Concerned Nurse

[wa09]

Drs,
I asked this in the regular forum but would really appreciate your response as well. I am a nurse and while prepping a pt for surgery I was starting the iv I had popped the pointer finger on my glove to feel the vein better after insertion some blood escaped the catheter and I believe got a small bit on my index finger possibly under the nail but I'm not certain of that. As soon as I finished I washed my hands and went on with my day the next day I was worried and asked my charge nurse and another nurse and they both said no risk the PTA chart also did not reveal any diseases. Occupational health was no help said really low risk and that's all. I got a canker sore at 13 weeks and I have what my dr said is a spider bite currently on my leg but I'm worried it's mrsa. Any thoughts would be great my husband and u are trying to conceive and it's always in the back of my mind

[wa09]

Thankyou so much my husband and I are  very excited and I  will try to relax and enjoy my pregnancy.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Congratulations on your pregancy.  You are correct.  The only reason for testing in your case is for peace of mind.  FYI, HIV testing is also a routine part of most pre-natal care.

The canker sores do not change my opinion.

Again, congratulations.  EWH

[wa09]

Dr. Hook,
also I thought canker sores occured in the late stages I only had one and I have had them before I guess I should have mentioned that before. Sorry, thanks again

[wa09]

Dr. Hook
thankyou for your comments I have just found out that I am expecting and am a bit nervous about all this so you are basically saying the only reason I would need to test would purely be for my own peace of mind correct? Thanks

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome back to the Forum. I have read your interchanges with Teak and Vance and agree with their assessments.  Let's review the facts:

1.  You do not know that the person had HIV.  it is unlikely that they did.
2.  Even if they did, HIV is not transmitted through intact skin, even if blood gets under your nail.
3.  Canker sores do occur in HIV but the vast majority of people who have canker sores do not have HIV, just the bad luck to have canker sores.
4.  If the lesion on your leg is a spider bit, this has nothing to do with HIV.  Similarly, if you have folliculitis or some other skin condition as an explanation for the lesion on your leg, there is still no reason to worry about HIV/.

My advice.  There is no reason for you to be concerned about HIV.  At the same time when something like this gets on a person's mind it can be hard to shake it. For this reason, it may be worthwhile for you to have an HIV test just for the sake of your own peace of mind.  (and there is no reason I can think of not to get tested).

Hope this helps.  EWH