Watch the wound for signs of infection. These include redness, swelling, heat to the touch, fever, pus from the wound, or red streaks from the wound. Report these findings to your health provider by phone or go in for a recheck. You may need antibiotics to treat the wound infection. If you were given a prescription for antibiotics, take the medication as directed until you run out of pills.
Some germs are more stubborn to get rid of than others.
Be sure that your tetanus booster is up to date. If you visited the Emergency Room for repair of a cut, someone will usually ask when you had your last tetanus booster. The general rule is that tetanus boosters are good for 5-10 years. Most providers prefer that a booster be repeated every 5 years for a heavily contaminated wound.