Possible needle stick?

[Evillemons]

Hello I was getting my blood drawn today and as I was waiting I sort of hung my arms to my side while sitting. I then noticed that the trash was right next to where I was seated. The sharps container was on the wall to the opposite side of me but I believe that sometimes needles could be disposed of in the trash can instead and one stuck me. What would the risk for this incident be?

[Evillemons]

So I should consider this no risk even though I’m not sure if she cut herself and inserted her blood into me?

[Kirstie_MHModerator]

You have been advised by several members that you did not have a risk for HIV.  There is nothing more for our members to say.

********** THREAD CLOSED **********

[mike_no]

Please see a therapist for your anxiety. You are clearly paranoid about an irrational fear. No one has ever been reported to be infected in the manner you have described, you are not going to be the odd one here.

You are dealing with too many
what-ifs and that's not a good thing, you need a therapists attention to overcome this.  Real risk of transmission is straightforward and it is already provided to you in this thread earlier. You don't have an HIV concern. Please accept the support offered and move on.

[Evillemons]

I don’t think it’s unreasonable to believe a human could make a mistake like their hand to poke themselves or accidentally throw a used needle in the trash. I just want to know the risk if this were the case

[CurfewX]

No one gets infected this way - EVER.  Since the inception of HIV, only a handful of healthcare workers have ever been infected from needle injuries.  That was YEARS ago, before precautions were taken.  If you think that you are going to get accidentally infected, when, again, only a handful of people who were exposed to HIV every day, were infected, then that's irrational thinking.  If you wish to obsess over a 1 in a hundred million possibility, that is your choice, but our forum cannot support this level of "what if."

[Evillemons]

I supposed you’re right. If she were to get injured enough to draw blood she probably would have noticed and would not have continued with the drawing.

[GuitarRox]

This sounds like an anxiety issue to be honest.    Remember that air inactivates the virus.  So, the end of a needle would be exposed to air.  The phlebotomist would do what?  Poke themselves and then poke you? Why?  And because you were by a trash can , you feel needles were thrown in it rather than the sharps container there?  Why?  Do you tend to have a lot of worry and anxiety?  

[Evillemons]

I don’t think she did it on purpose I just think maybe the needle could’ve scratched her while in the process of inserting it into me depending on her position or technique. I didn’t watch as blood draws tend to make me faint. I don’t know why they’d throw away needles in the trash instead of sharps container but crazier things have happened and people make mistakes all the time.

[GuitarRox]

A needle scratching someone would not transmit the virus.  The way that adults get HIV is unprotected vaginal or anal intercourse (penetrating) or sharing IV drug needles.  Not needle pokes.  Air inactivates the virus.  Again, is this the first time you've been plagued with irrational worry?

[Evillemons]

But if she had scratched enough to draw blood then her blood would be on the needle then would go inside me. I have had some anxiety particularly around blood draws because they never seem to go smoothly for me

[Chima7]

You did not have a risk, as by your own admission, you were not stuck by a needle.

[Evillemons]

I did not admit that I was not if anything I admitted that I could have been. Also if the phlebotomist stuck herself while inserting the needle into my arm what would be the risk

[Chima7]

These are not questions that are based in reality. You would have known if you got stuck with a needle. It's not possible to get stuck and not know about it. Needles don't jump up out of containers and stick people. This you also know. Therefore you need to get help for such irrational thinking, because it's not normal.

Furthermore, it's not realistic to assume the phlebotomist stuck herself before sticking you. You were sitting right there the whole time while she was taking your blood and you already know she did not stick herself. Once again you're making up scenarios that did not occur due to your irrational HIV phobia.

Please do the best thing for yourself and seek out counseling before you completely spiral out of control with your thoughts. You're already not thinking logically because you're allowing your mind to fabricate scenes which did not occur in reality. This is a clear case of health anxiety which requires professional intervention by a counselor in order to overcome. There is nothing that this forum can do to help you.

[Evillemons]

I’m just concerned that my hand would have grazed the trash can and any needle in there would have stuck me. I don’t think the phlebotomist would do that on purpose but I did not watch her as I get anxious with blood draws. Since I didn’t see I’m concerned maybe her technique involved holding the needle into position with her hand instead of the vacutainer. If the needle grazed her finger and drew blood that blood would then go inside me.