Abscess & Cellulitis

[mamajenkinz]

About a week and a half ago I started to develope a lump, redness, and pain just outside the crease of my right thigh. Over the weekend it progressively got larger, developed a whitehead, and started draining pus/blood on its own (DO NOT try pushing, sqeezing or poking with a needle on your own).During this time it was VERY painful and hard to walk, sit or get comfortable. Once that finished, there was blood, lots of it, but this is normal (I of course did not know this and began to panic). Just put a dry gauze or paper towel there and change it frequently. I wanted to go to the hospital but because of the high cost and lack of good insurance, I was advised by my father to wait and see a dermotologist the following Monday. Yet when I arrived, she said that " we usually treat an abscess during the beginning stages and this was to sever for her to handle" and sent me to the hospital anyways. I was pissed!
The ER doctor first stuck a huge, long needle into my thigh near the abscess, which went about half way into my leg. This was a VERY painful procedure and it barely took away the pain (honesty I felt EVERYTHING!) Once my leg was "supposedly" numb, he then proceded to to slice open the wound "so it could drain more." I screamed, cryed, and left scratches and bruses on my mother's arm during the whole procedure (and I have a very high tolerence for pain so be prepared!) After feeling the scalple slicing open my abscess, then the doctor found a previous abscess under that one and had to slice it open as well. After all of this, it was time to begin packing the wound with this stringgy gauze filled with antibiotic by using a small pair of sissors to do it. I felt everything! It felt like he was poking the abscess with the sharp sissor and then dragging it around the inside edges of the wound. Another very painful and tramatic experience!
He wanted me to come back to the hospital the very next day because I also had an infection inside called cellulitis which is "a very serious condition" and must be watched carefully. Usually the packing remains inside the abscess for two days and then removed. When I returned they first removed the gauze which is not that painful, but then had to push on the wound to see if anymore pus came out..ouch! Then it was repacked again (again very painful, especially when using sissors to do it) because the wound was so deep and infected. I returned to the ER the following day and had the packing removed for the final time and then was told to have a follow up visit with either my primary care doctor or dermotologist to make sure it's healing properly.
I believe that this abscess was cause by a pair of underwear that was too tight, cutting off the circulation to a gland that lies right outside the crease of the thigh. The paperwork suggests that an abscess (sometimes called a "boil" occurs when bacteria gets trapped under the skin and begins to grow) can be caused by an insect bite, ingrown hair, blocked oil gland, "pimple," cyst, or punctured wound. The pus forms inside the abscess as the body responds to the bacteria. Antibiotics are not required in the treatment of a simple abscess, unless the infection is spreading into the skin around the wound known as "cellulitis" (which I had).
Here is everything I was perscribed and told to do:
- Medication: Bactrim or Septra and Keflex (because occasionally with cellulitis the infection will be resistant to one antibiotic and another must be perscribed)
- Home care with cellulitis: (1)limit the use of the affected part, since excess movement can cause the infection to spread. (2) if the infection is on the leg, walk as little as possible during the first few days of treatment and keep your leg elevated whil sitting to reduce swelling.(3) be careful not to miss any doses of antibiotics, especially during the first seven days.
-Home care with abscess: (1) the wound may drain for the first two days so cover the wound with a clean DRY bandage (I used gauze pads). If the dressing becomes soaked with blood or pus, change it.(2) Once the gauze packing is removed you should wash the area carefully in the shower or bath ONCE A DAY, untill the skin opening has closed. (3) You may use acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil) to control the pain
- keep the wound as dry as possible once drained, just wash the area around it
- healing of the wound will take about one to two weeks depending on the size of the abscess (but don't worry, they write you a doctor's note for work)
- get the lump checked out as soon as it starts forming to avoid cellulitis and going to the hospital (you might still have to have it drained but at least you can go to a cheaper doctor who WILL do it and not experience all the pain and suffering of a full blown abscess)

[dmgrady]

I have been dealing with these abscesses for about 4 or 5 years. What's weird is I can usually go about 6 months without one, but they usually come every 6 months or so. I am at this very moment recovering from one that was right under my left eye. TALK ABOUT A SCARY AND PAINFUL ORDEAL! I have been to the ER 4 times in the past week with this thing. The first visit I was seen only by a RN nurse for about 2 minutes and told it was cellulitis and was given keflex and bactrim to take 4 times a day each! I don't know about y'all but them antibiotics wreak havoc on my stomach and body in general. The second visit was 2 days later antibiotics were not touching it. This time I was actually seen by a doctor that had concern. He ordered all types of blood tests, I have very small veins so they had to stick my hands not once, not twice, but three times because the phlebotomist said they needed to check the levels of infection on both sides of my body, then not even 5 minutes later the nurse came in and said they were hooking me up to an IV and running 2 high power antibiotics in me, I know 1 was vancomycin, have no idea what the other was. Then I was wheeled to the radiology dept because the doc wanted to see how deep the infection was on a CT scan. He then told me it was preseptal cellulitis wrote a script for lortab for pain and told me to continue antibiotics. The very next day I was forced to go back because my left eye was swollen so bad I couldn't open it. This time I had 3 docs come in and they told me they wanted to stick a needle in it to see if it was filled with pus or fluid. VERY PAINFUL ORDEAL! NO NUMBING MEDS OR NOTHING AT THAT POINT! 5 minutes later he came back and said it was definatley pus and they wanted to drain it. Now after already having this done before on a very less sensitive part of the body, I already knew what the pain was like so I asked if they could put me to sleep to do it because I knew it was going to be rough. He told me they could not, but could hook a IV up and give me some pain meds first so I agreed. Little did I know what they gave me for pain was 8 times stronger than morphine and would leave me feeling like a drug addict for the next 3 days! They gave me dilutan and "numbed" it with lidocaine. The worst part was sticking the needle in to numb it, and him pushing around in my eye for about 5 minutes after he cut it. I really didn't feel the cut that bad, felt the packing to some degree though. They told me the pain meds they gave me through IV would wear off in about 4 to 6 hours and to resume the lortab script they previously gave me. I got home and sure enough the pain meds wore off, or so I thought, so I took a lortab. Later that night I was up with the shakes and throwing up. And for the next 2 days I was going through what felt like dt's I was assuming from the hospital heroin they had given me. I just went back today to have the packing taken out. Doc says its healing well, continue antibiotics until they are all gone. But I have a black eye now, and its still draining. Yet he tells me I can return to work tomorrow. Yea right, my body is still trying to heal, and I look hideous. I'm a cashier at a grocery store, I can only imagine what customers are going to think when they see me with a black eye and a large bandage over the cut with blood and infection draining through the gauze. These things are NOT fun, and I would not wish them on my worst enemy! I was told that if you get these things regularly its from a bacteria called MRSA and unfortunatley there is NO WAY to completely rid yourself of them because no matter how clean you keep your skin, u always carry the bacteria. They did say that washing with a soap called hibicleanse would reduce the chances of getting them, but been there done that, the stuff is like 13 dollars for a small bottle that you are supposed to use every day. Not to mention I got one before while using the hibicleanse soap. So I don't think its worth it. I am soooooooo past my limit with these as well, so if someone can add to my quest to find relief for this, please inform me! Someone in a earlier post questioned the relativity to getting a flu shot as being a factor for getting them. I too wonder that same thing. I have been getting the flu shot every year for the past 5 years. And that's about how long I've been dealing with these. So I too can see some sort of connection possibly there. We will never get a doc to question it or agree though cause I guess those flu shots are the miracle vaccines. Needless to say, I'm not getting one this year. I'm conducting my own little experiment.

[helsel]

Did you ever find out what was wrong? My daughter has something similar but she has also had seizures.

[WandieLu]

Thanks for sharing yourexperience.  I just retuned from the ER and diagnoised with an abcess w/ cellulitis.  They numb me so the pain was not that bad.  On anitbiotics and pain killers.  Overall, this is a horribly awful experiences.  I hope never to have it again :(  Whatever I can do to prevent it, I will.

[SamAsh1995640]

I found this post VERYYYY different then my experience. My skin had swelled around the size of a grapefruit with a cyst that was peeling in the center and we immediately rushed to the ER. I am a complete baby when it comes to pain so I was super nervous. The shot was 6 inches long, and felt like 2 little pinches. The lancing was uncomfortable, especially when the dr. looked at me and said "hmmmm, the pus is very thick" but I put myself in a happy place and while it hurt I never screamed or cried. It's been almost a week and every two days they are repacking it (3x) because even though the cellulitis is gone the staph is taking a bit longer. I was given medication prior to every repacking and it feels like getting my eyebrows tweezed. Every experience is different and the nurses will tell you it will be very painful, but try to stay calm and mediate and it will be over before you know it.

[Rosemaryrandy2012]

I have went to the hosptial this past tuesday cause i had lump and sore under my left breast. The nurse just took one look and said it was cellulitis and to take a antibotic and go to the doc after my meds are gone now its draining and i am worried very worried

[RainnStarr]

They only have to cut and drain it if it has an abcess, I believe that is causedbig cellulitis is not treated. I just had twin babygirls 5 months ago :) well when I was almost 8 months pregnant I had cellulitis on mine also. I went to ER but wud not let them lance it bc it hurt so bad, it was ab the size of a golf all. They gave me antibiotics. 2 days later it was the size of a fist. All I could do was lay n the bed, could barely walk bc of the cellulitis and my belly being the size of a house, but had to get up to pee every 20 mins. From being pregnant. I was n so much pain I jus decided to go back to the ER and let them lance it. My mother had to borrow a van just to get me to the hospital bc I cud only lay down. So they "numb" it.. Little did I know it only numbs the surface so u don't feel them cutt it open. The doctor squeezed for ab 5 minutes!.. Felt like eternity! If my belly wasn't so big and I cud have jumped up on my own, I wud have! I have never n my life experienced suck excruciating pain! It literally hurt worse than delivering my 2 girls. I was Screaming n pain the whole time! It left a hole as big around and as deep as my pinky. My boyfriend had to change the packing for me, every 2 days, for ab 2 months. It's now 4 months later and I have had cellulitis 3 more times since then. Luckily no abcess yet. I just got rid of it on my nose, using antibiotic. And now I 1 on my chin. Just happend 2 nites ago, I'm goin to the doc n the morning. I'm so scared its going to an abcess! I'v been reading up on it and u can get cellulitis n the eye, it's scaring the crap out of me. Having it n ur eye can cause ur brain to swell and blindness. I just wish I cud get rid of it for good!