NeedHelp!- bacteria/missed rig

[annuh]

i need some advice on how to treat my boyfriend's arm. he missed his shot and the area is swollen and red. (i've delt with a missed rig before, no problem, but this is alot more serious)...

his shot was from an old bacteria filled syringe (his own, maybe a week old, kept clean for a while, then neglected when we stopped for a bit, then picked back up)

he's over the really tough part (violent tremors, drop in temp, fever)..i'd been there, so i knew he'd be ok, but i didn't know until yesterday (this happened not last night, but the night before) that he had missed a good portion of his rig.

i'm fairly worried about not getting this taken care of professionally.....but it's very hard to convince him to see a doctor, as he's so confident that he can treat himself well enough (wich is true for the most part, but i'm afraid he doesn't realize the seriousness of this because of the bacteria)
not to mention having to deal with being treated like the scum of the fucking earth for coming in with use-related problem (it's awful enough to go in there without insurance, fucking bastards)


anyway,

i need some information on how to treat this, the seriousness of it, risks, and whether or not it's completely necessary to force him to see a doctor.

in the mean time, i'm going to atleast try to find some antibiotics......

thanks to anyone who can help

[jacky]

I intentionally shot up a bunch of bacteria ridden water once, desperately trying to get well from 30 some dirty cottons that had not been stored right, they were moist the entire time and had gone rancid.

I made the mistake of thinking that boiling well would kill the bacteria, if it did kill the bacteria there must have been some toxins in there.

I was sick as shit, and it took a few weeks to fully recover. I had massive cold sores covering a 1/4 of my face, these sores extended up into my nasal cavity, covered 50% of my lips, and left brown green scabs that were quite deep, I also experienced extreme dizziness and severly shortened mental abilities and physical exhaustion, and nausea.

GET YOUR BOYFREIND TO A DOCTOR OR AT LEAST AN EMERGENCY ROOM!!!

this is not your classic case of "cotton fever", this is a little more serious, this infection could move to the heart, like a good freind of mines experience that landed him in the hospital for a few weeks with a severe heart infection.

I wish you guys well, and hope that you take the route of finding proffesional help, I am serious, I went through days of agony becasue I was stubborn, broke, and scared. My freind actually had to have morphine administered to him because of his condition.

get help and then let us know how it is going.

[candy]

Annuh,
I would too consider getting him to a doc as soon as possible.
When you say violent tremors, drop in temp and fever, are you talking about withdrawals or infection?
Reason being is that if he has had these symptoms due to an infection, then getting him help is seriously what you need to do?
How does the site look now? Is it red and swollen and warm or hot to the touch? Is it oozing.
You also mentioned something about him missing most of his rig. Do you mean that he missed the shot and it did not go into the vein?
As far as antibiotics go...Amoxicillin is good for skin infections, Ampicillin, Timentin(tyupe of Penicillin0
Ancef...Good broad spectrum antibiotic and Cefotan is another as well(for anyone allergic to Penicillin)Rocephin too.

I would encourage him to go to the ER or maybe some type of urgent care clinic. He could have what is called Cellulitis, which is an infection in the tissues under the skin. He may also have an abscess which can happen at the site of injection or past the site and if left untreated can be serious. Skin infections can turn into systemic infections, which is when the bacteria enters the blood stream and can affect the heart and other organs.

I would start by putting some warm compresses to the site and give him some Ibuprofen. Does he have any other health problems such as Hepatitis, HIV, heart of kidney problems? If he does not have any liver problems you can give him Tylenol. Just follow the instructions for dosage on the package.

Is he still running a fever? If he is, even more reason to get him to see a doc.

Do not use the extremity either. He should just avoid the area all together. Keep it clean and dry and covered if it is an open wound or oozing. You may want to apply an antibiotic ointment if there is a scab or the wound is opened and not deep.
If this should happen again and he or yourself misses a shot, apply heat immediately. This will help the fluid to be absorbed much quicker and decrease your risk of developing an abscess.
Really important to not use anything that has been sitting for a while. It becomes a breeding ground for bacteria and heating does not always destroy everything.
Although it sucks to have to get rid of a shot, if it's been sitting or has blood in it and you cannot shoot it right away, dump it! No one likes throwing dope away, but an infection can cost you too.

Remember to always try to use clean techniques. Being sterile is just not realistic and not necessary, but being clean is the best way to go. Always wash your hands if you can. Or carry some of that antibacterial hand cleaner. It works by the alcohol and friction and is fairly cheap. Also make sure the equipment is clean. Clean your spoon or cooker after each use or before the next use. I know many don't, but your not going to get anything from the spoon or cooker that is worth injecting. Use clean water. Don't use water that has been sitting in a cup or bowl for days. Use fresh clean water each injection. Wipe the area you are going to use with alcohol or wash the area good before you inject.

I know for some, being in an area that is clean and accesible to a bathroom or water faucet and soap is not always an option, but if you carry some things with you, you can decrease your chance of getting an abscess or infection. Using a clean rig each time is best as well and I totally understand that new rigs are hard to get. If you cannot get new needles, clean the one you have well. Bleaching is good, but remember bleach does not kill off the Hepatitis C virus.

I am sure you know to avoid sharing needles. This may be a good time to go for HIV/Hep C testing for both you and your boyfriend. If you have not done so already, it might be a good opportunity to start testing. This should be done every six months if you do share with your boyfriend or others. If not, and you have not tested, go ahead and get it done. If anything, you have peace of mind. Depending on where you live, it is free in most areas and anonymous. They also have the new Orasure test, which has the results the same day and there is no needles involved.

I really try and encourage anyone who injects to get tested, especially those who share needles now or who have in the past. I myself was infected with Hep C from a boyfriend whom I used with. Although I am a nurse and should know better, we don't always think clearly when were sick and we tend to want to trust those we care for. I kick myself in the ass now, but he assured me he was neg for HIV and Hep C and because I cared for him, I believed he wouldn't allow me to get hurt. Well, who knows what happened to him, but I just finished Hep C treatment 6 months back and thankfully I am neg for HIV.

I know some are hesistant to seek medical treatment. I do understand how injectors or those who use are treated. Going to the doctor or the ER can be a truely terrible experience. Check out your area for free clinics or Urgent care type settings. They may be less likely to ask questions. If not, try talking him into going to the ER, if he does not have a physician. Better to endure some hassles than a bad infection getting worse.

If you have any questions, you can post them or send me a PM. I gave you a lot of information, but I do hope it helps.
Good luck!

[ontario_opiophile]

See a doctor. I know it's a tough call but, you sound like your pretty worried and if it's not getting better i think it's pretty important he get some help. He could get some really bad infections, blood poisoning or something horrible like that. It's just sad that he'll be treated like garbage because of his addiction. The way "they" treat us is disgusting. I really hope he'll get better. You should really get to the doctor if he doesnt start to get better soon. You'll have to use your judgement. You know what has to be done so just care for him the best you can and get him the help he needs when you are ready and do it soon if your going to do it. Just try to get him in to see a doc. Make sure you have no drugs on you or in your house too incase any nosey cops get involved. Everyone who posted above me gave really good advice. Good luck, I hope he'll be okay!

[blahblahblah]

Get him to a doctor ER preferably as that sounds like a nasty situation once that bacterica gets into your blood stream and your rates of contracting Endocarditis or something worse like say gang green increases quick. Blood based bacterial infections are horribly dangerous. Its very serious if you consider life serious. The longer you let it sit and fester the worse you are. If the bacteria gets to his heart and starts effecting the valves of his heart he is going to be wishing he would have went to the ER when he had the chance. I have been there before and I am permantly scared from tissue rot thank god we caught the infection before it could reach my heart.

Keflex [cephalexin] is the anti-biotic usually scripted for these issues, your regular run-of-the-mill anti-biotic isn't going to cut it. I have had some nasty run ins with nasty infected abscesses, now I have a permanent reminder of how close I was to loosing a chunk of my flesh. IMO it sounds like IV anti-biotics are needed.

Seek help immediately bacterial infections that get into the bloodstream are the worst of the worst

Get some IV anti-biotics and proper anti-biotic pills to treat this, I always have a bottle on hand even though there shelf life is not very long. 500mg qid [4 times a day] for 10 days.

ENDOCARDITIS (http://www.cardiologychannel.com/endocarditis/)

[annuh]

first of all: THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP & ADVICE

i was able to read most of the replies soon after they were posted, but i lost my internet access until today.

everything has been taken care of and he is doing fine.

i have to go no, but i'll post a bit more later......

....i hate doing fentanyl unless i'm alone *sight......