Hopefully ridiculous - could I have a tetanus infection

[StealthPolarBear]

On Monday DD was admitted to hospital with a viral thing.
I sliced my finger open with a breadknife on Tuesday. In hospital there was some confusion over the tetanus guidelines and whether I needed a tetanus shot, I didn't have one in the end.
That day I had woken up with a sore throat which quickly disappeared, so I didn't think anything of it when later in the day my body started to ache too. It started in my neck and shoulders but is now more in my arms and legs, and is agony when I kneel/crouch/sit/go up and down stairs / lift.
I've looked up tetanus infection symptoms and it looks as though it would be severe but could I have a mild form?
Calling the docs when they open at 8.30 but just want some reassurance first!

achy bump
going for a shower - if recent experience is anything to go by i'll be in hospital al;ll day

another bump ;(

Sorry - have no real idea but didn't want you to feel ignored! Hope it is not tetanus. Maybe you just have the viral thing that DD had?

I dont think you would show symptoms that quickly tbh.

Hope docs can reassure you though.

No idea but sounds like you've had a horrible week, I'm so sorry. Home now so please, please yell if I can do anything, more than happy to take children, pop to shops etc.

thank you
that's what I thought/was hoping but DD's was gone very quickly, this seems to be dragging and getting worse not better. Also feel fine in myself, no headache, sore throat, tiredness. Then DH said this morning "could it have been a reaction to the tetanus injection?" so I reminded him I hadn't had one, and it got me thinking...

Also, given that there are only 50 reported cases in the USA every year I think it very unlikely.

thanks waiting and Indith - I might take you up on that .
The more I read about it, the more I think it's not that - spasms, temperature etc. I think even DH would have figured out something was wrong if that was the case

OK, think I am being ridiculous, it doesn't look like there's any such thing as mild tetanus, and that any symptoms would start near the wound (which they didn't).
Might just make an appointment with the nurse to make sure but don;t feel quite so panicked.

Please do, just me and dd so we need to be kept busy

phew, looks like it the virus - DH has it now. No dount he'll be in bed all weekend

Oh dear (although good). Well I'm off to the shops this morning if you need anything, just waiting for dd to wake up! Do throw A at me at any time (Assume T is at nursery), nothing worse than having a small one to look after when you both feel rubbish.

I was just about to say i doubt you can get it mildy - considering catching the actual thing won't give you immunity. Also - to contract tetanus, you would have to get a deep wound infected with that particular bacteria - so more likey to get it from having bad cut and then going digging in infected soil, and thus it enters your body.
Hope this helps

Yes, I think it's very unlikely to find a bacteria causing tetanus on a breadknife.
Hope you'll feel better soon.

thanks bth of you.
thats what i thought at the time, so wasn't bothered about the injection - clean breadknife etc. but then i thought i was regretting that.
going to gdet checked out anyway, as well as finger as a steri strip has dropped off
what a week!

indith, did you have a good time btw? missing DS??

Stealth- Without wanting to panic you I would suggest just going to the doctors and maybe getting some antibiotics.

I am particularly sensitive to this at the moment because my mum is in hospital with septicemia and failed kidneys due to an strep infection which she started showing symptoms for last Wednesday (similar to yours but which got much worse).

She had no visible injury and they're not sure how she got it.

I'm NOT suggesting you'll get kidney failure and sorry if it sounds panic mongering but worth getting checked out.

Stealth, did you have all your childhood vaccinations? If so it is likely you are covered. Does sound like you do have some sort of infection though. Hope you are feeling better soon.

oh sorry for not getting back to this
I did go amd was told it is the viral thing DD had earlier in the week (DH has it now )
She also looked at my hand, said the steris trip that had dropped off didn't matter and agreed that I was best off just re dressing it each time I needed to

Glad you are ok (ish)

stealth if its any consolation, if you had tetanus on tues,you probably wouldnt be on MN today. Im sure its just a virus and a coincidence. Hope you are ok

very consoling thank you

Seriously, you wouldn't get tetanus from a breadknife, unless you stabbed yourself with it and then went to play with horseshit or similar.

tetanus is mainly caught from soil,roadside injuries ,dog bites(animal bites)and gardening especially rose thorns and rusty things