Not too long after this pic was taken, I was climbing down out of a deer stand and got my wedding ring hung up on one of the steps. I was unaware of it as I skipped the last few steps and jumped to the ground and hung in air and felt massive pain and herd a big SNAP! My ring cut into my finger all the way to the bone. Drove myself to the FD and they did surgery right there to cut the ring out (three people had to hold me down) and drove me the hospital in the ambulance. The ER dock took one look at it and said, “I want you to know this is going to hurt.” Three more people held me down as he put a needle into my finger, touching all the exposed nerves with massive amounts of anesthesia before he could clean it out and sow me back up. Follow up trips to a plastic surgeon, physical therapy that hurt more than I can express (the Dr. just rolled his eyes as I began to pass out LOL…). It took several seasons before I got any feeling back in the finger or could use it with my other fingers to grip things. Stripping a fly line to striped bass was the ultimate physical therapy and today my finger works as good as new. I don’t wear a wedding ring anymore and have to constantly tell beautiful women I am married.

Capt. David Bitters, BAYMEN, baymenlife.com 29 Years Guiding The Bay. Let’s Go!