Been crying for the past hour or so...so scared of Tetanus...!

[87sal87]

My hamster bit me quite badly last week, one of the cat's scared her & she took it out on me! lol.
She took a chunk out of my thumb, she's never bite me before so it took me aback! It bled SO much, it wouldn't stop for ages!

Of course, I went straight to the doctors in a panic. I asked about needing a Tetanus jab & she just brushed it off & said if I'd had them all at school then I'd be okay! But I remember having my last tetanus jab in around year 10 at school which would probably have been around 2001/2002!!! It's been so long & she brushed it off! Plus, she was a locum who spoke very broken Russian & I'm scared she just hasn't took it seriously enough or understood me right or something...

I've kept the wound obsessively clean with TCP & Salvon almost constantly since it happened but the more I've read up on Tetanus [yes, google :(] the more it's scared the hell out of me! Now I'm convinced that my jaw is going stiff & I'm scared witless, been upset in my room for the past 2 hours or so! Not sure what to do, I don't wanna tell my family incase they think I'm nuts, as usual....

Some advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

[gypsywomen]

stop worrying ,because your wound bled so much the poisen if any would not stay ,, plus your docter would have sent you to he hospitel if he thought anything bad calm down relax you will be ok love believe me ,, ex nurse

[Typer]

It would have happened within 24 hours so you can feel safe that you are fine now. Lock Jaw as they used to call it, happens within hours and as you say it was last week...you can rest easy.

[nomorepanic]

I thought you had to have tetanus injections every 10 (or was it 15) years but when I last asked about it they said you don't need to have them repeated now.

[87sal87]

Thanks so much guys, I've calmed down abit now. I'm still worried cos that's just the way I am. I might give the doctors a ring tomorrow & ask them again just to be sure, but I don't want them to think I'm obsessing [even though I am lol]
This place is like a completely understanding friend who doesn't think you're mad. My family & friends get angry & upset with me when I panic :(

[countrygirl]

I asked my Dr about this last year as I react badly to the tetanus injection - I get hugely swollen arm that lasts weeks even if I take antihistamines. I had had course of injections as a child and then had another full course as an adult plus one booster 5 yrs later but hadn't had another booster in over 10 yrs and was told that as long as you have your course of three as a child and one booster you are covered for life. If a wound is puncture or dirty then they give you an injection that is not the tetanus vaccine but sort of antidote to tetanus or something like that.
The Dr said research had shown that it is not necessary to have booster vaccines every 10 yrs if you have had full course plus one booster in your life.

animal bites don't usually pass on tetanus - tetanus lives in soil and excrement of animals so soil and horse manure are worst offenders - did you know that centuries ago when they used to use horses tail hair to sew people up people died of tetanus from the horses tail hair. so if you are gardening and get a puncture wound that doens't bleed thats the most risky.
Hope this helps

[87sal87]

Thanks for all your help guys, you've really helped put my mind at rest Once again!
I'm still worried but I'm not as bad as my IBS has started up again & it's given me something else to worry about so it's kinda "distracted" me, if you can call it that lol

But yeah, thank you x

[Peter_Scott]

I have a bit of experience on this as I had localized tetanus about 6 years ago. It is very rare, I had never had a jab as a child, and my infection came from farm yard manure in an open cut. It has to come from the tetsie (sp) fly, and the trick is lots of soap and water and sunlight kills the infection. I lived to tell the tale, lots of magnesium injections was the treatment. But OP please don't worry about a pet scratch, tetanus is so so unlikely this is why your doc brushed it away.