needlestick from hep c and HIV + patient

[Proverbs 16:3]

i'm scared as crazy but i gave an insulin shot to pt, moves his arm and needle hits my left finger. i was wearing gloves. i took the gloves off asap, went to squeeze the finger and teeny microscopic dot of blood came out, i washed my hands, told the charge nurse, was sent to the ed, labs taken, next thing i know i was given the hiv drugs and i started within 2hrs after the stick. i'm really scared but anyone have stories to encourage me and make me feel better. i mean i keep asking the guy at the er what are my chances, i asked the lady at employee health what are my chances. under normal circumstances, i'd refuse these hiv meds but since the pt is high risk, i guess a little gi upset with the diarrhea i'm currently having is worth it.

Has anyone had a similar experience, i call my mum to get some comfort and she's yelling at me over the phone for making this mistake. So much for comfort!

[BabyLady, BSN, RN]

I read somewhere on here a long time ago that even if you had no treatment..the chances of you contracting anything even with a known stick, is less than 1%.

However, if you have a sexual partner (boyfriend, spouse, etc), prevention is worth a pound of cure.

I commend you for taking the HIV preventive drugs...I know the SE's can be harsh, but to me, not a chance worth taking. I would gladly spend a weekend puking my guts out.

You did the right thing.

[Gingilly]

I too have had a stick from a hep c+ pt and after a year of testing q 3 months, all is clear- I wasnt infected. The risk is very small and chances are you are ok. However I know the stress and strain it takes thinking about how your life could change from doing your job. Try to meditate. This may not be the best to recommend but I brought an infrared sauna and 3-4x a week used it for 30 minutes- in my mind I was activating my bodys defenses. I also used bloodroot herb which is a strong natural antiviral. Other than that I just forgot about it completely (except for the tests). Good luck to you and I'll keep you in my prayers.

[Orenda]

Last semester, my instructor shared with the students about her story of getting stuck by a HIV needle more than ten years ago. She followed all the procedure and report to the hospital health nurse. She had to take the HIV medications and went through many tests since they cannot confirm whether she is negative or positive years later. She said one thing you can do is to take the medication as prescribed. If you take the medication as prescribed and did all the tests, the chance of getting HIV is very small as shared above by other people. One thing she mentioned was by wearing the gloves at the moment it helped too. Gloves is acting as your first skin barrier and it can prevent some of the blood from getting into your skin. She is very healthy and test negative for HIV.

[Proverbs 16:3]

omg. i'm considering skipping my evening dose for the travuda. I just managed to get my head off the bed. Between the nausea and the diarrhea, it's being in the bathroom a good amount of the time and being so weak i was stuck in bed, i couldn't even lift my head up to look for the remote, i can't even keep my eyes open. how can i take the pills when side effects are killing. The nausea and the urge to vomit is a sin. the dirrhea has just sucked everything out of me i don't know how i'm still going when i don't have nothing in me. i'm soo weak now i don't feel like taking anything now. i think i can do the BID dosing starting tomorrow but for today, i pray the LORD protects me from any infection because i need a miracle.

Thank you all for your prayers. i truly appreciate it, trust me when i say that.

[Bugaloo]

{{{HUGS}}} I am certain that your chances of contracting Hep C or HIV are slim, but it is still scary. My prayers are with you!

[Limik]

Hey Proverbs. I was working in an HIV treatment clinic (so all pt.'s were HIV +) about a year ago and was stuck by a needle after giving IM Tetorifice. The patient jerked as I was pulling out the needle and I got stuck in my left index finger where I was holding the deltoid. The patient was also Hep B+. Needless to say I was deeply afraid. Luckily I had one of the best ID doc's in the country there when it happened. The doc assured me that the chances of my contracting HIV from the stick were very small, but still wanted me to start antiretrovirals due to the type of stick. Luckily, the patient was one of the more stable HIV patients we had. The meds were horrible!! I was on Kaletra and Truvada, within hours I had uncontrollable nausea , vomiting, and diarrhea. I couldn't keep anything down and was so weak I couldn't lift my head. I could only take the meds for about a week, but because of all the side effects I was taken off of the meds. The ID doc said they had probably already done what they were going to do. I ended up admitted to the hospital with dehydration and diverticulitis 2 days after stopping meds. After about 2 weeks I finally felt better, spent a week in the hospital though. All I can say is that the odds are with you, although I know you probably catch yourself thinking the worst, I know I did. I will pray for you, and please know that you are not alone. As someone who has been where you are, my best advise is to try and stay positive and let your docs know how you are feeling after taking the meds. There are other meds out there that can be tried if the side effects persist. Please let us know how you are doing and feel free to PM me if you need to talk.

[JessicRN]

My self and my girlfriend both got stuck within the same week last year. She was starting an IV on a pt who was pos for HIV and Hep C when the resident came into the room and said "you know you can't smoke when you go to detox" the patient became extremly upset and flung his arm causing her t get stauck in the arm. I was drawing blood frm a pt who was HIV and Hep C +, I had no problem getting the blood and I retracted the butterfly needle into the sheath and was placing it in the receticle only to notice that I got a scatch from the needle(it was a defective needle the 2nd of the week, the needle was longer then the safety sheath.

Both of us were terrified. we both took all the drugs recommended and was sick as a dog but we called in sick as needed ( it was covered under workmans comp) and I also has short term disability so I took 2 weeks off and was paid for it . We were both tested every 3 months for 4 months and we are both cleared.

Yes it is terrifying but we tried to relax

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

Thinking of you and wishing for health...

[Debra ACRN]

I'm an AIDS Certified Registered Nurse and have been working with patients for the last 19 years. The chance of transmission from a MAJOR exposure (greater then 1 cc of blood) is 1 in 350. Your exposure wasn't even a 100th of that. Additionally, when you are stuck through a latex glove, that wicks off 1/2 of any microscopic amount was on the needle. Personally, I wouldn't take the meds for that tiny little exposure, but that's easy for me to say since I am not in your shoes.

I would guess that a good deal of the side effects are potentiated by all the stress that is involved in a blood exposure but the Ritonavir in the Kaletra will just eat up your gut. The Truvada isn't so bad. I would suggest you either take all or nothing, I wouldn't just take a single agent.

I hope they told you that taking the antiretrovirals after a potential transmission will extend your window period to a year. That's a long time to wait for a true negative result. I do know that no Health care worker, that has registered with the CDC and took antiretrovirals following a blood exposure have seroconverted from negative to positive.

I would take a long look at taking the meds. The PEPline (post exposure prophylaxis) line is 888 448 4911 and is a national HIV telephone consultation service for health care workers such as yourself my be more helpful in giving you a better picture about what your risk is.

Good luck, and let me know if you need anything. Debra

[Proverbs 16:3]

Oh my goodness, i got stuck in that left index finger that was pinching the guys fat. I have been soo weak it's not even funny. Talk about the nausea and dirrhea. After reading your post i'm now scared i might end up with diverticulitis. I went to bed this morning, up all night it's soo awful. the meds do tear up your stomach. if it wasn't for the needlestick source, i'd i've skipped dose #2 long time. i'm going to try to take them at least this week cuz i'm off for this week and next so it's ok to be home sick if that's what it takes. I was going to to go out of the country yesterday for a 2 week vacation. So much for a $1300 plane ticket.

Hey Proverbs. I was working in an HIV treatment clinic (so all pt.'s were HIV +) about a year ago and was stuck by a needle after giving IM Tetorifice. The patient jerked as I was pulling out the needle and I got stuck in my left index finger where I was holding the deltoid. The patient was also Hep B+. Needless to say I was deeply afraid. Luckily I had one of the best ID doc's in the country there when it happened. The doc assured me that the chances of my contracting HIV from the stick were very small, but still wanted me to start antiretrovirals due to the type of stick. Luckily, the patient was one of the more stable HIV patients we had. The meds were horrible!! I was on Kaletra and Truvada, within hours I had uncontrollable nausea , vomiting, and diarrhea. I couldn't keep anything down and was so weak I couldn't lift my head. I could only take the meds for about a week, but because of all the side effects I was taken off of the meds. The ID doc said they had probably already done what they were going to do. I ended up admitted to the hospital with dehydration and diverticulitis 2 days after stopping meds. After about 2 weeks I finally felt better, spent a week in the hospital though. All I can say is that the odds are with you, although I know you probably catch yourself thinking the worst, I know I did. I will pray for you, and please know that you are not alone. As someone who has been where you are, my best advise is to try and stay positive and let your docs know how you are feeling after taking the meds. There are other meds out there that can be tried if the side effects persist. Please let us know how you are doing and feel free to PM me if you need to talk.

[mama_d, BSN, RN]

The risk of transmission is lessened by the fact that it was a fine gauge needle instead of a large bore, so you've got that in your favor at least :)

I had a needlestick from an insulin syringe on a hep C patient several years ago, and I didn't get it.

Take deep breaths and try not to worry too much. I hope those HIV drugs are doing okay with you, I had to take AZT and 3TC back when I got my first needlestick (I've had two, which is two too many!) and they made me sooooo sick.

[feralnostalgia]

my friend volunteered in Mozambique and was outside an AIDS hospice cleaning out their gutters when she got poked right through her hand with a needle! no glove or any AZT or anything. she just had to wait and pray for another few weeks in Mozambique before she could come back the US and get tested. she's been tested many times over months and she's just fine now. you'll be ok!