Okay, I know I'm crazy, but now you can tell me so. (gross)

[ThomCat]

I am prone to abscesses. A mosquito bite on my abdomen is now a rock hard infection the size of a golf ball and that is half internal and half external.

I see the surgeon on Saturday. He's was going to cut it open, and then it was just going to drain for a week before getting stitched closed. That's how the surgeon handled the last four. But it was getting HUGE and so horribly painful that I couldn't wear a shirt. I couldn't wait for the surgeon. So I cut it open myself.

I maxed out my morphine, sterilized a razor blade, cut it open and cleaned out as much as I could. It has been draining now for two days. It is now down to about 1/3 the size it was before, it hurts a hell of a lot less, and I can bandage it and wear clothing over it again. When I see the surgeon he'll only have to finish cleaning it out, neaten up the edges, and pack it.

Yes, I have been taking antibiotics for a few days already. I'm crazy but I'm not stupid. :P

[JVS]

1. Technically you're not asking for medical advice, nor is this really a bodily function thread.

Nevertheless, I have a feeling that I am responding in such a way that I'm IBTL

:puke:

[ThomCat]

11. I posted this late

so this could still get locked today. I don't think I broke any rules, but you could be right.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. My dear ThomCat!

You are neither crazy nor stupid!

I'd say you're very intelligent!

I'd like to hear what your surgeon has to say, though!

Glad you're doing better, sweetie...:hug:

[ThomCat]

13. I can't wait.

I am probably going to get a lecture about being irresponsible, and the risk of making things worse, etc. :P

I know I could have gone to the E.R. and had a doctor there open it up and clean it out for me, but they would not have swabbed it out and run the tests I want done. I want this thoroughly tested to know why this keeps coming back. My half-assed job allows my surgeon to finish the cleaning, get the cultures, and run the tests.
:shrug:

[LeftyMom]

3. I bet next time they'll find a way to make you an appointment.

;)

I don't think that's crazy, but I've done my own stitches without so much as a little numbing agent, so I have weird standards when it comes to medical self-care.

[ThomCat]

15. I'm not nearly tough enough to do this without the morphine.

:wow:

This hurt far more than either of my previous kidney stones. Even as numbed as I could get there were a whole lot of tears and clenched teeth involved. :(

I hope you're right though. If I have any other emergencies in the future it would be really nice to hear "we'll see you right away." :)

[VenusRising]

4. Good for you for taking control.

I had to do that for someone once because the doctor at the clinic refused to do anything. The poor person couldn't even sit down (now you know where it was) and was causing a fever. Sometimes, you just have to do what you have to do. The doctor was amazed that someone else had done it, but some things are too painful to suffer through when you can handle them yourself.

Hang in there, and feel better. :hug:

P.S. I got the supplies for your second shirt last night. It should be out to you by next week. :D

[ThomCat]

16. I am so jealous that LizzieGrace gets to come back to visit you.

:hug:

You are a good fried, and that was a really shitty doctor.

[VenusRising]

50. We are going to be talking about you, anyway.

:loveya: :hug:

[flvegan]

5. You're not crazy, homeskillet.

You're educated. The "been there, done that" mentality is a good one.

Want to know how many stitches I took out of dogs BEFORE I took them out of people, including myself? I've given more shots than most folks in practice.

You live, you learn. I'm sorry for your problem, but I like your style.

[ThomCat]

18. Yep, now that I've seen the doctors do this a few time

it's no big deal to do myself. If my hands were a big stronger and steadier I could have done a better job. :)

And as much as healthcare in this country totally sucks, and is often restricted and unavailable, I'm surprised that we all don't hear a lot more about people having to take bits of healthcare into their own hands.

[ghostsofgiants]

6. Dude...eww.

But hey, you gotta do what you gotta do, I guess. :P

[ThomCat]

19. It was that or sit at home with no shirt on looking like an alien

was about to hatch. It's small enough now that a band-aid covers it. :)

[boilerbabe]

62. You are so Balls Out!! killerrrr...!! n/t

[GoddessOfGuinness]

7. ...

:hug:

[ThomCat]

20. Thank you, Goddess.

:hug:

[yellowdogintexas]

8. you did all the things my mom did when my sister got abscesses from mosquito

bites as a child.

Shame on the surgeon for not seeing you sooner; and good on you for not letting it fester even more. That's a recipe for a systemic blood infection there.

[ThomCat]

22. I'm sorry that your sister had to deal with these.

That seems like a hell that no child should ever have to suffer. :(

I'm glad your mom was able to handle it.

[yellowdogintexas]

30. well. we had good advice and excellent supplies from the pediatrician, who was

20 miles away. What is it with the mosquito bites anyway? We always figured the actual break in the skin allowed the infection to set up, and of course years later (we are talking 1957 - 1960 here) we figured it had to have been staph, which nobody knew about back then. Other sister and I just never had them.

My sister suffered with them every summer from around age 5 through 7 I think. All of hers were up and down the backs of her legs..bites on the upper body did not abscess (even if they did get a minor pimple like infection), and even weirder, they seemed to concentrate on her left leg as opposed to the right one. Then one summer she did not have them any more.

Our dad was very prone to skin infections going bad, on his feet, which were damaged in WWII from severe frostbite in The Bulge. Any break in the skin or impacted hair follicle could start one off.

How is yours doing today? I hope still draining, with less and less infection showing up. Surgeon is tomorrow, right? Good vibes to you!
:hi: :hi: :hi:

[ThomCat]

41. It got small quickly

but I'm not seeing any more improvement now. I probably won't until after the surgeon cleans it out. It's slow healing from here.
The fast part is done.

But it's going well. It's definitely a little less painful again today.

I had dinner with friends tonight. It was a working dinner. We're doing final organizing for the Wizard Rock Festival next weekend. While we were there, they wanted to be grossed out and see the wound. :P

[boilerbabe]

61. You are definitely a trouper!! n/t

[pokerfan]

9. That is gnarly!

What was the filling like? Was it the texture of cottage cheese? Can you post a picture?

[Connonym]

10. Yes, this thread is useless without pictures

:-P

[ThomCat]

24. People are fascinated with gross stuff.

:P

[yellowdogintexas]

31. yep, like 10 year old boys and shrunken heads nt

[marzipanni]

80. That's ok, my 13-year-old son already showed me the youtube of an abscess

or sebaceous cyst being "popped"... :wow: you can show off your scar instead! :hug:

[ThomCat]

23. There is a stone-like lump in there

On the outside where I opened it, it looks like a giant donut. All swollen outward, but collapsed inward in the center. Every day when I re-open it there is a lot of white semi-congealed puss in the center. When I squeeze it open again I get a lot of pink liquid out, a mix of blood and puss. I seem to get a hell of a lot out of there twice a day.

There is a solid core inside. At first, that core was almost the entire size of the abscess. Now it is shrinking. It's pretty tiny at this point. At some point it will be disolved and flushed out and then the wound will be clean and will start to heal.

I don't have a digital camera, and I have tremors in my hands, so no pictures. Sorry.

[dropkickpa]

12. Every vet tech in the building is jealous

We used to fight over who got to treat the abscesses.

[ThomCat]

25. LOL! You all liked messy and gross?

:rofl:

[dropkickpa]

34. We really did fight over them

They're an instant gratification type of thing

[yellowdogintexas]

33. and dude, cat abscesses are incredible. No experience with dogs having

this problem but if one cat bites another, about 80% of them seem to abscess.

[dropkickpa]

36. Love 'em!

A new vet tech was interning at my site a couple months ago and went out to lunch with us. She was totally grossed out at the conversations we had and ended up quitting because "this stuff is gross". She gets all the way through an AVMA accredited program and only then realizes you really do have to deal with blood, urine, poop, and other gross stuff? She really thought it was mostly just cuddling with animals and stuff, even during school. :crazy:

[yellowdogintexas]

38. now that is what is known as avoiding reality, isn't it? Was she a Republican?

probably.

I have heard of nurses that did the same thing, somehow all the stuff they did in clinicals didn't quite come across as reality :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[dropkickpa]

40. She was!!!!

Spoiled little rich girl!

[boilerbabe]

64. nd they have to wear those things around their neck!! n/t

[crim son]

14. Cool.

That's what I would have done myself, in your situation. :D

[ThomCat]

26. I guess I'm not so crazy.

:P

:hi:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

17. owie. ouchie.

crazy old man :hug:

[ThomCat]

27. Yep. If it's not one thing it has to be something else.

This old man can't seem to get a day off. :P

:hi:

:hug:

[moriah]

21. Should have videotaped it and put it on YouTube.

No, really, there is some website that links to pimple-popping and abscess squeezing/draining videos, I think it's like "popmyzit" or something like that.

Never underestimate the people who find that kind of thing fascinating.

---

Anyway, hope you are feeling better, glad you were antiseptic about the whole thing and taking systemic antibiotics, your surgeon is a ***** for not getting you in sooner, and you have much bigger gonads than I do.

[ThomCat]

28. I didn't think of it at the time.

If I had a video camera and a tripod maybe I would have considered videotaping it. I'm sure you're right that there's an avid audience for anything. :)

I don't know that I've got bigger, ahem, than anyone. I just had pain and necessity. Those are two very powerful motivators. :P

:hi:

[av8rdave]

29. You're a tougher man than I!

I'm glad it helped, and you're feeling better.

[ThomCat]

44. It's weird seeing anyone say I'm tough.

I'm so used to being weak and fragile. :P

It was kind of cool being able to take care of this though. :)

[MissMillie]

32. there never seems to be any let up for you

I was just sitting here thinking that I am so ready for something wonderful to happen. Now, I'm hoping that it happens to YOU.

:hug:

[ThomCat]

45. I am hoping it wonderful things happend to many of us.

:)

:hug:

[malta blue]

35. ummm - that is really gross Thom

but I am so amazed that you were able to do that for yourself :wow: and I can proudly call you my friend.

I hope all is well when you see your surgeon.

:hug::hug:

Get well soon please.

:pals:

[ThomCat]

49. Thank you so much!

:loveya:

Tomorrow should be routine, and it definitely should go well. :)

I am so very glad that you are my friend. :hug:

[LynzM]

37. I don't think you're crazy :)

I might have done the same, with your knowledge and in that kind of pain... :hug: I'm glad you're starting to heal, and I hope they'll see you sooner in the future!

[ThomCat]

51. I am seeing a private surgeon instead of the ER this time

so that I can get all kinds of extra tests done this time. Hopefully they'll pin down the source of these infections and they'll never have to see me again. :)

:hug:

[DS1]

39. I'd do some home surgery on you

Sometimes you just gotta get out the knife and do it yourself. I cut a wart out of my elbow, had to go about half an inch in with the knife to make sure I got the whole thing.

And they said it would be there forever :eyes:

[ThomCat]

52. Cool. I'll bet your hands are steadier than mine are.

If this happens again, I'll call you and catch a bus to come visit. :)

[nadine_mn]

42. Oh sweet Thomcat... be glad you are not married to me... I would have

sliced that bad boy open way before it got to the golf ball size.

I am a picker - it there is a blister, boil, blemish you name it - I have a stash of alcohol and razor blades ready.

My husband was terrified to tell me he had hemorriods... afraid that in the middle of the night I would come knocking on his back door.

you aren't crazy

:hug:

[ThomCat]

54. I'm guessing you left his back door alone.

and only pick on the more accessible locations. :P

Actually, I would have appreciated the help. I would appreciate the help cleaning this thing out twice a day. If I had somehow here who didn't mind helping with the slicing, rinsing and swabbing it would have made everything much, much easier. It's very hard to do alone when your hands don't work very well.

:hug:

[elshiva]

43. Could you please take out my cyst?

The doctors here a refusing to do it. Please? :hug:



buffy/

[ThomCat]

55. I've had cysts they refused to remove

but that was because they were either harmless or went away on their own. I don't know that I'm a good substitute doctor in any event. :P

:hug:

[snailly]

46. How can I help you?

Do you need money or meds? Honey, you don't know me but I care about you. I'm here. Just PM me.

[ThomCat]

56. Thank you very much.

You are very kind and sweet. But I have this covered. The only problem was the scheduling delay because I am using a private surgeon instead of the emergency room. :)

:hug:

[Haole Girl]

47. Since I'm slightly drugged up myself, at the moment, I got brave enough to read this.

OMG!! It was like reading something out of Lonesome Dove! You belong in the wild west, Thom!!

:wow:

[ThomCat]

57. Oh no! I wouldn't have lasted very long in the wild west.

I am definitely NOT going to make a habit out of things like this. :)

[MrMickeysMom]

48. Hey ThomCat, these things fascinate me, too, but hey-

I'm a respiratory therapist, and you don't want to know all the stories I have about lung abscesses, let along something like this, which sounds similar to what I've seen on some people with sebaceous cysts.

I think if you're gonna drain them in an emergency, you should have a 14 or 16 gage needle and a 50 cc syringe. No kidding, the bigger the break in the major defense mechanism (the skin) the more prone you are to secondary infections.

Keep this in mind next time, and my best vibes to you to heal that thing! Oh yeah drink a lot of water and take extra "C", okay?

:hi:

[ThomCat]

58. If this happens again I will definitely pick up the right

supplies next time. I know where a few surgical supply shops are in Manhattan. Thank you. :)

I'm always drinking lot of water because of a history of kidney issues I don't want to repeat, and I'm following your advice about the vitamin C.

:hug:

[MrMickeysMom]

63. Here's a soothing bedtime story to make you feel better, ThomCat...

In a strange way, it'll make you feel better, I'm guaranteeing it!

http://svobodafamily.blogspot.com/2007/06/bug-bite-abscess-and-needles-oh-my.html

[ThomCat]

66. Poor kid. :(

I'm glad it popped and he's okay. I can't imagine a kid that young being in that kind of pain. :(

[boilerbabe]

65. i could use a beauty makeover, but this might not be the right place!! n/t

[boilerbabe]

53. Once had a friend that had no medical insurance..

And he excised a tumor on his chest the same way, with no painkillers. Do what you gotta do, I guess! Kids, don't try this at home does not apply!

Good luck to you!

[ThomCat]

59. Holy Shit. I hope he's okay!

:wow:

Seriously, that is something to had to terrify him before, during and after. :(

I really hope he came through that okay.

[boilerbabe]

60. I haven't seen him in about 15 years, but he did seem ok then!! n/t

[davsand]

67. Home surgery has been pretty common in my circle of friends.

Most of the time it was cause they were poor, but sometimes it was because they figured it was easier to do it at home.

I think the worst one was the guy I knew that sewed up his hand after a window opened it up. It cut him across the palm and a couple of fingers and he sewed them all up with thread and a sewing needle. He is right handed and it was on his right hand... (HOW he did that I will never know.)

I will tell you, however, that there was one time with my husband that I watched a specialist drain an abscess in his throat and the smell was so bad I almost had to leave the room. (I can't imagine what it was like at ground zero...) Anyhow, the reason I bring it up at all is we learned the hard way about specific antibiotics for different types of infections. I hope that whatever you are taking is appropriate to treat the type of bacteria you are dealing with in that lesion.

I think you are doing the right thing to see a doc as soon as possible, and I do want to suggest that in the meantime you might benefit from a warm wet compress on the site to help drain it.

Good luck, and feel better soon!

:hug:

Laura

[ThomCat]

70. Thank you.

:)

I have definitely been using hot, wet compresses repeatedly. They have helped a lot with softening and breaking up the clots so I could clean this thing out.

I'm feeling much better, but I'm being admitted to the hospital so they can dig deep. There is apparently some dead tissue going deep under there, and it's still generating a lot of puss so I definitely didn't get everything when I cleaned it out. :(

[davsand]

81. I'm almost reluctant to mention this given your tendency to self treat.

But it is such an interesting bit of grossology I have to bring it up...

Native American healers used to use the larvae of flies to debride infected wounds. The ones they used only eat dead meat, so they would tuck a few in an infected wound and wrap it up in a bandage. When they matured they crawled out and flew away leaving the wound free of dead tissue.

I think you are certainly on the right path by going into the hospital, but feel free to ask you Doc about it. See if it makes him gross out.

:evilgrin:

Feel better soon!



Laura

[marzipanni]

82. Now doctors have started using lab-raised maggots

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/features/article1499049.ece

Leeches and parasitic worms also have medicinal uses. :hi:

[davsand]

83. That is an excellent article!

Thank you for that link! Might be a gross subject for many folks, but that info (when in the right hands, anyway) just might save a few lives one day!



Laura

[rockymountaindem]

68. Respect

I've done some self-surgery on myself in the past, but thankfully nothing as serious as that. You've got courage friend.

Edit: well, self-surgery is being kind of more glamorous than I deserve. It's more like poking at anything that seems remiss. Sometimes gunk comes out. Anyway, you're hard-core dude.

[ThomCat]

72. I don't know about hard core.

I just live a life that is saturaed with medical issues. I no longer hesitate to consider whether or not I can handle something myself. :)

I hope you never have to deal with anything this serious. Honestly, I hope you have a nice boring healthy life. :hug:

[rockymountaindem]

79. I would say taking a razor blade to one's own body is hard core

I only do that in combination with shaving cream and after-shave :)

Thanks for the wishes. I hope you get well soon.

[applegrove]

69. I've done the same thing myself. I once got a cat bite on my finger.

It was so painful. Went to emergency and the doctor didn't open it up he just gave me antibiotics. So I went home and opened it up myself. Instant relief. And I never used the antibiotics.

Be careful though. That sounds like it is a big one.

[ThomCat]

73. Definitely big. Definitely careful.

:)

I have some good doctors who know me well and know the types of doctors to refer me to. So I get good referrals. I'm almost always in good hands.

Truth be told, I wish a hell of a lot more people could have doctors as good as mine. :(

[Orrex]

71. Well, abscess makes the heart grow fonder

Next time, amputate. People can live just fine without an abdomen.

[ThomCat]

74. I'll have to give that a try.

:rofl:

:hi:

[philosophie_en_rose]

75. Gosh. I'm glad you feel better.

I wish you didn't have to do it, but I'm glad you feel better now. I don't think I'd be brave enough to cut myself, while on morphine.

[ThomCat]

77. I think you would surprise yourself with how capable you are

when you need to do something. :)

:hi:

[RayOfHope]

76. Thom, are you sure it was a mosquito bite?

MRSA (staph) has been going around where I live all summer. I know 5 people who had it, and 3 of them were sure they had an infected bite when it started. Please be careful and keep an eye on it.

[ThomCat]

78. I had a bunch of mosquito bites.

Only this one turned into an abscess. But they were all definitely mosquito bites. I've had pimples, ingrown hairs and blisters turn into abscesses in the past too.

I spoke to the surgeon about staph and he said that there is no way to know what is causing it, but the antibiotics they're going to give me in the hospital will knock out whatever it is.

He's well recommended by doctors I trust, so I'm trusting him. :shrug: