do I need a tetnus shot? drill bit injury...?

Question

Okay, nice one -- I was drilling a hole and the drill bit wasn't in tight, the bit went at an angle into my finger. Traumatic, lots of blood and quite a hole, but I didn't hit bone, it went in at enough of an angle thankfully. All cleaned up, But do I need a tetnus shot now? I had one about 7 or 8 years ago, but don't recall the exact date and could be off by a couple years. Also, if I do need one, how soon do i have to get it? thanks

Answer 1

Yep. get that shot!
Yeah, they are "good" for 10 years, but if you have had an accident that drew blood, you should get a new one if it's been more than 2-3 years. Most ER's do it automatically.

Answer 2

Tetnus shots need to be updated every 10 years, however depending on the severity of the wound coupled with the fact that it was to your foot, you might need to seek medical attention since the wound sounds like it was a "shredding type" as opposed to a slice or gash. A wound made by drilling into your foot will be hard to clean since whatever you were drilling could get embeded into your foot very easily and become horribly infected. Believe it or not there are worse things than tetnus. Again it really depends if this is a surface wound or deep tissue, but the fact that it is to your foot presents the problem of it being hard to keep clean.

Answer 3

Nope - you'll be fine. The wounds you got to worry about are holes - like the nail holes. Cuts from the dill bit are probably more open. Tetanus bugs like no oxygen environments like a puncture wound. And it seems that you get a tetanus shot every 10 years - (unless you get nailed bad). A fun experiment with wounds is to cut upon a vitamin A pill - the gel ones with oil inside. Put the oil into the wound. Another thing to put on a wound is honey - not the fake stuff with the corn sweetener in it. I've found those make a wound heal really quickly.

Answer 4

It wouldn't be a bad idea to go get one right away, but if the drill bit had zero rust on it you should be fine...the slightest bit of rust you should go hustle to get the shot.
p.s. tetnus shots begin to wear off after 5 years, you have some coverage until 10 years but not 100%.

Answer 5

Yes, by all means get a tetanus shot. I'm surprised that you didn't take yourself to the hospital right away.
If you are not sure when your last tetanus shot was, I highly recommend that you get one right away. It is better to be safe than sorry. Besides, at least get a nurse to have a look at your injury. It may need more care.

Answer 6

I would say get a tetnus shot within 24 hours, especially if you are not exactly sure of the last time you had one. Also, are you sure you don't need stitches? Good luck.

Answer 7

if you had a tetnus shot 8 years ago i think you don't need one. but i will recommend going to the hospital, and they can answer your question in a bit more detail.

Answer 8

Every ten years is the recommendation for tetanus shots. BUT because you are unsure of the date of your last shot and because you had a new open wound you DO need to get a shot. Go get one as soon as possible. Please talk to your doc immediately and know that Tetanus is dangerous.

Answer 9

For one did you go to the doctor? There is more than just bone in there that can be damaged. PLEASE go to the doctor. Better safe than sorry when it comes to body parts. Also I think that the tetanus shot is every ten years. But go to the doctor and let them look at it and then they can tell you if you need a tetanus shot.

Answer 10

you should have a tetnus shot every 10 yrs.I would make a call to your Dr where you got your last shot and go from there.