theuserformallyknownasd00d Posted February 15, 2014 Hey guys, quick of the long! I'm more or less after general advice as I have no doctor available until Monday 9am and I'm a bit worried. The hospital has a 8hr plus wait for my case as they explained when I arrived.... Today a rusty 1.5 inch nail of 50yrs age went thru my middle finger and pierced the other side. It went in and came out as quick as the whole thing happened with no pain until I realised.. I don't have a tetanus shot but am wondering if the long wait tonight and the shot will be off benefit? My finger has been having small spasms all day and went numb at some points but it hasn't appeared to hit any bone. It's a bit swollen, not notably sore just uncomfortable... Should it be ok or is if a worry? The local hospital has no ER and are very understaffed And don't have a doc to see a swollen knuckle that can be bent... I can travel an hr if somebody thinks it might be of problem? I guess google searches have scared the shit outta me.... Thanks if someone replies!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
incognito Posted February 15, 2014 Go into emergency at the hospital- u dun wanna mess around with something like that! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Halcyon Daze Posted February 15, 2014 Look up tetanus. It's one of the worst ways to die. Maybe just get yrself a nice book and a slab of middies and ride out the 8 hr wait. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anodyne Posted February 15, 2014 (edited) Tetanus usually takes about a week to develop - any symptoms you're getting already probably wouldn't be that. Get a shot when you can though, it's a good thing to have. Clean the wound well (especially if the nail was dirty as well as rusty) and see a doctor as soon as you can, but I don't think you need to worry too much about tetanus. There's a 1800 number you can call for after-hours medical advice from real doctors : 1800 022 222 Or a bunch of drop-in clinics in Sydney that are open on Sunday mornings, might be less hassle than the hospital and no longer a wait. A friend also got some of her travel vaccinations from a chemist and just did the shots herself at home, so that might be an option too - I imagine you still need a script from the GP though. Edited February 15, 2014 by Anodyne 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theuserformallyknownasd00d Posted February 15, 2014 (edited) Yeh I'll be waiting till morning either way, already got the case of beer medicating me and have swabbed the wound with good stuff, it barely left a mark just mad swelling. Thanks for the replies, will go see a doc in the city tomorrow morning Edit; unfortunately I'm away from my usual city-ish dwellings and medical attention is scarce lol Edited February 15, 2014 by prioritise Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alice Posted February 15, 2014 So you've never had a tetanus shot in your life? I guess you didn't grow up in Australia. I put piece of metal through my angle about a year ago, on a Saturday morning. I pulled it out and called the free after hours GP hotline (I suggest you do the same, just google it) and they said I had either 48 or 72 hours (can't remember) to get the shot, so I got it on Monday. Fuck sitting in triage for hours on a Saturday, been there done that lol, no thank you. However, I had a tetanus shot as a kid (I'm in my thirties now), so maybe they considered my immunity still high due to that. Call an after hours GP hotline, it's free advice and will put your mind at ease. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quarterflesh Posted February 15, 2014 The shot is only good for a few years me thinks. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theuserformallyknownasd00d Posted February 15, 2014 I called as you were posting Alice! Synchronicity... They said 24hrs. Yeh u grew up here and according to mum when I called her earlier I never had it as a kid and I've never had it as an adult. I get free vaccinations through work so it'll all be reimbursed. I was just more worried it wasn't a 4hr scenario as it happened at the start of the work day, then I did 8hrs labour with my bandaid :-/ testosterone LOL Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dreamwalker. Posted February 15, 2014 fingers don't grow back...................spend the 8 hours...........listen to music ...read...take a nap there................ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theuserformallyknownasd00d Posted February 18, 2014 Went to the docs Sunday morning, tetanus injection and a repeat dose of keflex was his remedy, panadene forte for the pain. Three days in finger is still swollen and for better lack of description has pins and needles / electric shock every time the area is brushed or touches something. Headed back down as nerve damage is looking like the culprit. On the upside it still has full movement but the pain killers send me into hot flushes and vomiting sessions. Isn't there a plant brew to cure this lol?! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anodyne Posted February 18, 2014 Sounds nasty - so it's infected? Some of the nausea from opiates can just be vertigo, like an inner-ear thing - that part of it can be helped just by laying still and moving slowly. Sucks, but they are the best painkillers. If it's hot & inflamed I'd go with an anti-inflammatory too (after checking interactions with the other stuff of course) - simple aspirin does the job, or plenty of plant sources for these also. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theuserformallyknownasd00d Posted February 18, 2014 To look at, no it's not infected, issue is it went into the tendon so could be infected there. Thanks for the vertigo advice, I'm still having sinus issues after my drive through the snowy mountains and the great alpine drive. Good to know it might be the cause, I'll syringe my sinus' out this afternoon with hot salty water. The hot flushes are unbearable and (sorry to mention) bowel movements non existent, so going to request a new med as I'd rather have nothing ATM. Thanks for your help ano, much love Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theuserformallyknownasd00d Posted February 18, 2014 The shot is only good for a few years me thinks. Doc said the latest shots will last 50yrs providing a big accident isn't encountered... The old x3 injections don't fall under this though he said. New shots are only one needle, once off Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anodyne Posted February 18, 2014 Yuck - those antibiotics can cause nausea too, load up on yoghurt and stuff once the course is done to get some gut flora back. Tendon stuff is bad, I had a couple that never healed right and they get re-injured really easily now. And they were just torn and the like - I can't even imagine how painful an infected one would be. Apparently they're WAY less hassle if you just rest and let them heal properly first time around (which of course I got impatient and didn't do ), so if it turns out that's what has happened, try to take it easy and rest up good as much as you can. Take care buddy, and get well soon! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazonian Posted February 18, 2014 (sorry to mention) bowel movements non existent, so going to request a new med as I'd rather have nothing ATM Sorry to quote you on this ^ ,lol, but yeah, panadine forte is a pain in the ass for constipation, no pun intended, well, maybe a little, lol. If I need to take panadine, I add a good amount if psyllium husks to my diet and an extra ration of water, it helps a bit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theuserformallyknownasd00d Posted February 18, 2014 Thanks for the tip Amazonian! He gave me tramadol this time to try and help with the nerve "buzzing" while I sleep, hopefully it's a bit more productive. I wish I could post a picture but there's not even anything to look at, or worthy compared to some of the cactus spine shots on here LOL. Thx for the help guys I appreciate it. Good advice is hard to find! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anodyne Posted February 18, 2014 A once-off folk cure for opiate constipation is a handful of prunes and an espresso to get things moving again, try to drink plenty of water too. You can read some of the old threads over at the Somniforum for waaaay too much information on the topic. Actually probably DON'T do that, they're scary Tramadol has a bunch of non-opioid actions as well so can be better for some types of pain, but also means it interacts with many many different types of drug, so watch out for that. Hope it works better for ya. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
