Ever been stuck by a needle? A needle stick is never fun. It can give you needle stick anxiety.
It brings up the worst case scenario in your mind. I once stuck myself as a medical student at 3am on an ED rotation. Yes, part of medical school it to work late into the night and take call. It was a needle stick from an unknown source. I got tested for all the nasty stuff and actually took HIV suppression drugs for awhile. It's never a fun thing to go through. Have you ever been stuck? And if so, what was going through your mind?
"This is going to be a ton of paperwork."
ReplyDeleteFend for yourself - I am laughing as this happened to me recently (as the patient) and that was my response too.
ReplyDeleteWent for routine lab work and the woman taking my blood got a needle stick.
Fortunately, I had recently obtained life insurance, so was able to give her some peace of mind; but ended up taking an extra hour of my day to sign their forms.
If it were me getting the needle stick, I would have been extremely worried. She seemed more po'd at having to leave her job and go to the hospital for follow up.
That God was gettin me back for doin a $50 Central Line during the Sabbath...
ReplyDeleteThat was back before any fancy-schmanzy AIDS drugs...so I didn't tell anyone... just kept waitin for that Phone Call from the Red Cross...
Depends on what happened. The three times I managed to stick myself pulling the needle out of the bottle I did not worry too much. They were still sterile afterall. Once, before AIDS, I just got my tetanus shot and went on my way. The last time was after testing (I was clear as of 5 years on) but before the suppression drugs.
ReplyDeleteThe last 10 years or so (knock wood) the only needle sticks have been the sterile ones. I work psych, though, so I go through most of the same things a couple of times year following human bites.
I just witnessed a possible needle stick not 2 hours ago. Respiratory therapist drawing ABG on known HIV positive patient. Patient flinched and out came the needle. No visible prick on RT's fingers but she thought she felt one. She had to go get labs drawn on herself in ED, TONS of paperwork, follow-up in 6 months, much ado. Very very scary.
ReplyDeleteBeing that the transmission rates are < 1% I do not worry about it any longer unless the patient has risk factors, or is a known carrier.
ReplyDeleteI have been stuck too many times, mainly suture needles.
After a doctor I worked for gave a patient an injection, he placed the needle up on the counter, uncapped and sticking straight out from the counter! I was trying to make my way around between the patient and the counter, it was a narrow place.(I did NOT see he had placed the syringe there.) Yep, stabbed me.
ReplyDeleteWhat was going through my mind? First strangling the doc, then everything everyone else thinks. What a drag going through the whole thing.
I got stuck in the OR the other night with a suture needle, tiny, but still worrisome. I didn't take the suppression drugs being as though there has never been a documented case of transmission from a solid needle so far as I know.
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