# take off your wedding rings..



## Andy H.

I've got a special place in my PFD pocket where I attach it. I figure if I lose my PFD on the river, I've got bigger problems than a lost wedding ring...


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## joecoolives

my wife lost the Diamond from her ring at warm springs. Was a real bummer.


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## DanC

I always take mine off when boating for two reasons - 1 Don't want to lose it and 2 It could be a hazard to my hand. I know it's a long shot but I'd hate to get it stuck on rocks, wood or whatever while being hauled downstream or while doing rope work. Stems from the fact my Dad almost lost his finger when he was putting a tarp on a big trailer, slipped and got caught by his wedding ring. He doesn't wear one at all anymore!

Dan Caldwell
Rapid Media TV Guy


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## ryguy79

I never wear mine paddling or climbing. A climbing buddy of mine climbs so frequently that he never wore his ring, so he got a ring tattoo.


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## Randaddy

I just made sure there's no deductible on the rings with my insurance. If my lady or I lose one, we can just call our friend the jeweler and a new one is on the way for the low cost of shipping. This benefit costs under $1 a month with our property insurance. Of course, you lose the original ring you're not technically married anymore....

I plan to just wear it and see how it goes. Hopefully it doesn't end up at the bottom of the river or inside a stripper....


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## lhowemt

Let me jump in and say that it's not just the ring you can lose, it's your finger or even potentially hand damage. I got a tiny sliver before a MF Salmon trip in May, no big deal it happens all the time. We ended up having to portage 10 boats around Dagger Falls because of trees, and I think that helped inflame it a bit. The next morning I woke up and my ring finger was quite swollen and I couldn't get it off (even the dental floss trick probably wouldn't have worked). Fortunately we have a doctor friend on the trip, and he started me on double dose antibiotics also (cephalexin). He was really concerned, and talked about monitoring it for removing it and/or flying out. The next morning at Sheepeater it was extremely painful and swollen, clearly it was not improving fast enough. All I wanted was that damn tourniquet of a ring off. It was scary, only one person had a diamond file on a knife that would work to remove it. If they hadn't had that I would have been in trouble, definitely flying out at Indian. After a painful half hour the doc had filed it off, and my finger was free, but not out of the woods yet. Later that day at Indian it had stabilized, and we discussed downstream airstrips that could be used in case it did not dramatically improve. He was really worried about the infection going into the hand and doing major tendon damage. 

All worked out, I was able to finish the trip (quite sick from the antibiotics though, it wasn't a fun trip) my ring is fixed so you can hardly tell. I now carry a ring cutter in my first aid kit and replenished my cephalexin stash. I do not wear a ring anymore at all when I leave to recreate. I wouldn't mind not wearing it at all, but that feels weird.


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## swiftwater15

*Rings*

I have permanently damaged the tendon on my ring finger by wearing a ring while kayaking. Apparently sometimes I gripped the paddle so hard that the ring damaged the tendon sheath.


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## Randaddy

lhowemt, you have inspired me to buy a ring cutter for my first aid kit. I'm still going to wear mine because I know I'll lose it if I don't. You also provide a good case for an assortment of antibiotics in the med kit as well as tongue depressors and finger splints.


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## MountainMedic

Yeah, after she posted that when it happened this spring i scrounged one up for the med box. Kind of breaks my main rule of having items that perform multiple tasks, but i think its worth it.


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## Randaddy

I just bought one on eBay for $6. Not a bad price for a useful tool.


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## glcasson21

a guy I was paddling with one day flipped and hit his hand on a rock embedding his wedding band into his finger...no major damage but extremely painful. without the ring it would have been but another scraped knuckle.


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## Randaddy

I'm still waiting for the "I almost cut my finger off, but the ring saved me" story.... anyone?


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## LynneA

My husband lost his wedding ring in the gorge section of the Lower Blue. It was a gold ring with an onyx setting. If you find it and return it, there would be a nice reward for you and years of good karma!


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## Jensjustduckie

Degloving ewwww.


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## JCKeck1

Be careful about the materials that make the rings you buy also. Some of them can't be cut off even with a ring cutter. Cobalt I believe...
Joe


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## g.soutiere

titanium also you need a special ring cutter that most hospitals don't have. so if you have a titanium ting like i do don't ware it if there is a chance of getting it crushed on your finger.


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## Kendi

I take mine off at the start of the season and don't put it back on again until winter. Funny- it used to wig me out to not have it on all Spring/Summer- now it's like an announcement of boating season.


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## Rogie

Tungsten can't be cut. Only cracked with vice grips.


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## cataraftgirl

lhowemt said:


> Let me jump in and say that it's not just the ring you can lose, it's your finger or even potentially hand damage. I got a tiny sliver before a MF Salmon trip in May, no big deal it happens all the time. We ended up having to portage 10 boats around Dagger Falls because of trees, and I think that helped inflame it a bit. The next morning I woke up and my ring finger was quite swollen and I couldn't get it off (even the dental floss trick probably wouldn't have worked). Fortunately we have a doctor friend on the trip, and he started me on double dose antibiotics also (cephalexin). He was really concerned, and talked about monitoring it for removing it and/or flying out. The next morning at Sheepeater it was extremely painful and swollen, clearly it was not improving fast enough. All I wanted was that damn tourniquet of a ring off. It was scary, only one person had a diamond file on a knife that would work to remove it. If they hadn't had that I would have been in trouble, definitely flying out at Indian. After a painful half hour the doc had filed it off, and my finger was free, but not out of the woods yet. Later that day at Indian it had stabilized, and we discussed downstream airstrips that could be used in case it did not dramatically improve. He was really worried about the infection going into the hand and doing major tendon damage.
> 
> All worked out, I was able to finish the trip (quite sick from the antibiotics though, it wasn't a fun trip) my ring is fixed so you can hardly tell. I now carry a ring cutter in my first aid kit and replenished my cephalexin stash. I do not wear a ring anymore at all when I leave to recreate. I wouldn't mind not wearing it at all, but that feels weird.


Wow, that's quite the story Laura. Glad you survived. This is an interesting thread. Not something I'd think about all that much. Perhaps we should add a ring cutter to our medical kit. I hadn't heard of the dental floss trick before so I googled it. A trick worth knowing for sure.
Along the same line, I learned my lesson about safety with fingers & knives at the Middle Fork take-out two weeks ago. Too much haste & inattention combined with the inappropriate use of a leatherman knife = lots of blood and lots of stitches in my thumb. Luckily my stupidity didn't surface until the take-out. This would have really sucked if it had happened on the river. You know what they say ........153.5% of all river accidents happen on shore 
KJ


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## slamkal

had a friend on either the payette or the lochsa he got his ring crushed and it was painful, a lot of blood and a trip to the hospital.


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## brendodendo

I gave a girl a porcelain ring when I was about 9. She had a playground incident and he finger swelled up so bad that EMS could not get the ring off. The ER had to freeze her finger and then they used a vise to break the ring. 

Just this summer, I went to Denver to drop off the family at the airport. I spent the night with a friend and we decided to rent a small trib and run Boulder Creek through town. On our second run, I had parked the car on a parallel incline. We got the raft off and were about to shuttle the car down to the kayak park. As my buddy got in the car, his left hand was on the top of the car to get in. I had gotten in and was closing the drivers side door. The concussion from me closing the door, made the passenger side door close on his hand. We immediately talked about pain and swelling and I mentioned he should take off his ring. He felt good on the water, but as soon as we were done for the day, his finger swelled up. His thoughts a month later were that the ring helped in stopping the full force of the door, he believed that his finger was probably still broken, but not to the extent that he needed medical attention that day. 

I hardly wear my ring due to it being a little big and the nature of the sports I play and job I do. I have considered the tattoo as an alternative, but have not gone there yet.


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## ScottM

Not paddling related, but last week my ring got caught on a fence that I had swung open forcefully and it ripped the ring and my ringer quite badly. Lesson learned - painfully. I won't be paddling, or doing any physical outdoor stuff with a ring anymore!


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