Tetanus shots?--UPDATE: got the shot

[texsuze]

I had my first visit with a new FP physician last week. She recommended I get a tetanus shot, since I'd not had any boosters since childhood. Living out in the country, with horse, chicken, and ranch tasks undertaken daily, you can imagine the cooties I've been exposed to, not to mention scrapes, cuts, dings, insect bites, inhaling junk, etc. etc. on a frequent basis for years! Knock wood I've never had anything more serious than an infected finger (last month) which AB's were able to handle without a problem. Scratches, cuts--you name it---life goes on without incident or serious problems, so far.

I'd like to hear from those who have received a tetanus vaccine and your reasoning for getting the shot. And did you have a localized reaction to the shot? Just wanting to get input. I HATE shots and will need to build myself up psychologically to get one! Plus, the justification for getting a tetanus shot, not "just because you should...". Any input? Thanks!

UPDATE********Bit the bullet, got the shot yesterday. Doc persuaded me to get the dip/tet/whoop-it-up/whatever combo. Reminds me of that scene in "Raising Arizona" when neighbor tells Holly Hunter's character about all the childhood vaccines her 'new baby' is required to get.

Arm is slightly sore, but it's a done deal. Now........shingles vaccination, next on the list

[Chisamba]

Yes tetanus does have a mild localized reaction, a bit of swelling for a couple of days. Tetanus bacillus is a rod like bacterium that lives in soil. When i was studying microbiology we did lots of sampling and growing things and tetanus was surprisingly prevalent.

It does not survive well in oxygen.
The risk is any infection that is hidden from the air. A thorn under a finger nail, a fine puncture ,

It's horrible, it produces a strychnine like poison that is nasty nasty nasty.

The injection is a lot less nasty that the disease.

[Dapple Field]

A single quick injection is a lot easier than the IV's you will need if you do get tetanus. Just don't look when you get the injection
You probably won't even feel it

[kande50]

I had my first visit with a new FP physician last week. She recommended I get a tetanus shot, since I'd not had any boosters since childhood.

My doctor wanted me to get a tetanus booster back in 1981, and probably said something about continuing to get boosters but I don't remember whether she did or not. I have read that tetanus boosters are recommended because some adults don't have good immunity. Don't remember any reaction to the booster, but that was 30-some years ago so I probably wouldn't remember if I did have one.

For all I know I've had more tetanus boosters since, and the memory of them just got lost in all the other needle sticks.

Something I do remember well though, was a couple of Thyrogen shots I had to have a couple years in a row. The nurse gave them in my butt, and I saw the syringe and it had a 20 gauge needle so not a little tiny one. But the nurse grabbed a big handful of flab and pulled on it and stuck the needle in and I literally did not feel it. I would have thought it was a fluke, but a few days later I had to go back for another one and had the same experience, and then the next year I had them again and I never once felt any of them. Made me wonder why they don't give all shots that way?

My dentist explained it to me one time when I asked why the Novocaine shot hurts sometimes and not others, and he said that if he can get the needle between two muscles it doesn't hurt, but if he nicks a muscle it does--which may have been what was going on with the Thyrogen shots? Either that, or my butt is numb from bouncing around on horses so much?

Although I have to have blood drawn every 6 months and that hurts, so it's not as if I have dead nerve endings everywhere.

[silk]

I believe tet. vax is recommended every 10 years. Tetanus itself is horrible, and the injection is a few moments of minor pain (my arm was a bit sore for a few days but nothing much).
I had the booster because I cut myself with a dirty hoof knife (straight off a hoof into my arm - oops!). When I got kicked in the face and had a large/deep laceration, I was able to say "YES! I'VE HAD TET VAX!" even though I was concussed and not making much sense It saved them giving me another injection
They also like you more for blood donation (specifically, plasma donations) after you've had tet booster. It does something to your levels of blood somethingorrather. (Didya know that tetanus vaccine is made with plasma. I didn't!) I never ended up actually giving plasma due to various other things, and in fact have only donated blood once in the past 2 years, but, the donation nurses perked up their little vampire ears when I said I had received a tet booster.

[Quelah]

I'm not a doctor but yeah I'd think a booster would be a good idea for you. I wind up getting one every once in a great while because of some kind of injury I am a big HUGE sissy about shots. HUGE. Especially lidocaine. I once had to have two stitches in my cheek. I opted to skip the lidocaine and deal with the suture needle. Because I have MS, if I'm being a good girl and doing the meds I should, I have to get a subcu 1 cc shot every other day. I am a total drama llama about it. I trained myself though, on shot nights, I get a candy bar, a whole one It helps.

That said, tetanus shots IME, are not that big of a deal. Yeah, it's a shot. It's not a penicillin shot, it's not a shot like we give to horses. Yeah, it hurts when they do it. I won't lie. It does NOT hurt at bad as when you have to get a 'caine shot in your mouth for something at the dentist. Not even close. It's not "make your eyes water" hurt, it's make your head whip around like "WTF was that?!" if you didn't know what it was kind of hurt. IME.

Yeah, a bit of a sore spot at injection site for a day or two, don't use your shoulder to shove a door open Has never restricted movement or been something I'm constantly aware of. My non Dr advice, take two Advil (if that's OK for you) and drink a big glass of water before the shot. I find that to helpful in staving off injection reactions of most kinds.

[Flight]

Just try and keep your arm as relaxed as possible and not tense it up. Just feels like you've been punched in the arm for half a day or so, but much better than getting actual tetanus!!

[texsuze]

Ah, thanks for all the replies and info. It makes me squirm in my chair here just reading all the replies
Wondering if I already have a titer to tetanus, with all my previous cootie exposures..... Wouldn't that be nice if I could forego the shot? Wishful thinking.

I'll also be going in for the usual, routine, let's-get-it-done-because-it-has-been-three-years-since-you-had-it CBC, at which time I will warn and caution the poor phlebotomist to hide the needle before she/he comes into the room! Some of those techs love to flail the sharps around before drawing your blood....

[Moutaineer]

Tell them you are a fainter, then they let you lie down and they fuss over you an give you juice and crackers. (I'm a pretty hardy person but I have a vaso-vagal reaction to blood draws... they always assure me they'd rather have me tell them and take the extra time than have to scrape me off the lab floor )

And yeah, get the tetanus shot.

[Hayburner]

I do get a tetanus shot.

Being around the barn I just think it's a good idea. I also have eczema - so I occassionaly have open cuts on my hands from scratching. So, all barn/horse crud could get in there and be an issue.

When my new mare accidently bit me - the first thing the ER asked was if I had a recent tetanus shot. Luckily, I did. I had to get 4 stitches....I was Lucky that I didn't lose my finger...

I did not have any reaction from the shot - no soreness, etc.

[Sunshine2Me]

I got a tetanus shot about a month ago, for the reasons everyone else stated - I'm around a barn a lot, it's dirty, I'm prone to injury. It hurt for about 10 seconds. By the time I walked out the door I had forgotten about it. No muscle soreness, no puffiness at the site, no reaction whatsoever.

My advice - it hurts less if you don't watch. I also took some deep breathes through it. No biggie!

[Sue B]

I used to have a huge reaction to tetanus vacc, but no longer, and yes, I get one every 10 or 20 yrs--whenever someone mentions it. You DO NOT want to risk getting the disease. In olden days, it was veterinarians, farriers, and gardeners who most commonly came down with the disease--all people with constant exposure to the bacteria.

[Mareless]

I am a stickler about getting my tetanus shot. Makes my arm sore for a day or two, but that's it.

Now other vaccines, haven't had any since starting kindergarten in 1977. . .

[Code3]

I believe tet. vax is recommended every 10 years.

That's what my doctor tells me.