alz

Im an NHS professional and i can tell you now alcohol swabs alone do not kill off all bacteria present on the skin, in part mainly due to resistancies of new, stronger strains. In NHS establishments we now use chlorhexidine AND alcohol based swabs to remove all bacteria present from the surface of the skin before injecting any drug, even when sampling blood we must prepare the skin with these new and far more effective swabs. In clinical trials the chemicals seem to work far more effectively together than alone. Site preparation is taken very seriously to prevent any possibility of infection, and re-using a needle is a disciplinary offence, basically its a sure fire way to get an infection and possibly something more serious. Back to the original post, excellent although im not sure advocating mini self operations such as aspirations is a good idea but i guess its up to the individual. GP or A&E would be my preference every time. Just remember the three signs of infection...heat, pain and swelling. All three together are a 99.9% guarantee that there is an infection process going on which will more than likely need antiobitic therapy and in worse cases incision and drainage by a professional under aseptic technique. Prepare the site properly with an adequate solution, rotate the site frequently, re sheath the needle after drawing up the solution and NEVER re -use a needle. Follow these simple steps as we do in the NHS and you will dramatically reduce your risk of a more serious pain in the ass.

redman

Nice post reps,

Are these swabs available to the average joe on the street if so please provide a link sir.

As for self aspiration I am a huge advocate as the vast majority of GPs will just use anti-Bs which often fail due the lack of permeability of the cyst. I would rather have a small hole than a cut and drain.

newtolondon

if you want needles or swabs or anything like that www.medisave.co.uk is a useful website you can basically get anything legal on there thats for medical professionals.

redman

They just sell standard iso alcohol wipes mate, I wnt the one mentioned in the post if at all possible.