'Danger' Metal Detecting in Progress

[ysbytymike]

Went out yesterday morning for a full day detecting and ended up sitting in an A&E unit for 3 hours waiting to be seen.

The day went fairly normally until around the 4pm mark, when I had a sort of small 'iffy' signal which was, one of those
times when you just feel you need to dig to be on the safe side. Took the plug out and the signal was still in the hole
so used the probe to locate and began scraping out the loose surface dirt, close to where the loudest response from the
probe indicated. This is where it went pear shaped.. Sudden sharp pain in the left index finger and on examination (glove
off) lots of blood. "I'd discovered a discarded needle used to inoculate sheep"!!
I deliberately made it bleed as much as I could so as to flush the injury but decided then and there to visit the hospital
on my return home as you never know what the injection was for.

Now this is my point (no pun intended). Remember the environment we spend a lot of time in and how many of us have
up to date tetanus jabs? Also the staff nurse said that they were more worried about (Hepatitis B) and that to be on the safe
side I would need to have a course of three injections over the next three months, the first was given yesterday the same time as the tetanus. Be safe guys / gals as you never know when you stick your hand into one of the plug holes where it may end and I don't think there's a glove out there that can cope with a needle point.

[Zeus (Joel)]

ohhhh not good mike. Hope nothing bad comes from it. A few months ago i also found a discarded needle. I took it straight to the hedge and stuck it in the mud needle end 1st. Did it at an area i knew no one could get at it. NO WAY was it going in my finds pouch

[Chef Geoff]

Ouch, sorry to hear that Mike and a sobering reminder for people to be careful
But are you sure she was a nurse? lol Hepatitis B is only infectious to humans and apes plus if the needle was buried the virus can only live for 7 days outside the body so pretty doubtful, I think I would have said "thanks but no thanks".

[hotmill]

Had a similar episode last summer, big hole, scraping out with my hand and felt a nick, looked at my glove and it had a cut in it and my finger had a slight cut as well. Looked into the hole and at the bottom sticking up was on old razor blade!!!!! Luckily the glove took most of the damage, went home and opened the wound and poured TCP into it  That wasn't fun at all.

[Passingclod(Andrew)]

Hello
Jessus hope you are ok Mike.?
I wear gloves when detecting as a lesson learnt on the beach.I had a great signal and dug down with no gloves on then  reached into the hole only to be met by a coin on edge lodged in the rocks worn by tides into a razor sharp edge.
Bled like a stuck pig.
Cheers Andrew

[Dryland]

ouch that must have been a shock , but now you know what the sheep felt like 

[ysbytymike]

Thank goodness, no I don't. They usually have it in the belly.

[dances with badgers]

ooh man hope your o.k bud.i dont detect on swansea bay for that exact reason.i saw a load of discarded needles there once by the bay view hotel part of the beach.