Ok well 6 months ago at work I stuck myself with a needle picking up a blanket that was laying on the counter ( i was trying to clean up the unit because it was a mess as always) I went to employee health and got checked and started on all the testing. This is my 6th month and everything has been fine. I have one lab draw this month and then one more the 1st week of november for that and so far everything has been fine. I didn't think that needle was used so it actually never worried me for a second which was weird. This time I was at clinical giving a 3 year old boy a flu shot and when I went to throw away the needle i put the safety on (which by the way their needle safety devices are not what I would call safe) and when I did before it got to the box it grazed my thumb. It didn't bleed right away but once I started washing my hands it did but only for a minute. The patient I can not remember bleeding at all with the shot. I washed my hands really good and cleaned it with a bleach wipe and alcohol wipe soap and water. Anyway I didn't say anything because it's my schooling and I didn't want to bring anything up my very last semester that would cause problems. Plus I am already getting tested...anyway... now its too late to say anything. But I am a week and 2 days from the stick now. I started to get swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, and body aches within 2 days following the stick...is that too soon for symptoms of HIV and Hep C to show??? I think from the reading that it is... However I am sooo scared.... I told my mom I know it was a 3 year old boy and he was healthy and the parents did not report any past medical history but they were an indian family and I guess I know that this needle was used on a patient. I know the chances are low...but 6 months to wait to find out the final result is such a long time.... I am so scared, anxious, and depressed already and it has only been a week. How did you manage to cope with that. I dunno what I would do if I knew the patient was positive. I guess I should have said something and had the patient tested... it probably would have helped...but then the poor little boy who was already scared would have had to get stuck again and blood drawn and that would have been horrible and the parents and my preceptor probably would have been mad. I just can't stop thinking about it.