Toilet disaster, blocked drain, cut hand, no antiseptic AIBIU

[Banterlope]

I'm typing this carefully as I have blood dripping out of my finger on to my keyboard. To avoid further drip feed, my toilet is proper blocked. Five of us live in this house and most seem to want the toilet urgently, now. I have spent the last hour with my hand up the U-bend with one of those toilet/drain snakes – about 9 m of flexible steel cable that you feed up your toilet and down the drain looking for a blockage, then twist about to try to clear it. It's been fun!

Being a rusty length of metal that requires energetic motion to push it through approx. 1 km of human waste backed up in the drain I have managed to cut my finger a bit badly. Not a problem in itself but my hands/forearms/elbows are covered in shit. And we have no TCP or anything handy like that. I'm not keen on ebola and I'm eying up the bottle of bleach under the sink as my only option. AIBU if I mix two cap-fulls of bleach with half a mug of warm water and stick my bloody finger in it? Will that kill all germs 99% dead? Will it really hurt? Do I need more? I have acetone and diesel as well, not sure of their medical properties but I live in a field in the middle of nowhere and my germ-killing options are apparently limited. Advice is welcome!

Dilution is the solution to pollution

Soap and water is sufficient. Wash, lather, rinse in running water. Repeat. Lather the cut for at least 30 seconds. Ensure you get under any skin flaps. Seriously that is all that is required. You clearly do not not the correct dilution or contact time for Chlorine (bleach) and it is not necessary anyway - step away from the bleach. Alcohol is not recommended on visibly soiled skin. Liquid soap is best but if using a bar choose a new fresh one rather than a dry cracked one as it itself may contaminated within the cracks. I do have relevant experience btw as a HCP working within a high risk sector (that uses poo plant!).

SilverHairedCat It is correct that generally the 5 doses in childhood/adolescence will be enough to protect most people for long enough but that doesn't mean people are FULLY protected and not for life. The recommendation you refer to is based on limited risk that most people are living with. If you look into it further you will find that people travelling to higher risk areas, those who work in higher risk jobs and those who have suffered with deep wounds may still require further treatment even if they have had the full 5 course vacination. The full course actually only protects for about 20 years after the last dose but most people are living very low risk after this age.

The NHS website states:

This course of five injections should provide long-lasting protection against tetanus. However, if you or your child has a deep or dirty wound, it's best to get medical advice.

Contact your GP surgery for advice if you're planning on travelling abroad and haven't been fully vaccinated against tetanus, or you're going to an area with limited medical facilities and your last vaccine dose was more than 10 years ago.

If you've been partly or fully vaccinated, a tetanus shot is usually still recommended as a precaution if you're travelling to an area with limited medical facilities and your last dose of the vaccine was more than 10 years ago.

You don't get tetanus from rust but from fecal bacteria. Definitely get a jab.

Good Lord on roller coaster don't put a cut finger in bleach.
I'd advise you to run it under cold water and wrap it in a bandage or something you could use as a bandage.

And get straight to would it be E&A or the walk in. You probably need a tetanus. You have to be very very careful with sepsis when it comes to cuts.
I heard a horror story last week about someone who had to have their hand amputate d due to that bloody sepsis.
Sorry if I've scared anyone but I'd rather that than you lose your hand or worse.

Not dead yet. I had to rod my drains to unblock them – really horrible job but at least we can use the toilet and shower again. Thanks for the advice

Bleurgh, poor you. Sounds grim. Well done for fixing it