Tetanus shot

Soggybiscuit

So, during the course of work I was climbing on a rusty structure and managed to wound myself. This structure was located outside and is gets wets quite often. The wound is very shallow and has been healing very quickly (Should be completely healed up in 3-4 days). My concern is due to the age of the structure and the amount of rust on it, should I be concerned about tetanus? Would it be prudent to go get a shot since I am not completely sure when I last had one?

Jasconius

If it broke skin, you might as well get one.

If you get tetanus, it will suck a lot.

JaysonFour

Get the shot. Better safe than sorry with this kind of stuff. I should know...

Had to get one after stepping on two nails that damn near went completely through my left foot.

VisionOfClarity

If you can't remember your last shot then you really need to go get one.

Fantasma

Make sure you do this before 24 hours has past.

Soggybiscuit

Fantasma wrote: »

Make sure you do this before 24 hours has past.

To late for that one.

matt has a problem

Rust has nothing to do with tetanus. Rust is iron oxide, it's not poisonous. Heck, your blood, in a very non-technical sense, contains rust. Tetanus is caused by a bacteria. The "Rusty metal=tetanus shot" correlation came about because most rusted metal is in places where it is likely to be contaminated by bacteria.

That said, any GP or hospital urgent care can provide a tetanus shot, you're in and out in no time.

bowen

matthasaproblem wrote: »

Rust has nothing to do with tetanus. Rust is iron oxide, it's not poisonous. Heck, your blood, in a very non-technical sense, contains rust. Tetanus is caused by a bacteria. The "Rusty metal=tetanus shot" correlation came about because most rusted metal is in places where it is likely to be contaminated by bacteria.

That said, any GP or hospital urgent care can provide a tetanus shot, you're in and out in no time.

Truth.

If the area was contaminated with poop, you would have a concern. It is always better safe than sorry, but, you are not likely to get lockjaw from a rusty nail, or anything, unless you live on a farm, have pets, or it was absolutely laced with shit goo.

Soggybiscuit

bowen wrote: »

matthasaproblem wrote: »

Rust has nothing to do with tetanus. Rust is iron oxide, it's not poisonous. Heck, your blood, in a very non-technical sense, contains rust. Tetanus is caused by a bacteria. The "Rusty metal=tetanus shot" correlation came about because most rusted metal is in places where it is likely to be contaminated by bacteria.

That said, any GP or hospital urgent care can provide a tetanus shot, you're in and out in no time.

Truth.

If the area was contaminated with poop, you would have a concern. It is always better safe than sorry, but, you are not likely to get lockjaw from a rusty nail, or anything, unless you live on a farm, have pets, or it was absolutely laced with shit goo.

I am pretty sure it wasnt contaminated with poop, but you never know. The structure was about 30 years old, and was out over a thickener (or "clarifier" as some of you might know), but I was not at a sewage treatment plant.

Hevach

That's a wastewater cistern, right? Proximity to poo=poo is a fairly safe life rule to live by. Shots suck, and tetanus is one of the worst ones I've gotten, but just get the shot.

Tetanus infection is reasonably rare in North America, and it is treatable, but treatment doesn't always work and if it doesn't you're in trouble. There's a reason why even as rare as it is, doctors still like to shoot tetanus shots into everybody with a dirty wound just on the safe side. Get the shot.

My local newspaper just had a thing on tetanus the other day, the above is lifted almost verbatim from it. Except for the poo rule, that's just a little life lesson I learned the hard way when I was three which haunts me to thisday.

bowen

Yeah that's close enough in proximity where lockjaw is a real concern.

Siska

Another thing to look out for is cellulitis. Especially if the wound was on the front of your shins. Keeps an eye on the area for the next few weeks (it can take a while) and if it starts looking flushed, like the pictures, go to a doctor ASAP.

RubberAC

You should probably keep in mind also that Tetanus thrives in Anaerobic environments, spaces without much oxygen, so a Scrape is very very unlikely to result in tetanus, it's more deep-ish cuts and puncture wounds you need to be worried about.
If you cannot remember your last tetanus shot, and you think there is any possible chance of a wound resulting in it, you can't really afford to be wrong
You gotta rush that cut to the doctor

Soggybiscuit

Hevach wrote: »

That's a wastewater cistern, right? Proximity to poo=poo is a fairly safe life rule to live by. Shots suck, and tetanus is one of the worst ones I've gotten, but just get the shot.

Tetanus infection is reasonably rare in North America, and it is treatable, but treatment doesn't always work and if it doesn't you're in trouble. There's a reason why even as rare as it is, doctors still like to shoot tetanus shots into everybody with a dirty wound just on the safe side. Get the shot.

My local newspaper just had a thing on tetanus the other day, the above is lifted almost verbatim from it. Except for the poo rule, that's just a little life lesson I learned the hard way when I was three which haunts me to thisday.

Wastewater, but not for poo. More like water for coal wash plant operations. Any water that is not lost is continuously recycled through the system.

Anyways, managed to get to a quick care facility and get the shot. The bill hurt more than the needle did (which actually did not hurt at all - my arm isnt even sore).

DevoutlyApathetic

Soggybiscuit wrote: »

Hevach wrote: »

That's a wastewater cistern, right? Proximity to poo=poo is a fairly safe life rule to live by. Shots suck, and tetanus is one of the worst ones I've gotten, but just get the shot.

Tetanus infection is reasonably rare in North America, and it is treatable, but treatment doesn't always work and if it doesn't you're in trouble. There's a reason why even as rare as it is, doctors still like to shoot tetanus shots into everybody with a dirty wound just on the safe side. Get the shot.

My local newspaper just had a thing on tetanus the other day, the above is lifted almost verbatim from it. Except for the poo rule, that's just a little life lesson I learned the hard way when I was three which haunts me to thisday.

Wastewater, but not for poo. More like water for coal wash plant operations. Any water that is not lost is continuously recycled through the system.

Anyways, managed to get to a quick care facility and get the shot. The bill hurt more than the needle did (which actually did not hurt at all - my arm isnt even sore).

If it has been less than 18 hours since the shot.....just wait. Close to a day later that arm will be sore. It bothered me to no end when I just had my last shot a couple weeks ago.

It's perfectly normal and will pass after a day or so.

VisionOfClarity

DevoutlyApathetic wrote: »

Soggybiscuit wrote: »

Hevach wrote: »

That's a wastewater cistern, right? Proximity to poo=poo is a fairly safe life rule to live by. Shots suck, and tetanus is one of the worst ones I've gotten, but just get the shot.

Tetanus infection is reasonably rare in North America, and it is treatable, but treatment doesn't always work and if it doesn't you're in trouble. There's a reason why even as rare as it is, doctors still like to shoot tetanus shots into everybody with a dirty wound just on the safe side. Get the shot.

My local newspaper just had a thing on tetanus the other day, the above is lifted almost verbatim from it. Except for the poo rule, that's just a little life lesson I learned the hard way when I was three which haunts me to thisday.

Wastewater, but not for poo. More like water for coal wash plant operations. Any water that is not lost is continuously recycled through the system.

Anyways, managed to get to a quick care facility and get the shot. The bill hurt more than the needle did (which actually did not hurt at all - my arm isnt even sore).

If it has been less than 18 hours since the shot.....just wait. Close to a day later that arm will be sore. It bothered me to no end when I just had my last shot a couple weeks ago.

It's perfectly normal and will pass after a day or so.

This! When I got my shot it felt a bit sore (like a depo) but the next day my arm felt like dead weight and unless I kind of hitched it up and held it still it ached like I spent days lifting with it without break. It went away in a day or so but it did not hit until hours later.