chocolatemalt
Registered
All bacteria needs is heat and moisture to survive. The needle had gone septic on a micro-scale. My tri's and ankles swelled up and I could hardly walk. Intense pain. I had a skin condition that looked like splattered blood in my crotch and ankle areas.
You definitely dodged a bullet there, damn. Was the purpura a specific result of sepsis? Thx for sharing that fiasco. We can all learn from each others' mistakes.
I've played a few games with my own gear by pushing the envelope of "sterile" practices, like continuing to use vials that I'd originally opened years ago then sidelined. They "should" be sterile still, but to be smart I should reheat & bake them first to be wise but I'm lazy. Also I've pinned drunk many times and forgotten to swab beforehand, lol, or even switch out the 18ga draw needle. But never gotten a noticeable infection. Just luck of the draw there and a reliable immune system, but everyone can get unlucky eventually.
Syringes and needles can be re-sterilized by thorough flushing with a bleach solution (I forget the exact water:bleach ratio) but what's the point? GPZ and similar online sources will have needle-syringe combos costing 5 to 30 cents apiece typically, and that 30 cent example includes two needles for the luer-lock switch out. They're just WAY too cheap to risk serious harm and exorbitant hospital bills.