Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Don't Listen to Grandma Dinana

Grandma Dinana does not want me posting her medical advice all over the internet. She is afraid that someone will read the other post about hives and end up sicker or deader because they didn't think their hives were an allergy. She does not want to be responsible for putting information out in the world that could cause someone to ignore their symptoms (like hives) and fail to get treatment. Bad karma, that.

Remember kids, the only medical advice you should take from the internet is: Don't take medical advice from the internet. And while we're at it, especially don't take medical advice from me, because WebMD and a few hundred episodes of ER are no substitute for medical school, regardless of what I actually believe (which is that I'm a better doctor than most doctors).

If you have hives, it is probably bad, and you should get treated. What are you doing googling "hives" when you should be in the car, on the way to your medical professional of choice? Google can't save you now! Run, don't walk, to the nearest doctor. Show them your spots, and then decide what to do. If you must take advice from this blog (which is a parenting blog and not at all a medical blog) on the subject of hives, I advise you to take a benadryl and then drive yourself to the doctor. Try not to fall asleep at the wheel. Benadryl knocks me out.

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