I stepped on a long, dirty and rusty nail

[Moonbear]

...

If worst comes to worst, there is always amputation. Heartless, try to google "amputation" and take a look at the pictures that come up. That is your future if you do not take our advice.

Amputation isn't the worst-case-scenario. Death is. Tetanus is a horrible disease to die from, and completely preventable if you just get the booster shot in time. You don't hear about people dying from tetanus much anymore, and that's because we have vaccines and antibiotics available, and people get booster shots when they get injuries that put them at risk for it. There's just no reason to gamble with it.

WHEN TO CALL YOUR DOCTOR FOR PUNCTURE WOUND[/size]
Call 911 Now (your child may need an ambulance) If
Puncture on the head, neck, chest or abdomen that may go deep.

Call Your Doctor Now (night or day) If
You think your child has a serious injury.
Puncture on the head, neck, chest, abdomen that isn't deep.
Puncture overlying a joint.
Tip of the object is broken off and missing.
Feels like something still in the wound.
Won't stand (bear weight or walk) on punctured foot.[/color]
Needle stick from used or discarded injection needle.
Sharp object or setting was very dirty (e.g., a barnyard).[/color]
No previous tetanus shots.
Dirt (debris) or pencil lead pigment is not gone after 15 minutes of scrubbing.
Severe pain. [/color]
Wound looks infected (redness, red streaks, swollen, tenderness).
Fever occurs.
Call Your Doctor Within 24 Hours (between 9am and 4pm) If
You think your child needs to be seen.
Last tetanus booster was over 5 years ago.

http://www.lpch.org/HealthLibrary/ParentCareTopics/SkinLocalizedSymptoms/PunctureWound.html

Tetanus

Tetanus (lockjaw) is a preventable but life-threatening bacterial infection that causes muscle spasms, difficulty opening the mouth (lockjaw), difficulty swallowing, and seizures. Tetanus bacteria are usually found in dirt and soil; they typically enter the body through a wound or cut.

Tetanus bacteria thrive only in the absence of oxygen. The deeper and narrower the wound, the less oxygen is around it, and the greater the possibility of tetanus. For example, tetanus bacteria can thrive in a puncture wound from a dirty nail.[/color]

Proper vaccination prevents tetanus. Before age 6, children receive a tetanus vaccination along with other regularly scheduled immunizations. People older than 6 years should have a tetanus booster shot every 10 years; in people age 7 and older, the tetanus booster is often combined with the diphtheria booster in a single shot (the Td booster).

A person who has a dirty cut or wound should get a tetanus shot within 48 hours if at least 5 years have passed since his or her last tetanus immunization.

http://www.bchealthguide.org/kbase/topic/symptom/pntwd/overview.htm

An additional medicine to prevent tetanus (hyperimmune globulin) may be needed when a wound is very dirty or at high risk of a tetanus infection and when the tetanus immunization schedule:

Is not known.
Is uncertain.
Has not been completed.
Tetanus immunization protects against tetanus (lockjaw), a bacterial infection that can occur when tetanus bacteria get in a wound (break in the skin or mucous membrane). Tetanus bacteria usually are found in the soil, especially dirty areas, such as areas with animal feces. The dirtier the wound, the higher the risk of tetanus. However, tetanus can also develop in a clean wound.

Tetanus bacteria enter the body through skin wounds and thrive only in the absence of oxygen. So, the deeper and narrower the wound and the less oxygen around the wound, the greater the possibility of tetanus. Preventing tetanus infection is important, because tetanus is often fatal.[/color]

http://www.bchealthguide.org/kbase/frame/sig30/sig3065/frame.htm

If the puncture is deep, is in your foot, is contaminated[/color] or is the result of an animal or human bite, see your doctor. He or she will evaluate the wound, clean it and, if necessary, close it. If you haven't had a tetanus shot within five years, your doctor may recommend a booster within 48 hours of the injury.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/first-aid-puncture-wounds/FA00014

Presentation

Most commonly, the patient will have stepped or jumped onto a nail. There may be pain and swelling but often the patient is only asking for a tetanus shot and can be found in the emergency department with his foot soaking in a basin of iodine solution. The wound entrance usually appears as a linear or stellate tear in the cornified epithelium on the plantar surface of the foot.

...

Clean the surrounding skin and carefully inspect the wound with the patient lying prone, with good light and adequate time. Examine the foot for signs of deep injury such as swelling and pain with motion of the toes.[/color] Although unlikely, test for loss of sensory or motor function.

...

Most puncture wounds only require simple debridement and irrigation, but with deep, highly contaminated wounds, seek orthopedic consultation to consider a wide debridement in the operating room to prevent the catastrophic complication of osteomyelitis.[/color]

http://www.ncemi.org/cse/cse1015.htm

Background: Osteomyelitis is an acute or chronic inflammatory process of the bone and its structures secondary to infection with pyogenic organisms.

...

Direct or contiguous inoculation osteomyelitis is caused by direct contact of the tissue and bacteria during trauma or surgery. Direct inoculation (contiguous-focus) osteomyelitis is an infection in the bone secondary to the inoculation of organisms from direct trauma, spread from a contiguous focus of infection, or sepsis after a surgical procedure. Clinical manifestations of direct inoculation osteomyelitis are more localized than those of hematogenous osteomyelitis and tend to involve multiple organisms.

...

In the US: The overall prevalence is 1 per 5,000 children. Neonatal prevalence is approximately 1 per 1,000. The annual incidence in sickle cell patients is approximately 0.36%. The prevalence of osteomyelitis after foot puncture may be as high as 16%[/color] (30-40% in patients with diabetes).

...

Morbidity can be significant and can include localized spread of infection to associated soft tissues or joints; evolution to chronic infection, with pain and disability; amputation of the involved extremity; generalized infection; or sepsis. Up to 10-15% of patients with vertebral osteomyelitis will develop neurologic findings or frank spinal-cord compression.

http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic349.htm

I don't know how to get it through to you...you need to see a doctor...NOW!

 

[Astronuc]

heartless - if it's a matter of money, I'll pay for you to see the doctor or ER! Seriously, don't risk your health. I'm not too far from you - and you can PM me with the doctor's phone number.

 

[wolram]

H/L, just wait till you get to cold climates, every one of your past injuries will add up to mysery if they were not treated correctly.

 

[heartless]

I think I have just won a lift to a hospital. We'll see in 5 minutes.

 

[Moonbear]

I think I have just won a lift to a hospital. We'll see in 5 minutes.

Oh, I really hope you went. If you did, please let us know when you get back so we can stop worrying about you so much.

 

[scorpa]

I just noticed this thread. Heartless I really hope you went to the hospital, this isn't something to play around with. Your parents should have taken you there right away. Please post to let us know whether you got your ride there or not.

 

[heartless]

Ok, I'm back.
I got a lift to a hospital and since I thought no parent is necessery, I sent them back. First nurse told me that I certainly need a parent or guardian with me just because I'm below 18. So I waited, and waited and waited and kept on calling my house. Nothing. Nobody answered my call. After nearly 2 hours, I tried to ask again whether I need a parent or guardian and lady told me I don't. They can just call my house and get permission - All that is necessary. I signed up, after an hour they called upon me (3 hours already wasted without anything, and in matter of fact I didn't take any book with me, I asked a nurse for something to read, but apparently no one had anything interesting.) I was about to enter a room, when they asked me for parents, and of course I was there entirely alone. Again, I kept on calling and calling, and finally I decided to call my grandma. She was willing to come and she came together with rest of family, she somehow succeeded at home calls. At once I got there everyone I have. I got an x-ray - everything was good. They gave me an antibiotic, and vaccination against tetanus, washed out the wound and I got a receipt for some medicine. As far everything has gone ok.
There is something more, you guys were all right! They told me that I already started to get an infection and I came just in time. Then everyone kept on telling me that I should have come yesterday. (I didn't :( ).

Great Thanks everyone for great words and advices. You really got me scared by all replies and links, especially that one by Astro, later reposted by was it Evo or Moonbear?, don't remember which got me to fight for a drive to a hospital.

Again, ThANKS!

p.s. By the way, my parents were on the tarace and couldn't hear a phone.

//ed, Yepp, sorry that was Rach3 and reposted by Evo.
Thanks for that!

 

[Evo]

Thank goodness you finally went! The tetanus shot needs to be given within 48 hours, so you went in time.

I think you have Rach to thank, it was his post that I repeated. It scared the Cr@p out of me, so I was hoping it would have the same effect on you.

Of course every one here was equally concerned about you.

Now keep that wound clean and try to stay off of it for awhile

 

[Astronuc]

They gave me an antibiotic, and vaccination against tetanus, washed out the wound and I got a receipt for some medicine. As far everything has gone ok.

There is something more, you guys were all right! They told me that I already started to get an infection and I came just in time. Then everyone kept on telling me that I should have come yesterday. (I didn't :( ).

Very good news! Welcome back, heartless! I am pleased that you did go and get treatment. Take ALL of the antibiotic - don't stop just because it feels better.

Next time you know what to do - but I do hope there won't be a next time.

 

[Pengwuino]

Almost had another darwin awards candidate going for us...

 

[Moonbear]

Yay! I'm glad you finally got a ride there and got the treatment you needed...and in time! Now all there is left to say is that I hope you have a very speedy recovery without any further complications. Maybe your parents will even feel guilty enough about not taking you sooner to spoil you a bit for a few days.

 

[mattmns]

WOW! I can't believe you, and your family, were stupid enough to hesitate in going to a hospital after stepping on a nail! Good to hear you are OK now, but seriously you should not mess around with such things.

 

[FrogPad]

Almost had another darwin awards candidate going for us...

haha


heartless:
I'm glad you got to keep your foot, it usually comes in handy when doing most everyday things.

 

[Danger]

I'm glad you got to keep your foot, it usually comes in handy when doing most everyday things.

Too true. There are some sexual positions that demand 2 healthy legs.
I didn't post in this thread before because everyone else had it covered, but you really did have me quite concerned. I won't fault you for being a bit cavalier about the incident, but your parents and boss were both almost criminally negligent. If you're going to return to that job, which you seem to enjoy, get steel-cap/steel-shank boots. And rubber-soled while you're at it, in case you start mucking about with electricity.
Anyhow, welcome back. Don't put us through that kind of **** again.

 

[Evo]

If you're going to return to that job, which you seem to enjoy, get steel-cap/steel-shank boots. And rubber-soled while you're at it, in case you start mucking about with electricity.
Anyhow, welcome back. Don't put us through that kind of **** again.

Yeah, I have a pair of Brahma boots I bought for $10 on sale at Walmart that would help. I wear them when I go down into my basement.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3933882

 

[arildno]

Wheew, heartless!
Thank you for coming to your senses finally.
I hope all will go well with you now.

 

[Danger]

I wear them when I go down into my basement.

That's for all of those meeces and crickets and other things with huge fangs that live down there?

 

[Evo]

That's for all of those meeces and crickets and other things with huge fangs that live down there?

And water mocassins, and crocodiles.

 

[arildno]

heartless:
Please remain on the alert the next couple of weeks. Do NOT trivialize any signs of being ill.

Perhaps you should see your family physician in a couple of days, so that he may ascertain whether your foot is healing well, or if there are subtle signs of a lingering infection.
Only a qualified doctor has the competence to do this.

I won't fault your parents with this as much as I find
fault with your boss.
After all, love makes blind, they say, and many parents have a hard time realizing that something really dangerous can happen to their child.

 

[Monique]

Glad you are getting proper treatment now heartless. Are tetanus shots only required for dirt-related puncture wounds and animal bites?

One time (probably 10 yrs ago) I sliced my palm on a shell when plunging into a fresh water lake, I treated it with jodium and covered it with a bandaid. After a few days it started swelling and hurting a lot to the point I could not move my hand. My parents kept saying I was exaggerating. Finally they took me to the doctor, who diagnosed an abcess, it was cleaned out and I was given a topical antibiotic and that was it.

There was also a time that my parents had a dog who was very possessive and who would bite me and my sister. According to the doctor I didn't need a tetanus shot, now I think it is stupid that they didn't just give a booster as I was well against the 5 yr limit (the last shot must have been given in primary school).

 

[Moonbear]

I think it's usually any dirty wound. Puncture wounds are the most likely to harbor tetanus bacteria, because the deeper parts provide good anaerobic conditions for the bacteria to thrive.

It was interesting to read the one site that commented that people don't always realize when something has punctured through their shoe into their foot that while the sharp object is not left behind, bits of sock and rubber from the shoe sole might be still embedded in the wound. But, I guess with feet, they're almost always dirty, whether it was the shoe the object punctured through, or that you've been walking around barefoot through dirt. Every site I went to was especially particular about foot wounds needing a tetanus shot and immediate medical treatment.

But, I'd suspect if I got anything more than a superficial scratch while working at the farm, they'd want to give me a tetanus booster. As it is, even though most people get a regular booster every 10 years, I'm now required to get them every 5 years since I work in an environment where injuries that could expose me to tetanus bacteria are pretty likely.

 

[Danger]

Monique, there's a possibility that your case was an allergic reaction. While I don't know the particulars, I do know that a lot of shells contain toxins of the same kind produced by the shellfish for defense. If you have a seafood sensitivity, that would just make it worse.

 

[Monique]

Monique, there's a possibility that your case was an allergic reaction. While I don't know the particulars, I do know that a lot of shells contain toxins of the same kind produced by the shellfish for defense. If you have a seafood sensitivity, that would just make it worse.

Oh, but there was no actual animal in the shell. It was a beach made out of old shells instead of a sand beach, so anywhere that you'd hit the bottom there'd be shells. The weird thing was that when the doctor had opened the wound all the pain was gone and I could move my hand again.

 

[Danger]

Well, I wasn't actually referring to the presence of the organism. The point is that some of the biotoxins are incorporated into the shell while it's growing, and remain there permanently. Coral is absolutely notorious for that. Just about anyone who has nicked himself on a reef has severely regretted it. The symptoms that I've read about are identical to yours.