>Hello, everyone. This happened about an year ago, and maybe it was
>foolhardy of me to keep it to myself. ( or maybe I'm a little paranoid
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>
>Thanks.
> Of course you could have been exposed. You got stuck, right?
The reason why I'm ambivalent and posting here is because I'm not quite
sure if what I had was really what they call a needlestick injury. In a
literal sense, my finger wasn't 'stuck' by a needle. The tip of the
needle made contact, but the needle didn't go into my finger as with an
injection. Maybe I would have had the same exposure if I slightly
tapped my finger onto the needle point to feel how sharp it really is.
But then again, it felt really sharp.
> Get tested so you can stop worrying about it.
>
> Worrying is bad, ok? Sometimes, worse than the disease...
I forgot to mention that I went to a physician to get tested. Physician
#1 took my baseline readings ( which were within normal limits ) and
told me to come for a follow-up reading 6 wks later.
Come 6 wks later, I met physician #2. ( this was a university-setting;
no assigned doctors ) She made me reiterate to her my situation and she
told me that I did not have an exposure because there weren't any
visible blood. She refused to go on with further blood tests, saying
they were a waste of time.
But she never gave me a clear answer of whether I could have gotten an
microscopic exposure that could have been infectious. I mean, the
needle still have could have penetrated through my gloves and skin
without visible punctures and blood.
I don't know what I should do.
Ally - 29 Jul 2006 11:51 GMT
> I forgot to mention that I went to a physician to get tested. Physician
> #1 took my baseline readings ( which were within normal limits ) and
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>
> I don't know what I should do.
Find another physician that will be willing to give you the tests. Keep
looking till you are satisfied, that's what I would do. Why take the
chance if there is even a slight possibility. It's your body and your
life so you should have the right to test for anything you want.
Ally