# HELP ds stepped on a tack...UPDATED with fresh worries!



## stirringleaf (Mar 16, 2002)

(update in post below, not this post) )

I am worried about tetanus. he is not vaxed. i am very afraid of side effects of vaccines, but i am i think equally afraid of tetanus. What do i do? it was a tack in my house, it was my fault, i was using it to put holes in greeting cards i am making so i can hand sew them. it was one of those push pin kinds with a long point on it, and it went in about HALFWAY

we squeezed it so it would bleed a little, and washed it really well and put antibacterial stuff on it. i am so nervous. also i have a tiny bit of needle phobia and so DH had to go to work and i would have to be the one to bring ds to the Dr and i think i migght FAINT if i have to watch him get a shot!!!







:

help! i know this ia a health and healing thing but i need info fast as possible


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## coopnwhitsmommy (Jan 13, 2005)

Don't have any advice just sympothy


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## Kleine Hexe (Dec 2, 2001)

tetanus can only survive in anaerobic environments. In other words it can't survive with oxygen. Is the wound deep enough to so that air can't get in?


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## stirringleaf (Mar 16, 2002)

i have no idea kliene hex. what is deep enough? and if it cant survive with oxygen then how would it live on a tack? ( or a rusty nail) in other words do i even have to worry about it?

i think it went in about a quarter inch.

blood was able to come out but i have no idea if air can get in and dont know how i would be able to determine that. its a puncture wound for sure...i feel so sick about it rightr now cuz i must have droppped it when i was putting my stuff away


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## hubris (Mar 8, 2003)

Ouch!

I'm looking around for tetanus info, here's what I've found so far:

Wound care: most sites advise seeing a doctor because puncture wounds are more likely to become infected. If you have a pediatrician that you're comfortable with, you might want to do that. If you prefer not to see a physician, the cleaning you did was a good idea. Keep the area clean and covered with a bandage. Change the dressing frequently. Keep an eye on the wound and watch for signs of infection.

Infection: symptoms usually appear 3-14 days after infection. They usually begin with jaw/face muscle spasms, difficulty swallowing, and neck/shoulder/back stiffness or pain. Other symptoms may include fast pulse, fever, and sweating.

Treatment: early diagnosis and treatment usually results in recovery in 4-6 days. Treatment usually involves being hospitalized (in the ICU) and receiving antibiotics and tetanus antitoxin, and possibly also medications to control the muscle spasms. A tracheostomy may be necessary if the person is having trouble breathing.

Hope this helps a little. More than that, I hope that the wound heals nicely and that you can stop worrying soon!


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## stirringleaf (Mar 16, 2002)

i just called a friend and she suggested betadine---its what they use in the hospital---so i grabbed him and squeezed more blood out and rubbed betadine on it. i might do it again in a little while. ....keep the advice coming,...i cant do a search right now..thank you so much


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## Kleine Hexe (Dec 2, 2001)

That's the thing about rusty nails...rust means there is oxygen at least on the outside. It survives as long as it does not come in contact with oxygen like being buried in dirt. So if you have let's say a nail and covered with dirt the tetanus could be under the dirt and not be exposed to oxygen. OR if you already have an existing wound and it gets contact with tetanus...like you playing with cow patties. My DH and his siblings would throw them at each other!









A tack on your floor from your kit would have very slim risk of carrying tetanus. The wound bleeding is good too. Blood has oxygen in it and it cleans the wound.

Sounds like you did a great job cleaning and dressing. Of course if you're really worried you can talk to a Dr or get the vax.


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## paquerette (Oct 16, 2004)

If it bled at all, even a drop, there should be no risk of tetanus.

Getting the vax now would be even more counterproductive, since it takes longer for the vax to "take" than for the disease to incubate. And it would be a tax on the immune system having to fight off the toxins in the vax, taking away from the body's ability to fight off any infection in the wound.

I would just keep up with the cleaning and bandaging.

x-post this to the vax forum maybe?


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## Elowyn (Nov 3, 2003)

I'd say he's fine! A 1/4 inch deep small puncture wound with a clean item such as an indoor thumbtack - well, your odds of tetanus from that are very, very low. You've done well to wash it well, make it bleed a bit, betadine won't hurt. But I certainly don't think he needs a tetanus shot (1 inch deep wound from a rusty nail in a cow pasture? maybe. this? nope.)

I'm an ER PA, too (although I should disclaim here "use your best judgment, not meant to be medical advice) so I'm not afraid to give tetanus shots when indicated, but I really don't think he needs one. No worries, mama.


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## Kleine Hexe (Dec 2, 2001)

Elowyn....work on your project!


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## Elowyn (Nov 3, 2003)

Hey, thanks, Kleine. I'm up to 29% today, though, aren't you proud?









Back to the books with me.


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## DesireeH (Mar 22, 2003)

Quote:

If it bled at all, even a drop, there should be no risk of tetanus.

Getting the vax now would be even more counterproductive, since it takes longer for the vax to "take" than for the disease to incubate. And it would be a tax on the immune system having to fight off the toxins in the vax, taking away from the body's ability to fight off any infection in the wound.

I would just keep up with the cleaning and bandaging.

I totally agree.







I hope he feels better soon!


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## stirringleaf (Mar 16, 2002)

ok relief is washing over me, thanks everyone. ill just pester him and torture him by putting more stuff on it later---for my own piece of mind at least.

what about giving him GSE, or antiVi ( herbs for kids) ---is that overkill, or would it potentilly help?


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## stirringleaf (Mar 16, 2002)

arrg i just had another panicky thought, if any of you can answer that would be great...

first of all he wont walk on it.

secondly, the other night we were at a friends who essentialy has a small farm going at her house and there is manure in the gardens and chickens walking around, etc and the kids were running all over. DS had sandals on!

AND i havent given him a bath yet







: thats bad to begin with, but now i am worried that tetinus has been hanging out on his foot. is that possible? his feet arent every dirty at all, so if it was trapped under dirt how much would it have to be trapped under, cuz i am talking a very thin film of dirt, wich i am sure he has, KWIM?


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## OnTheFence (Feb 15, 2003)

This is when you start weighing, IMHO, the pros and cons of vaccines. When my oldest son was a little over a year old, un-vaxed, he had a similar incident. He was quite wild, getting into stuff, always seemed to be getting injured. He had a high tolerance for pain and even in my presence and supervision would get injured. One night I began bathing him, thought he had dirt in his hair, and it was dried blood. I was with him all day, in fact he never cried, and I truly until this day have no idea how he got a big gash in his head like that. It was so deep that he probably really needed stitches. I decided at that point to give him the tetanus shot. To me it was about weighing the pros and cons of my dare devil and accessing the risk.


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## Alkenny (May 4, 2004)

I agree with Onthefence...weigh the pros and cons and go from there.

I stepped on an upholstery tack about a month ago and those suckers HURT! I couldn't walk "normal" on it for a couple of days. I DID get my tetanus shot updated (hadn't since 1989), but it's up to you.


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## hippiemom (Jan 7, 2002)

Another thing you could try is a warm water soak with epsom salt. The betadine is a good idea too, as well as keeping it clean and covered, maybe with some 'neosporin' antibac ointment. If the skin looks clean and healthy, no pus, no red lines radiating from it, no severe pain, etc he should be fine. It is not as if all puncture wounds lead to tetanus, esp with conscientious wound care. If it looked at all infected or he got a temp I'd go to the doc.


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## stirringleaf (Mar 16, 2002)

i am having a hard time weighing pros and cons. especially cuz i am finding alot of contradictory info. i called a nurse line last night and she said that she didint consider it a tetanus risk, but that i should get the shot in the next three days. i did a bunch of googling last night, and saw all the horrible things tetanus does to you. but then someone above said that the vaccine wouldnt do much for him at this point even if he had tetanus, and then another site said tetauns shots GIVE people tetanus. i think even the nurse said the vax would only help moderate any illness, not prevent it, at this point in time.

the really stupid part of this is i have a poetry reading tomorrow ( i am reading) and i am all freaked out about what if i get him his shot, drop him off wth a sitter , and he has a reaction. or the other side of that is what if i drop him off with a sitter and he suddenly gets tetanus signs. oh and i havea sty in my eye just in time for a public appearance, just to throw that in :LOL i look like i have been punched, and my son is limping


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## noodle4u (Jul 19, 2002)

I will join the "he sounds fine" group. He is not likely to get tetanus from a small tack puncture.
I can horrify you with tales of rusty nails, rusty farm equipment, cuts slashes, puntures, and not vaccinated for tetanus, and everything always turning out fine.
My dd and I are usually barefoot when it warms up, and we even clean out horse stalls in our barefeet. Sometimes we get an infected sliver,but that is about it.
Hydrogen peroxide is a fantastic preventative.


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## mandib50 (Oct 26, 2004)

i would side with the don't worry. my son stepped on a tack not too long ago, it was in deep enough i really had to tug to get it out. i did the same as you, got it to bleed, cleaned it up and well, forgot about it! also, my husband did step on a rusty nail. it was in quite deep and the wound was pretty hard to clean. i helped him out as much as i could i used betadine and that but said maybe he should go to the hospital to have it properly cleaned because it was quite jagged (he talked to his mom and she started freaking him out about tetanus because he doesn't get booster shots). anyway, he went in and the doctor said go home and clean it with soap and water!!

i personally wouldn't worry about tetanus unless one of my kids were severely burned or cut and then i would get the immunoglobin shot but not the vaccine.
good luck!
mandi


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## stirringleaf (Mar 16, 2002)

hey everyone, thanks for the help with this! his foot is all but healed now. the little scab on his foot is doing well, no sign of infection at all. i forgot about it yesterday and didnt clean it or anything, and checked it when he was sleeping and it ust looks fine. i am glad i didnt rush him to to doctor or anything, thats always such a pain esp when its not needed. oh but guess what the day after the tack injury, he fell in the driveway and got about the worst scrape i have seen on him, and this was after he had finally stopped limping! LOL pook kid. i gave him tylenol for the pain that time and soon as it kicked in he was jumping all over again.


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