Painful genital bumps

[Can_U_Help]

I have had painful bumps around my vagina and thighs for several years. About 4 years ago I went to the local Health Department for my annual check up and I talked to the nurse practitioner about it. She said that they were probably hair follicles and that I should leave them alone. The only problem is they are very painful. They do not rupture. I have to squeeze them to release the puss, which is usually white or just blood. If I don’t squeeze them they are excruciatingly painful so much so that I can barely walk. I asked the nurse if she thought they looked like herpes and she said no. There is no rash or blisters like the pictures I have seen online of herpes. Where are lymph nods in your legs? I also get hard knots in the tops of my legs at my inner thigh, which is very painful. Is that lymph nods? I noticed some comments online that the lymph nods in the top of your legs get swollen. The nurse did not culture the bump. Is a culture of an outbreak the only way to test for the herpes virus or is there a blood test for if you don’t have an outbreak at the time of your appointment? I have read a few articles online that genital ulcers are commonly misdiagnosed. I am calling the health department tomorrow and scheduling an appointment. It is time for my annual check up anyway and I will talk to the nurse about it but any thoughts would be greatly appreciated and I would kind of like to know if I should be adamant about testing for the herpes virus if they try to blow me off again. This is about to worry me to death. I am not a promiscuous person. I have been married for 20 years and have only had 4 partners. My husband was my first and only for 10 years then I found out he was cheating and I left. We were separated for about 3 years and got back together. I was only sexually active with 3 partners while we were separated and 2 were one-night stands. My husband and I have been back together for 6 years now and I have been with no one but him. If I had been infected with an STD during our separation wouldn’t I have had symptoms within 2 to 3 years?

[Can_U_Help]

No results on my son's culture yet I'm going to call in the morning. This has been a rough couple of days. I think I am deffinately having a reaction to this tetracycline and I'm not sure what to do. There is no way I can afford another $65 office visit right now and while my forehead and the little red dots have cleared up some my feet are now swelling very very bad. You can't even see my ankles and the nauseau is very bad. The benadryl seems to be helping with the rashes but the swelling and nauseau is not getting better. I had to just quit working today and go lie down. This is miserable. I finished the first 10 days on my second dose Tuesday. I have taken a total of 48 pills (tetracycline) which is 12 days and I have 32 left which is 8 more days. On the one hand, I am afraid to stop taking it because I really want to get this staph out of my system but on the other hand, I am so exhausted and don't want to feel this bad anymore. I'm also a little concerned about the swelling in my feet. I need to take 2 more doses today but I just don't know. The doctor told me on the phone the other day when I called about the hives and red dots that she would leave it up to me whether to stop taking it or not since it seemed like a mild reaction. This is crazy.

[auntiejessi]

Hang in there!

Aj

[Can_U_Help]

We went to the doctor's office this morning and they swabbed the bump and said the results would be back in 2 to 5 days. It was a little strange because I though they had to get the fluid out of the bump for the culture but she just rubbed the swab across the top of the bump and it has never been opened at all. I asked her about it and she said it didn't have to be draining all she had to do was swab the outside of it. The doctor gave him sulfameth/trimethoprim 800mg twice a day. As for me I'm still having a lot of nauseau and the rash on my forehead is still there but it isn't getting any worse. The little red dots on my stomach, chest and neck are going away some so hopefully the benedryl is countering what ever is causing the reaction. I started on the second round of tetracycline yesterday so I have 38 left to take. I sure do hope this works. The spot on my leg is getting better so hopefully that's a good sign. I let you know what I find out on the swab from my son. Take care.
Talk to you soon.

[auntiejessi]

Oh I'm glad you are taking him.  I'm sorry you are still going through this.  :(

Let us know, ok?

Aj

[Can_U_Help]

Oh I said that wrong in my post..the nurse practioner at the health department told me this morning that if 100 people were tested for staph 50%(+/-) would be + and if those were then tested for MRSA approx 50% of them would be +. So that would be around 20-25%.

I'm sure it would be pretty irritating to have to go through all of the testing for staph to be admitted to the hospital but maybe that's not a bad thing either. It seems to me that this is probably why the staph/MRSA bug is so dramatic right now because of the hygiene. My boys play sports and have all of there lives back to age 5 and 6 and they are now 16 and 17. So I could have been exposed to this while washing very disgusting football, baseball or basketball uniforms. I also have had family who have been inmates and family who have worked in jails so I could have picked it up off them. Or I could've gotten it in Wal-Mart in the bathroom, off a cart or shelf, they say this is so contagious that all you have to do is touch it then touch and open surface on the skin and you got it. So hygeine must be the really big problem. I am very careful about washing my hands and I always always wash them after using a restroom (especially public) but this stuff is evidently too contagious for that. Now I pack hand sanitizer everywhere and I am starting to worry myself.

OK....BIG ONE HERE...My son now has a bump (resembling a boil) on the check of his butt. I'm trying not to worry myself into a frenzie over this but I sure hope this isn't the same thing. It doesn't look at all like the way mine started. The skin peeled back off mine and his isn't like that. He said it was tender but I told him to leave it alone if he could and I am taking him to the doctor first thing in the morning and getting it cultured.

[gracefromHHP]

Some hospitals are now routinely swabbing everyone's nose for mrsa if you are going to be admited as a patient there. Anyone with mrsa either goes on a special floor or goes into isolation.  It's probably going to be routine everywhere in the US in a few years.  Of course some of them are also swabbing anus's too for other resistant bacteria. Just makes the thought of going to the hospital so much more fun right? he he he  I mean we had to come up with something to top those attractive patient gowns that never fit anyone and show your bare butt off to the world :D   Other than that as long as you don't have any active symptoms it's not going to be an issue for you once this is all cleared up.  At the institution I am employed at if you have 3 negative nasal swabs you are considered mrsa free again if you tested + for it in the past.  I think it's something like 20% of the population has mrsa but I'd have to look that up so don't quote me.  

Glad my simpler explanations worked for you. I am the queen of simple most days I think....lol.  

grace