mercurial
02-12-2011, 01:54 PM
DIY-mad dad James Byrne has revealed how surgeons replaced his left thumb with his big toe after he accidentally chopped off the digit as he sawed wood last December.
http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2011/11/30/article-1322674613201-0EFEF61600000578-449606_636x397.jpg[/url]
James, 29, thought he would be left without his crucial digit after an operation to sew it back on failed.
But his consultant told him ‘you will have a thumb, even if I have to take your toe’.
‘I thought he was joking but here I am with it now,’ James said.
‘People have different reactions to it – some think it’s really funny while others are a bit disgusted.
‘When I meet people they ask, “What did you do to your thumb? It’s so big and swollen”. They can’t believe it when I tell them it’s actually my toe instead.’
The father of one, who works as a paver and plant operator, has nicknamed his new thumb Toby.
‘My son thinks it’s great,’ he said. ‘I showed it to all of his mates and became a bit of a celebrity in the playground for a while.’
Despite having to learn how to rebalance, the operation – at the Frenchay Hospital in Bristol – will have no long-term effect on James.
He hopes to return to his paving job in the new year.
[img]http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2011/11/30/article-1322674686881-0EFEF70E00000578-729962_466x310.jpghttp://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2011/11/30/article-1322674754556-0EFF1BD300000578-912813_466x310.jpg
Source (http://www.metro.co.uk/news/883437-dad-has-thumb-replaced-with-big-toe-after-diy-accident) There is a video as well.
:sick:
http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2011/11/30/article-1322674613201-0EFEF61600000578-449606_636x397.jpg[/url]
James, 29, thought he would be left without his crucial digit after an operation to sew it back on failed.
But his consultant told him ‘you will have a thumb, even if I have to take your toe’.
‘I thought he was joking but here I am with it now,’ James said.
‘People have different reactions to it – some think it’s really funny while others are a bit disgusted.
‘When I meet people they ask, “What did you do to your thumb? It’s so big and swollen”. They can’t believe it when I tell them it’s actually my toe instead.’
The father of one, who works as a paver and plant operator, has nicknamed his new thumb Toby.
‘My son thinks it’s great,’ he said. ‘I showed it to all of his mates and became a bit of a celebrity in the playground for a while.’
Despite having to learn how to rebalance, the operation – at the Frenchay Hospital in Bristol – will have no long-term effect on James.
He hopes to return to his paving job in the new year.
[img]http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2011/11/30/article-1322674686881-0EFEF70E00000578-729962_466x310.jpghttp://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2011/11/30/article-1322674754556-0EFF1BD300000578-912813_466x310.jpg
Source (http://www.metro.co.uk/news/883437-dad-has-thumb-replaced-with-big-toe-after-diy-accident) There is a video as well.
:sick: