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?

[auntiejessi]

Wow - please follow up on this.  I'm sorry you are going through so much right now, and keep us posted.  :(

Aj

[Can_U_Help]

Hey there. I've not been on the computer either for a couple of days. I finished that last dose of tetracycline on Friday and I called the office and told her that the sore still had not healed and she called in another round. She wanted be to come in and I just told her I didn't have $65 right now so she called it in and said if it wasn't better by the end of this dose I would have to come back in which I agreed to. But looks like I will go in sooner anyway. I got the results of the fasting labs back from the health department in the mail yesterday and my cholestorol was 295 and my triglicerides were 1720. The health dept tried to call me friday and I didn't see the missed call until after hours so I was just going to call them first thing Tuesday morning after the holiday weekend. Then I got a letter in the mail yesterday (Saturday) with the results and a hand written note from the nurse asking me to call in and get in to see my doctor asap. So looks like there's a little more to deal with here than just MRSA. This is crazy, no insurance and all this stuff coming up at one time. I'm just going to tell them to send me to the hospital for any testing since I don't have insurance that way I can get help with the med-assist.
Take care. Talk to you soon.

[auntiejessi]

Sorry I missed this - I've been offline most of this week.  :(

How are you feeling now?

Aj

[Can_U_Help]

I got the results of my sons culture today and it was negative for staph. I guess they can culture the bump without getting any fluid. All she did was rub the swab across the bump which had not drained at all. I asked her about it and she said she didn't have to have any of the fluid it would work without getting the actual fluids. I had a friend tell me about a clinic were they only charge $35 for an office visit. I think if I have anymore problems I am going to go to them. I have 3 and half more days on this tetracycline and hopefully this nausea and the staph will be gone for good. The sore on my leg still hasn't healed but it does look like it's getting better. If it's not gone a week or so after this antibiotic I guess I will go back to the doctor. Guess we'll see.

[Can_U_Help]

I guess that's what I will do just call her in the morning. I took a benadryl so hopefully once I get in the bed and get them up they will go down some and the benadryl may help too.

Maybe there was another antibiotic that the bacteria was sensative too and we can try it I'll ask her in the morning.

Thanks for the sympathies ; /
It'll get better though I'm sure, He (the big Man upstairs) never puts more on me than I can handle and as much as I want the meds to help get this out of my system, what ever will be will be I suppose. The big Man upstairs always has my back though so I'm just gonna chill and go with the flow (although I might whin a little here and there lol). But it'll all get better eventually I'm sure.

I'm glad I found this forum and someone to talk to, you're a great listener with a lot of good advise. It's a good thing you do here. Take care, talk to you soon.

[auntiejessi]

Well, maybe you can just do a phone consult with her and not actually have to go in.

If its making you feel this badly, there has to be another alternative.

I'm so sorry.  :(

Aj

[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

[1pickle]

i feel for you - i am going through pretty much the same thing - it's so confusing - i don't know which hurts more - the mrsa, bumps or my emotions.

[Can_U_Help]

See that's exactly how I was beginning to understand it but it seems that nobody can explain it to me like this. That is a very good description and I sure wish someone could have explained it to me that way. They just kept me running in circles, they always said it like "no this is not curable this is a problem you will have for the rest of your life and it could pop it's pesky little head up at any given time" and it can but it's just a case of everyday germs gone chaos and that makes sense. And you can be colonized (aka: a carrier) for years and then not be right? That's the way I understood it from the np at the hd this morning. Everyone is a carrier because staph is a bacteria everyone carries so to test the hubby and kids is really sensless because they will likely test as a carrier because over 50% of the population is a carrier. The only time you need to be tested is if you have a sore, right?

Thanks for the tips I do like yogurt so I will try to eat some each day. The yeast must have cleared up on it's own because it didn't show up this morning at the hd, so hopefully it is gone.

[gracefromHHP]

I can see how the information you've been given can be confusing.  Yes we all have staph on our bodies. It's completely normal when it stays where it's supposed to say ( the surface of the skin for the most part ).  We all walk around with a zillion different germs on our bodies ( and in them ) at all times. Most of them are "good" germs though even they can cause trouble when they get in an area they aren't supposed to be.  MRSA is something that yes indeed many of us have. Think of it as everyday ordinary staph bacteria gone to the dark side. Normally staph isn't an issue on our bodies - sure sometimes we get a cut and enough staph from the skin gets into it and infects it but overall it's not an issue.    mrsa is the same way - you can be colonized with it and it's normally not an issue.  Routine culturing of your family for mrsa isn't necessary because if they aren't having any problems with mrsa - it's not an issue.  You can be colonized ( which means you have enough of it on your body to be detected with routine swabbing of the nasal passages ) for years or you can be colonized for months. Pretty much if you aren't having active symptoms of complications from mrsa, it's not an issue.  normally our bodies keep the staph and the mrsa under control but sometimes it gets where it's not supposed to be and ta da - suddenly you have this annoying skin infection going on which is what is going on for you.  Your immune system is otherwise healthy so no worries about getting mrsa infections anywhere else on the body too.  Good handwashing, doing your laundry in hot water and such is all it takes to help keep this skin infection issue to yourself around the house.  

And yes as Jess already said - tetracycline is reknown for yeast infections :(  Did you ever get an otc yeast treatment for it and treat it?   You also might want to start eating some extra yogurt if you like it for the next couple of weeks to help replace your "good" bacteria in your bowels too ( look for ones with lots of active cultures in them ).  I fyou don't like yogurt I recommend lactobacillus gg ( you can usually find it at walmart now and it's called culturelle ).  It'll help replace the missing bacteria that the antibiotics have killed off while they were killing off the mrsa.  It'll help keep you from getting the runs from the antibiotics too.  

Hang in there - you'll be better soon :)

grace

[Can_U_Help]

Well I didn't get any swabs and they didn't address the staph issue at all except to answer my questions. She (the nurse at the hd) said the rash on my forehead and the little red dots on my stomach looks like an allergic reaction. She was pretty sure that I am having allergies to something and probably the tetracycline. I called my doctor as they advised me too and she said she would leave it up to me if I wasn't feeling well to stop the tetracycline and told me to get some benadryl for the reaction. If this is a reaction I am pretty sure it is a mild one. I don't feel anything like I did when I had the reaction to sulpha, I was extremely sick then. I did ask the nurse at the hd if we should have my family (husband and children) tested for staph since this appeared to go back to similar symptoms from several years ago and she said there really wasn't any reason too because everyone carries staph and it never bothers most people but some people have problems with it. But you can bet if my kids or husband ever have a spot come up on them that won’t heal they are getting a culture. I asked the nurse a lot of questions this morning about staph and she was very helpful, she talked to me for about 5 minutes answering my questions. Even though they say you can get rid of it they are also saying everyone has it and you never get rid of it. I think I am just going to keep taking the tetracycline and benadryl unless I begin having severe reactions and then I will go to the ER were I can get help with medassist. She said that the best prevention was applying antibiotic ointment to all cuts and scraps and keep your hands and house clean was about all you can do. She said most people who have problems with it have low immune systems and I probably needed to eat healthier and quit smoking and that would boost my immunity a lot. So I'm going to work on that. I feel a little better today, not as nauseous and yucky feeling. She did do a test for yeast and bladder and it was all negative. I have to go back in Friday for fasting labs, they're going to test my thyroid, cholesterol, sugar and do thorough labs because there is a history in my family. She said my thyroid was a little large, which it always has been. As for the STD testing I asked her if there was test in my chart and she said she didn't go back that far but she didn't see any signs during my exam and asked if I wanted to do that today. I explained that my husband and I were separated for about 3 years and we've been back together now for about 7 or 8 years and we haven't been with anyone else since we got back together. She said we could do the tests if I wanted to but she didn't see anything during the exam (pelvic, pap, etc) that showed concern so I told her we didn't need to. I know I had testing after we got back together and they showed up negative so I really don't see how that could be a possibility. If I had an STD for 7 or 8 years I would have had some signs by now right? I feel like I get blowed off a lot so maybe I'm just panicking or something. I'm sure if there were legitimate concerns they would insist on having it checked out with or without insurance. So I think I am just going to try to calm down about all this, try to get over this MRSA infection, keep trying to quit smoking and start eating some healthy snacks. I'm not a big junk eater but I'll start snacking on some healthy fruits and vegetables through the day and maybe that will help my immune system. I asked her about the spots on the inside of my thighs and she said they could have staph in them but they aren’t uncommon. She said to keep them clean and dry. She said most peoples problems are from jumping out of the shower and not drying off really good leaving the skin moist and sensitive to chafing and irritation from clothes. She recommended all cotton underwear and said shaving would irritate it more. Since this spot came up on my leg, I have using alcohol after shaving so hopefully if there is any bacteria the alcohol is taking care of that.
Thanks for all the help. Talk to you soon.

[auntiejessi]

Staph is one thing - MRSA is another.  Think herpes type 1 and 2, or hepatitis a, b and c - same things, mostly, but with some differences.

You should also ask if you can have a nasal swab.  I think that's the test that looks to see if you have it internally, but I don't know if you will still test pos since you have it on your skin, too.

Let me know how it goes, ok?

Aj

[Can_U_Help]

I will. I hope they can culture them at the health department. I'm hoping that they won't mind spending a little time with me helping me to understand this staph/mrsa a little better. I get a lot of conflicting information from a lot of different sources (like doctors, pharmacist, nurses, and so on). It's almost like this is something that isn't entirely understood by the medical field either, at least not around here. One says it can be cured, one says it can't, literature says it can. It sounds like if the staph isn't exposed to the MRSA strain of bacteria then it's just staph. This is what happened with my nephew. He had staph but it wasn't the MRSA. It's just all so confusing. If I have learned anything from all this it is to leave these pesky little bumps alone. If it's staph and you sqeeze it then you don't get the bacteria off your hands or say it's laying dormant under your fingernails then the chances of passing it on are extremely higher and the chances of spreading it to another part of your body is much greater. This really seems to be some pretty complex stuff and it seems a lot of it is still being understood by the medical field.

I have already taken all four doses for today but if I am still not feeling right or these rashes are worse in the morning I won't take it before going to the health department. I did find the literature for side effects of tetracycline and it said it was commonly used for acne also. I wonder if this may be a small reaction or side effect. I sure hope so because there aren't many antibiotics out there that this type of staph is sensitive to and I already know I can't take the sulpha so it's not going to be good for me if I end up allergic to another one. My skin is very dry especially on my face and neck. When I take a shower sometimes the hot water just about knocks me out. It doesn't really sting or burn it's just like my skin is super super sensitive. I will keep you posted though. I'll let you know what they tell me tomorrow.
Have a good night!

[auntiejessi]

I think you need to stop the tetracycline, just in case this is a reaction.  One day isn't going to make a difference.

You should also make sure these spots aren't MRSA.

I'm getting really concerned about you, so I hope you keep me posted.

Aj

[Can_U_Help]

Ya I know..my body is actually fighting 3 infections, head cold, MRSA and yeast infection. I'm going to try to get some help with this in the morning. I'm still feeling very yucky today and I don't usually stay sick very long. I can usually bounce back pretty fast but this is going on 10 days. I finish the first round of tetracycline tomorrow. I take 4 a day and I have 5 left in the first script. Now my whole forehead is covered with little white bumps that look like pimples and they are coming up on my chest too. I have felt like someone is throwing scalding water on my face all day its so dry. I guess this might be a side effect too but hopefully the nurse can help me with understanding some of the side effects at my appointment tomorrow. I don't know for sure if I'm having a reaction to the tetracycline but the insert from the pharmacy said it was highly unlikely to have a reaction so maybe it's just side effects. I know when I had the reaction to sulpha I was burning up with fever and I've only been a little feverish today but nothing to be concerned about. I'm going to google after I get some work done and hopefully I will find a few common side effects.

Glad to hear your feeling better.

[auntiejessi]

Hon -

You have MRSA.  You have a yeast infection.  Your body is fighting two infections at once, and you've had MRSA a long freaking time.  Its no wonder you feel bad.

You have 4 kids and a husband and a job (what - no dog?)  That alone can make you tired, even if you weren't sick. You yourself said life doesn't stop.  

Just don't be too hard on yourself, ok?

The ankle is ok.  I am over it now, but its not getting much better.

Aj

[Can_U_Help]

Oh...thanks for the kind thoughts. I hate feeling so bad and drug down all the time, but I've read how antibiotics are really bad for dragging you down so maybe that's part of it. I have a pretty fast paced job, 4 kids and a husband so life doesn't stop when I get sick. All the responsibilities are still there and I don't get a lot of sympothy around here so I'm just getting in the dumps a little I guess. I'll bounce back I'm sure.
Thanks for the help.
Hope your ankle is getting better. : )
Talk to you soon.

[auntiejessi]

Oh tetracycline can give you yeast easily.  :(  I'm sorry you have that on top of everything else.

I think you can wait till Tuesday.  Make sure to ask them about assistance programs.  

I'm sorry you feel so miserable.  

Aj

[Can_U_Help]

Ok now I have a yeast infection. Can this be from the tetracycline? I spent the whole afternoon on the couch yesterday and felt like ****. Still not feeling my best at all. The bumps are still there on the inside of my thighs. One of them drained a bloody color and stained the side of my panties. Think I should see doctor or wait until Tuesday morning for my appointment at the health department. I can't really afford another office visit the other two have already set us back on one bill. The stress of not having a clue if this is all issues related to the staph infection is driving me nuts too. Got any advise for the yeast infection (home remedies, etc) that I can try and hopefully put this off until 9:15 Tuesday morning? The sore on my leg (calf) is itching like crazy and starting to dry up so I think it's beginning to heal. Any advise is greatly appreciated.
Thanks