Tetanus fears...scratched my arm with wire fencing outside...

[artist12]

Several days ago I was working outside and was taking down some temporary wire fencing that I had in my yard (the chicken wire kind)....

I scratched the underside of my forearm with the edge of the cut fencing...wasn't deep at all, was more like a long paper cut but it did bleed a little. it was part of the fence that was arm height, so it hadn't been buried in the soil or anything like that.

I washed the scratch when I came inside but of course NOW days later of course the thought of tetanus hits me, bam, out of nowhere.

I can't remember my last tetnus booster. I'm 29 so I'm thinking probably has been more than 10 years. But I also can't remember if I had one when I cut my hand on a pair of scissors in college and went to the ER, or trying to rack my brain for any other incident I might have had where I got a booster. Can't remember at all.

Ugh!

[Pkstracy]

You'll be fine keep it clean, keep it covered, apply Vaseline on the scratch and then go to your walk in clinic and say you can't remember when you had your last Tetanus shot and you would like one, I just got mine updated and I hadn't had one since I was six years old.

[artist12]

Thank you for replying...I know I had an overreaction to what happened. I think just because I thought about it far too late after the scratch to get the booster and that's what I was feeling panicked.

The scratch healed after only about a day and it's not even really a wound anymore, thank goodness.

[Fishmanpa]

I've scratched my arm the last three weeks in a row while cutting the lawn on fences, plants etc. I've bled and scabbed etc. They've all healed and nothing happened. I can say the thought of anything other than "Crap, I cut my arm" came into my mind". :shrug:

Positive thoughts