I cut my hand pretty bad today at 7PM, went to the ER, I was treated at about 9 PM (They cleaned it with sodium chloride and applied stitches, then neosporin, and a band aid).

If my wound were to be infected, how long would it be before symptoms show up? A day? A week?

When skin is punctured or broken, staph bacteria can enter the wound and cause infections, which can lead to other health problems.

I think, it takes a week to show up symptoms.

About a week ago, my dog bit me. It just barely broke the skin in one area, and I immediately washed it carefully and applied antibacterial ointment and covered it with a band-aid. My mom (who overreacts to absolutely everything) started crying as if I were dying and begged me to go to the hospital and get a tetanus shot. My dad took a look at it and said I'd be fine if I took care of it. It was sore for a few days, but I figured that it was to be expected – an angry dog had tried to take a bite out of my hand, after all. I also figured that if I did have a problem, my doctor appointment was in three weeks. then, a couple of days ago, I accidentally swung my arm into the counter (or something of the nature), and the bite still hurt. My mother's overwhelming paranoia led me to WebMD, which made me more confused and more nervous because I can't remember the last time I had a tetanus vaccination. I know I was vaccinated at 18/19 for a few things. I'm 22, though, and haven't had a proper physical in about two years.

I can't tell if the minor muscle twitches I'm getting are normal or not. They're random, definitely twitches – not contractions – they don't really happen during the day but they happen quite a but when I'm really tired. They're not painful at all. The other problem I have is that most of the symptoms of Tetanus are a part of my daily life. I clench my jaw and have been wearing a night-guard to sleep for two years. As far as I can judge, my jaw feels normal. My hands are always shaky and I'm constantly dehydrated as a side effect of the medications I've been taking for three years and they are no worse now than they've been. I've got a pinched nerve in my back (which started acting up in late July) and do get a sudden, deep pain in one specific part of my shoulder. I've been incredibly stressed lately. My right hand (the one with the bite) does sometimes feel a little stiffer than the left, but I have tendonitis in the upper and lower tendons of my arm, plus I'm a painter and a writer and have been doing very much of both lately.

I know I shouldn't let my mother's paranoia affect how I live, but Tetanus is really painful. I obviously planned to discuss my vaccinations with my new doctor, but I don't know how long it would take for me to become symptomatic if I really did manage to contract Tetanus.

Thanks,
Dee