Bloody rusty scratch and no tetnus shot.

[minkydog]

My dad had a "puncture" wound from a hand drill (straight into the side of his hand), which he treated himself, and ended up with gas gangrene also. I think your DH is the only other case I have heard of.

I took care of a man who developed gas gangrene from an untreated tooth abscess which tunneled down his neck and into his chest. I won't tell you all the horrors, but just believe me when I say--this was the worst, nastiest, stinkiest horrible wound i've ever seen. We had to tie bandanas around our mouths to even be in the room with him. The man very nearly died from it and was left with pretty terrible scars.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I think that anyone who wants to remain blissfully ignorant of the mess around us should steer far clear of a Microbiology class. That there stuff was eye opening and changed me forever.

Tetanus is scary, but there is an easy way to deal with it, and that is to get a vaccine. We need one every 10 years unless a deep wound happens then we need it every 5.

With MRSA around shallow wounds seem to be the scariest now because they are the least likely to be properly cleaned and the scrape sort of makes your skin into a petri dish for growing stuff. I am a total worry wart about it and slap some Purell on any scape any one of us gets, well scrapes, shallow cuts and bug bites. But, DH doesn't listen to me, why would he right? Before we went to the shore last month DH had a scape on his foot from Yoga that just didn't heal properly because he kept irritating it. While we were at the shore he wore sandals that made it more irritated, not bloody just angry but he didn't say anything OR clean it and care for it. Just a scrape right, no biggie for a healthy grown man, besides I suppose it isn't manly to use Neosporin and wear a bandaid.

SO we go into the ocean. The next day he notices deep purple LINES traveling up from his foot. So I'm out shopping and out of the blue he calls me from the ER. Guess what, he was diagnosed with a Lymph infection and the Dr drew 2 lines on his ankle and said if it moves more than 1 inch get to the ER immediately! On the foot its ok but if it hits the lymph nodes he's in serious trouble. Dr not sure if its MRSA or not, apparently MRSA has pustules but he can't be sure so he gives DH the meds for MRSA . SO Dr sends DH home with lots of antibiotics and we wait but nothing moves up, thank heavens. In a few days the purple disappears but there are white scar lines left over from the infection Now my recently shaken DH doesn't mock me any more and looks for the Purell himself.

The one most useful thing I took with me from the Microbiology lab is that Alcohol kills almost everything just use caution because too much can crack the skin and if the skin is cracked you're first line of defense is down so don't do it. Healthy skin is the best defense.... that's its job. Only step in when the defense is breached otherwise just be clean.

 

[georgina]

FWIW, I am 45 and have not had a tetanus shot since I was about 12. I've been to the doctor millions of times and it has never been offered to me.

I have not been offered one when going in for illness, but I had a physical recently and the doctor asked when my last tetanus shot had been. Since it had been 9 years, she had me get a new one. They have added pertussis back in for the adult boosters.

 

[Christine]

I have not been offered one when going in for illness, but I had a physical recently and the doctor asked when my last tetanus shot had been. Since it had been 9 years, she had me get a new one. They have added pertussis back in for the adult boosters.

I've actually been in for physicals, with different doctors, and, nope, no one has ever mentioned it. Same for just about everyone I know around here. Especially women. I have heard of men getting one here and there as they've gone in for some kind of injury.

Of course, I could *ask" for it right? But I am such a chicken. I also had whooping cough (pertussis) about 4 years ago. That was AWFUL.