It's actually a really commonly held belief that hydrogen peroxide is the best way to clean a wound. I just didn't want anyone reading it to get the wrong idea!

This is A Dr. Kirby but I can say with conviction that I am not THE Dr. Kirby.

Thanks. I consider myself incredibly lucky that I've had the opportunity. Nasty stories notwithstanding.

That too. I have a nasty one on my elbow that could be submitted as proof.

iodine is amazing for disinfecting but when you're trying to flush out a wound (which is the first thing you should do), it's a DISASTER. Pouring iodine on anything will stain everything it touches.

Is there any other way to play it?

Thanks! Although in all fairness, I definitely did not calm the kid down afterwards. In fact, I'd say odds are pretty high he never set foot in a clinic again after he finished treatment for the infection.

I would say that keeping an 84 year old woman from putting bleach in a bleeding wound qualifies you as a fucking hero.

well? Did it?

If you want it to be so, so shall it be.

C Diff is horrible but I laughed so hard at "I pooped but all my crying water" that I choked on my drink. I'm sorry.

Ha! I had the same reaction. I told a gross story that involved me, but if I ever really got into the shit I see in the hospital people would never leave the house again.

Not OT! Yes absolutely, antibiotic cream is the way to go. The best thing you can do up top is just washing it out with water. After that you're still good with water, maybe a little soap defending on the wound, or one of the over the counter wound cleaners (they sell them at any pharmacy). Neosporin is key.

I've actually drained bigger ones (it's weirdly satisfying - like popping a giant pimple), but they don't teach you in med school how to emotionally prepare for being covered in someone else's pus. It certainly put me off of the procedure for a long time.

That would totally make the entire experience worth it.

Please never pour hydrogen peroxide to clean a wound. All that pain isn't the magic of healing, it's the power of cellular damage. It actually impedes healing.

I was working in a clinic in rural Africa when a kid came in with a large abscess (pocket of pus) on his cheek/jaw - roughly the size of a softball. It needed to be drained so I made a little incision in his cheek and the abscess basically exploded (think poking a hole in a balloon…only a balloon filled with pus). …

I got high one night and had a full out seizure in the Plaza Hotel (that's another story). When I came to maybe 20 minutes later, I was surrounded by EMTs and police officers and my platonic male friend was in the corner trying to keep himself from getting arrested.

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