tetanus again

[blackbroom]

Sorry to be a complete pain. I've been plagued by terrible tetanus fear for the last two weeks (I know I've posted about it too much already).

I actually went to see the nurse yesterday, who confirmed that someone of my age will have had all 5 jabs as a child/teenager and should be immune for life and I have an appointment to see the mental health nurse on Friday about my anxiety, but I got a bad puncture wound from a bramble when gardening just now - through my filthy gardening gloves, so it may well have soil in it. It was one of the big brambles and the wound is about half a centimetre in thickness, and I am really scared.

I stupidly googled tetanus a couple of weeks ago and know that puncture wounds are the worst, but I somehow feel if I turn up at the GP tomorrow with a bramble wound they will think I am a total time waster.

[Appa Yip Yip]

I'm sorry you're so worried about this :( I totally get it. I really think you'll be ok, since if there was any soil in your gloves it would be such a small amount and most likely dried up that I doubt it would present a problem. But I know how you feel about not wanting to look like a complete buffoon always running to the doctor. I hate when I get myself in those predicaments. But at the end of the day, it is their job so if you simply can't manage I say just go for peace of mind so you can live your life. I really think you don't have to worry about tetanus though.

[misslove]

This is a time I think it would benefit you to google tetanus. Research it like your writing a paper on it so you know all about it. If you have had your shots you can't get it.

[blackbroom]

Thank you, AppaYipYip and misslove. I find researching things when I'm anxious doesn't always help - when I read things like "You can't normally catch X from a toilet seat", while a normal person would think, "OK, so there's no risk", in anxiety mode I think "You can't normally? So that means under some circumstances you can, so there IS a risk!"

With tetanus, it also doesn't help that US health policy is totally different from the policy here in the UK, so while my GP practice tell me I was vaccinated as a child/teenager 30 years ago, so I'm fully covered, US websites keep saying if I haven't had a jab in the past 5-10 years I am at risk.

I'm hoping that if I distract myself for the next 48 hours I can talk to the mental health nurse about it on Friday.

Also, I know I got like this about botulism a few years ago and that seems totally ridiculous now. With both botulism and tetanus, far fewer people get them than win the lottery. Logically, I know I'm much more likely to get run over crossing the road, but I still walk out in front of cars without looking, while I worry myself sick about things that my logical brain KNOWS are unlikely to ever happen.

[misslove]

Well if your fine now then you definitely don't have tetanus. This is why I said to research it so you know how nearly impossible it is to catch it these days

[countrygirl]

The reasons the uk changed its policy is that it can be dangerous to health to have too many tetanus vaccinations. As long as you have had a full course of 5 then you are covered.
If you had severe wounds from say dog bites etc then they give an immunoglobin injection to cover you immediately but this is not a vaccination. This happened to my husband who had never had tetanus vaccination and he cut his hand badly in soil and I mean badly so he had the immunoglobin shot and then was vaccinated after that.
Tetanus is also extremely rare and I do actually know someone who survived it - he is a farmer who caught it off a dead sheep he was cutting up:wacko: - he had never been vaccinated - he is still alive and kicking and old now.
The animal that puts us most at risk are horses as they are the main carriers of tetanus bacteria so if you put lots of horse manure on your garden or work with horses then you def need to be vaccinated.

[KeeKee]

Everytime I see a tetanus post it reminds me of my beloved family dog who contracted tetanus some years ago. He displayed the typical symptoms (lock jaw) and it was quite obvious he had it. I know he wasn't a human but I imagine it would yield the same symptoms. He was actually unwell before the lockjaw and probably could have been cured had the vets not told us it was just a 'cold'.
It's very rare but if it's bothering you that much why not just ask for a quick booster? I had this fear a few months ago and went to the walk in centre as I cut my finger on a tin lid that had been in a rubbish bag (it tipped over and I picked everything up not realising there was a can in). I was told that in the UK we have the tetanus injection as a standard in school, however as I'd missed an injection in senior school (not sure which one) I was given the tetanus as a precaution. They told me it's very, very rare though.

[blackbroom]

Thanks, everyone. Been given some numbers by the surgery to ring to arrange CBT.

I'm now worrying "Did I actually have all 5 jabs as a child?",but that's crazy - my mum was a nurse and positively evangelical about vaccinations, so I know she would have made sure I was vaccinated. Plus I remember having a tetanus booster when I was about 20, because i couldn't remember if I'd had the last one at school or not.