POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: scared_silly on July 06, 2006, 10:41:38 am
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Hello
I went to a lab yesterday where I had blood drawn for a blood test. The nurse took a needle from the drawer, uncapped it then attached it to a vacutainer and drew my blood. Then she recapped the needle, and threw it in the disposer.
My question is, I am afraid now that she caps the needle befroe throwing it in the disposer, maybe she did a mistake and returned it back to the drawer with the clean needles and then reused that needle on me. It is a mistake that can happen and maybe I am the unlucky one to have this maistake done on me !!
I have been in a mess since yesterday...unalbe to sleep or eat or think...I believe that I have been exposed...
Can I be infected this way...how long will the hiuv be infectious in the needle...days, weeks or months???
Please answer me
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Your nick, is the same as the answer I'm going to give. SILLY.. They don't reuse needles period.
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I dont understand why do u think this is so silly. I mean I am not saying they will purposely reuse a needle but it could happen by mistake that she might recap the needle and put it with the unused ones after taking the blood tube from it. The needles were unwrapped as vacutainer needles come unwrapped so the mistake could be made.
I just want to know if the needle was already used, is it for certain that I am infected given that the needle must have been there for a couple of hours minimum
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They won't make a mistake as to be reusing needles and they didn't. I've been having blood drawn and have drawn blood probably longer than you've been living. If you want to keep those kind of thoughts going, seek out a mental health professional.
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What makes you so sure that they wont make such a mistake. Anything can happen and thats why I am scared shitless over this. I looked at the bore of the needle before she took my blood and there were no blood stains or any signs of blood in it....does that count for anything?
Please help...I am losing it !
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scared,
The people who preform blood tests are trained professionals. They do not reuse needles.
It sounds as though you might have some deeper things going on here, things that are outside the scope of this website. Please seek the assistance of a mental health care professional to help you get to the bottom of them. We cannot do that for you here.
Ann
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what if she made the mistake....the needle after recapping looked exactly like a new needle so she could have easily put it in the drawer by mistake and reused it without noticing....Am I infected for sure if she used the same needle? Please assess my risk in case of a reused needle? Is there any way I could have been not infected?
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There is no need to reaccess your risk, you didn't have one and it didn't happen.
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Needles are required to have guards in place. One use and one use only and then discarded into a sharps container. The sharps container which is red in color, is secure and you would have to do a lot to break into the container and pull a needle out. I can say with 100% certainty this person who took your blood didn't use the same needle used on someone else. Good Luck........Dogstar