GP scared me with Tetnus

[Boos Mum]

OK so a lazy pub owner threw water on th pavement which became ice and I fell, thankfully the baby was ok.

I hurt my toe pretty good, now the gp talks about tetnus :mad: Now I have all the symptoms :mad:


I already dread going out, now I'm pretty upset, and my one good pair of jeans are now ruined :mad:

[AnnieMags]

Hi Boos Mum, I am not sure what you mean when you say the GP 'talks about tetanus' - is he suggesting you get vaccinated or, if you had a vaccine more than ten years ago, a booster? If so, I would have it. Tetanus is an anaerobic germ (oxygen kills it) so it mainly lives in deep puncture wounds like bites and wounds caused by rusty nails. If you grazed your skin in a fall, the risk would seem to be extremely low, but a tetanus shot/booster cannot do any harm and you will then be perfectly protected for years and years to come. And don't worry about already having symptoms - it is impossible, that's only the anxiety talking (the incubation period for tetanus is quite long, up to several weeks depending on where the wound is). I would say you have very little to worry about tentanus-wise, but do follow your doctor's advice and then forget about it. Best wishes from Annie

[Boos Mum]

We dont do vaxes too many risks

he said I'd be sick right away

[LeeBee]

Was the doctor trying to convince you to have a tetanus vaccination and so was perhaps trying to scare you a little? I understand why he would want you to be immunised, given that it is extremely unlikely that you would have an adverse effect but would harmlessly be protected from a nasty disease. Scaring you is not a very nice way to do it though. As AnnieMags says, tetanus gets into the body most commonly through a puncture wound, like stepping on a nail. And it's more common in rural area where the spores live in manure-treated soil. According to the stuff that I've read on the net, incubation is from 3 to 21 days, not immediately as your doctor indicated.

Honestly, I think your doctor is just trying to scare you to get you to have a tetanus vaccination. He doesn't really think you've got it. Relax and don't worry. It's up to you whether or not you have the shot, obviously. I've had a shot as a child and a booster about 15 years ago when I stepped on a piecce of glass. It didn't hurt and I didn't have even the slightest reaction to it, and if I step on something long and pointy I probably don't have much to worry about :).

[Boos Mum]

vaccines have so many effects, ughhh I can't even give them to my kids.

GP was annoyed but tough, he knows I don't go along with everything they say anyway


LEg is pretty sore now too after the fall, just not what I needed right now