Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Other Health Discussion => Topic started by: countrybumpkin on September 16, 2013, 09:07:18 PM
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I have had a small spot/lump on the fleshy part of my pubic bone for about a year. At first it looked like a blocked hair follicle as there was a hair in the centre of it but it was small and paniless. Slowly slowly it has got bigger and bigger and now is painful to touch/press.
I have put off going to Gp as my normal GP is a young man who himself asks his female patients to go to the lady Dr with anything of the female kind as he says no woman wants him having to have a rummage ;D
I have got appt with lady GP for this thursday but am so embarrased about having to show her as I am very overweight and its not a good look flashing that part of your anatomy!
I am assuming its a blocked hair follicle and its now getting inflamed and yukky. I have had an absess in my vagina in the past and that was traumatic to say the least at I had it three times before I managed to get it cleared up!
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Dr will have seen it all before. Heck I had to have internal exam yesterday, including back passage. Not pleasant for sure, but necessary.
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Sounds like somthing I have had in the past, and it was a sebaceous cyst....
Don't worry about showing your bits, it's all part of a doctors job.....all shapes all sizes they have seen it all before :)
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;D ;D I know a retired GP and he had me in stitches when I asked him what he really thought about the sights he sees. He said that mens bums made him cringe in horror and when nubile young ladies stipped off their bras he always had a split second thought of "mmmm nice" before becoming a Dr again. As you say they ahve seen it all but they are human as well or at lest most of them are ::)
I am bathing it with hot water and tea tree oil in the hope I can get it to a head that will burst before Drs appt. My husband says to stick a sterile needle in it and squeeze :o :o but think I will leave that until I have seen the Dr!
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Blooming heck its agony :o Full blown abcess developed. Went to Dr this morning and she confimed its was abcess and had given me very strong antibiotics for 7 days and said keep on with the hot salt water compresses and see if it will burst as well. It did leak some yesterday so my husband pressed lightly, I screamed and attached myself to ceiling. Some really horrible stuff came out and it was a bit less painful after but no way could I press on it as I nearly passed out with pain.
Today its back to its agonising best again. I know that the antibiotics can make it more painful for first 24 hrs.
Dr said it was infected hair follicle.
I am super busy at moment, going away for three days next week and house is about to go up for sale as well ::) This is all I need!
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Have you any tea tree oil. Go and sit in as warm a bath as you can stand and see if it will burst.
It sounds really sore but the ABs will get rid of the infection.
Our bodies just seem to conspire against us.
Hope you feel better soon.
Honeyb
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Hi there, just thought i would add my bit! if the antibiotics dont work please go back to your GP as it may have gone too far and you need an operation to clear it out, this can cause blood poisoning if left. sorry bout that but same thing happened to me!! Hope its ok.x
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Don't worry I would be back at my GP pronto if no improvement in a few days! I know all about cellulitis and blood poisoning as my son got it frm a foot abcess and he nearly lost his foot.
My husband has had a look! and said its getting a big head on it which will be why its so painful. I am using salt and tea tree oil in hot water, this combination worked a treat last time for getting it to form a head and burst.
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Have you tried it in the bath. I had a huge one on my bum and it was the only way I could get it to burst. The relief was wonderful although it did fill up again twice. I eventually got some old fashioned TCP cream which stinks but it really did the job.
Honeyb
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Never thought of tcp cream but have to admit I would have to not leave the house because that smell is all pervasive ;D
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My hubby is diabetic and any cuts or spots especially on his legs and feet can be dangerous and are very hard to heal because of poor circulation. I always put TCP cream on any cuts and they never go nasty and he heals well. Sometimes the old stuff works really well.......but yes he stinks. ;D
It's worth a go. Nothing can survive that smell.
Honeyb
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How is it all going CB? I had a boil on the inside of my leg near the vagina which was hell. Had to have it drained in hospital so when it came back a year later, I decided that I'd deal with it myself! Used hot water and salt and with a Q tip, kept making it come to a head. Then I braved it by lancing it with a sterile needle! The stuff that comes out is horrible but I couldn't face the hospital again. It never came back. Hope you have some relief soon.
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I'm not a happy bunny :P Its incredibly painful. I am doing the salt water/tea tree oil treatment and so far have got it to burst twice and got lots of gross stuff out but its still got plenty to go. I am just praying that the combination of my getting it to burst and the strong antib's will get rid of it but like you I have past experience of them in this area and my last one took 3 episodes to finally clear it. I was a week away from having it operated on last time :o
I was supposed to be away seeing friends next week but have just cancelled as moving at all is agony plus if it does not improve early next week Dr said I had to go back.
Next time I get the little hard lump that doesn't hurt I am not going to ignore it cos I know what will happen if I do.
Thanks for asking about me, only a fellow sufferer knows the agony :o
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I know this is gross but you have to keep squeezing until the hard lump comes out (you prob know this) or it won't go away. When they operated on mine, they had to get it open and drain it every day (nurse came) so it does take some time. Hope you'll get to the bottom of it, as it were and feel better soon. Talk about the menopause being a taboo subject :o imagine having to explain your condition to folk who inquire why you can't walk properly ::) Sorry had to see the funny side but I do know your pain. Loads of hugs, Rose :hug:
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Hi Countrybumpkin
Sorry to hear about your abscess, they are so painful! Hope things are improving. Just wanted to mention that your G.P should check you out for diabetes- sometimes skin infections are the first sign of this and anyone with a boil should be checked out.
best wishes,
Angela
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Thanks Angela. Good advice. My husband is a insulin dependant diabetic so checking my blood sugar is not a problem :) My fasting glucose was 5 which is fine so I know its not diabetes but it is something everyone should know.
Bet my GP doesn't check though ::)
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:o
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It's not something that they do generally check for. My hubby is also insulin dependent so I can also easily check. I have always been fine although I think I have only checked twice in four years.
Honeyb
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Hi have you tried magnesium sulphate paste.
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Whats magnesium sulphate paste and where do I get it ;D please.
I agree about having to get all the lump out before it will go away but trouble is that there is a limit to how much you can squeeze before passing out with the pain and my Gp said don't squeeze to hard or you can rupture it which risks blood poisoning :o.
I have a horrible feeling that this is not going to clear up because although its smaller than it was and not quite as painful its only letting small amounts of gunk out every day and obviosuly lots more needs to come out!
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You can get the paste from any chemist. How I have used it in the past is to put a good amount on and cover with a damp dressing....something like lint. Then cover with a dry dressing. The idea is that the paste draws out the pus.
It's a very old fashioned method but it works really well.
Honeyb
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Blood poisoning will only happen if the abscess bursts inside the body, or if you have an open wound/scratch close to any discharge outside of the painful area.
How is it today?
Granma swore by hot salty water or Zinc and caster oil ointment ::)
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I could not get magnesium paste within a 20 mile radius of my house - rubbish chemists but
I've got a very old fashioned remedy that is working wonders its a pot of glycerine and icthamol drawing ointment. Its about 40 years old :o and was from my husband long dead aunty who was a district nurse. We have always used it to get splinters out - its like a miracle cream. Its disgusting stuff almost black and very sticky and smells of sulphur. We always knew it as the black ointment.
Since I put it on last night the abcess is half the size it was and is much more of a volcano shape and getting a good head. I can tell a head is forming as it feels like I am being stung by a thousand wasps :(
I am back to Drs tomorow afternoon. Not sure what she will do - I am hoping that another dose of the black ointment overnight will get it to burst again.
This is longest and most painful thing I have had in a long time.
The antibiotics don't seem to have had a great effect its the getting it to a head and bursting it that has been helping.
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If it does not go overnight then maybe your GP will lance it. At least that way you will get rid of the pain.
Fingers crossed for you.
Honeyb
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Glad your lump is improving countrybumkin, I was very intrigued about the black ointment and googled it and found you can get it on amazon, I asked my OH about it, he is always telling me about old-fashioned remedies his mum used and he remembered it.
I did think that topical antibiotic cream might have worked better then oral.
Don't forget to tell the Dr about the black ointment, sometimes the best remedies are the old ones.
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Well I now have a hole in the abcess :o and this mornng got some solid white stuff out that is obviously the original stuff that was blocking the follicle. Still some more to come out that is too big for hole ::) but hopefully will come out slowly n bits. Sorry for too much info ;)
I will tell Dr about the stuff I used - not sure I dare take the pot with me as its horrible stuff and she may have the vapours ;D
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;D .... we call those long stiff excretions 'maggots' :o ...... I thought of you at 1.00 a.m. as I squeezed a hard spot on my butt :-X - gone this morning 8)
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Hard maggots ;D
Dr had a look and said that she hoped it was resolving and said that the oral antibiotics don't work if it hasn't burst??? new one on me but would explain why they did not seem to be doing anything.
I cannot use the miracle cream if I have an open wound but she did give me some antibiotic cream to put on while I have the hole.
She said it may come back and the choice is either to try and get it to burst again or she can send me to A&E to have it lanced :o :o
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I would get it lanced. Then it will be flushed out with probably saline solution before being packed with antibiotic lint so that it heals from the inside out, may require daily dressings ...... :-X
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It doesn't need lancing at the moment as its has a great hole in it and is weeping stuff out all the time. My husband got lots of solid stuff out this morning .
Its just if it seals up and comes up again that she said I could either get it to burst again or she could send me to get it lanced.
I am just praying that it clears out and calms down now and doesn't come back!
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Keep the area around the 'wound' clean: about 2" round the area: too. Savlon wipes? Gently cleanse the area and if possible, go naked to allow the air to it ........
Sit in a warm salted bath?
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Yep am doing all of this plus the antibiotic cream 4 times a day.
Its a very small lump now just where the hole is and its till getting rid of small amounts of pure white stuff so hope to keep it open for a few days to get everything out.
PS I refuse to go commando when I am outside, just my luck a strong wind or I would trip over ;D ;D
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Legs akimbo ;D
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Yes, I agree. If abscesses keep coming back it could be a sign of diabetes.
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Def not diabetic :) I can test my blood anytime due to hubby being insulin dependant diabetic.
I have a friend who kept getting cellulitis and it was due to him have cealiac ( can't spell!) disease. Amazing what can cause what!
I have only started to get abcesses and last ones were 4 years ago once I became menopausal and although I asked Dr if there was a connection and she said no , I am sure myself its another lovely meno thing. mutter mutter ;D
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If things crop up whilst we are in meno then there is a connection ;)
How is it today?