Removed stopper :-(

[Nobuddy]

i might've messed up. a goofy mistake, being it's not my 1st cycle.

i got ahold of some vials where the stopper just didn't look like it was made to punch a pin through. i stripped off the metal band and removed the stopper. i was actually thinking it was going to be a type of stopper that would stay in place, when put back on (like a wine cork). it's not :-( and now every time i pin, i have to take the tape off the vial (that's all that's holding the stopper on) and draw, then replace (and re-tape) the stopper.

my concern - am i increasing the chance of letting airborne contaminants into my vial, for the few minutes it takes to pin up? am i reducing potency, due to too much oxygen exposure? i had planned on finishing the vial, like this, then just punching through the stopper on my next vials. if y'all think it's best, i could cut a hole out of some strong tape so that the edges of the stopper are all that is taped and start punching through. what should i do?

thank you

[theboss]

toss that vial...or refilter and put the rest in a sterile vial.

[Nobuddy]

toss that vial...or refilter and put the rest in a sterile vial.

wow, that bad, eh? ok, guess i'll leave it sealed/taped up, start using from the new vials until i order the filtering needs and sterile vial.

uh, i've been drawing from it, like that, for 2 weeks. what have i already risked?

[Bojangles69]

It generally takes 3-4 days for an infection to show, you've been going 2 weeks so that tells me you haven't really contaminated it *yet at least.

I was close to refiltering a vial because the pin hole wouldn't reseal (it was from an 18g so it was almost as wide as a toothpick) and I was afraid it was big enough for dust to fall through.

But lets look at some basic chemistry. (I am not professing to be an expert on this)
If a contaminant falls into the solution, and you can't see it, chances are the benzyl alcohol in the oil will be enough to kill the bacteria and maintain sterility.

But if something large enough to see with the eye falls in, its more bacteria exposure, and you can't be too sure that he benzyl will take care of it.
And I genuinely am bothered by the idea of taking the stopper completely off everytime. In reality though, you may very well be able to go your whole cycle w/out running into problems.
The question is are you willing to risk it?

I think ideally you want to find a way to keep the stopper on. What is the stopper made of? Is there anyway you can get a hole in it with a drill then heat it up afterwards?

I would try doing something like that, then taking the entire vial and swirling it inside boiling water for about 15mins. Then cap it for good and draw from the hole for the rest of the cycle. But the fact is a filter cost about 5 bucks and it would take 10mins max to just refilter the solution.
So yeh, I like the idea of using the new vials and waiting for the filter to come, then you can do the rest of your cycle w/out that voice in the back of your head taunting you about an infection =]

g/luck!

[peachfuzz]

toss that vial...or refilter and put the rest in a sterile vial.

yup...