Three-Handed Progress on the Barn

Before Dan's accident we were purchasing a few sheets of plywood at a time to continue working on the goat barn siding. Between his injury and the rain, progress on the barn has been on hold indefinitely. When we got some blue sky and warm temps last week, Dan did the little bit of painting there was to do, and then suggested that if I would help position and hold the plywood, he could nail it in place. I knew he was pretty tired of just sitting around and hurting, so I said okay as long as he would take it easy, not push it, and quit if his hand started to hurt too much or feel worse. Here's what we got accomplished.

First two sheets went up easily and quickly.

Sometimes home-milled lumber ends up twisted.
The grinder smoothed out any resulting projections.

A header for the future Dutch door.

Just between you and me, I don't think Dan thinks much of my skills as a helper. Not because I'm not willing, but because he claims that I'm not very good at just standing by and doing nothing until I'm needed. He did think my doing the painting was a good idea, however, and I was still ready to carry and hold things in place as he needed me.

Rain was forecast for the next day so we were glad to get it painted.

Snoopervisor Meowy was pretty bored with the whole thing.

Plywood up and first coat of barn paint on! Still needs
a second coat, windows, and doors, but that will be awhile.;

With two walls up now we got a glimpse of how much the milking room skylight will help.

One of Dan's painting project was the wall below the skylight.

He used his circular saw to cut the plywood but said the sound of it pulled up all those memories of his injury, which are still pretty fresh in his mind. But he pressed on. By the end of the day his hand was hurting pretty badly and he had to take half of a prescription pain pill on top of the naproxyn. Yes, I fussed at him the whole time, but I'm not a bossy wife. Mostly because I believe a partnership works best when the partners work as a team, and also because it wouldn't do any good, LOL. The next day, though, his hand felt good and so did he, so maybe between the exercise, feeling of accomplishment and progress it was worth it.

Three-Handed Progress on the Barn © Feb 2018  

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

What We're Doing for Dan's Hand

This post is a follow-up to my last one about Dan's hand.

Of the two fingers that collided with the table saw, the ring finger looks really good, although where the fingernail used to be is still scabbed and tender. The middle finger is still open and draining and looks a mess. The saw sliced through quite a bit of skin which is starting to come off. Healing will be slower for that one because it has to work inside out. Both fingers are extremely sensitive to pressure and to cold.

We received no instructions for the hand other than to keep it clean and change dressings. So to support healing we've been focusing on good nutrition, improving circulation, and healing herbs.

Since we grow so much of our own food we eat a pretty good diet anyway. For now, we're keeping meals light and easy to digest. Bone broth is especially rich in minerals and nutrients, so it forms a basis for daily soup. Detox tea is tasty hot or cold, and makes a nice beverage any time of the day. Here's the recipe.

Detox Tea

• 2 parts dandelion root (cleansing, anti-inflammatory, liver tonic)
• 1 part each of 
• burdock root (blood purifier)
• cardamom seed (digestive, liver, and gall bladder support)
• ginger root (circulatory stimulant, antiseptic)
• pau d'arco bark (anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory)
• cinnamon bark (antiseptic, kidney tonic)
• clove buds (antiviral, antibiotic, antioxident, aids digestion)
• fennel seeds (circulatory stimulant, anti-inflammatory, kidney support)
• licorice root (detoxifier, anti-inflammatory)
• juniper berries (facilitates removal of acid wastes from urine)
• black peppercorns (antioxident, antiseptic, aids digestion)
• uva ursi leaf (bladder and kidney support)
• horsetail (anti-inflammatory, tissue healer, source of minerals)
• parsley leaf and root (anti-inflammatory, immune booster)
• orange peel (bioflavinoids, kidney support, tonic)

To make a decoction (tea of roots, bark, and berries) an ounce of dried herbs is added to a pint of cold water. It helps to soak the herbs in the water for several hours. Then heat to boiling and simmer for 15 minutes. Cool and strain.

I mix this about half and half with green tea which is an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, improves blood circulation, and promotes wound healing.

Good circulation is important because it's the blood that carries nutrients and healing elements to the wound and carries waste products away. Exercise helps here, both walking and working the hand and fingers as best he can.

Hot and cold treatments improve circulation. How? Think of how flushed the skin can become when you're hot and how it turns blue when you're cold. Heat forces the blood to the skin and extremities; cold forces it back into the core of the body. Alternating hot and cold promotes circulation. I also give Dan what I call "circulation tea" made from cayenne pepper powder and ginger root powder. Cayenne promotes circulation by strengthening the pumping action of the heart, and ginger promotes circulation in the capillaries.

Another herb that is helpful for circulation is garlic. Plus it's a powerful antibiotic and antiviral. Dan makes himself a drink of raw garlic and ginger in tomato juice every day.

To promote healing Dan applies an herbal salve during the day called Dy's Liquid Bandage. It is actually a veterinary product, but it contains healing ingredients we also use on ourselves: olive oil, beeswax, golden seal (antibiotic, anti-inflammatory), bee pollen (immune booster, antibiotic), yarrow (stimulates circulation), aloe vera (anti-fungal, tonic, promotes wound healing), vitamin E (antioxident, promotes healing), tea tree oil (anti-fungal, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory), propolis (antibiotic, antiviral, promotes wound healing), calendula (antiseptic, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, promotes wound healing), and honey (antibacterial, anti-inflammatory). It was on sale in January so I ordered some to have on hand. Little did I know then how quickly we would need it. It protects and helps heal the wound plus keeps it from drying out.

At night we're doing a Bone, Flesh, & Cartilage fomentation. A fomentation is wrapping an area in a cotton cloth soaked in a strong concentration of herbal decoction.

Bone, Flesh, & Cartilage

Equal parts of:

• white oak bark (antiseptic)
• marshmallow root (wounds and skin ulcerations)
• mullein (wound healing, kidney support, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory)
• wormwood (antibiotic, antiseptic)
• lobelia (anti-infective, a catalyst for other herbs)
• scullcap (nervine)
• comfrey root (promotes cell growth and wound healing, nutrient rich)
• black walnut bark (anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, rich in minerals)
• gravel root (immune stimulant, solvent for unwanted mineral deposits)

This is also made into a decoction made the same way as the Detox Tea above. After it's strained it is simmered down to about half it's original volume and cooled. The fomentation is applied at night, six nights a week. We wrap the BF&C soaked cloths around the fingers, wrap with plastic wrap, and cover the hand with a clean sock. BF&C tincture internally rounds out the routine.

So that's our daily routine. Of course, anyone who's had a severe injury knows how slow healing is, and how hard it is not to become discouraged. But I have to say that the response to our GoFundMe for Dan's medical expenses has been extremely encouraging, not to mention humbling. I hope you could tell from "A Message From Dan" what a difference it's made for him. To have so many people we've never met respond so willingly and generously has given him hope. And to have so many people praying for him has given him peace of mind. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

What We're Doing for Dan's Hand © Feb 2018

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

A Message From Dan

Hello from Dan.

I feel it is necessary to address you all personally. First of all THANK YOU for your financial help and secondly for your prayers. Both are unselfish acts of kindness and caring, not to mention a sacrifice. I am more than grateful for you.

This injury has devastated me more than any other I have experienced. I spent 15 years in the military out of which five I was in special ops: parachuting, rappelling, and generally getting beat up on a regular basis. In 1992 I under went back surgery and had L4-L5 fused. In our nine years of homesteading I've damaged both thumbs setting over 150 t-posts, and almost cut off my left big toe with the chainsaw. I've been bitten twice by spiders. All of that doesn't compare to having a finger almost cut off.

Your words of encouragement and advice have not fallen on deaf ears, and a lot of it is confirmation of what I'm already doing. Just knowing there are folks out there who genuinely care and understand is a comfort. Maybe someday we can meet face to face and I can give you a big hug.

This lifestyle, which I know you can relate to, doesn't foster local friends. A church family we don't have due to the jobs I've had in trucking. Thank you for being family.

May God truly bless you tenfold for all of your support.