I feel for and with you! I take blood thinners. I was not the only person i the ER who was swooning at the sight of my blood (also wrapped in a dish towel now soaked)....had to find a neighbor to take me to ER since my husband was at work in the city. Take care!
Kathy Patalsky says
oh man, I just HEAR (or read) the word mandolin and I cringe. glad we are dish towel wound soul sisters ;/ <3
Nik. E says
I'm so sorry to hear about this, glad you are recovering and letting your body heal! I don't think you would've passed out if you had been able to eat so I wouldn't worry too much about that but all that adrenaline on a starving body probably overdid it! At least you have your kittie nurses to love on you and nurse you back to health! Haha <3
Kathy Patalsky says
good point!! first thing in the AM prob didn't help. I pawned it off to "shock" and yup, low blood sugar probably sparked it too. smarty!
Nicole Selah Destrampe says
Oh no! I'm sorry to hear this I hope you heal quickly and thank you for the reminder to use caution, something that is easy to forget in the kitchen :/
Kathy Patalsky says
thank you Nicole! <3
Sarita says
Ouch.That sounds so painful! Over a year ago I injured my thumb badly while I was cutting up vegetables for my guinea pigs...Your story reminded me of that. It was a very similar experience, really, really bad 🙁
Hope you feel better soon!!!
Kathy Patalsky says
aw, glad you healed. thanks for the love Sarita!
Nikki says
So no cooking with pumpkin even if your husband opens the can for you?
Kathy Patalsky says
haha, its a weird fear right now. I only know this because when I got home from urgent care I saw the open can of pumpkin still on the counter and could barely even look at it is I do it in the garbage. sure it will fade, but real fear for me right now!
The vegan 8 says
Oh my gosh! That sounds sooo awful and painful!! So scary that you almost passed out. So glad you are okay now, but it really is crazy how something as small as a finger can cause so much pain. Hope you are feeling better now and no permanent damage is done.
Kathy Patalsky says
Well actually I cannot feel most of my thumb still, so doctor said it is likely there will be some permanent nerve damage, which sucks, but only time will tell. And I am still taking loads of Advil and woke up crying in tears from pain this morning. I am a MESS. lol. But yeah, soooooo many nerve endings in your thumb and super swollen still because as my dr said "it was a really really bad slice" ... but anyways, thank you for the well wishes. Thinking healing thoughts! <3 (sorry that was a lot, TMI) 🙂
Susan says
Oh my, I am sorry to hear that you have injured yourself so badly. I had stitches for the first time in my life a couple of years ago following a kitty at work scratching open my little finger, and I agree it is not a good time. And those local anaesthetic needles hurt soooo bad! I can empathise about trying to tie up your hair!
Hope you feel better soon.
Kathy Patalsky says
right??? oh my gosh they hurt. And fingers are so darn thin-skinned and sensative. eesh. thanks for love Susan.
Ksenia of At the Immigrant's T says
Wow, this story definitely got much, much worse as it progressed! I really do hope you'll be feeling better quickly - it takes time to bounce back from severe injuries like that, and seven (!!) stitches definitely constitutes a severe injury. Get some rest and hope it gets better!
Kathy Patalsky says
it does take time! it has been 7.5 days and it still looks UGLY. And hurts like hell. Trying to rest. Healing comments help so much! <3
Emily K. says
Oh my holy lord... You poor thing! The kitchen can be a real war zone! Well, best wishes from me and I really can't wait until you are better. I know this is a little bizarre but the way you explained it was very nicely done! I am still in school and I love english class( and I like reading)so I can appreciate good writing which you certaily can do effectively. But hey, overall get well soon and now I know not to play with cans! 😀 Thanks a bunch!
Emily 😀
Kathy Patalsky says
thank you Emily!
Catherine @ foodiecology says
Oh my gosh, I'm now convinced that it's not worth the potential suffering to restock my canned pumpkin stash! Ouch. Glad your injury wasn't worse, although it sounds like it was no joke. (Oh, and I've never had stitches either. I'm kind of twisted, too, and probably would've been all about the bucket list, but I'm going to take your word for it that I'm perfectly fine living my life stitch-free!)
Kathy Patalsky says
thanks Catherine! stay in the no-stitches club! 😉
Meaghan Dischler says
Sorry to hear about your thumb! I sliced my hand between my forefinger and middle finger badly a couple months ago. I was stupidly trying to fight a hard section of an avocado while holding it in my hand...it took a while for that to heal and even now when I squeeze that area it's still a little sensitive. Cuts on the hand are no fun!! Feel better soon!
Kathy Patalsky says
aw sorry that happened to you! It is always those little actions you think are harmless, then pow. glad you healed for the most part!
Meaghan Dischler says
Exactly! You never think it will happen to you :-/ Hope you are feeling better! 🙂
Sarojini says
So sorry to hear about your accident- and thank you for turning it into a cautionary tale for our benefit. I am so careless with cans- I've often bent the lids back, plunged my hand in, etc. but now I'll be more careful. I hate how having accidents makes me feel stupid- like when I banged my head on the car door frame getting into it and ended up in A and E with concussion a few hours later; and all because I was in too much of a hurry... get well soon 🙂
Kathy Patalsky says
its always the little things that can get you. stay safe people. TY sarojini <3
Natalie @ Feasting on Fruit says
Oh my goodness, I am so sorry!!!!! I have never had stitches (and hope to keep it that way), but I know how hard it is to have half of your hands out of order. I had a full arm cast for 6 weeks and I was ready to go crazy. Nothing like an injury to make you appreciate the little things like being able to put your hair up or take a shower or even type! I have 3 cans of pumpkin in my cabinet now, which I shall bravely take on, but your story will be foremost in my brain as I carefully do so.
Kathy Patalsky says
haha. watch those cans, they are sneaky little things!! 🙂 <3
Gabrielle says
Well I was hoping for pictures! At least of your bandaged thumb and you looking sad but hopeful. 🙂 Great story. Love your writing style. And... owie! I have a scar on my thumb right in the crook where I once christened a sailboat with a bottle of champagne, without a towel, and sliced right into the flesh. I didn't feel a thing, just saw the look of horrified faces around me, and then the BLOOD! I was afraid to open my thumb from the rest of my fingers for a long time after, but I healed. We always, hopefully do. Look at it this way, cans have BPA anyway, most of them, so using boxes of pumpkin is better for your health, as is cooking up a pumpkin and scooping the goods yourself. My not so secret kitchen fear is knives. I have this young cat who loves to jump around on the counters, and I envision holding a knife upright for just a moment and him jumping up and becoming suddenly impaled! Thusly, I am very very very very very careful with my knives and how I hold them, and around whom. I'm glad you have your thumb, it's important. And I hope you have no nerve damage. And I hope you make lots of yummy pumpkin-y things soon. 🙂
Kathy Patalsky says
trust me, my franken-thumb pics do not belong on my yummy food food blog 😉 maybe after I am healed I can share a "click here at your own risk" photo progression. ....if you REALLY want to see haha
Liz Thomson says
Yikes!!! That's awful!!! I had a similar experience (but with an Xacto knife... no more DIY projects for me!) and it's super scary but I'm glad you're ok!
Kathy Patalsky says
ooo ouch. Xacto knives, another scary one. thank you! <3
LIndsey at TheGreenPenn says
Bless your heart! I hope everything heals quickly so you get back to normal. I once shattered my wrist in a car accident and spent 8 weeks with one usable arm... it'll really make you appreciate having two good hands. No ponytails for me that whole time. 😉 And just to add to your statistics, about a month ago, I was slicing zucchini on my mandoline and caught my right thumb full-force! I probably should've gotten stitches, but I decided to just bleed for two days instead. Haha! (Had I not experience a natural birth last year, I may have thought more about the pain.) All healed up now, though. So you'll be back at it in no time. Just snuggle up with those adorable kitties and get some rest.
Kathy Patalsky says
right? the ponytail thing! thank goodness for a giant butterfly clip. i am going to be a cooking QUEEN when I get this silly thumb healed. "you don't know what you've got till its gone." ps trying to snuggle, the kitties were so cutely concerned when it happened. sweet boys 🙂
valentina | sweet kabocha says
Ouch, it's so bad!!! Cooking always needs a perfect level of attention and caution, but we often forget about it!! I hope your healing will be fast and painless <3
Kathy Patalsky says
yup! agreed <3
Vegan Richa says
I am so sorry it was so bad. I hope it heals completely without any nerve issues. Keep up the rest and take care.
i hate days when i cannot stand for more than 2 minutes coz that means no kitchen work or even editing. But there are better days. Hang in there.
Kathy Patalsky says
meee toooo. no cooking or photos - its SO sad! can you even imagine? Luckily I can type one-handed and you talk-to-type. thanks Richa!
KarissaRenee says
Ah sounds so painful!! Hope it heals quickly! I can totally relate, my boyfriend recently was chopping an onion with our largest chef's knife and accidentally dropped the knife then instinctively reached to catch the falling knife. You can imagine what a mistake that was! We had to rush to the ER to get his finger stitched up and came home to blood spatter all over. Ugh! I can never look at that knife the same way!
Kathy Patalsky says
well then you see my point 🙂 your knife is my pumpkin can! <3
Mary Ciulla says
I'm so sorry about this injury, how awful! For myself, it's burns, the oven hates me!
Kathy Patalsky says
thanks Mary