Needle in Sand

[SteveS54226]

Hello Community - while playing volleyball in the sand, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my toe. I checked my toe for signs of blood. I may have noticed a slight amount of blood. I then checked the surrounding area for needles and syringes. I was not able to recover a needle, however, since I was in deeper sand, I feel as though the needle may have been buried deeper in the sand. Due to the force of my foot stepping on the needle, I fear that I may have injected myself by pushing down hard on the needle causing an injection to occur. Now a few months later, I still have slight pain in my toe when it is rubbed against a surface, however, I can no longer see any visible cut. Would this exposure be a risk for HIV transmission? Should I be concerned?

[RubyWitch]

It's possible but pretty unlikely. You say this happened a "few months" ago, yet you are still having pain in your toe. You also said you can no longer see "any visible cut." A syringe would not leave a "cut" mark. I would suggest you see a podiatrist. It's more likely you stepped on a piece of glass or metal which may have become imbedded in your toe and has become infected. If you are truly concerned about having acquired HIV, any test at 12 weeks post this "exposure" would give you 100% conclusive results.
I wish you the best
RubyWitch  

[SteveS54226]

Thank you for your reply. Do you think it is necessary to have an HIV test?

[malbat]

To test or not to, the decision is up to you. If you think you can move on without testing, then do so. But if only by looking at a negative result will give you the needed peace of mind, then test.

[SteveS54226]

Given this scenario, do you think it is likely to acquire HIV this way? Maybe paranoia is setting in. I'm not sure. This wasn't a direct exposure as I never injected myself, however, I just don't know if I should take the test.

[malbat]

As Rubywitch said, possible but unlikely. If the only way to appease your paranoia is to test, then test.