2:58 p.m., and already back

As I start to write this update, it's 2:58 p.m. I arrived at the hospital right around 2:00 p.m., about an hour early for my 3 p.m. appointment. I went up to the second floor, got my arrival/take-in receipt (도착접수증/dochak jeopsujeung), found a chair, and at around 2:12 p.m., my name was called (케빈님!/Kevin-nim!—the nim is a polite honorific). 

Male doc. As with all of these visits, the meeting was brief. I asked whether the culture results showed Pseudomonas, and the doc said no. So I now need to research what other infections create a green effect around a diabetic wound. I also asked whether I should use iodine on my wounds, and the doc, with some hesitation, said yes, for disinfection. I'd seen online that iodine can have the same effect as hydrogen peroxide or isopropyl alcohol on wound healing, i.e., it can kill good tissue/microorganisms as well as bad bacteria. So: use with caution. The doc took a look at my wound, and I showed him the sequence of photos I'd taken showing wound-healing progress. He seemed satisfied. 

The doc prescribed another week's worth of antibiotics, and the nurse outside, who printed out my exit paperwork, said I could go around the corner to pay and receive my prescription. I went to a mu-in kiosk (a kind of automated teller), paid, got my prescription, when walked downhill to Bluebird Pharmacy (my usual, go-to pharmacy) to get the meds. The visit with the doc was over a little before 2:30 p.m. The longest bit of waiting was at the pharmacy, which was fairly busy in the afternoon. After getting my meds—one pill a day for a week—it was a short walk back to my building, and here I am, writing this update. Yay.

It's frustrating that the doc didn't tell me what the infection was when I'd asked whether it was Pseudomonas. I guess it's incumbent on me to ask followup questions, but you'd think the doc would volunteer such information. Ah, well. Korean health care.