Stuck myself with dirty needle - please help.

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As the topic title suggests, there's not much detail I need to go into...

I'm actually a nursing student, but thought I'd receive more help posting here with advice from seasoned nurses.

Quick Facts:

-stuck using SubQ small bore insulin needle

-hospital protocol was followed (school protocol is the same with some extra paperwork)

-history/records were pulled - no infectious diseases in the chart; HOWEVER, pt. has cancer, diabetes, and on BIPAP.

-Blood was drawn from source pt. and so far it has come up negative (-) for HIV antibodies.

-hospital did drug urinalysis

From what I understand, the hepatitis series check takes more time to evaluate.

Can someone please tell me whether tuberculosis or any other disease should be scanned. The hospital was NO help and neither was my school.

Any advice you can give is critical. Please.

So you gave a patient a subQ insulin injection then stuck yourself how? Were you recapping the needle? Trying to put it in a full sharps container? Accidently brushed your arm up against the uncapped needle?

Don't know about the OP, but in my case the following occurred: Giving insulin to a patient with a hundred family members who were for some reason allowed to visit in great numbers, contrary to normal ICU visitation ratio of 2 visitors to patient. After giving insulin, I'm thinking how am I going to get to the sharps container with all these people in the room without accidentally sticking one of them? So for the first time in my career, I recap the needle, it pierces the cap and goes deep into my finger. Oy.

Low risk patient, I knew I had only myself to blame. The resident on the case told me this was the best kind of patient to learn that kind of lesson on, and I did learn my lesson. And didn't get cancer, diabetes, or sleep apnea from that stick. ;)

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Oh, ok. I get that. I thought they had done a UDS on the patient.

Me too, but I wasn't gonna cop to it :blink:

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Specializes in NICU, Trauma, Oncology.

TB is airborne transmission. HIV and Hep B are going to be the major concerns, though very unlikely that you are infected since the patient is not

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Specializes in Hospice.
Me too, but I wasn't gonna cop to it :blink:

Meh, I'm getting to the age that people just think "Well, she's getting older, her mind isn't what it was", so I can say stuff like that and don't feel the least embarrassed lol.

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Specializes in pediatrics; PICU; NICU.

I better go get tested for sleep apnea! My husband has it and uses CPAP & I frequently sleep with him!

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Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.
I better go get tested for sleep apnea! My husband has it and uses CPAP & I frequently sleep with him!

Do you make him wear condoms, each and every time? With a anti-apnea lubricant.

You know that abstinence is the only real protection against contracting sleep apnea.

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Specializes in pediatrics; PICU; NICU.
Do you make him wear condoms, each and every time? With a anti-apnea lubricant.

You know that abstinence is the only real protection against contracting sleep apnea.

Do you mean abstinence from breathing?

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

OK everyone.... I think the question has been answered enough and we are now totally going off topic so closing this thread.

OP any questions or worries you really need to speak to someone face to face like occupational health nurse or your PCP

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