def first_digits(s, default=0):
    """Return the fist (left-hand) digits in a string as a single integer, ignoring sign (+/-).
    >>> first_digits('+123.456')
    123
    """
    s = re.split(r'[^0-9]+', str(s).strip().lstrip('+-' + charlist.whitespace))
    if len(s) and len(s[0]):
        return int(s[0])
    return default