I have been having a problem for about a year with an abcess on my rear. It has been lanced a few times at the Dr. but it never seems to go away, even with the antibiotics. It will seem to almost clear up but then come back with a vengance. This has happened several times. I also have a tooth that has crumbled, I guess it is an old fillling that came out.
My questions are-
Could the tooth be contributing to the stubborness of the abcess?
Could the abcess be a symptom of some other underlying problem such as diabetes?
What is my next course of treatment seeing as draining and antibiotics don’t seem to be helping.
Since I have had this condition for some time what is the likelyhood of it getting worse, i. e. is this something that could endanger my life, or spread and cause major problems, or can I limp along for a few more months (I am expecting some money) before I go for some full blown treatment (surgery?) So far the worst I am going through is minor discomfort and staining from blood and pus in my drawers.
I am currently in bad financial shape so any answers that would ease my mind and aviod a trip to the doc would be helpful.
Thanks very much for any help with this. SD board is the greatest.
With the standard disclaimer that I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice:
I don’t know - however, if your body is trying to fight infection at both ends it certainly isn’t helping. Definitely, you need to get the tooth taken care of, too, even if it’s not causing overt problems right now.
Yes, that’s possible, but it’s not certain. A number of years ago I had some problems with multiple abcesses (I mentioned the surgical drainage of one in a TMI thread awhile back) and the exact cause was not determined, but diabetes was one of the things they checked for. And no, I don’t have have diabetes, even if I do have skin problems.
Surgery more invasive than lancing, probably - next time you see a doc ask him or her.
Well, assuming you’re otherwise healthy - you can probably “limp along” a couple more months. However, I doubt even one of the docs on this message board would care to venture an opinion, much less an ignorant layperson such as myself. Certainly, you want this taken care of by a professional as soon as possible because, yes, it could blow up into something really serious.
Meanwhile, I would suggest you eat a healthy diet, drink plenty of fluids, and make sure you get adequate rest (that means 8 hours of sleep a night) to keep your body as healthy as possible while you’re fighting the infection.
Your underwear should be washed using chlorine bleach to disinfect them - most brands intended for laundry have instructions for doing that on the label.
Assuming you are a guy (for some reason I get that impression, forgive me if I’m wrong) there are these things called “panty liners” sold in the aisle with “feminine sanitary products”. You may want to buy a box and try slapping them on the part of your drawers that is getting hit with the “leakage” - they’re thin and shouldn’t be too uncomfortable, you can position them where needed (they’re self-adhesive) and they’ll soak up the blood and pus, reducing staining and allowing you to throw out the nasty without having to constantly buy new underwear. Change several times a day so your poor backside isn’t stewing in nasty stuff all the time.
My opinion only, your mileage may vary, and I strongly suggest speaking to a doctor in real life about all this.
Yes, I’ve had one of these (they may be hereditary - my father and sister have had them). I ended up getting it “marsupialised” in hospital. This means opening it right up, cleaning it out of hairs etc, and then packing it with gauze daily for six weeks without stitching it up or bandaging it, allowing it to heal slowly from the inside out.
I was hospitalised twice. The first time, it didn’t work. This is common too.
Marsupialzed? Packing a wound with qauze? Sounds like a recipie for an even worse infection, especially considering the rather unsanitary location of the wound. Anyway-
What should I be looking for as far as symptoms that the situation might be getting serious? Could this become life thretening? With an infection in that area, wouldn’t an escelation of the infection be very dangeraous? I mean if the abcess was on a foot, they could amputate I guess, but this is on my lower abdomen, a body portion I would be hard pressed to do without (not that losing a foot is any picnic, but you get what I mean). At what point does it become enough of an emergency to require the ER to treat me with something more than an cursory lance and AB prescription? At that point isn’t it much more expensive? I was hoping for some re-assurance, but the answers given so far have me scared as heck, but My options seem to be limited as far as recieving treatment. If anyone has any ideas about how I can get this resolved given my current state of poverty, I would be grateful. I live in the Los Angeles area.
I’m not a doctor, so take this advice with that in mind.
Could the tooth be contributing to the stubborness of the abcess?
Absolutely. Get that looked at, by a good dentist, ASAP. My father once had a horrible problem with a badly infected testicle, that turned out to have been caused by an abcessed tooth he didn’t even know he had.
Could the abcess be a symptom of some other underlying problem such as diabetes?
Yes, it could. Undiscovered diabetes can cause all kinds of problems. Get yourself tested for that. And don’t just do the fasting-blood-sugar test; I’m a diabetic who went undiagnosed for years because my fasting blood glucose was always normal. It wasn’t till I got tested an hour and a half after a meal that they finally gave me the bad news.
What is my next course of treatment seeing as draining and antibiotics don’t seem to be helping.
Only a doctor can decide that. Go see a dermatologist after you see the dentist.
Since I have had this condition for some time what is the likelyhood of it getting worse, i. e. is this something that could endanger my life, or spread and cause major problems, or can I limp along for a few more months (I am expecting some money) before I go for some full blown treatment (surgery?) So far the worst I am going through is minor discomfort and staining from blood and pus in my drawers.
I understand about not having money, but this definitely could get worse, and if it’s wrapped up with bad teeth or diabetes you could do irreparable damage to your body if you put off seeking treatment. You do NOT want to avoid taking a trip to the doctor–it’ll cost you a helluva lot more later (and not just in money).
USC has a dental school and I know they have a reduced-price clinic attached to the school. Call them about seeing one of the student dentists. The work is supervised by the teachers. It may take a dental “resident” longer to get the work done, but it’ll still be done right.
Fever, vomiting and and diarrhea are all symptoms of the abscess worsening - trust me when I say you **do not ** want to wait that long.
Theloadeddog has it right get it taken care of now. Don’t think that you can “limp along” . It can get very bad very quickly and given where the infection is, it is difficult to keep clean and makes it more likely that a flare up will be quick and insidious.
Also, I’m sure some other dopers can attest to the joys of doing a google image search for “perirectal abscess” Go ahead, try it and then see if you want to risk it by waiting.
Get something definitive done about it ASAP. I had one that ruptured internally. The CT scan showed the infection was moving up my spinal cord. They had to operate STAT. By that I mean full operation under a general anesthetic, not just lancing under a local.
Yes, they pack the wound with gauze, and it has to be changed twice daily. I had a home care nurse come do it.
It’s sterile or medicated gauze, and it’s there to soak up bodily fluids. Must be changed frequently. Usually requires a trained, skilled person to do so, as the resulting blood/pus/etc soaked gauze is a bio-hazard. And really really icky-poo.
Well, worsening swelling, leakage, fever, weakness, diarhea, vomiting are big indicators.
Yes
You’d be surprised what could be removed and still allow you to survive. You’d be crapping into a baggie for the rest of your life, but you’d live. I’m sorry if that’s frightening, but abdominal infections are nasty, nasty things.
When the infection becomes systemic or you’re in imminent danger of death.
You betcha
Sorry about that, but this IS potentially extremely serious. Or maybe it’s just a particularly persistant zit. There is no way for any of us sitting here to know, either way. This requires a doctor to make an assessment in real life.
The dental clinics have already been mentioned.
Next step - you need to find a doctor who will take care of you at low or not cost. This will require some work on your part, but there ARE docs who arrange charity care for people who really need it. Or will accept reduced payment. Or work out a payment plan