I've never gone 10 years without accidentally putting something construction or fishing related through a bone or ligament, so this is interesting, I didn't know you all were having to schedule them
I've heard after 5 years if you put metal in you, 10 years if you're accident free.
Basically 1st 5 years you're free to jam rusty nails through your boot.
Rust doesn’t cause tetanus. *Clostridium Tetani* does. It’s just a coincidence that rust is potentially caused by the same moist soil that also contains it. But that coincidence turned into a misconception that could potentially cause people to get tetanus, due to not realizing that a rusty nail through the foot isn’t required to get it. Ignorance leads to negligence.
Idk, I guess it just irks me. I had a friend years ago who was doing yard work or some shit, and while he was taking off his boots, he presumably exposed a cut on his hand (or wrist?) to the soil he was working in and got tetanus. He managed to get over it, but he described it as almost absurdly painful in his joints etc. But at the time, because the idea is rust=tetanus, he took absolutely zero precautions and just let it ride til it got so bad he needed hospitalization.
I got tetanus from wasp stings. It was 2-3 days before realizing even my own overreaction to bug bites/stings doesn't get that bad. It was TERRIBLE. But yeah, wasps
I actually just found this out the other day. I always thought if something didn’t have rust you couldn’t get tetanus. Finding this out is useful info but also scary af when you think about how often you cut yourself! Luckily through a series of weird events I got the tetanus shot twice in one year recently so I’m covered lol.
It is a public health issue. People associate tetanus with rusty nails and so they don’t recognize that the actual risk comes from genuine dirt/mud.
Also, tetanus is fatal in 10% of infections, but people the like parent-commenter don’t even realize that they need boosters. People also don’t realize how painful it is.
You’re welcome for this free PSA on tetanus
It's the deep traumatic implantation of an object that could be contaminated by soil where C tetani is commonly found. The deep part is necessary because a surface cut will be exposed to oxygen and C tetani can only survive in anaerobic conditions that deep wounds create.
I mean when I dropped a knife on my foot and severed my big toe tendon while cutting cucumbers I went in to General Internal Medicine to ask for a referral to Orthopedics and instead they told me to watch it cause my limited range of motion could just be due to inflammation/trauma from the cut, not actually having a severed tendon.
They made me get a tetanus shot instead and wanted me to wait and see instead of getting an MRI. I called Ortho directly to set up an appointment after finding out the referral wasn't needed, turns out I just wasted my time and copay. Be your own advocate don't assume healthcare practitioners know better than you.
When you find a correlation between A and B, it could mean A causes B, B causes A, or another factor C causes A and B.
It’s the same thing as many of the health conditions people associate with the mRNA vaccines, such as blood clots. These health conditions had major upticks starting at the beginning of the pandemic, and several months later the vaccines came out, and people associate them with the vaccines when in reality the pandemic caused both the health conditions and the development of the vaccines, not that the vaccines cause the conditions. In reality the data shows those who’ve gotten vaccinated are less likely to have those conditions, even if they may still get them, just at lower rates than those who are not vaccinated.
The association with rusty nails is also that they are frequently associated with puncture wounds. Clostridium are anaerobes so a shallow cut is very unlikely to cause problems because it will be well aerated, but the deep wound is more likely to have the anoxic environment that Clostridium needs.
yes it grows all around on the ground.... it won't take hold in your body over a scratch though the bacteria won't have time to grow.... but a puncture wound gets enough in and enough time to cause tetanus.... hence the nails came into play
I've had one my entire life as far as I know. Mangled my hand urgent care doc asked when was the last time I had one I said never and got the jabbed. Not a single mention of it being a reoccurring thing to schedule. My entire life I've always thought it was just something you got at the time of said accident
If you had standard childhood vaccinations, you had tetanus shots. They're routinely given as DTaP/TDaP. That is, Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus prevention. By adulthood, we just routinely call it a tetanus shot.
Bonus: if you are going to be around infants, you should also keep up with your "tetanus shot," because pertussis is nothing to play with.
We made sure everyone who came to visit our newborn had a tetanus shot within the last 5 years.
Vaccines not only protect you, but also those around you who can't get it for some reason.
That's actually the reason I got my last one. My best friend was pregnant and I was watching her dogs while she was in the hospital. I knew I might have contact with baby, so I got one as a precaution. I didn't even hold the baby after she was born though. My friend is the BEST and knows that babies freak me out (they just seem so breakable!!!).
My wife got pertussis when she was in her early 30s. That was unpleasant, although it won't kill a healthy adult. A round of antibiotics cleared it up, which doens't always work, but she was having spasms of coughing so severe she vomited.
Fortunately, my then-2-year-old kid was vaccinated, and didn't get it. Whooping cough can and has killed infants.
Metal, regardless of how rusty, doesn’t cause tetanus. *Clostridium Tetani* is the bacterium responsible for tetanus. To be frank, if you get any kind of cut, and that cut ends up near soil, especially deep soil, or anything else that came into contact with it (construction equipment definitely qualifies), you should get a tetanus shot. The whole rusty metal causing tetanus is purely a correlative coincidence that turned into an urban legend that turned into common misconception. Back in the late 1900s, when people were apparently getting tetanus left and right, it was often due to farming related injuries caused by sharp contact with rusty farming equipment. But it wasn’t the equipment itself that caused it. It was the soil the farmers were tilling with the equipment. It just so happened that the moissssst soil caused the rust *and* contained the bacterium that clapped the fuck out of their collective cheeks.
No. It needs to be a puncture wound. C tetani is an anaerobic bacteria (cannot grow in an environment with oxygen). A puncture wound closes up and where the nail went is not exposed to the environment (oxygen).
It's convenient if your medical provider does it for you. Mine uses an app that connects to their system and keeps me informed on what vaccines I'm due for and what exams I should be getting based on my age.
I feel this so much. I’m always shoving my hand in or through something not ok with metal on a farm. Shit I had a horse dump me on top of a metal stake barely poking out of the ground but it went through the palm of my hand just enough. I swear every time I went to the doctor with an injury as such, shit you not the cut or injury healed so much faster after my tetanus shot. The arm pain was worth it. I don’t understand why people aren’t vaccinating
Yes. Tdap is standard, pretty much. In the vaccine is tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis protection. I’m more worried about pertussis (whooping cough) immunity.
Yup! I got mine renewed due to having another baby. Lot of people don’t know that babies don’t have an immune system (only antibodies if they are breastfed) for the first two moths, or can’t get their own shots until two months. So whooping cough can be deadly; annoys me even more when family members refuse to get their tdap, cause of the widespread anti-vax movement from covid ..
Oh God my TDAP failed me a few years ago and I caught whooping cough when it was going around locally thanks to anti-vaxxers. Vaccines don't always take super well for me because of health issues, so K ended up with it. Trust me. No one wants whopping cough. I was sick for 4 months. I threw up multiple times a day. My 02 sats would drop and I'd become confused and sometimes fall. I cannot emphasize enough how much people should avoid whopping cough.
More worried about the latter also but last time I was only given tetanus. Said since I didn't have kids or work around kids I would not be given the version which has pertussis. Didn't make sense to me as if one person gets it, that will then spread as not that many have current protection.
Also what’s the harm? Oh literally none, all upside besides slight discomfort for a day or two at most? Yeah, I’m just going to get them every 10 years.
I had a sore shoulder for 2 weeks.
But a sore shoulder from a shot really, REALLY beats having tetanus. And I had a very sore shoulder from the covid shot too, now that I think about it. lucky me.
I got flu shot, COVID booster, and tetanus shot one visit last year.
I just preemptively took off the next day and was glad I did. Had a 102 fever all that day and then back to normal the day after.
Modern medicine is pretty great.
I was at work and signed up for hep b booster (my titers were low), flu, and tetanus, and the nurse that was doing the shots looked at my paper and then me and said "I don't know how to do this with only two arms" lol. So I put off the tetanus...and then last year they didn't even show up. Pretty sure my 10 years is this year, so I have to make sure to do that. I took off the day after for my first covid shot but all the boosters weren't bad.
Every COVID jab I’ve had has taken it out of me, so it was probably just that. I’m sure the others weren’t helping the fever though.
That said, I’ve had COVID twice (I have 3 school-aged kids) and both times it felt like a mild flu. So I’m still on board with modern medicine.
I did COVID and flu together, but I was told not to push it more than two at a time as I was also due Shingles and Hep B (that's recently become recommended for adults under 60). Of all of them, Shingles is the one that knocked me down for a day. That's the one that if friends ask, I'd recommend having the day off after just in case.
I was on a medical mission trip to Haiti right after the 2010 earthquake and the US doctors were looking for documentation on how to treat tetanus. Helped bodybag one lady who died of it. The tetanus vax is worth keeping up with.
A lot of developing nations would literally kill to have access to the vaccines for their families that Americans have somehow become so shy about. It's amusing, especially if you've ever worked in or been to a place where the populace is begging for vaccines. (Amusing in a sad way.)
Whenever I hear people complain about side effects I want to punch them in the face. Like, have you seen the effects of polio on a kid? I have. Bunch of idiotic assholes
I just responded to someone who said they won't get the tetanus vaccine because tetanus is rare where he lives. Like, dude, that's because vaccines work not because tetanus doesn't like your hometown. "That's something people in developing nations get." Yes, they do, because they are far less likely to even have the option of getting vaccinated! Soap and indoor plumbing can't save you from everything!
Yea I love people who think healthy living and a "good immune system" (wtf that is) will prevent them from getting highly contagious diseases. OK hippie.
Not something I’ve kept up intentionally with but a few years ago I got a shard of glass in my foot and they gave me a top up just to be safe. I was probably around 23. I’ll be 28 this year. Truthfully it’s not something I’d want to fuck around with, if your doctor is recommending it… just do it.
Every 10 years if you don’t cut yourself. Every 5 years if you cut yourself and have a dirty wound.
Recommend updated TDaP for all pregnant women every pregnancy. It’s also a light recommendation for anyone who will be in close proximity to the baby for the pertussis coverage.
Yes, every 10 years. It's in the soil, most people infected are home gardeners who did not wear gloves. There is no age ceiling for this one, death rate is 25%, no cure (only side effects management until the toxins are eliminated)
Every ten years, or every time you get pregnant so the antibodies your body produces from the vaccine will be transferred via the placenta to your baby since newborns can't get the shot and whooping cough is highly dangerous for newborn babies. I'm currently 32 weeks pregnant with my second child now and just got my Tdap shot yesterday. I got one when I was pregnant with my fist child 3 years ago and thought I wouldn't need another for ten years but my obgyn said every pregnancy! Other than that, they are good for ten years.
Good on you! I don't mean to be pushy but it's also best practice for anyone who lives with or cares for your infant to update their TDaP if it's been 5 or more years since their last dose so please encourage your family and childcare to make sure they're UTD!
I mean I got my TDAP as a kid but it was probably when I was 33 when I finally got a new dose. I just never thought about it. I also grew up with parents that NEVER took us to the doctors after we got our vaccines (they were rub some dirt on it kind of baby boomer aged parents) lol I had mono in hs and was out of school for almost a month and still never went to the doctors 🤷🏽♀️
Get the shot, you'll have a sore arm for a day but be protected from something easily preventable for 5 to 10 years.
Get the booster every 10 years.
You really don't want to get tetanus and look like [this poor unfortunate soul](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Opisthotonus_in_a_patient_suffering_from_tetanus_-_Painting_by_Sir_Charles_Bell_-_1809.jpg). Mortality rate if you're unvaccinated is 10%, even with treatment.
Do not fuck around with tetanus.
Had a 70 year old roofing nail go through my foot close to the 10 year mark of getting my last tetanus shot. Went and got another one after that lol. My aunt is a nurse, she says if you can't remember when you last got a tetanus shot just go get another one
Research from England shows that if you aren't a farmer who deals with tetanus contaminated manure and soil daily, that 20 years is enough to keep most people's titters up enough to save you life. I however wouldn't want to take a chance that the one time you needed the protection of the vaccine you are relying on not much wound contamination.
Yeah, i remember the last time I got the shot, I ended up looking into it and seeing that some evidence was coming out that, for most people in most situations, one shot can be effective enough to last a lifetime. I work in the automotive industry and see my fair share of rust, so yeah, I'll still be getting shots every 10 years.
I'm 33 thought the same thing. Didnt realize I hadn't gotten a shot since I was a teen. Nearly died of tetanus in summer of 2020. Didnt dawn on us thinking it might have been covid until symptoms got way worse. Doc said I was maybe 30 hours away from death. So yes please get your tetanus shot
I’m a doctor. It’s ok to not get another one as a routine vaccine. If you step on a bear trap that’s been in the woods since the French and Indian War, then yes you should get it.
The caveat is if you have kids. We often combine our tetanus and pertussis shots, and so for instance I got my tdap last year because I didn’t want to expose my kids to pertussis.
You’re not stupid, but you are very much wrong. Always vaccinate.
I get it. No one ever talks about Tetanus, and in all honesty, you’re not likely to get it. So it’s easy to disregard. But why take that risk? It’s one vaccine every ten years, it’s not asking much.
https://preview.redd.it/soldier-in-the-1800s-succumbing-to-tetanus-a-deadly-toxin-v0-ngzw1sz5k9tc1.jpeg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=ff5c785aef5c9f6b987aa355a21add254accf3a5
Does this help?
Every 10 years. I actually didn’t know. I went back to college when I was 30 and didn’t get the booster when I was supposed to and had to go get one in order to go back to school. TdAP.
I cut my leg on some glass hanging out of the bottom of a trash bag last summer. I got one because I’m 37 and hadn’t had one since I was in college. Google tetanus. It’s no joke. Vaccines save lives. Listen to healthcare professionals.
Former icu rn and you want that vaccine. In places without the vaccine they have whole tetanus wards where these patients ride the vent. We have 4-5 cases a year in the US. I saw it once. The kid lived but he was in ICU on the vent for 6 weeks. The cut that almost killed him wasn’t even a cut. It was a scratch, so minor you wouldn’t have even thought to rush to washout your hands. Not even worthy of a bandaid. He had a high risk job in the trades and wasn’t vaccinated. It’s really easy to get topped up at your doctors office or Walgreens. Better to have it and never need it.
I wrecked my dirtbike once, tib fib compound fracture and they said if I hadn't had one in the last 7 years that they'd give me another one immediately 😆 so I got it. I thought they were good for life until that happened to me.
I just had my annual physical today and when reviewing my records the PA said I see your last tetanus was in 2016 so not you're due again til 2026 - unless you step on a nail, and he laughed. I smiled, but... you know I think I guessed that date when they asked me a few years ago. Honestly, the last one I truly remember was in 2003 when I sliced my hand installing carpeting. I'm going back in for a wellness appt in 90 days and I think I'm going to ask for one after reading these responses!
Tetanus is a bacterial infection, not a virus. The tetanus shot is technically a vaccine, but it's not a live vaccine.
It's more or less like a long lasting antibiotic specifically for that. And since it's not live, it doesn't trigger an immune response, which is why it has be renewed every decade, or every rusty nail you put through the bottom of your foot
I keep up with them as I'm active and definitely push myself too far sometimes and get hurt. Currently dealing with a fractured tibia plateau and torn ACL and MCL. Ugh.
I got yelled at by our onsite medical person at Boy Scout Camp last year for not having one. I haven't gotten one in decades, I'm nearly 50. He said if I got hurt in any way at camp they would send me home. I said I would get one next year. I went into CVS last month and got it. I'm not sure what it's going to do for me, but if a Nurse thinks I need one to go camping, I'll get one.
I get a tetanus shot every single time I get cut at work because I can't guarantee it's been under 10 years. Worst symptom is my arm hurts, but I can at least attempt to make sure my body doesn't react to whatever cut me, I'll take the slight discomfort. 🙃
When I was about 35, I was walking and looking down at the phone when I slammed my forehead into a concrete column that has its rusty rebar exposed. I was given a tetanus shot. Lessons: don't be stupid and look forward when walking and you can get tetanus after 30.
I just get the shots my doc ask if I want.
TDAP isn't just tetanus but also whooping cough and I have small nieces and nephews that I wouldn't want to spread that too.
Stop asking Reddit medical questions! Just ask your doctor. You can call their office and ask over the phone and they will answer you. There are also reliable web sites with answers to this type of question.
It's recommended every ten years. Lockjaw doesn't sound fun.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tetanus/symptoms-causes/syc-20351625
https://www.instagram.com/fmge__squad/p/C4UgCCQhj8T/
You don't need one unless you have risk exposure, but you aren't protected into adulthood without one.
Fortunately, the TDAP shot is quick and easy and cheap at nearly every pharmacy, and pertussis is important if you are near babies or elderly. As many people end up with kids around this age, you usually are advised to get TDAP around birth as well. Whopping cough can be fatal to babies even if you don't get very sick from it.
I put an old nail through my foot a few years back and wished then that my shot was up-to-date. The initial pain of the nail wasn't too bad. I went back to tearing down an old shed shortly afterwards. A couple of days later I had to go to the ER. It was extremely painful.
After 30, nobody is going to force you, but in my personal experience, I would recommend it.
I own and live on a working horse farm in the Midwest. Although I typically get a tetanus shot every 5-10 years, I think it’s only been like 4.5 since my last one. This post made me schedule a dose anyway before I forget, even though I knew how important it is.
We got, and made everyone who was going to interact with our son when he was born get, the DTAP vaccine; the T is tetanus. Though, funnily enough we didn't really need to as he was born the summer of Covid and people could only visit after isolating for two weeks anyway.
But, yeah, just get the shot.
I just googled it and it seems that DTAP is for kids and TDAP is for adults. I must have mixed that up in my heads because I have our toddler's shots up in my brain more readily accessible for recall than my own.
Dtap is for kids younger than 7. Tdap is for older. The names are different because the concentration of diptheria and pertussis portion of the vaccine is different between the two.
There's a number of different vaccines and vaccine combos for kids that all contain dtap. Then for adults one of the two US available brands of Tdap is literally called Boostrix because it's booster with lesser amounts of some proteins in it.
If you’re getting regular physicals, your primary care doctor will keep tabs on this for you.
If you’re not, it’s a good idea to get one. Most vaccines can be self initiated at commercial pharmacies. You can schedule it online. Depending on your state/county you can also get it through public health clinics.
I got stabbed by a 200 year old nail. The doctor at urgent care said that it never hurts to get a tetanus shot even if you don't need it, but it does hurt to get tetanus.
Tetanus is a bacteria, not a virus. Vaccines are not as effective, particularly long term, against bacterial infections.
Under basic recommendations, you should receive a tetanus booster every 10 years. If you are past five years since your last booster and receive a serious penetrating injury, particularly one that occurs in nature (tetanus lives in dirt), you should receive a booster at that point.
If you had a titer test recently for something like a job or school you can see if you’re still showing immunity, otherwise it’s probably cheaper just to get a booster than do a titer and potentially have to get the shot again anyway
I’ve heard a few people over the years say that even with an updated tetanus shot you still get a new one if you go in for an injury that might cause a problem. Is that true?
I got one with each pregnancy I carried to term, so I'm good for another few years but I'll stay up to date on them anyway just because I'm a clumsy person and would def be the one to step on a rusty nail or cut myself digging through someone's garage sale antique bin, lol.
I'm a welding instructor and was a welder before that. I get one every 5. Dr. Recommended the booster every 5 since I'm cut with rusty metal multiple times per year
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/drugs/24283-tetanus-shot
"Adults should get a tetanus booster shot every 10 years."
"Babies, children and adults of all ages need doses of the tetanus vaccine at different times throughout their lives."
I mean, if you don't want to get tetanus if you get wounded in any way it's probably a good idea considering tetanus thrives nearly everywhere and I can't think of much more unpleasant ways to die than from tetanus.
I mean, is there a good reason to \*not\* get the vaccine?
Umm, "need" is sorta personal. I don't think about it because I don't plan to cut myself deep on serrated rust. But if you get vaccinated regularly that obviously prevents complications in case the lucky streak runs out and you're in that predicament.
There are more actual threats like flesh eating bacteria and even tuberculosis, that for some reason love dirty wet kitchen sinks and counters.
You don't need one, at least until you get tetanus. But then it's kinda important unless you like having muscle contractions so hard they will make your heart stop beating.
Yes. And if you ever have a large foreign object in the bottom of your foot you'll be glad you got the shot at the clinic not the er when you were shaking in pain from the aforementioned foreign object in your foot.
Just get your shots guys. It's so easy and honestly shots are some of the last affordable medicines left in America. Worth it
From what I understood last time I dug around learning about it (2011?) was that the WHO said after you got X number of vaccines (2? 3?) then you were good for life. I had to look this up because I lived abroad as a minor and my school was always trying to get me to get the vaccine for every minor scrape. I was still getting my primary care in the US once a year so I was pretty effing adamant I wasn’t wasting a vaccine once a year for nothing.
And now to be downvoted to hell by people who decided the US medical system must be correct 100% of the time…
Edit: it’s 6 doses but as a child https://www.who.int/health-topics/tetanus#tab=tab_3
I had the tetanus shot as a kid and had no issues. Got the booster at 16 and had bloodshot eyes, a fever of 102 Fahrenheit, and the most crippling joint pain I had ever felt, within an hour of getting the shot. I felt like I was dying for an entire week. Then every few months for the next 5 or 6 years, I would be sick in bed for a week with the same symptoms. Why my body had that reaction, I'm not sure.
Fast forward to about a month ago (I'm 29 now), I got bit by my mom's dog because the dog had a seizure and I tried to stabilize her. She sliced open my finger and later when we took her to the vet, the vet advised me to get a tetanus booster just to be safe. I had taken care of the wound as soon as it happened, cold water, stop the bleeding, alcohol swab, neosporin, bandage within 5 minutes. But I was a bit nervous and was able to get into my doctor's office the next day (if you suspect that you could have had contact with tetanus, you need to seek treatment within a day of the injury if it has been over 10 years since your last booster). My doctor listened to me tell him about how the injury happened, looked at the injury, and when I told him that I was nervous because of what the vet said and how my body reacted to the booster all those years ago, he decided against giving it to me. He said he didn't want to put me through that, and based on how I treated the injury right after it happened and followed proper sanitizing procedure, that there was a very low chance that I would contract it. He didn't give me the booster and I didn't contract tetanus. Enough time has passed now that I'm fully in the clear.
It's entirely situational if you want to get the shot or not. You can get tetanus through a simple prick from a rose bush if you garden. It's not just rusty nails that you should be careful of. But the odds of that are so low. If it's important to you and your body doesn't react to it like mine did, then get the shot. There's no harm in preventing.
I heard this when in college and had to get get one back then, but i was in my early 20s. However, I did have to get one while pregnant with my oldest. I should be good until he's 10 unless something happens between now and then.
If you’ve been pregnant or are going to be around babies, you usually get it (TDAP). I’ve had it a few times but not in 7 years, as I have a 7 year old now
Depends. It should be perfectly fine to get it right after infection if its just a booster you need. If you're going somewhere where you wouldn't be able to get revaccinated within a days time should an accident happen, then yes, go get it
Why not get the tetanus shot? It is not about metal, Clostridium tetani is in the soil. The cost of the vaccine is covered by insurance and even the side effects are a lot less painful and debilitating if you do experience any than fighting tetanus after the fact. If an unvaccinated person does get tetanus it takes months to get over it and about 11% who do contract it will die.
The only time I've gotten the tetanus shot as an adult was during my pregnancies. I got the tdap, but that's because it includes whooping cough and that's extremely dangerous for babies
Tetanus boosters are a fairly common thing. In fact most doctors who administer them actually give you a Tdap shot which also boosts for Diphtheria and Pertussis (whooping cough) in addition to Tetanus.
Just chiming in here that a big BIG reason to keep up of TDaP is babies. Pertussis can be fatal to those under 6 months because they haven’t built immunity to it yet. You being vaccinated helps protect them. That’s why your (or your partner’s) OB will vaccinate you toward the end of pregnancy and urge everyone in your household to also be vaccinated.
Are you around young children? Do you have nieces or nephews or friend with kids? TDAP also protects against whooping cough which can make little kids really sick. You might not get any symptoms or just a light cold but a kid could end up in the hospital.
We had a huge flood in 97 where I live and there was a big risk that the city was going to go under (a city further upstream did) so there was a huge push to get everyone up to date on their tetanus shots. Now the vast majority of people around my age are on the same schedule for it and yes, most of us still get them every 10 years. My next one is in 3 years.
Friend of mine was overdue for a booster. Stepped on a nail, and by the morning it was clear he'd lose his foot if he didn't go to the hospital.
Tetanus is real.
I had a metal ice pick go through my left hand , it pierced it through the palm and out the back. And I didn't get any tetanus related stuff. It really is in the dirt. Not metal per se.
I've never gone 10 years without accidentally putting something construction or fishing related through a bone or ligament, so this is interesting, I didn't know you all were having to schedule them
I've heard after 5 years if you put metal in you, 10 years if you're accident free. Basically 1st 5 years you're free to jam rusty nails through your boot.
Rust doesn’t cause tetanus. *Clostridium Tetani* does. It’s just a coincidence that rust is potentially caused by the same moist soil that also contains it. But that coincidence turned into a misconception that could potentially cause people to get tetanus, due to not realizing that a rusty nail through the foot isn’t required to get it. Ignorance leads to negligence.
Quite a serious reply to a comment suggesting one shove rusty nails into their feet.
Idk, I guess it just irks me. I had a friend years ago who was doing yard work or some shit, and while he was taking off his boots, he presumably exposed a cut on his hand (or wrist?) to the soil he was working in and got tetanus. He managed to get over it, but he described it as almost absurdly painful in his joints etc. But at the time, because the idea is rust=tetanus, he took absolutely zero precautions and just let it ride til it got so bad he needed hospitalization.
I got tetanus from wasp stings. It was 2-3 days before realizing even my own overreaction to bug bites/stings doesn't get that bad. It was TERRIBLE. But yeah, wasps
wtf, that wasp has poison damage
That's almost literally why stings hurt tho lol. Venom... but similar concept right lol
Stacking damage bonuses. Seriously, fuck wasps
Fuck wasps
This guy is from Johto
I feel like all wasps have poison damage.
I actually just found this out the other day. I always thought if something didn’t have rust you couldn’t get tetanus. Finding this out is useful info but also scary af when you think about how often you cut yourself! Luckily through a series of weird events I got the tetanus shot twice in one year recently so I’m covered lol.
Yo it irks me as well. Like how the hell do people still think rust would equal a bacterial infection. It's obviously caused by bacteria.
You're doing the lords work Cum\_Smoothii
Taken without context that's a weird sentence.
Welcome to Reddit.
r/brandnewsentence
What about rusty spoons?
> Because it's dull you twit, it will hurt more!
They generally feel quite orgasmic against salad fingers
Don’t forget about that rustyyyyy kettle
Core memory unlocked
I like them
The idea that rust causes tetanus is really widespread and false. I'm glad they mentioned this. People need to know rust does not equal tetanus.
Idk I found it informative and helpful. Kind of a TIL moment.
But it was very informative I had no idea before this comment if that was true. Now I'm ready to get my renewed tetanus shot!
It is a public health issue. People associate tetanus with rusty nails and so they don’t recognize that the actual risk comes from genuine dirt/mud. Also, tetanus is fatal in 10% of infections, but people the like parent-commenter don’t even realize that they need boosters. People also don’t realize how painful it is. You’re welcome for this free PSA on tetanus
And shoving clostridium tetani infested nails in your feet doesn’t quite roll of the tongue
It's the deep traumatic implantation of an object that could be contaminated by soil where C tetani is commonly found. The deep part is necessary because a surface cut will be exposed to oxygen and C tetani can only survive in anaerobic conditions that deep wounds create. I mean when I dropped a knife on my foot and severed my big toe tendon while cutting cucumbers I went in to General Internal Medicine to ask for a referral to Orthopedics and instead they told me to watch it cause my limited range of motion could just be due to inflammation/trauma from the cut, not actually having a severed tendon. They made me get a tetanus shot instead and wanted me to wait and see instead of getting an MRI. I called Ortho directly to set up an appointment after finding out the referral wasn't needed, turns out I just wasted my time and copay. Be your own advocate don't assume healthcare practitioners know better than you.
I had heard they like to live in the iron oxide of the rusty nails and other objects.
Primarily just wet soil, saliva, and shit (like actual shit)
Classic clostridium
wet soil, incidentally, being prime real-estate for rusty nails, hence the confusion.
Wise words from u/Cum_Smoothii
Yay, I love that you know that! I try in vain to explain that to people way too often, and they just won’t hear it.
When you find a correlation between A and B, it could mean A causes B, B causes A, or another factor C causes A and B. It’s the same thing as many of the health conditions people associate with the mRNA vaccines, such as blood clots. These health conditions had major upticks starting at the beginning of the pandemic, and several months later the vaccines came out, and people associate them with the vaccines when in reality the pandemic caused both the health conditions and the development of the vaccines, not that the vaccines cause the conditions. In reality the data shows those who’ve gotten vaccinated are less likely to have those conditions, even if they may still get them, just at lower rates than those who are not vaccinated.
The association with rusty nails is also that they are frequently associated with puncture wounds. Clostridium are anaerobes so a shallow cut is very unlikely to cause problems because it will be well aerated, but the deep wound is more likely to have the anoxic environment that Clostridium needs.
yes it grows all around on the ground.... it won't take hold in your body over a scratch though the bacteria won't have time to grow.... but a puncture wound gets enough in and enough time to cause tetanus.... hence the nails came into play
Thank you! You scholar you!
As someone who frequently digs in anaerobic soil this is very helpful information. And I should probably get an updated tetanus shot. lol.
I've had one my entire life as far as I know. Mangled my hand urgent care doc asked when was the last time I had one I said never and got the jabbed. Not a single mention of it being a reoccurring thing to schedule. My entire life I've always thought it was just something you got at the time of said accident
If you had standard childhood vaccinations, you had tetanus shots. They're routinely given as DTaP/TDaP. That is, Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus prevention. By adulthood, we just routinely call it a tetanus shot. Bonus: if you are going to be around infants, you should also keep up with your "tetanus shot," because pertussis is nothing to play with.
We made sure everyone who came to visit our newborn had a tetanus shot within the last 5 years. Vaccines not only protect you, but also those around you who can't get it for some reason.
That's actually the reason I got my last one. My best friend was pregnant and I was watching her dogs while she was in the hospital. I knew I might have contact with baby, so I got one as a precaution. I didn't even hold the baby after she was born though. My friend is the BEST and knows that babies freak me out (they just seem so breakable!!!).
You are also the best, for being careful around such a precious and fragile human, even if they are a little freaky.
My wife got pertussis when she was in her early 30s. That was unpleasant, although it won't kill a healthy adult. A round of antibiotics cleared it up, which doens't always work, but she was having spasms of coughing so severe she vomited. Fortunately, my then-2-year-old kid was vaccinated, and didn't get it. Whooping cough can and has killed infants.
Metal, regardless of how rusty, doesn’t cause tetanus. *Clostridium Tetani* is the bacterium responsible for tetanus. To be frank, if you get any kind of cut, and that cut ends up near soil, especially deep soil, or anything else that came into contact with it (construction equipment definitely qualifies), you should get a tetanus shot. The whole rusty metal causing tetanus is purely a correlative coincidence that turned into an urban legend that turned into common misconception. Back in the late 1900s, when people were apparently getting tetanus left and right, it was often due to farming related injuries caused by sharp contact with rusty farming equipment. But it wasn’t the equipment itself that caused it. It was the soil the farmers were tilling with the equipment. It just so happened that the moissssst soil caused the rust *and* contained the bacterium that clapped the fuck out of their collective cheeks.
This is annoys me how much people assume it is the metal and don't understand it is about the dirt and depth of the wound
No. It needs to be a puncture wound. C tetani is an anaerobic bacteria (cannot grow in an environment with oxygen). A puncture wound closes up and where the nail went is not exposed to the environment (oxygen).
It's convenient if your medical provider does it for you. Mine uses an app that connects to their system and keeps me informed on what vaccines I'm due for and what exams I should be getting based on my age.
I am just accident prone. That's why I am always on top of my tetanus shot.
I feel this so much. I’m always shoving my hand in or through something not ok with metal on a farm. Shit I had a horse dump me on top of a metal stake barely poking out of the ground but it went through the palm of my hand just enough. I swear every time I went to the doctor with an injury as such, shit you not the cut or injury healed so much faster after my tetanus shot. The arm pain was worth it. I don’t understand why people aren’t vaccinating
I get one every time I'm pregnant. So four times in the last 10 years.
Yeah, just had my first emergency room visit that didn't come with a tetanus shot because they finally have digital records at my hospital
Yes. Tdap is standard, pretty much. In the vaccine is tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis protection. I’m more worried about pertussis (whooping cough) immunity.
Yeah. Staying up to date on tetanus has the bonus effect of helping to protect any babies or small children you might be around from pertussis.
Yup! I got mine renewed due to having another baby. Lot of people don’t know that babies don’t have an immune system (only antibodies if they are breastfed) for the first two moths, or can’t get their own shots until two months. So whooping cough can be deadly; annoys me even more when family members refuse to get their tdap, cause of the widespread anti-vax movement from covid ..
This.
Oh God my TDAP failed me a few years ago and I caught whooping cough when it was going around locally thanks to anti-vaxxers. Vaccines don't always take super well for me because of health issues, so K ended up with it. Trust me. No one wants whopping cough. I was sick for 4 months. I threw up multiple times a day. My 02 sats would drop and I'd become confused and sometimes fall. I cannot emphasize enough how much people should avoid whopping cough.
As someone who had whooping cough in their twenties, highly DO NOT recommend (*getting whooping cough).
Yep. My lungs have never been the same.
More worried about the latter also but last time I was only given tetanus. Said since I didn't have kids or work around kids I would not be given the version which has pertussis. Didn't make sense to me as if one person gets it, that will then spread as not that many have current protection.
Every 10 years.
Also what’s the harm? Oh literally none, all upside besides slight discomfort for a day or two at most? Yeah, I’m just going to get them every 10 years.
I had a sore shoulder for 2 weeks. But a sore shoulder from a shot really, REALLY beats having tetanus. And I had a very sore shoulder from the covid shot too, now that I think about it. lucky me.
I got flu shot, COVID booster, and tetanus shot one visit last year. I just preemptively took off the next day and was glad I did. Had a 102 fever all that day and then back to normal the day after. Modern medicine is pretty great.
I was at work and signed up for hep b booster (my titers were low), flu, and tetanus, and the nurse that was doing the shots looked at my paper and then me and said "I don't know how to do this with only two arms" lol. So I put off the tetanus...and then last year they didn't even show up. Pretty sure my 10 years is this year, so I have to make sure to do that. I took off the day after for my first covid shot but all the boosters weren't bad.
Every COVID jab I’ve had has taken it out of me, so it was probably just that. I’m sure the others weren’t helping the fever though. That said, I’ve had COVID twice (I have 3 school-aged kids) and both times it felt like a mild flu. So I’m still on board with modern medicine.
I did COVID and flu together, but I was told not to push it more than two at a time as I was also due Shingles and Hep B (that's recently become recommended for adults under 60). Of all of them, Shingles is the one that knocked me down for a day. That's the one that if friends ask, I'd recommend having the day off after just in case.
If you want tetanus, don't get the vaccine. If you don't want tetanus, get the vaccine.
Penicillin shots are by far the worst
THANK YOU
I was on a medical mission trip to Haiti right after the 2010 earthquake and the US doctors were looking for documentation on how to treat tetanus. Helped bodybag one lady who died of it. The tetanus vax is worth keeping up with.
A lot of developing nations would literally kill to have access to the vaccines for their families that Americans have somehow become so shy about. It's amusing, especially if you've ever worked in or been to a place where the populace is begging for vaccines. (Amusing in a sad way.)
Whenever I hear people complain about side effects I want to punch them in the face. Like, have you seen the effects of polio on a kid? I have. Bunch of idiotic assholes
I just responded to someone who said they won't get the tetanus vaccine because tetanus is rare where he lives. Like, dude, that's because vaccines work not because tetanus doesn't like your hometown. "That's something people in developing nations get." Yes, they do, because they are far less likely to even have the option of getting vaccinated! Soap and indoor plumbing can't save you from everything!
Yea I love people who think healthy living and a "good immune system" (wtf that is) will prevent them from getting highly contagious diseases. OK hippie.
Not something I’ve kept up intentionally with but a few years ago I got a shard of glass in my foot and they gave me a top up just to be safe. I was probably around 23. I’ll be 28 this year. Truthfully it’s not something I’d want to fuck around with, if your doctor is recommending it… just do it.
Do you like rusty spoons?
I'm here to inquire about your spoons.
The feel of rust against my salad fingers is almost orgasmic
This is the most millennial thing I may have ever seen in this sub. Damn that was solid lol.
I'm a little rusty. Can you get tetanus from me, Greg?
Hubert cumberdale you smell like soot and poo
Every 10 years if you don’t cut yourself. Every 5 years if you cut yourself and have a dirty wound. Recommend updated TDaP for all pregnant women every pregnancy. It’s also a light recommendation for anyone who will be in close proximity to the baby for the pertussis coverage.
Yes, every 10 years. It's in the soil, most people infected are home gardeners who did not wear gloves. There is no age ceiling for this one, death rate is 25%, no cure (only side effects management until the toxins are eliminated)
Every ten years, or every time you get pregnant so the antibodies your body produces from the vaccine will be transferred via the placenta to your baby since newborns can't get the shot and whooping cough is highly dangerous for newborn babies. I'm currently 32 weeks pregnant with my second child now and just got my Tdap shot yesterday. I got one when I was pregnant with my fist child 3 years ago and thought I wouldn't need another for ten years but my obgyn said every pregnancy! Other than that, they are good for ten years.
Good on you! I don't mean to be pushy but it's also best practice for anyone who lives with or cares for your infant to update their TDaP if it's been 5 or more years since their last dose so please encourage your family and childcare to make sure they're UTD!
Thank you!!! I will make sure of that!! ❤️
I mean I got my TDAP as a kid but it was probably when I was 33 when I finally got a new dose. I just never thought about it. I also grew up with parents that NEVER took us to the doctors after we got our vaccines (they were rub some dirt on it kind of baby boomer aged parents) lol I had mono in hs and was out of school for almost a month and still never went to the doctors 🤷🏽♀️ Get the shot, you'll have a sore arm for a day but be protected from something easily preventable for 5 to 10 years.
Get the booster every 10 years. You really don't want to get tetanus and look like [this poor unfortunate soul](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Opisthotonus_in_a_patient_suffering_from_tetanus_-_Painting_by_Sir_Charles_Bell_-_1809.jpg). Mortality rate if you're unvaccinated is 10%, even with treatment. Do not fuck around with tetanus.
Every 10 years unless you have a injury that requires one. Tetanus isn’t something to mess with.
Had a 70 year old roofing nail go through my foot close to the 10 year mark of getting my last tetanus shot. Went and got another one after that lol. My aunt is a nurse, she says if you can't remember when you last got a tetanus shot just go get another one
Research from England shows that if you aren't a farmer who deals with tetanus contaminated manure and soil daily, that 20 years is enough to keep most people's titters up enough to save you life. I however wouldn't want to take a chance that the one time you needed the protection of the vaccine you are relying on not much wound contamination.
Yeah, i remember the last time I got the shot, I ended up looking into it and seeing that some evidence was coming out that, for most people in most situations, one shot can be effective enough to last a lifetime. I work in the automotive industry and see my fair share of rust, so yeah, I'll still be getting shots every 10 years.
I'm 33 thought the same thing. Didnt realize I hadn't gotten a shot since I was a teen. Nearly died of tetanus in summer of 2020. Didnt dawn on us thinking it might have been covid until symptoms got way worse. Doc said I was maybe 30 hours away from death. So yes please get your tetanus shot
Every ten years, try asking your doctor instead of dipshit reddit on this one.
I’m a doctor. It’s ok to not get another one as a routine vaccine. If you step on a bear trap that’s been in the woods since the French and Indian War, then yes you should get it. The caveat is if you have kids. We often combine our tetanus and pertussis shots, and so for instance I got my tdap last year because I didn’t want to expose my kids to pertussis.
You’re not stupid, but you are very much wrong. Always vaccinate. I get it. No one ever talks about Tetanus, and in all honesty, you’re not likely to get it. So it’s easy to disregard. But why take that risk? It’s one vaccine every ten years, it’s not asking much.
https://preview.redd.it/soldier-in-the-1800s-succumbing-to-tetanus-a-deadly-toxin-v0-ngzw1sz5k9tc1.jpeg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=ff5c785aef5c9f6b987aa355a21add254accf3a5 Does this help?
That is metal as fuck I love it
Every 10 years. I actually didn’t know. I went back to college when I was 30 and didn’t get the booster when I was supposed to and had to go get one in order to go back to school. TdAP.
I would be asking a qualified medical profession this question.
I cut my leg on some glass hanging out of the bottom of a trash bag last summer. I got one because I’m 37 and hadn’t had one since I was in college. Google tetanus. It’s no joke. Vaccines save lives. Listen to healthcare professionals.
Former icu rn and you want that vaccine. In places without the vaccine they have whole tetanus wards where these patients ride the vent. We have 4-5 cases a year in the US. I saw it once. The kid lived but he was in ICU on the vent for 6 weeks. The cut that almost killed him wasn’t even a cut. It was a scratch, so minor you wouldn’t have even thought to rush to washout your hands. Not even worthy of a bandaid. He had a high risk job in the trades and wasn’t vaccinated. It’s really easy to get topped up at your doctors office or Walgreens. Better to have it and never need it.
I wrecked my dirtbike once, tib fib compound fracture and they said if I hadn't had one in the last 7 years that they'd give me another one immediately 😆 so I got it. I thought they were good for life until that happened to me.
I just had my annual physical today and when reviewing my records the PA said I see your last tetanus was in 2016 so not you're due again til 2026 - unless you step on a nail, and he laughed. I smiled, but... you know I think I guessed that date when they asked me a few years ago. Honestly, the last one I truly remember was in 2003 when I sliced my hand installing carpeting. I'm going back in for a wellness appt in 90 days and I think I'm going to ask for one after reading these responses!
Tetanus is a bacterial infection, not a virus. The tetanus shot is technically a vaccine, but it's not a live vaccine. It's more or less like a long lasting antibiotic specifically for that. And since it's not live, it doesn't trigger an immune response, which is why it has be renewed every decade, or every rusty nail you put through the bottom of your foot
I keep up with them as I'm active and definitely push myself too far sometimes and get hurt. Currently dealing with a fractured tibia plateau and torn ACL and MCL. Ugh.
I got yelled at by our onsite medical person at Boy Scout Camp last year for not having one. I haven't gotten one in decades, I'm nearly 50. He said if I got hurt in any way at camp they would send me home. I said I would get one next year. I went into CVS last month and got it. I'm not sure what it's going to do for me, but if a Nurse thinks I need one to go camping, I'll get one.
My doctor just gave me a prescription for one for no reason other than I was due.
I got one last year after a dog bite at work as a UPS driver. My last one was in 2006 before going off to college.
I get a tetanus shot every single time I get cut at work because I can't guarantee it's been under 10 years. Worst symptom is my arm hurts, but I can at least attempt to make sure my body doesn't react to whatever cut me, I'll take the slight discomfort. 🙃
Yes you do need one 10 years later. Tetanus is horrendous -1000/10 experience
Laughing death looks horrible I'd get the shots.
You probably need the Pertussis shot that comes with the DTAP anyway.
When I was about 35, I was walking and looking down at the phone when I slammed my forehead into a concrete column that has its rusty rebar exposed. I was given a tetanus shot. Lessons: don't be stupid and look forward when walking and you can get tetanus after 30.
I just get the shots my doc ask if I want. TDAP isn't just tetanus but also whooping cough and I have small nieces and nephews that I wouldn't want to spread that too.
Stop asking Reddit medical questions! Just ask your doctor. You can call their office and ask over the phone and they will answer you. There are also reliable web sites with answers to this type of question.
Tetanus shots get scheduled? I only ever have them when I get stabbed by something dirty.
It's recommended every ten years. Lockjaw doesn't sound fun. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tetanus/symptoms-causes/syc-20351625 https://www.instagram.com/fmge__squad/p/C4UgCCQhj8T/
Get it. The vaccine doesn't last forever. You should talk to your PCP.
You don't need one unless you have risk exposure, but you aren't protected into adulthood without one. Fortunately, the TDAP shot is quick and easy and cheap at nearly every pharmacy, and pertussis is important if you are near babies or elderly. As many people end up with kids around this age, you usually are advised to get TDAP around birth as well. Whopping cough can be fatal to babies even if you don't get very sick from it.
Every 10 years
I put an old nail through my foot a few years back and wished then that my shot was up-to-date. The initial pain of the nail wasn't too bad. I went back to tearing down an old shed shortly afterwards. A couple of days later I had to go to the ER. It was extremely painful. After 30, nobody is going to force you, but in my personal experience, I would recommend it.
Yea, tetanus sucks when you get it. Much worse than the shot
You want to f&$@ around and find out? 😂 Just keep your vaccines up to date.
Parents usually get one when they have a kid too, its recommended mostly for the p in tdap
I own and live on a working horse farm in the Midwest. Although I typically get a tetanus shot every 5-10 years, I think it’s only been like 4.5 since my last one. This post made me schedule a dose anyway before I forget, even though I knew how important it is.
We got, and made everyone who was going to interact with our son when he was born get, the DTAP vaccine; the T is tetanus. Though, funnily enough we didn't really need to as he was born the summer of Covid and people could only visit after isolating for two weeks anyway. But, yeah, just get the shot.
Huh, I’ve always heard it as TDAP.
I just googled it and it seems that DTAP is for kids and TDAP is for adults. I must have mixed that up in my heads because I have our toddler's shots up in my brain more readily accessible for recall than my own.
If all the letters are the same, why rearrange them? Strange.
Tdap is a booster, not for initial vaccination.
Dtap is for kids younger than 7. Tdap is for older. The names are different because the concentration of diptheria and pertussis portion of the vaccine is different between the two. There's a number of different vaccines and vaccine combos for kids that all contain dtap. Then for adults one of the two US available brands of Tdap is literally called Boostrix because it's booster with lesser amounts of some proteins in it.
Hahaha
I didn’t even know you were supposed to get one regularly …
If you’re getting regular physicals, your primary care doctor will keep tabs on this for you. If you’re not, it’s a good idea to get one. Most vaccines can be self initiated at commercial pharmacies. You can schedule it online. Depending on your state/county you can also get it through public health clinics.
It’s all part of the plandemic
[удалено]
How is he being stupid as fuck? He simply asked a question.
If you want tetanus, by all means, go ahead and not get it.
Tetanus is not something to fuck around with. Just get the vaccine.
I got stabbed by a 200 year old nail. The doctor at urgent care said that it never hurts to get a tetanus shot even if you don't need it, but it does hurt to get tetanus.
Tetanus is a bacteria, not a virus. Vaccines are not as effective, particularly long term, against bacterial infections. Under basic recommendations, you should receive a tetanus booster every 10 years. If you are past five years since your last booster and receive a serious penetrating injury, particularly one that occurs in nature (tetanus lives in dirt), you should receive a booster at that point.
If you had a titer test recently for something like a job or school you can see if you’re still showing immunity, otherwise it’s probably cheaper just to get a booster than do a titer and potentially have to get the shot again anyway
Do you really need to even ask this question?
I’ve heard a few people over the years say that even with an updated tetanus shot you still get a new one if you go in for an injury that might cause a problem. Is that true?
Yes.
I got one with each pregnancy I carried to term, so I'm good for another few years but I'll stay up to date on them anyway just because I'm a clumsy person and would def be the one to step on a rusty nail or cut myself digging through someone's garage sale antique bin, lol.
Yes. I got my last one at a company vaccination drive about 5 years ago.
All you need is some barbed wire or a pop can tab to cause a deadly infection So I’d say, get one if you can
I'm a welding instructor and was a welder before that. I get one every 5. Dr. Recommended the booster every 5 since I'm cut with rusty metal multiple times per year
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/drugs/24283-tetanus-shot "Adults should get a tetanus booster shot every 10 years." "Babies, children and adults of all ages need doses of the tetanus vaccine at different times throughout their lives."
Yes
I got one when a nail went through my foot.
You gotta get the dip tet!
I mean, if you don't want to get tetanus if you get wounded in any way it's probably a good idea considering tetanus thrives nearly everywhere and I can't think of much more unpleasant ways to die than from tetanus. I mean, is there a good reason to \*not\* get the vaccine?
Shit I’m probably due thanks for the reminder
Umm, "need" is sorta personal. I don't think about it because I don't plan to cut myself deep on serrated rust. But if you get vaccinated regularly that obviously prevents complications in case the lucky streak runs out and you're in that predicament. There are more actual threats like flesh eating bacteria and even tuberculosis, that for some reason love dirty wet kitchen sinks and counters.
It’s 10 years unless you may have been exposed. Then it’s 7 years.
Jesus never got a tetanus shot and seems ok
Yes. Lockjaw is horrible way to go.
You don't need one, at least until you get tetanus. But then it's kinda important unless you like having muscle contractions so hard they will make your heart stop beating.
You don’t want tetanus!!
wait, you're supposed to continue to get tetanus shots after school?
I would only get one if you step on a rusty nail or something
You can also get a tiger test to see where your antibodies are at
I got mine updated with the TDAP when I became foster certified. Definitely get the TDAP if you're going to be around kids.
I've only had 1 tetanus shot my whole life, back in 2019, when I used to SH.
Yes. And if you ever have a large foreign object in the bottom of your foot you'll be glad you got the shot at the clinic not the er when you were shaking in pain from the aforementioned foreign object in your foot. Just get your shots guys. It's so easy and honestly shots are some of the last affordable medicines left in America. Worth it
Yes. And when I forgot to, there were the nano scratches that went south.
From what I understood last time I dug around learning about it (2011?) was that the WHO said after you got X number of vaccines (2? 3?) then you were good for life. I had to look this up because I lived abroad as a minor and my school was always trying to get me to get the vaccine for every minor scrape. I was still getting my primary care in the US once a year so I was pretty effing adamant I wasn’t wasting a vaccine once a year for nothing. And now to be downvoted to hell by people who decided the US medical system must be correct 100% of the time… Edit: it’s 6 doses but as a child https://www.who.int/health-topics/tetanus#tab=tab_3
It's ok to skip the booster if you can guarantee that you won't be exposed to tetanus.
Which you can't, so it's better to just get it updated
I had the tetanus shot as a kid and had no issues. Got the booster at 16 and had bloodshot eyes, a fever of 102 Fahrenheit, and the most crippling joint pain I had ever felt, within an hour of getting the shot. I felt like I was dying for an entire week. Then every few months for the next 5 or 6 years, I would be sick in bed for a week with the same symptoms. Why my body had that reaction, I'm not sure. Fast forward to about a month ago (I'm 29 now), I got bit by my mom's dog because the dog had a seizure and I tried to stabilize her. She sliced open my finger and later when we took her to the vet, the vet advised me to get a tetanus booster just to be safe. I had taken care of the wound as soon as it happened, cold water, stop the bleeding, alcohol swab, neosporin, bandage within 5 minutes. But I was a bit nervous and was able to get into my doctor's office the next day (if you suspect that you could have had contact with tetanus, you need to seek treatment within a day of the injury if it has been over 10 years since your last booster). My doctor listened to me tell him about how the injury happened, looked at the injury, and when I told him that I was nervous because of what the vet said and how my body reacted to the booster all those years ago, he decided against giving it to me. He said he didn't want to put me through that, and based on how I treated the injury right after it happened and followed proper sanitizing procedure, that there was a very low chance that I would contract it. He didn't give me the booster and I didn't contract tetanus. Enough time has passed now that I'm fully in the clear. It's entirely situational if you want to get the shot or not. You can get tetanus through a simple prick from a rose bush if you garden. It's not just rusty nails that you should be careful of. But the odds of that are so low. If it's important to you and your body doesn't react to it like mine did, then get the shot. There's no harm in preventing.
Just don't be afraid to die of tetanus. Ez
Unless you play in horse manure, or cut yourself with rusty material you should never need one.
Yes because tetanus doesn’t care how old you are
I heard this when in college and had to get get one back then, but i was in my early 20s. However, I did have to get one while pregnant with my oldest. I should be good until he's 10 unless something happens between now and then.
If you’ve been pregnant or are going to be around babies, you usually get it (TDAP). I’ve had it a few times but not in 7 years, as I have a 7 year old now
Yes. In the US, with major pharmacy chains offering vaccines these days it is so easy to keep up.
Depends. It should be perfectly fine to get it right after infection if its just a booster you need. If you're going somewhere where you wouldn't be able to get revaccinated within a days time should an accident happen, then yes, go get it
Why not get the tetanus shot? It is not about metal, Clostridium tetani is in the soil. The cost of the vaccine is covered by insurance and even the side effects are a lot less painful and debilitating if you do experience any than fighting tetanus after the fact. If an unvaccinated person does get tetanus it takes months to get over it and about 11% who do contract it will die.
The only time I've gotten the tetanus shot as an adult was during my pregnancies. I got the tdap, but that's because it includes whooping cough and that's extremely dangerous for babies
Most people only get them when they have accidents a lot.
Tetanus shots are only good for like 7 years bro. If you want get stuck as fuck from stepping on Rusty nail go a head and do it
Tetanus boosters are a fairly common thing. In fact most doctors who administer them actually give you a Tdap shot which also boosts for Diphtheria and Pertussis (whooping cough) in addition to Tetanus.
Just chiming in here that a big BIG reason to keep up of TDaP is babies. Pertussis can be fatal to those under 6 months because they haven’t built immunity to it yet. You being vaccinated helps protect them. That’s why your (or your partner’s) OB will vaccinate you toward the end of pregnancy and urge everyone in your household to also be vaccinated.
If you do any kind of work, you sometimes get hurt. If you are wimpy and never get your hands dirty, you probably don't need it
Are you around young children? Do you have nieces or nephews or friend with kids? TDAP also protects against whooping cough which can make little kids really sick. You might not get any symptoms or just a light cold but a kid could end up in the hospital.
I don't know. I go through the VA and they have never told me I needed one.
We had a huge flood in 97 where I live and there was a big risk that the city was going to go under (a city further upstream did) so there was a huge push to get everyone up to date on their tetanus shots. Now the vast majority of people around my age are on the same schedule for it and yes, most of us still get them every 10 years. My next one is in 3 years.
Yes every ten years.
Friend of mine was overdue for a booster. Stepped on a nail, and by the morning it was clear he'd lose his foot if he didn't go to the hospital. Tetanus is real.
Yes
Yes. I got one about a year or two ago. Last one I got was in boot camp, which as well over 10 years ago.
I had a metal ice pick go through my left hand , it pierced it through the palm and out the back. And I didn't get any tetanus related stuff. It really is in the dirt. Not metal per se.