Needlestick injury last week. Testing is done, but the waiting is the worst part
It happened at 4 am while recapping, which we are trained never to do and which everyone does when they are tired. The patient's status was unknown at the time. I reported it immediately, washed, got the baseline bloods, and started the post-exposure protocol our hospital follows. The patient's tests came back negative for the big ones, which should have made me feel better. It did partly. But now I have a follow-up test in six weeks and my brain has decided to spend every quiet moment on it. Nurses and doctors who have been through this, how did you handle the waiting? I cannot tell my family, they would make me quit. I am telling strangers on the internet instead.