Extremely painful, swollen nose - staph infection?

[kansaspeg]

Came down with a big sore bump inside my left nostril.  Entire left side of nose became red and swollen.  Went to Prime Care and test showed "light staph infection".  Have been taking double-strength Bactrim along with Valtrex in case it could be the start of shingles.  It has been 4 days on meds with no improvement, but no rash either.  Extremely painful.  Wake up every 2 hours and need Vicodin.  Seems to radiate into cheek.  Scalp itches now.  Now also have one swollen, painful lymph node under left jaw.  Shouldn't the Bactrim be working by now?  Is there a more effective antibiotic that I should be using?

[peachy701]

i have recently gotten a sore in my nose that is very painful, my nose is swollen and very painful, i can't even blow my nose or stand for anyone to touch it. I also have recurring sty's in both my eyes, as soon as 1 clears up another one comes in the opposite eye, they never go away except for about 2 days. I wash my hands frequently before going to bathroom and after. I have now 2 sty's in my left eye, this makes 9 in the last 6 weeks.
Please Help

[MrAye]

I am a 28 year old male, I have gradually over the years had cistic lesions on the back of my neck under the hair which thankfully cannot be sen regularly. Sometimes I shave my head and it is apparent, whereas sometimes it is not. I went to a dermatologist in high school and he gave some topical cream but it didnt really do much good, as over th eyears between two to four months I may get one painful lesion on my nose which I assumed was from the oils rubbing on my pillow then subsequently rubbing to that side of my face particularly my nose.
Now the past few weeks at work, I thought it was strange that my left nostril was getting a weird sensitive irritation near the closer part of my nostril . I would blow my nose before or after a sneeze and sometimes a bit of blood. That was about a month ago. Now two days ago I just thought there's some sort of pimple on my left side of the outside of my nose. It was swelling and I figured i could take care of it with a rotation of clinique emergency clay mask as i dabbed it with some and some Aubrey organics Natural herbal oil balancing mask.
But I noticed something more, I usually figured after this process I could , as the skin was becoming thinner and the zit easier to break I could eleveate the pian by piercing it with a needle or simply squeezing it to release the pus and blood. However I noticed it felt like maybe another zit was forming above it. It is 4.00 am now and I have been looking up these symptoms, because i felt a sore lymph under my left jaw corresponding to the left side of my nostril.
I noticed on these posts people talking of thinking a zit was forming and not considering it otherwise. However the sensitive swelling under my left jaw, same side of my face is apparent. I've been taking an allergy relief pill and also ibuprofem sometimes as I have itchy skin at nights .
My day job has me being face to face with customers and this is kind of hard to cover up with make up as the swelling is painfully pronounced.
I am not experiencing headaches, but really never do, however the sweeling is producing a considerable throb I feel like I got punched on the lef t sideof my nose. My eye is kinda feeling dry but no significant amount of ooze to speak of.
What should I do?

[joeelectrician]

I get these infections of the nose all the time. I think because of my job as an electrician and always crawling in spaces with mold and rodent feces. Nice huh.. I usually wear a mask when I know I'll be going in a nasty area but I'm in and out so much it becomes a hassle. I've gone to many doctors and have received many treatments none of which did much good. I finally found something that works and it's called Tea Tree Oil. It may not be intended for the inner nose but i apply it as soon as I notice the painful swelling start and within two or three days the infection is cleared up. To apply it I put four or five drops on the end of a q-tip and saturate the infected area, once in the morning and once at night. It's smelly, but it works for me.

[Joy_wondering]

After comparing notes with a good friend who also happens to be a doctor, we decided that we get these most commonly when a) we don't keep our fingernails short, or when our cuticles get really rough b) we don't keep our nails and fingers clean and c) we pick our noses and/or d) we get spit on the edge of the nostril / in the nostril.  (Like when your grandma maybe used to spit on a kleenex to clean your face when you were tiny!)

Staph is normal on the surface of the skin, and even in the mouth and to some degree in the nose.  Many strains are not dangerous, and they won't go through membranes.  We figure the problem comes from a combination of introducing a particular strain of bacteria, combined with the tiny abrasions caused by fingernails or rough cuticles.  Does this apply to you?  If you're a nose-picker, and many people are, here's how to check. First, wash your fingers really well, including scrubbing your nails. (No need to create a new problem, right?) Next, gently stick the most likely picking finger in your nose, and see if the really painful spots in your nose--the ones that get infected or get in-nose pimples--line up naturally with your fingernails and/or cuticle. That's the tip-off.  

Prevention: either don't pick your nose---ever!--or at least, keep your fingernails short, your cuticles smooth, and only pick when your hands are freshly and well washed.  Avoid touching your mouth and then digging back in your nose. I don't know if it is necessary, but I also bleach or boil my handkerchiefs after an outbreak.

If you do start to notice any pain towards the tip of your nose, up towards the bridge, grab a Q-tip and try packing that corner of your nose with plain old over-the-counter antibiotic (like bacitracin or neosporin) if available in your country, and keep doing that 2 or 3 times a day until a few days after all symptoms and sensation goes away.  (The same way you're supposed to take all your antibiotic pills, even if the symptoms go away early).  Unlike open cuts, which mostly heal fine either way, the OTC antibiotic makes a huge difference.

[kamygt]

I have been having similar symptoms as every else on here..painful swelling in the right nostril. Except I have been to my primary care, 2 other primary care, an ER doctor and an ENT. All said it is cellulitis; I've been given Keflex, Bactrim and Clindomycin on several occasions and it still keeps coming back. This is now coming on to 8 months since I first starting having this problem....am I frustrated and worried as to whether I will ever get rid of this? YES!! Am I worried that this constant antibiotic use is going to do more harm than good? YES!! So now what?

[qwert260]

I use a cap full of each peroxide and alcohol and dip the tiny wisp toothbrush into the cap to load the brush.