Tetanus

[ceres]

Didn't know if this should go in Pests and Diseases  ;)

I cut my finger on Thursday afternoon, not badly (although it bled like stuck pig!) but it was filthy.  I'd been grubbing around in soil that had a manure mulch until a few weeks ago.  We have no clean water on our site and there were no first-aiders around so all I could do was dribble what was left of a bottle of drinking water on it and put a plaster on.  When I got home some hours later, I cleaned it up properly but thought that I might need a tetanus booster.

So I went along to my GP's surgery for the 8am walk-in clinic only to find they don't do walk-in clinics any more {sigh}.  The receptionist wanted to know what I wanted so I said a tetanus booster.  She told me I don't need one because 'you're assumed to have immunity' (because of my age I think is what she meant).  So rather than argue the toss in front of a waiting room full of patients, I left.

I called NHS Direct who were very helpful and sent me off to the local hospital walk-in clinic for a booster.  At the hospital, also very helpful, they gave me the immunoglobulin vaccination which gives immediate protection for the acute exposure and a booster vaccination for longer term protection.

Sothe moral is, at this time of year if you're manuring, think tetanus!  If an open wound becomes contaminated with soil/manure, you need to seek medical advice.

[ceres]

[Ninnyscrops.]

It's a prerequisite for gardeners and lotties as far as I'm concerned.

My niece is about to embark on growing veg in her new huge garden (green with envy  ;D) and it's on the list of things to natter to her about tomorrow.

Think tetanus jabs last for about 10 years now.

Ninnyscrops

[ceres]

The current thinking is that 5 vaccinations which most of us get in childhood/teens gives you lifelong protection.  However, if you have an acute exposure, you should go and get topped up.

[kt.]

After childhood tetanus, adults tetanus lasts 10 years.  Providing you have had all your childhood tetanus vaccinations and then 2 adult ones at 10 yearly intervals - once you reach the age of 35 you are then deemed to have life-long immunity.  Though it will do no harm if you have to have administered the occassional booster.

[tomatoada]

Some weeks ago I was in the same situation.  Cut finger, moving manure etc..  I came home at about 3pm.  Rang my G.P. surgery.  I was advised to come along as soon as I could.  Washed  and changed for 3:30.  I was given an injection straight away.   Can't speak highly enough of my G.P.s.

[flowerofshona2007]

We both have a top up every 10 years !!

[redimp]

Due to being very accident prone into my early adulthood - I have had loads of tetanus injections so fingers crossed, I'm covered.

[Kea]

I took my youngest in recently for his Teen boosters including Tetanus, he got the nurse who is very oldfashioned 'sister style' with no people skills. She didn't like it that he wanted his Mum to come in with him...probably because she had to ask him if he knew about STD's! Anyway as he had his boosters I said i hope that tetanus doesn't swell up and get really sore like my last one.....to which the nurse snapped you've had too many if it did that it reduces the effectiveness.

[flossy]

   You really can't be too careful if you are at one with the soil  ---   it contains large ammounts of bacteria
    and I am sure lots of other nasties.

    I think a tetanus jab is essential to those who garden in every sense.  I stuck a fork prong into the top of my foot once  --  young and stupid digging in bare feet !  I ask you !

   Had a booster jab of tetanus and all healed up, until I was washing my my feet a while later -- [ bare
   feet again ]  and the scar  e - - - - - - - !

   Say no more  --  If you havn't had one,   go get it  soon.

   

[Larkshall]

I enquired of my GP some years ago about the ten year booster, she checked my records and said that I have had all that's allowed. I had been having them ever since I worked on a farm in the 1960's.

[calendula]

crazy, you don't need these terrible vaccinations, it is all about fear factor and you'd be much worse if you knew what the tetanus jab was all about

http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/tetanus.htm

you need to think outside the box sometimes, just be sensible

[ceres]

it is all about fear factor

Which is exactly what the link you posted is all about- fear factor - so it's no different.  You pays your money, you makes your choice. 

[flossy]

  calendula

  Can't help feeling that the fear factor in the link you posted, is more about needle phobia,
 
  I for one would not refuse any protection offered - especialy in this day and age with people
  traveling to all corners of the world where some deseases are endemic.

  With the internet and all it has to offer , we are more educated about what effects us for
  the good or the bad -

  As ceres says ' you  pays your money ...etc '

  floss

[calendula]

nothing to do with needle phobia at all but what is actually in the vaccination and what it can do to you and of course the price you pay goes straight to the drug companies and the other hidden ;rice some pay is to their overall health and immune system - you are to unlikely to get tetanus, but yes your choice  ???

[cleo]

I`m not being crude but in situations where there is no clean water----pee on it??

[flossy]

 

  calendula,

  Your referance to '  what a vaccination can do to you ' and ' the price you pay goes straight to the drug companies  '  yer soo!   You pays your money -- you takes your choice !

  I would not criticise you for taking an alternative road   --  yes , you are unlikely to get Tetanus,
  but I sure as hell wouldn't like to !!

  Horses for courses !   

  floss

[Mrs Ava]

As a jobbing gardener, you would think my quacks would give me a booster, and i have begged, and pleaded - thanks Ina, but still they refuse point blank, even though there are no records of me ever having had one as I have changed docs many times and my records leave a lot to be desired.  I may find out about the hossy and see if they have a clinic.  I got a prickle in my finger from a rose 2 weeks ago, and after 24 hours of nothing, my knuckle suddenly swelled up like a golf ball and was hot and sore....did I go to the docs - nope, because it has happened before and I know it goes down, but the time is going to come when it doesn't and I might wake up dead!! :-\

[susan1]

I hit my leg with a garden fork in early may, and went to my Dr's  he looked up my tetanus record and advised me to get a booster, which i  had, but unfortunately i didn't know what was on the allotment as we had only taken it over about a week earlier, and I developed a really nasty infection pseudonamas which i was prescribed 13 courses of antibiotics, which did not clear it up, and purely by chance i was told about Manuka Honey, which i researched on the net and decided to buy, It was a struggle getting the medical profession to use it on me, but after only about 4 weeks my wound is almost healed.. so what I'm saying is badger your GP to give you the tetanus as we cant be sure what is in the soil, and they don't always know what is best for us.

[calendula]

but neither of these stories have anything to do with tetanus, very muddled thinking - by having the jabs you are effectively giving yourself the chance to be open to the toxic matter - tetanus is for tetanus not anything else, you really are unlikely to get tetanus - it really is strange what people are prepared to put into their body

btw all good honey, i.e. that comes straight from the hive and is not tampered with, has natural antibiotic qualities but manuka honey is great though

[Kea]

Pseudomonas sp are very common particularly on plants, they can be plant pathogens...they also can cause very serious infections in humans and have been known to be fatal.
I've had a tetanus booster every 10 years but I'm guessing that next time nothing will say will get me one. I had to beg for one aged 20 when my records showed I'd only ever had one....and that was despite two separate rusty nails right thru my foot on separate occasions when I was a child.