One of my earlier and most impressive experiences as a new nurse was when a man came into the ER complaining of a boil on his backside. I got him in a gown in preparation for the doctor’s exam. He was obviously in tremendous pain as he paced the room.
I came with the doctor knowing I’d be needed to assist. Upon exam, the doctor lost his usual aplomb and exclaimed “$?:@!: Damn! Your ass is all swole up!”
At that, I had to see. The poor man had a golf-ball sized abscess at the base of his spine between his buttocks. It was a brilliant reddish purple and so pressured it seemed to be pulsatile.
Anticipating possible contamination, the doctor and I garbed in protective gear including full facemasks and visors. The doctor had the poor man lie on his belly with his buttocks hiked up in the air. If that hadn’t been humiliating enough, he took four inch wide elastic tape and stretched the poor man’s buttocks as wide as he could.
After a good scrub, the doctor scrubbed the abscess gently. The abscess was like a volcano ready to blow. The instant the scalpel touched the bulge, it blew a huge lump of pus on the wall over the doctor’s head. As the doctor continued to compress the abscess, copious amounts of blood and pus exited. Finally. All that remained was a gaping hole that the doctor packed with iodine gauze. The poor man got an antibiotic shot. a prescription. And instructions to return for follow up care the next day. That room was so contaminated we had to shut it down till housekeeping could do a complete clean.
I wouldn’t have wanted to be that poor man that day!
Nutsrok 
I know this shouldn’t be funny, but it is! I have a vivid image of the pus bomb flying over the doctor’s head and hitting the wall…🤣
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It was absolutely amazing ang fascinating. You see bizarre things in hospital but that was a prizewinner. I forgot to mention satisfying splat when it hit the wall!
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You certainly develop a dark sense of humour when you work in hospital. I was a student radiographer many moons ago. I never qualified, but that’s another story…
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I’d love to hear more about that. The dark sense of humor does not reflect the concern you feel. I never laughed at a patient.
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No, I never did either. I just couldn’t work the machinery.
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I would not have wanted to be you that day either, lol.
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Well, I found it more interesting. Nurses see a lot of gross stuff.
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That sounds horrible, especially for that poor man
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He was greatly relieved by the time he left.
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OW!!!
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That poor guy, but I bet when that thing popped it was a big relief, that is after the pain of the doctor most likely squeezing it all out.
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He was much happier going home.
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I bet.
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Worst! Getting a pap smear is bad enough but….
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Yep!
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I had a similar experience (no, not me) and not on the butt and not a person. My cat developed an abscess under his ear. Because of the fur you couldn’t see it but he was unhappy. I checked it out and it burst sending goo everywhere. I still have stains on a chair. He had several over a couple weeks. We (meaning the vet) finally figured out that he has a bad yeast infection in his ear and he was scratching it so hard that he got infected wounds that healed over and developed into boils. The pus really smelled too. Yuck!
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Poor cat. He must have been in agony. Thank goodness you got to source!
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That really does sound awful….!!
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I felt bad for that poor man.
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Good grief!
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