WEAR GLOVES ALWAYS

FORMER MEMBER OF DG, BEEN AWAY FOR TWO YEARS... LISTEN
CAREFULLY AND I'LL TELL YOU WHY......

HAD TO HAVE MY RIGHT THUMB AMPUTATED
AFTER MONTHS OF
OF WEARING A PIC LINE WITH THE HARSHEST ANTIBIOTICS YOU CAN
IMAGINE......NOTHING WOULD KILL THE INFECTION THAT ATE THE BONE AND WAS
SO PAINFUL.....

THIS MY FRIENDS CAME FROM SOIL...........YEP....DIGGING IN THAT SWEET
SMELLING SOIL WITHOUT GLOVES... SEEMS A BIT OF DIRT HAD WORKED
UNDER MY NAIL AND INTO THE BLOOD STREAM......I NEVER NOTICED
UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE!!!!!! I ALWAYS WASH MY HANDS AFTER
GARDENING , BUT ALL IT TAKES IS SOMETHING THE SIZE OF SAND
TO TAKE HOLD.....SO PLEASE .......NO MATTER HOW TEMPTING IT IS
TO DIG, DONT ....GO GET YOUR GLOVES.....GO GET YOUR GLOVE
AND BE CAREFUL......

HEALTHY GARDENING TO ALL

Oh, Dellers, I'm so sorry about what happened to you. Hopefully you are doing well, have healed, and are still living life to the fullest.

I agree with you 110% about always wearing gloves. I once had a tiny, tiny cut on my thumb that ended up horribly infected from gardening. It took months to get rid of the infection and I learned my lesson. So many times we can have a tiny cut or scratch on our hands and not even realize it. It is scary how little it takes sometimes to send our bodies into upheaval and change our lives forever.

Another thing that gardeners need to be careful of, and not many gardeners realize, is that the sphagnum moss basket liners can carry a fungus. It is advised that people not even come in contact with sphagnum moss...they are told to wear gloves, long sleeves, etc. Don't confuse this with sphagnum PEAT moss, that's not the same. Here's a good article on this info if anyone is interested http://www.peatmoss.com/sporo.php

Thanks for sharing and for the reminder. I hope you're still gardening and enjoying all life has to offer.
Heather

Dellers,
Thanks for the heads up. I usually wear gloves when I work with houseplants and always when I'm in the yard. After reading your thread, I'll be doing it 100% of the time.

I have also found that for routine maintenance and repotting plants other than cacti & some succulents, it's easier to work with my house plants if I wear laytex gloves. They're not bulky like regular gloves and I'm less likely to break new plant growth.

Wow...I am so sorry you had to go thru that. I do hope that the pain is gone now and that you are enjoying life to the fullest. Odd thing....I did not usually wear gloves...but had decided I should and had just over the last few days purchased some gloves. Now I see this and I WILL be wearing gloves.

Thanks for the heads up
I hope you get better real fast.

Dellers, I'm so sorry. You went thru a lot to teach others.

I have worn gloves for years now since I always seemed to be running into the house squeezing a bleeding finger. I never had infection, but I got tired of it. Yet, I read not long ago that dirt also has a healing effect mentally and physically.

I wear the gloves with the rubber front and cloth back. They are really comfortable and I have almost bare handed fingertip control. It makes pulling weeds easier too.

THANKS FOR READING AND LISTENING....I TOO WORE GLOVES
MOST OF THE TIME, BUT I FOUND MYSELF JUST WALKING
AROUND THE YARD LOOKING AT MY FLOWERS AND REACH DOWN
TO DEADHEAD OR PULL UP WEEDS, NOW....I HAVE TO TRAIN
MYSELF NOT EVEN TO DO THAT...

AND YES, IAM DOING GREAT, ALREADY PLANNING AND ADDING
TO GARDEN BEDS

HAPPY EASTER AND GARDENING...

Wow, rarely wear gloves, love the feel of the earth but perhaps I'd better go out and purchase a pair..thanks for the information, just sorry you had to go through the experience in order for us to be forwarned..

dellers- I'm sure you've made some people more cautious. Wore my gloves yesterday- (Thanks Lastelf) It was kind of nice not to be filthy for once. Like billyporter, the rubbery stretch ones are pretty comfy to me, and sold in a few different styles(construction uses them too)

I usually wear gloves, but sometimes get careless. Sometimes my gardening is spontaneous as I walk past things. Such a hassle to run in and get gloves......... by then, I've found something else that needs doing. hehe Can ya tell I have a short attention span ?

Thanks for the reminder........ going in for the gloves is worth the extra minute it takes. So sorry to hear about your mishap.

I should know better than to take chances........ again, thanks for the reminder.

Dellers -- You have certainly made me vigilant about wearing gloves! I hung a pair just outside the kitchen door so there are no more excuses. I need to put another pair near the front door since there always seems to be a weed or two or a dozen in the front yard that need plucking.

I'm so sorry you learned this lesson the hard way. Thanks for remind us all to be more careful.

June

I am so sorry for what happened to you, but I am glad you posted about it.

This is one subject most folks never discuss and that is of not only wearing of gloves but washing of hands. We all grow up with the message of washing your hands after going to the bathroom. We were taught it and we teach our children and grandchildren.

We teach them about which seeds are poisonious and which seeds and plants are safe to touch, we teach them about the bad chemicals and fertilizers. We teach them how to use tools safely and which ones that might pose a danger. We also teach them to wash their hands after being in the garden.

We want to much to share the joys of gardening with our families and friends but the most important lesson is one alot of folks forget, don't know about, or are to embaressed to discuss.

What am I talking about? Personal hygiene in the garden. Not the simple thing about putting on deodorant for the day or taking a shower, but of hand washing.

The garden is full of beauty , but also hidden dangers. Lurking in your soil is mass amounts of germs in the forms of bacteria, fungi and viruses. Most of these are not harmful to us, but alot are.

While the washign of hands after attending restroom is a good practice everybody should follow, the washing of hands BEFORE touching any food or beverages, but most importantly BEFORE going to the bathroom should be a practice followed deligently.

How many of you , yourselves, and especially the children, wait to go to the restroom until it almost to late as you always want to finish that one little task that will take to long. How many of you males, especially, are out in the fields and nobody around and so you find a tree to fit your needs.

This is not to scare anybody, but to make you more aware. Folks, them very private places are perfect breeding grounds for all kinds of germs for yourself and your precious loved ones.

Not washing yours hands throughly before eating, drinking and using the facilities can bring about diseases upon yourself. All those little orgamisms in the soil can and do attach themselves sometimes to you. Some of these germs can cause serious health problems and in some cases have caused death.

The garden is a beautiful place. It provides us with the substance we need to fill our bodies and our senses. Protect yourselves and especially your little loved ones. Teach them and reteach yourself.

So wash up... scrub up and bubble up ... BEFORE moving on to any new task and especially a trip to the restroom.

Starlight, you said that very well. I have to watch every scratch due to taking arthritis drugs that suppress the immune system, so I've learned to wash, wash, wash. And regular soap and water is just fine, folks, no need to use antibacterial stuff. I also keep a gel cleaner in my car and use it when I am out and about.

BTW, there is a co-op starting for Atlas gloves - I recommend everyone go over there and have a look. These are the most comfortable Nitrile-coated (not latex) gloves ever. I just bought a pack, so can't take advantage of the co-op prices.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/829221/

Another good reason to wear gloves is tetanus. I know a woman who got it from being cut on something while gardening. It is a horrible illness. Tetanus shots need to be updated every so often. Is it every 10 years? Anyway, I got one. It is a good idea if you tend to get cut while working.

RoyBird.. You are so right. Folsk do need ot get their tentus updated. You would be amazed if you took a close look at the skin how many teeny tiny cuts and nicks yoru hands get.

Alot of the hort places are makign sure their employees have upto date tetnaus shots, and from somebody who has had lock jaw from steppign on a nail and it going bad it no fun.

Dellers. Are you goign to be able to garden or because of the infection and complications does that make you even more succesptiable to germs and bacterias and such?

I just bought an interesting pair of gardening gloves at Walgreens for $4.99. They are called "The Roc", and are made of bamboo fiber with coated palms and are naturally antibacterial. The bamboo fabric is really very comfortable and the coated palms give a good grip.

Worth trying. I've become much more consistent about wearing gloves now, even for minor gardening chores.

June

June, are this gloves thin or do they have any bulk to them? They sound very interesting.

The gloves are stretchy fabric on the front and coated on the palm side. They aren't bulky but they aren't skintight thin. I bought the medium size for women since I like some wiggle room in my gardening gloves.

I just bought a four pack of gloves from Sam's. They are different types for different needs. One is goatskin for when you need more dexterity. The others are coated types for transplanting etc. I believe they were only $9.99 for the pack. They are really good gloves. I was working with some wet soil and they kept my hands clean and dry.

Charlene

charlene thanks so much for mentioning Sams- !! I don't usually bother with it but my friend has been offering to take me there

I'll have to look for them-there isn't a Walgreens in the area anymore(CVS drove them out) but I have to go to Brookline Ma this week and I think there is one up there. Thanks for the info!

kaperc and those of you with compromised immune systems need to be aware that breathing in thse things is dangerous , too. The fungus that attaches to the roots of

plants, mychorizzae(sp) can cause a deadly condition that will destroy your facial bones if breathed in.( OK for normal people, though)........ a gardener all my life, I am

now forbidden to be in touch with soil after a heart transplant.....can't even pull weeds.....

Especially If digging in the woods & your immune system is in doubt.....let SOMEONE ELSE dig or carry off the leaf mold!

Thanks dellers for the warning.

Foggy

I found a five pack of gloves at Sam's here, shades of green, none very heavy weight, two are the same(the vinyl/knit)
They are cut pretty slim but also long enough for my fingers. $ 12.95

Froggy, I didn't know that. Is this a lifelong restriction? I hope you can garden again.

I got so tired of dried out rough hands and cuts, that I won't do anything till I get gloves and a weed bucket :))

Good for everyone buying gloves! I used to hate wearing them. Now I hate to be without!

billyporter....yep, afraid it's a lifelong restriction.....

But not to worry, I simply have to be creative....I garden in strawbales & leave the soil to my son.

The most frustrating things are not to be able to pull a weed or enjoy the smell of dirt. Arghh!

....but I still get to do the designing, feeding, watering, pruning, harvesting, & preserving. Thats quite a LOT of gardening......... :))

Foggy

As long as you're happy, and that is enough to keep anyone busy.

Can you wear a mask in case weeding is just too much to resist?

Heh heh,

I've searched far & wide for a rationally priced mask that will do the job, but so far, the only efficient biohazard masks are priced well beyond my means.....

They have to be virus and mold resistant......some molds are as tough as viruses. If anyone has a clue on a good priced biohazard mask, I'd be thrilled to hear about

it. Meantime I'm taking up the slack by training my dogs to dance, lest I get lazy.

Foggy

I never thought of them having to be that good. Thunk on head.

I am enjoying the heck out of my nitrile coated weeding gloves. Good grip, and can tuck into my pocket
Will the nitrile stay grippy/sticky if I wash them?

So sad to hear your tale. It does make me more anxious to get a pair of Pallina's http://www.thepallina.com/products_pallinaglove.htm Someone else mentioned them here and I have been lusting after them ever since. My old gloves are not quite worn out yet, but they have a nasty habit of letting in the dirt from the cuff. Yep, I've talked myself into it now.

Thank you all so very much for your well wishes. and most of all
for taking time to put on those gloves. Yes, I',m back to gardening, not
like before but still very much in the game.
Our local paper ran an article on April 5th about Harvard University doing
research on soil bacteria. "A number of bacteria could withstand levels
of antibiotics 50 to 100 times higher than would be given to a patient. They
were not only resistant , they were super-resistant. The surprise was how many bacteria didn't just surive-but flourished-when fed 18 antibiotics, such as gentamicin,
vancomycin and cipro."
Seems others have had my problem as well. Nice to know research is
being done.

Continued gardening in good health..