Poll of the Day > Attention: Doctors of PotD

(+) Yeah! (+)

Havent had my tetanus vaccine in like 11 years. I moved a flat tired and the wire mesh inside poked and pierced my skin.

What do?

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go a to pharmacy about a tetanus booster

I think the dangers of tetanus are greatly exaggerated given the sheer amount of metal that rusts and our contact with it. If it didn't get to an artery, I wouldn't lose sleep about it unless your jaw started feeling tight.

People act like tetanus is rabies.

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TheNobleWoodApe posted...

I think the dangers of tetanus are greatly exaggerated given the sheer amount of metal that rusts and our contact with it. If it didn't get to an artery, I wouldn't lose sleep about it unless your jaw started feeling tight.

People act like tetanus is rabies.

You are the worst, aren't you

First of all, it's not the rusty metal that causes tetanus, it's a bacterium that lives in the soil and that rusty metal is likely to cause dirt-to-blood contact. Secondly, tetanus while rarely fatal can be incredibly debilitating and should be treated immediately.

Thirdly, every 5 years. Get your booster every 5 years.

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How many doctors are even on PotD? Or even nurses? I'm pretty sure there's at least one nurse IIRC though I can't remember who.

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@doctor_foxx

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Whoa Foxx hasn't logged on since December RIP Foxx :(

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Lokarin posted...

Thirdly, every 5 years. Get your booster every 5 years.

I thought it was every 10 for tetanus.

Far-Queue posted...

Whoa Foxx hasn't logged on since December RIP Foxx :(

Weird. Felt like I saw a post from him the other day.

RIP in peace.

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HornedLion posted...

I thought it was every 10 for tetanus.

Weird. Felt like I saw a post from him the other day.

RIP in peace.

yee, looks like 10 years. I thought it was 5, it's still important

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Lokarin posted...

You are the worst, aren't you

First of all, it's not the rusty metal that causes tetanus, it's a bacterium that lives in the soil and that rusty metal is likely to cause dirt-to-blood contact. Secondly, tetanus while rarely fatal can be incredibly debilitating and should be treated immediately.

Thirdly, every 5 years. Get your booster every 5 years.

Dude. I've cut myself on rusty metal more times than you've shaved. I'm 42. Last tetanus booster I might have had was...let's say 16. Ever pull a nail out of your shoulder because it was a 6" drove through a double 20' 2x4 that came apart after a week over a swamp that needed to load out?

Ever throw 300 250' coils of BX or MC cable up 20' foot to the third floor of a house to hang a 400 amp electrical system before the drywallers or carpet crew got there to make your life hell?

I've lived wrist deep in rust for lets just say 30 years. Iron rust, Aluminum rust. Copper rust.

Love brass and titanium as materials.

Cot a cut? (And this is where I'm sure you'll squirm Lokchan).

Is it spurting? Nope.

Then spit on it, rub some dirt ino it and get back to work.

I've superglued a gash, (anything with acetone is going to kill whatever thought it was going to fuck about in the bloodstream), wrapped some electrical tape around it, (electrical tape, particularly temflex is sterile, and flexible enough to stop a dripper), and got back to work.

Been cutting myself on fences and bikes since I could pedal a bike.

Still here talking shit.

Can't say I've ever had lockjaw.


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Should probably get a tetanus booster regardless, since you're due for one, but odds are you're fine. It isn't rusty metal itself that can give you tetanus, it's that conditions that favour rust growth also favour the growth of the tetanus bacterium, which lives naturally in soil. Any random piece of metal that happens to be rusty almost certainly won't have tetanus on it unless it's being kept particularly moist or it was buried in the ground.

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TheNobleWoodApe posted...

Cot a cut? (And this is where I'm sure you'll squirm Lokchan).

i'm comfortable around blood.... but bones really freak me out

I'm glad you didn't catch a disease though

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adjl posted...

Should probably get a tetanus booster regardless, since you're due for one, but odds are you're fine. It isn't rusty metal itself that can give you tetanus, it's that conditions that favour rust growth also favour the growth of the tetanus bacterium, which lives naturally in soil. Any random piece of metal that happens to be rusty almost certainly won't have tetanus on it unless it's being kept particularly moist or it was buried in the ground.

I just want to say, I Iove the smell of petrichor.

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Lokarin posted...

i'm comfortable around blood.... but bones really freak me out

I'm glad you didn't catch a disease though

Your teeth are just the exposed part of your skeleton.

They're bones.

Although, those are the only bones of yours that you you should ever see first hand. If you can see a bone and it's not on an x-ray, yeah, something has already gone horribly wrong.

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TheNobleWoodApe posted...

Your teeth are just the exposed part of your skeleton.

They're bones.

Although, those are the only bones of yours that you you should ever see first hand. If you can see a bone and it's not on an x-ray, yeah, something has already gone horribly wrong.

ye, both my bros have had compound fractures in my presence

edit: I'm legit scared to watch leg press videos

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Lokarin posted...

ye, both my bros have had compound fractures in my presence

edit: I'm legit scared to watch leg press videos

I've seen too many horrific powerlifting gone wrong videos and treadmill accidents. I'll stick to my kettlebell and my mace.

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TheNobleWoodApe posted...

I just want to say, I Iove the smell of petrichor.

It is quite a delightful smell. I really like places where I can leave a window open while it rains so I get both the petrichor and the sound of the rain, without any of that pesky water damage.

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Far-Queue posted...

Whoa Foxx hasn't logged on since December RIP Foxx :(

When she dropped by she mentioned she hasn't been active here partly because she's been so busy with work, considering the pandemic. Maybe if things ever normalize she'll find time for us little people.

It's not hard for a smoker to know which way the wind is blowing.

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Far-Queue posted...

@doctor_foxx

Doesn't she work with animals though at a vet?

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HornedLion posted...

Havent had my tetanus vaccine in like 11 years.

The expiration date on tetanus shots/boosters used to be 5 years. As has been pointed out, the newer boosters are apparently good enough to last for 10. Either way, you're theoretically completely defenseless right now, antibody-wise. So you might want to consider going in for a shot.

HOWEVER...



HornedLion posted...

I moved a flat tired and the wire mesh inside poked and pierced my skin. What do?

You're probably fine. Your odds of getting tetanus are probably very low, unless you live somewhere with a lot of animals who might be spreading it around.

Basically, if you're worried about it, go get a shot for your own piece of mind. If you're in a position where you really don't want to deal with a shot unless you absolutely have to, you'll probably be fine as long as you keep an eye on the wound, and potentially treat it with antibiotic cream (like Neosporin) as it heals.

But if you start to feel like you're having issues, or the wound starts to get infected, you should probably go see a doctor anyway.

I stepped on a tomato cage years ago and it basically drove an old rusty spike right up through my shoe and into my foot, and while it was extremely painful and took a while to heal, I was fine. It's not ALL "rusty metal" that immediately causes tetanus 100% of the time (any more than every egg or piece of raw chicken you touch has salmonella). It's more a question of not wanting to risk catching it when it IS there.



Lokarin posted...

First of all, it's not the rusty metal that causes tetanus, it's a bacterium that lives in the soil and that rusty metal is likely to cause dirt-to-blood contact.

It's not even that, really. It's that rusty metal has a much more pitted surface than most other things, which in turn creates nooks where the bacteria can nestle in. So if the bacteria is present in the metal, and the metal cuts you, it creates the optimal transfer path.

As you mentioned, the bacteria can exist in dirt as well (and animal feces), but most people aren't cutting themselves on dirt.
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