First aid - tetanus

[mothhawk]

I never knew my paternal grandfather. He died of tetanus before I was born, after getting a large splinter of wood in his arm while gardening. So do make sure everybody, that you are up to date and protected for life.

[Bal]

When I was at school ( many moons ago) my primary school teacher died of tetanus after being pricked by a rose thorn whilst gardening. I've had so many falls and scrapes, with stitches I've been tetanused for life I expect.

[Potstubsdustbins]

^^^^^That makes two of us, I used to work on site all the time so one way or another I have more booster's than a space shuttle.

[CaraFlower]

Ouch! Get the tea and sympathy while you can

Sounds like the sort of thing I would end up doing to myself if I didn't keep up the internal monologue against daftness throughout anything dangerous like tools, sharps or you know generally walking. Fortunately when I asked my doctor about tetanus (since it was 10+ years since my teenage booster) he said that advice was outdated and it wasn't needed. They still ask about tetanus jabs in hospitals though (recently found that out whilst needing 12 stitches!)

[Cadalot]

My Doctor informed me that I should always wear gloves when gardening last year when I got a Bacterial fingertip infection and a Whitlow formed.

It started out so small to the side of the nail, photo below is a day before the whole thing went yellow and I had to have it lanced and they put my arm in a sling to keep the hand upright and elevated. It took me off gardening duties for a while, an I must admit I still don't wear gloves all the time especially when potting up plants.

I do have a first aid box in the shed at each allotment.

[ESBkevin]

My Doctor informed me that I should always wear gloves when gardening last year when I got a Bacterial fingertip infection and a Whitlow formed.
.

Ah yes I have suffered several of those over the last few years. I'm not used to wearing gloves (old skool), but I am coming around to the idea a little now. Splinters and the tiny tips of thorns that make their way into the compost. I've always just applied savlon to the infected area a couple of times a day and the whitlow goes away in two or three days. Thanks for identifying it as a whitlow too, I had no idea it warranted a name even.

[DWSmith]

Someone mentioned bites and stings. Never hurts to keep an epipen handy too. One never knows when one will have an allergic reaction to a sting or bite. I've kept bees and never had a reaction but one can become allergic at any time. My epipen is always nearby.

[Nicos]

In the uk, you need to have had an epipen prescribed by a GP as far as I can see.
I did ask my GP years ago about this.

Here are some details...
https://onlinedoctor.lloydspharmacy....allergy/epipen

[DannyK]

There's NHS advice atTetanus - NHS Choices

It's worth keeping some Piriton tablets and hydrocortisone cream on hand. I disturbed a wasps' nest couple of weeks ago. Badly stung in one hand. Itched like hell for ages. It was the run up the slope of my 150ft garden that nearly did me in!

[Gillykat]

I'm 48 now and haven't the foggiest whether I had a tetanus jab when I was a bairn in the 70's but when I did a gardening course in 1994 I had to have the jab as we were out doing work in people's gardens.

When I got my allotment last year I popped in to my local surgery to ask if it would be advisable to have another but they said I'd be ok I'd hate to have lockjaw.....poor Neil wouldn't what to do with himself if I couldn't talk!!!

[DWSmith]

In the uk, you need to have had an epipen prescribed by a GP as far as I can see.
I did ask my GP years ago about this.

Here are some details...
https://onlinedoctor.lloydspharmacy....allergy/epipen

Same here. I call the doctor's office and they call the pharmacy. Keeping bees seems to be a good enough reason to get the doctor's cooperation. My insurance won't cover the cost but I certainly feel better having one available.

[Alison]

Same here. I call the doctor's office and they call the pharmacy. Keeping bees seems to be a good enough reason to get the doctor's cooperation. My insurance won't cover the cost but I certainly feel better having one available.

Am pretty sure that if you want one here in the UK through proper sources you'd need to be seen as high risk and that would be diagnosed as susceptible to anaphylactic shock as well as working with bees but not 100% sure

[Thelma Sanders]

I'm 48 now and haven't the foggiest whether I had a tetanus jab when I was a bairn in the 70's

You might not remember, but it should be on your medical records. The nurse checked on mine before giving me a top up jab. I'm of an older vintage than you, so was never given a full course as a child.

[Muddy_Boots]

It's worth keeping some Piriton tablets and hydrocortisone cream on hand. I disturbed a wasps' nest couple of weeks ago. Badly stung in one hand. Itched like hell for ages. It was the run up the slope of my 150ft garden that nearly did me in!

I've been clearing my new half plot of trees that have seeded themselves, was using a chain saw to chop them down and decided the Budlea bush needed to be cut to the ground as well. Realised just before I was to make the cut action to do it in one go there were a lot of flying things around the bush and lifted my eye protection and realised there were a load of wasps about. Looked in the bush to see a football sized wasp nest and they weren't acting very friendly to being disturbed, almost did the 100 metres that Usain Bolt would of been proud of as I run Marathons that wouldn't of been the problem it would be finding refuge from the angry mob of wasps.

Was told last time I went to the docs (that's once in a blue moon) that I didn't need protection from Tetanus as I'd been such a clumsy child I'd had enough jabs in the past because of accidents to provide them with the stuff to make more.