Hot Soaks ( how to use them for infections) Archives

Tetnus

Hello, my question is this: What do the symptoms of tetnus look like? I stepped on a nail (yes, it was fairly rusty) a day and a half ago (It was about 9:00 Tuesday morning and as I am writing this it is 7:00 Wednesday evening.) and my foot is a little swollen/red around where the punture wound is and sore. I do not have any red streaks, muscle spasms or lock jaw though. (yet) I'm not sure how far it went in, but I do not think it was too far. With that said and it already being a day, do you think I'm alright? When it happened, I had some medical antibiotic put on it about an hour afterwards and then bandaged up. I have soaked it in Epsom salt last night and tonight as well. I can't remember the last time that I had a booster shot, but I'm only 19 and I have been told that schools are required to give them half way through the grades. What do you think?
Thank you,
David Eberle

Follow Ups:

• Re: Tetanus (Emergency?) (Archive in hot soaks.) Walt Stoll 10:20:26 6/08/01 (0)
• Re: Tetnus Chante' 11:31:00 6/07/01 (0)
• Re: Tetnus jt 07:28:54 6/07/01 (0)

In Reply to: Tetnus posted by David Eberle on June 06, 2001 at 20:22:55:

i think that in order for the tetanus shot to work you need to get it within 24 hrs of the injury( let doc stoll confirm or disaffirm). im 40 and i havent had a booster in 30 years. i frankly dont believe in innoculations they are dangerous in and of themselves, they contain a lot of mercury as a preservative and can cause bad side effects.i used to work in house construction and i would cut myself all the time on rusty stuff and nothing ever happened,it could, but not every cut with a rusty nail causes tetanus, im living proof of that. but my advice to you is too look up when your last booster was, if it was recent enough( i think its every 10 years ,confirm same with a doc) then dont get another, also if it is too late for one to work then dont bother either.

In Reply to: Tetnus posted by David Eberle on June 06, 2001 at 20:22:55:

well as far as tetnus shots go your suppose to have them done every 10 years. i try to keep up w/ mine becasue u never know when you'll get a major cut. i'm 19 and i got my last shot when i was 16 years old so you should've gotten yours sometime in highschool. i suggest you contact your dr. and find out whens the last time you had a tetnus shot and describe whats going on with your foot and they'll tell you if anythings wrong.....

In Reply to: Tetnus posted by David Eberle on June 06, 2001 at 20:22:55:

Hi, David.

Your best treatment for this is to use hot soaks, see the archives and cover the wound with a bandaid with vaseline on it to keep the wound open till there is no more color on the bandaid when you take it off for the next soak.

This will do nothing to prevent tetanus but will prevent an abcess from forming in the foot which is a potentially crippling condition.

Tetanus works it's way to the brain (where it kills you) along the nerve. SO it takes the longest from the foot and the shortest from a face wound. If you are concerned about tetanus, you must get a SERUM shot ASAP since there is no way for you to tell if a toxoid booster would do anything. By the time you have any symptoms it is too late to do anything but write your will. ANY booster given later than 10 years from the last one has a potential of not doing anything for a wound like you have.

Walt