Is pressure actually a good idea? I thought that created a risk of the pus and dead tissue being forced deeper into the body, or even into the bloodstream.
Heh, ITA. But the truly funny ones, at least for me, are the bot fly removal videos. Really hilarious seeing a poor innocent larva extracted from a hole in someone’s back, arm and yes, even scalp. One larva even started to sprout wings before it was pulled. So, not the pus factory some folks are looking for, but lots of wriggling and pulling and stretching of parasites. And the larval,waste pouring from the hole is kinda nice.
I love watching Monsters Inside Me, which grosses out my family. I haven’t yet ‘come out’ to them, and admitted I have a fascination for zits, pimples, boils, etc., but a while back I did help my hubby with a large blockhead on his back…it was so satisfying. OTOH, they probably already know.
And then I found you lot! At last, a home!
Yeah, they were originally marketed under the brand name “Chux.”
In the waiting room at the doctor’s office. My fever is up to 100.1F. 
RNATB, I haven’t been putting pressure on it. The dressing is fairly loose. It’s just there to catch the gunk. I haven’t been touching it except to gently wipe off the surrounding skin. I’m normally a picker, but I’ve been leaving this thing the hell alone.
If they do decide to lance it - well, my experience is that makes for an immediate level of relief. And you start healing up faster afterwards.
Best of luck, get better soon.
Here’s a pic from earlier this morning, before I went to the doctor. The skin is peeling like Broomstick said it would.
The abscess is draining pretty well on its own, so the doctor decided not to lance it. He scrubbed the scab off with hydrogen peroxide (painful) and squeezed some goop out (excruciating).
Since I’m diabetic, he wanted the nurse to check my blood sugar to make sure it wasn’t so high it interfered with the antibiotics working. It was 63. The nurse goes out, comes back in, and said the doctor wanted to know if I needed a snack. I declined. The doctor came in a minute later, stuck a granola bar in front of my face, and said, “Eat it.” I guess the snack wasn’t optional.
I’ve got another five days on the antibiotics. He told me to put a hot pack on the abscess six times a day and change the dressing three times a day. I’m supposed to wash the area with soap and water, gently scrub any scab off with hydrogen peroxide, and put antibiotic ointment on the entire red area.
If my fever breaks 101F or if I’m not noticeably better by Monday, I’m supposed to see him again. I’ll find out the results of the culture sometime next week.
I’m hot, I’m nauseated from the bactrim, and I feel like ass.
This may not help, but… how you’re feeling is sort of normal for having an abscess like that. Sorry. Believe me, I know how you feel.
You didn’t mention you were diabetic before. Needless to say, keep a close eye on your blood sugar levels while this is going on. When I had my face abscess lanced the doctor who did the surgery emphasized two things for a good recovery: one, sufficient rest, and two, proper nutrition so your body have the fuel and “parts” to do the healing.
Good luck on the weekend - rest, fluids, blah, blah, blah you know the routine.
If the swelling is going down and you’re getting the peeling skin thing, though, I’d take that as a sign things are improving. They just never improve fast enough.
Prior to menopause, I had one of these going almost constantly. I feel your pain. However, be glad that it’s located where it is. I always had them in places where I had to sit on them, or under the bra, or on an inner thigh so I couldn’t walk. Once I almost dislocated my own thumb while getting one lanced. It cracks me up how docs will dispense narcotics for tooth extractions and surgeries that don’t hurt all that much. I’d goo in with one of these and they’d tell me to take some Tylenol. HAHAHA.
I haven’t had one in ages now. One small perk from the diminishing hormones of old age.
(Goo in HAHAHA - Freudian slip!)
Thanks, Broomstick. It does help to know what I’m feeling is normal. The fever was really worrying me.
My last A1C was 5.9, which is about what it usually is, so my blood sugar isn’t normally too high. I’ve never, to my knowledge, gone above 200. Not even when I was first diagnosed. But yeah, I was surprised by the low reading, especially since I’d had breakfast this morning.
I’ve never had a staph infection before, but I know you don’t mess around with it, so I’ll definitely be following doctor’s orders.
So, no hopes for a big gooshy splort, huh? sigh I never get to have any fun.
I’ve been following this religiously (though I didn’t look at the pictures because I can read about it, but not look at it, thankyouverymuch), and I’m glad to hear you’re feeling … better-ish. Good luck and speedy healing to you.
Personally, I think I’d be kind of pissed if I had something like this going on long enough that doctors got involved and there wasn’t a big splorch at the end. You deserve something satisfying after all that bother.
The doctor himself was quite disappointed the abscess didn’t need to be lanced. Apparently, it’s one of his favorite things to do. It does seem rather anticlimactic.
Glad to hear you’re on the mend, Inter Alia. I second the importance of the hot compresses. They really help draw all the crap out. Get lots,of rest.
It’s your fault for healing up so well on your own that an intervention wasn’t required.
(Good job)
Seriously, if you can get away with a friend or family member doting on you all weekend, fixing your meals, changing the movies for you on the DVD/VHS/whatever, and otherwise babying you all weekend this is the time to do it. The rest will do your body good and help you mend faster.
If you don’t you’ll still get better, of course. I’m just saying, it’s an excuse to get a little pampering.
And this is why an abscess should not be opened until it “points”.
Whatever happened to good, old drawing salve?
A quick google shows it is still available.
Let me guess: I’m am one of a dozen people on these boards who knows what “drawing salve” is.
Drawing salve? Oooh, how did I not know this existed?
Anyway, who wants to see a drop of pus coming out of my abscess? You do!
I can’t imagine any doctor who squeezes goop out of wounds and abscesses would not at some level enjoy it. You would kind of have to enjoy it to continue to do it for a living.
I usually don’t get grossed out by seeing the stuff on youtube, but there is one doctor in India who posts things from his practice all the time.
There isn’t enough money on this planet that would make me be a dermatologist in India.
While you are recouping this weekend, I recommend getting your iPad or laptop and going to youtube. Search on abscess, or pus or one of those key words. You will be entertained for hours on end.
If *Inter Alia does the YouTube Abscess and Pimple Cruise she’ll also realize she’s far from a worst-case here, which may also be somewhat reassuring.
Well, it’s irritating to the skin for some people. Also smelly, though not so much compared to an abscess.
Worse, the one Inter Alia linked to is homeopathic, which is one of the many Wooese words for “scam”.