Have you stubbed yourself with a dirty needle?

[Thistle Harlequin]

I'm a body piercer (by profession) and I pierced some hillbilly looking chick yesterday. I pierced her tongue, and as I was picking up the needle to drop it into the sharps container, it somehow got caught on my glove and stubbed me. I was freakin out (inside) but I remained calmed while I finished the procedure and she left (5min.) I told her I accidentally poked myself and asked her if she had anything I should know about and of course she said no. But that's not much to go by. Anyways I dipped my finger in madacide for 1 min. and then in diluted bleach for another minute.

Have any of you ever poked yourself with a dirty needle? (be it drugs, piercings, tattoo, etc.?) and what did you do?

This was last night, so I went to Urgent Care today and I got two vials of blood to get tested for Hep C, HIV/Aids, Syphlis, etc... Though of course anything I do end up having in 10days the Dr. said I would have already had and I have to go back in 3 and 6 months to get tested again.

This sucks. Misery loves company so...would you be my company? I'm not totally freakin out and the girl wasn't all that cute and she talked very conservative so I hope and think she's not a whore and that I'm okay. She looked like a virgin. But can you really tell who's a virgin by just looking at them?

[OrganizedKhaos]

Aw.... this breaks my heart ... dude.
I hope this makes you feel better... but my husband got in a fight while we were in Florida with this very muscular gang dude, he looked like he would have something, he wasn't all there mentally, and would fuck anything. He got mad at my husband because there were two little guys that lived in the apt complex he wanted to fight the day before (an old man and his son).... and when he knocked, they wouldn't come to the door, Chris (the dude hubby fought) wanted my husband to knock on the door and get them out, so he could kick their asses.... my husband declined...

So the next day, dude comes back, all coked out... yelling at the 'mexicans' trying to get something started with anybody....
No one took the bait... so he started shit with hubby.

He thought where my hubby is easy going, that chris thought he'd be able to kick his ass...
Well, after my husband reasoned with him THEN Chris would act like he would stop and just to start swingin' again. Hubby had to take him down 3 times and each time he let him up he would start swingin' again.
Hubby put him in a head lock, with his thumb on his eye...and told him that if he moved that he would take his eye...but if he was done and would quit he would let him up, but the last time they shook hands and started to part ways.....Chris turned around and sucker punched hubby in the ear with all his strength....while hubby's back was turned.
Hubby, turned around, with a left, left, right and cracked him in the nose, the eye, and the cheek.
When chris came at him again trying to grab him by the throat...hubby grabbed him by the ears, and head butted him 3 times, breaking his nose... Blood and coke went everywhere... the act of taking Chris down on blacktop a few times at the beginning was how my husband got scratched up on the elbows, knees, and feet
(he was barefoot, in shorts and a tank top at the time too)

Chris started to hit him, but hubby beat him to it, and clocked him in the temple knocking him out...
(when he got up again, hubby wanted to really get the point across, so he started ramming Chris' head into the cement block wall, turning dude's left side of his head into puffy mush)
once the dude got up AGAIN, he walked up the stairs to his apartment... leaving a trail of blood the entire way up the 15 or so stairs, and the balcony. POINT IS, THERE WAS A LOT OF BLOODSHED.
..........................................

So hubby comes in, and I'm in the bathtub, HE'S covered in BLOOD!!!
However, it wasnt his... and he was contaminated at least around FIVE MINUTES...
I know my husband didnt have anything...but who knows about Chris...

I was out of bleach, so I made a paste out of Cascades powder dish washing stuff and applied it to his scratch marks... he left it on for about twenty minutes

So far, nothing's shown up... and its been like a yr and a half ago...
So I think we're in the clear.
(periodic checkups are the best course of action... at least to begin with... provided something shows up)
.................................................. .....

I just want to say, that my husband really tried his best to avoid conflict.
He felt really bad he had to hurt Chris.
He STILL feels bad about it.
The dude had at least 50 lbs on him and was about 7 inches taller. The dude wouldn't quit and a person has a right to protect themselves.
.................................

Please excuse the length of this post. I was just trying to record the events as accurately as possible to give you an idea of exposure and risk, that didn't yield an infectious disease.
I think that is possible (not fool proof) for a person to tell if someone's a virgin or not... by subtle cues.

TH, this breaks my heart for you. I truly hope everything will turn out ok.
It sounds like you did the right thing, by your course of action...
I just used the cascade powder made into a paste... and that could have worked.
So, I'm honestly hoping that you'll be ok. That's been known to happen, I watched a show on Discovery a couple of years ago where a dr was preforming on a gang member, who was HIV positive, and got cut on his ribcage where he'd been shot, and had jagged bone sticking out. He washed his wound out, and years later, tested negative.

[Morning Glory]

I think it was you that mentioned it happened to a freind of yours, right?

being a peircer sounds like a great job, but I dunno, man... you might have some bad luck and think about a new career.

Really, from minimal contact with a trace amount of fluid, I don't think that you are at a very high risk.

the reason that people get infected is because they engage in repeated high-risk behaviors that really opens up there window of exposure. Of course it happens, but it's almost undocumented that people get infected through accidental situations like that and OK's.

[Thistle Harlequin]

I think it was you that mentioned it happened to a freind of yours, right?

being a peircer sounds like a great job, but I dunno, man... you might have some bad luck and think about a new career.

Really, from minimal contact with a trace amount of fluid, I don't think that you are at a very high risk.

the reason that people get infected is because they engage in repeated high-risk behaviors that really opens up there window of exposure. Of course it happens, but it's almost undocumented that people get infected through accidental situations like that and OK's.

Yeah, I wrote about it on my LJ that a friend of mine had it happened before. Anyhow, I love my job...it's the first time this has happened in the over 4 years that I've been working as a body piercer fulltime and the money is good...so for now I'm not chaning careers anytime soon. Though I'd love to be an animal caretaker as my next job. I might just become a hairless cat breeder as a side job in the very near future

[Thistle Harlequin]

Aw.... this breaks my heart ... dude.
I hope this makes you feel better....

That story is crazy! I understand that shit happens and I'm glad to hear that your husband recouperated. But thanks for the extra info you threw in. I definatly think everyone should get checked every 6 months. EVERYONE, not just gay people, not just black people, not just viatnemese people, not just prostitutes and escorts and massage therapists, but doctors that are having affairs with their nurses and teachers with the school custodian too. You all know who you all.

[Azreal Lucifuge]

I'm sympathetic to your situation. Nothing like either of your two stories has happened to me personally, but I did have a friend go through something similar. She was an apprentice tattoo artist and nicked herself with a single needle. She was paranoid for months that she had caught something, but refused to go get tested, fearful of bad news. I eventually talked her into going with me and the results were negative. But, even though she came out clean she decided to opt out of the tattooing business for fear of all the risks associated with it.

So, long story short, hope you come out alright, and keep going with what you love.

Hairless cats...I've been wanting one for so long...

[Amelia G]

That sucks so much, Thistle. How old was the girl? You can't tell if someone is a virgin by looking at them generally, but you can often get an idea of whether they are high risk or low risk. The lowest risk person could still be a danger, but better odds are still a good thing.

[Morning Glory]

I tried to refrain from lecturing, because I just wanted to offer some positive advice. But I gotta say it. I really don't like using the terms high/low risk. It leads people towards a false sense of safety. It's either safe, or a varying degree of dangerous. less dangerous doesn't mean OK, it just means that you have a few more chances to screw up before it catches up with you.

Not that that is directed in particular towards any of the people that have posted so far on here. I just have to say it, because there's always someone that needs to hear it.

[Head Wreck]

sorry to hear this chief.

hope the tests are all clear

[Bikerpunk]

For the record, considering we bleed OUTWARDS, scratches/blood/blood contact per se is not gonna give you HIV, Hep C perhaps.

But an impaling hollow weapon, that's another thing, entirely. Were you given PEP Harlequin?

[drewblood]

sorry to hear that... shitty... think positive, u'll be ok.

[Raza]

I think I've read somewhere - sounds untrustworthy, but I think that at the time I considered it a reasonable source, whatever it was - that even if someone is HIV+ and you stab yourself with a needle they used the chance of getting infected is less than 1%, might even have been less than 0.1%. HIV doesn't survive very long - less than seconds, or even a second - outside the body or similary conditioned environment.

[One Eyed Cat]

Hope everything is ok. I am fairly certain it will be. Would be hard to discern a virgin, but she was probably a lower risk factor to give that impression.

[Senior_Diablo]

sorry to hear that..like drewblood said, think positive.

[Dusk]

There is a really small chance of you catching anything like this, espically with the disinfecting that you did.
btw I got my ear peirced by my MUM who did it with a sewing needle she was using at the time.
I didnt even THINK about infection.
It was like "Can I get my ear peirced?"
"Ok" ::staby my ear::
"ow Thanks"

[Mr Karl]

wow shitty................nope hasn't happened to me, but I keep a bit of distance from people anyway, but if tetanus was as easy to get as a lot of people seem to think, I'd be dead by now

[OrganizedKhaos]

TH, I was thinking, maybe you should add the supplement to your diet....at least ...

For a while, IN THE RARE EVENT THERE HAS BEEN CONTAMINATION..... why not add some supplements to aid the body in fighting them off....

Pau d’arco contains a chemical called lapachol, which may provide nutritional support to the immune system.

Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus Globulus): this oil has compounds which include quercitrin, hyperoside, and tannic acid, which help eliminate viruses.

Goldenseal (hydrastis canadensis): Berberine is the active compound in Goldenseal that stimulates the Immune System. douche of Goldenseal is excellent for reducing Yeast Infection. Berberine increases blood flow to the spleen and stimulate the activity of macrophages, blood cells that are an important part of the Immune System.

Licorice (glycyrrhiza glabra): also used for centuries and found in the Chinese Materia Medica, this herb’s potent antiviral action works against a wide range of viral agents. With eight active antiviral compounds, the most recognized being glycyrrhizin, these compounds inhibit as well as block the viral penetration of the body’s cells and the multiplication of genetic material from the viral particle.

Milk Thistle (silybum marinum): is the top choice for all kinds of liver disorders such as Hepatitis, Cirrhosis as well as mushroom poisoning. Silymarin, the active ingredient

Sangre de Drago or Dragon’s Blood (croton lechleri): The antiviral properties of this herb have shown to help with viral sores caused during infection from the herpes virus. The compounds in this herb, including ds taspine and dimethylcedrusine have the ability to heal wounds and are have antiviral properties.

I'm just trying to find anything I can that will help in anyway whatsoever.

Juniper (juniperus): has an antiviral agent. Juniper contains a potent antiviral compound called deoxypodophyllotoxi n. The herpes viruse, Flu and many other types of viruses seem to be inhibited by extracts from Juniper.

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) : is a potent inhibitor on the herpes virus, among other viruses that lead to infection.

Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca alternifolia) : used for everything from earache to athlete’s foot, as well as gum inflammation and skin infections, this antiviral oil can be applied directly to an infected area, three times daily. Tea Tree can be added to a half a cup of warm water and gargled then spit out for treating Sore Throats.

I need to talk to you, you got an email, that I can talk to you .... more privately

[Thistle Harlequin]

That sucks so much, Thistle. How old was the girl? You can't tell if someone is a virgin by looking at them generally, but you can often get an idea of whether they are high risk or low risk. The lowest risk person could still be a danger, but better odds are still a good thing.

OMG to my surprise! this was Monday and today is Wednesday, I went to Subway across the st. of my house right before they closed and as I was ordering she raised her head up and to my surprise it was her! Ugh! she made my AIDS sub! anyways... I didn't make a copy of her ID because I was really busy but she was young, I was thinking about that too, it was late 80's on her ID so that's why I'm not totally freaking out.

[Thistle Harlequin]

I'm sympathetic to your situation. Nothing like either of your two stories has happened to me personally, but I did have a friend go through something similar. She was an apprentice tattoo artist and nicked herself with a single needle. She was paranoid for months that she had caught something, but refused to go get tested, fearful of bad news. I eventually talked her into going with me and the results were negative. But, even though she came out clean she decided to opt out of the tattooing business for fear of all the risks associated with it.

So, long story short, hope you come out alright, and keep going with what you love.

Hairless cats...I've been wanting one for so long...

Just a few months ago my coworker (tattoo artist) was taking out the trash and got poked by a dirty seringe needle from another coworker using heroin at work, and he got tested and caught hepatitis from it! And the coworker who's needle it was claims it wasn't his, that it was friends that was "cleaning" the shop at the time....just DRAMA but can u belive it? He didnt even get it from being a tattoo artist but by taking the trash, but I dunno like my Dr. told me anything I get in 10 days that comes out positive I already had...it wouldnt be until 3-6 months that anything would show up..so i dunno about this. I've dranked from his cup so am i vunerable to hep c getting caught by sharing cups?

[Thistle Harlequin]

For the record, considering we bleed OUTWARDS, scratches/blood/blood contact per se is not gonna give you HIV, Hep C perhaps.

But an impaling hollow weapon, that's another thing, entirely. Were you given PEP Harlequin?

the hollow part didn't go in me at at..just like maybe 2-3mm at most of the hollow needle..it barely pricked be but enough to bleed but not enought for the middle bevling part at all... i hope it's all good and thanks too!

[Thistle Harlequin]

sorry to hear that..like drewblood said, think positive.

think negative positive not positive positive! got it! thanks

[Thistle Harlequin]

For the record, considering we bleed OUTWARDS, scratches/blood/blood contact per se is not gonna give you HIV, Hep C perhaps.

But an impaling hollow weapon, that's another thing, entirely. Were you given PEP Harlequin?

.


oh what's PEP?

[Thistle Harlequin]

wow shitty................nope hasn't happened to me, but I keep a bit of distance from people anyway, but if tetanus was as easy to get as a lot of people seem to think, I'd be dead by now

my last tetanus shot was 8 years ago...i took my records in and he said I was cool..and not like the needle was "dirty" like dirty old rusted like a nail

[Amelia G]

I tried to refrain from lecturing, because I just wanted to offer some positive advice. But I gotta say it. I really don't like using the terms high/low risk. It leads people towards a false sense of safety. It's either safe, or a varying degree of dangerous. less dangerous doesn't mean OK, it just means that you have a few more chances to screw up before it catches up with you.

Not that that is directed in particular towards any of the people that have posted so far on here. I just have to say it, because there's always someone that needs to hear it.

I completely agree. My parents always like to tell me that even if bad things only happen to 1% of the people who do a dangerous thing -- for that 1%, it is 100%.

[Raza]

I tried to refrain from lecturing, because I just wanted to offer some positive advice. But I gotta say it. I really don't like using the terms high/low risk. It leads people towards a false sense of safety. It's either safe, or a varying degree of dangerous. less dangerous doesn't mean OK, it just means that you have a few more chances to screw up before it catches up with you.

Not that that is directed in particular towards any of the people that have posted so far on here. I just have to say it, because there's always someone that needs to hear it.

This sort of thinking doesn't really apply to life, as responsible as it may seem. Nothing is ever 'safe', in a qualitatively-different-from-arbitrary-measures-of-dangerousness way of speaking. Nothing we do is ever without a whole bunch of extremely minor but potentially gruesome risks involved. Even doing everything you possibly can to avoid, say, infection with HIV you still run obscure and ridiculously improbable risks like being the second person to get stabbed by some lunatic in a crowd.

Now on the topic at hand, not taking what people tend to call 'low risks' might be very wise - but in general, the idea that one can and should distinguish between choices that are 'safe' and ones that are 'various degrees of dangerous', with the latter being 'bad' is misguided at best, and can be cripplingly inhibitive at worst. Every choice in life comes with a risk attached, and every rational decision will be one of weighting 'various degrees of dangerous' against their potential rewards. You cannot achieve anything of value without accepting certain risks and prices, and 'low risks' are exactly how we all get away with doing what we do day by day. They're not a matter of "having a few more chances to screw up before it catches up with you", they're our one opportunity at experiencing life for any extended period of time.

Health is a currency; you pay some with everything you do, even doing nothing. The trick is to compare and get the most bang for your buck; failing to accept this just tends to have people shying away from every choice where they can see the price tag into an ostrich-like acceptance of an eventual death from something dull like aging or eating too much fat buttered toast.


TL;DR - The choice is never between 'safe' and 'dangerous', and refusing to do anything that you perceive as the latter is naive and inconsequent.

[Morning Glory]

it looks like my old buddy TZ is back.

[Azreal Lucifuge]

Just a few months ago my coworker (tattoo artist) was taking out the trash and got poked by a dirty seringe needle from another coworker using heroin at work, and he got tested and caught hepatitis from it! And the coworker who's needle it was claims it wasn't his, that it was friends that was "cleaning" the shop at the time....just DRAMA but can u belive it? He didnt even get it from being a tattoo artist but by taking the trash, but I dunno like my Dr. told me anything I get in 10 days that comes out positive I already had...it wouldnt be until 3-6 months that anything would show up..so i dunno about this. I've dranked from his cup so am i vunerable to hep c getting caught by sharing cups?

DRAMA!!!! We hates it!!!! We hates it precious!!! We hates it!!! It burns ussss!!! Get it off of us!!! Please!!! Gets it away from us!!! Please gets it away from uss!!!!

Hehehe...I really hate drama. I push it away from me. When it comes to me, I turn away. Ummm...to be corny and cliche..."save the drama fo' yo' mama."

[Thistle Harlequin]

I got my blood test results back today. It's all normal!! yey!!

but according to the dr. i have to go back in months to get re-tested cuz anything she might have given me wont show up NOW...

so at least i dont have anything from before (I'm a good lil' whore)

[Head Wreck]

well thats looking a little bit more hopefull. glad to hear

[Senior_Diablo]

I got my blood test results back today. It's all normal!! yey!!

but according to the dr. i have to go back in months to get re-tested cuz anything she might have given me wont show up NOW...

so at least i dont have anything from before (I'm a good lil' whore)

well, thats good ...

it's only whoring if you get paid..lol

[Thistle Harlequin]

well, thats good ...

it's only whoring if you get paid..lol

i know

[Senior_Diablo]

i know

hmm..perhaps it's best not to ask..lol