Do I need to worry about this?

[patsy44]

Hi hope you can help me a bit. I have been getting hard red lumps on the right side of my face. This first started a month ago, when I thought I'd had a bite from a bug, I put some bite relief cream on it, and after a few days it went, it was a bit itchy, I remember. After two weeks or so it came back up again, damn how could I have abite in the very same place I thought, and again put on the stuff and it went away, then maybe a week or two later another lump appeared a little away from the first one, same deal, a bite I reckoned, then last week a 4th turned up in the middle of my cheek a distance away from the others but on the same side of my face. It did nothing for a few days then pow, it swelled up and was red, sore and extremely painful and v v swollen. My glands were swollen and I had a temp.My dr prescribed Flucloxacillin 500mg 4 times a day, it started going down, then two days later, another one appeared, same side of my face, and is currently a little hard lump. I am so fed up. I am nearly 37, whats going on? I had a sore eye inbetween all of these lumps, and it was a little spot like thing inside my lower lid, I treated it with over the counter cream and it went. In total this has been going on about 6 weeks.
I am petrified this is a symptom of something more serious, I have a HIV phobia, and a phobia of blood and needles, so mainly I am worried this is whats causing this. I know this all makes me sound like a complete nut case, but have been on the road to recovery and now this has started!!
Does you have any advice for me?  Do you think these are abscesses or is it some kind of nasty acne?

[patsy44]

Thanks for your swift reply. I have spoken to my Dr this morning and she has suggested continueing for a week on my flucloxacillin, and then having fasting glucose bloods done and a full blood count. i am quite scared about it all, do you think  its something serious, or probably just one of those mysterious things that happen in life? I know its tricky when you can't see me, or the horrible red lumps on my face.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

To be frank, I'm not sure.  This sounds like a bacterial infection causing abscesses.  It does not sound like acne, or like HIV.  I think your doctor may need to consider lancing one or more of these lumps (or having a surgeon do so), in order to get a specimen for analysis, culture, and perhaps biopsy.  I suggest you contact your doctor about this first thing tomorrow.

Dr. Rockoff