Aa
Abcess
Once an abscess has drained without surgery how long does it take to heal completely? Also I seem to have an indentation where the fluid used to be. How long/if ever will it take to fill in and smooth out? Any input would be greatly appreciated.
what nadianomas said is right. I think everybody's body will react different. For now I believe I am cleared of GM, although I am left with a scarry tissue. I think that my abscess took around 6 months to heal, from the time it stopped draining to now.
Hi LilFlo211
From what I know of GM, or IGM, the abscess is simply a collection of inflammatory debris due to your body trying to resolve the inflammation of IGM in the breast. When the fluid or debris caused by this process, becomes too much to remain contained in the breast, a 'sinus' or path to the skin will develop, (I was always able to tell where this was going to happen by a darkening and thinning of the skin) and the fluid will drain through this opening created in the skin.
I have written many times about the benefits of having the accumulations of fluid drained before they are able to create a pathway and drainage through the skin. A radiologist will typically use ultrasound and insert a needle and drainage needle or tube, in to the breast and drain the area. By using this method you avoid having a spontaneous breakage of the skin, and are only left with a needle mark, which is not really invisible.
To answer your question, lol, I like to go on and on sometimes, after the underlying inflammation has resolved, so will the drainages or 'burst abscesses'. The holes will heal over with much time, and in my case, over many months, the breast does tend to sort of level itself out.
Every case of GM is different, as is every breast.
I highly encourage anyone having the healthcare coverage to have guided drainages, rather than letting the inflammation burst the skin. You will experience pain relief and the damage to the breast is controlled.
This also controls infection risk, as having open wounds on the breast is not great...I was always advised to use Polysporin (an antibiotic cream in Canada), and to keep the wound covered in a non-stick bandage. This will help to collect and draining and control infection.
Other women have used clays, etc. to heal their wounds, with good success.
Some women will have multiple draining wounds at one time..they do tend to stay open while the inflammation is active, so that the debris fluid can drain out.
oh and some women report that using breast feeding pads over the wounds is a great way to go and cheaper than non-stick bandages
also I would recommend avoiding bathing when you have open wounds, for infection control, and to have showers instead
I was also always put on a strong antibiotic when I had any openings, so that infection would not develop. Worked for me.
Wishing you well
GM is not a pretty disease, but can be managed.
JoJo
From what I know of GM, or IGM, the abscess is simply a collection of inflammatory debris due to your body trying to resolve the inflammation of IGM in the breast. When the fluid or debris caused by this process, becomes too much to remain contained in the breast, a 'sinus' or path to the skin will develop, (I was always able to tell where this was going to happen by a darkening and thinning of the skin) and the fluid will drain through this opening created in the skin.
I have written many times about the benefits of having the accumulations of fluid drained before they are able to create a pathway and drainage through the skin. A radiologist will typically use ultrasound and insert a needle and drainage needle or tube, in to the breast and drain the area. By using this method you avoid having a spontaneous breakage of the skin, and are only left with a needle mark, which is not really invisible.
To answer your question, lol, I like to go on and on sometimes, after the underlying inflammation has resolved, so will the drainages or 'burst abscesses'. The holes will heal over with much time, and in my case, over many months, the breast does tend to sort of level itself out.
Every case of GM is different, as is every breast.
I highly encourage anyone having the healthcare coverage to have guided drainages, rather than letting the inflammation burst the skin. You will experience pain relief and the damage to the breast is controlled.
This also controls infection risk, as having open wounds on the breast is not great...I was always advised to use Polysporin (an antibiotic cream in Canada), and to keep the wound covered in a non-stick bandage. This will help to collect and draining and control infection.
Other women have used clays, etc. to heal their wounds, with good success.
Some women will have multiple draining wounds at one time..they do tend to stay open while the inflammation is active, so that the debris fluid can drain out.
oh and some women report that using breast feeding pads over the wounds is a great way to go and cheaper than non-stick bandages
also I would recommend avoiding bathing when you have open wounds, for infection control, and to have showers instead
I was also always put on a strong antibiotic when I had any openings, so that infection would not develop. Worked for me.
Wishing you well
GM is not a pretty disease, but can be managed.
JoJo
I'm a recovering individual living with GM for over three years. I still endure occasional stabbing-type pains which are most likely related to my monthly hormone changes and variations in stress levels.
In my case, I found the abscesses did fill-in. It does seem to take a long, long time. Unfortunately, what sometimes seems to happen is that where an abscess was, another may flourish, adding to the time and general outcome of the area healing. Also, it seems that scar tissue quite often develops as the new cells fill-in the indented area. The breast, as others have mentioned, will typically appear somewhat more flaccid and not as youthful looking as before GM. Nevertheless, I'm sure everybody is different, and although everyone of these cases seem to follow a "typical" path, by no means they are all the same.
I wish you healing and tranquility. I do have found that my GM tends to want to react to stress, so anything that helps you lower your stress is probably going to allow your body to heal better.
In my case, I found the abscesses did fill-in. It does seem to take a long, long time. Unfortunately, what sometimes seems to happen is that where an abscess was, another may flourish, adding to the time and general outcome of the area healing. Also, it seems that scar tissue quite often develops as the new cells fill-in the indented area. The breast, as others have mentioned, will typically appear somewhat more flaccid and not as youthful looking as before GM. Nevertheless, I'm sure everybody is different, and although everyone of these cases seem to follow a "typical" path, by no means they are all the same.
I wish you healing and tranquility. I do have found that my GM tends to want to react to stress, so anything that helps you lower your stress is probably going to allow your body to heal better.
I had two burst over the long weekend too. The smaller one is healing a lot faster, than the larger one. The larger one is still a little weepy... I find small amounts of clear yellowish fluid on my breast bad daily. It also looks a little indented where the abscess used to be. The bruising is now minimal, and I am not in any pain. How are you doing? Unfortunately, I feel another one coming to the surface. Hoping this nightmare ends soon. Take care.
I am wondering the same, but seems like it can take months to completely heal. My abscess burst last Saturday and although it been less than a week I'm looking forward to when it heals. I'd also like to know how to tell if te abscess is healing correctly. Mine doesn't really drain puss nor blood anymore even since it burst, but looks aweful. I don't have any pain but just looking at the wound makes me cringe. Anyone who's had abscesses before and have healed, how do I know that my abscess is healing? As if right now it looks like a fresh wound and it's been 6 days post burst. Thank you!!
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