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groin abscess, hoping it goes away :(

Posted , 3 users are following.

aspiring2be
aspiring2be

Hello All!

(disclaimer- sorry for any typos)

I'm new on here, but would love to be apart of the discussion.

I recently (about a week ago) found the name of the skin disease I've been suffering from!!! So when i was about 14/15 I got my first Pilonidal cyst, it was lanced and drained.. I dont ever think it properly healed, and I still get random flare up's sometimes. Theres an indented scar above my butt crack- actually two from a reoccurance of the cyst. Sometimes I sit wrong or too long, or sweat a lot and can feel the area fill with puss. my last reoccurance with this was about 2-3 months ago. Nothing severe but its annoying and can hurt/sting.. it seems closed up right now, hopefully stays that way. then there was the abscess I had on my vaginal opening area.... that took lancing and draining and i remember i had to have it packed. that never came back. then there was the one in my armpit, got huge and painful that i had surgery and they put me under... i remember them saying something about how it was an infected lymph node? and IF i remember right- they removed the lymph node? (but maybe that was just ignorance to HS on the docs side) i do have two indented scars there, nothing too bad though. and now i have the groin abscess. left side, and painful! well it finally popped after they gave me some doxycycline. it seems like i was informing the doctors about this. i told them i have hidradenitis suppurativa- in case they wanted to say "oh just an ingrown hair!"... but then again- ive never been diagnoised. the reason i think i have it, is because well i have had an abscess in my armpit, and groin, both areas affected. and ive always wondered why in my groin area i have these small indented areas, some that look like they have a blackhead in them. sometimes i try to pick the 'blackhead' out but rarely does anything come out.... 

im here because i've scared myself to death with this (not really) but i am just thinking about how i can't deal with this forever. i am 19. i dont want reoccuring sores sad I'm nervous this abscess wont fully heal or something sad I'm scared it will reoccur. I dont want to deal with these (no one does) honestly i just wanna cry my eyes out!! but then again, i'm yet to know how severe i have it, IF i have this (which... i think i do), and if these will get worse with time. I am not overweight although I do have larger thighs, and I did start smoking around the time i got these, but recently quit about 5 months ago.

please, any advice? how to keep the open wound i have right now clean, and on track to heal? moral support is helpful.... im just really scared for my future. 

-thanks 

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • hypercat
    hypercat aspiring2be

    Posted

    Hi I am sorry you are suffering so much at the moment.  The first thing you need to do it get a referral to a dermatologist.  It sounds like HS but you need a firm diagnosis.  A dermatologist also is an expert on treatments available.

    If you have a recurring abcess then the only way I know to stop this is to get a referral from your doctor to a surgeon to incise it.   That should stop it coming back in the same place.   I had to do this with 2 of mine and they have never recurred again.  If there is any pus still there it needs cleaning out.

    As for the open wound,  have you been to the doctors?  The main thing to do is to keep it clean and sterile to avoid further infection.    A dry dressing like Mepore is good (ask your chemist).  

    It won't necessarily get any worse though it often does,  but you need to work out a plan of action with your doctor and dermatologist.    This will give you some control of it and help with the anxiety.  

    Many of us live with the awful disease,  but I always think in the scheme of things if you are going to get a disease,  it's much better to have this than many things (like cancer or lung problems).   I know it's very hard but try not to stress out about it so much as this could be one of the triggers.  I know stress plays a part in mine.

    I hope this has helped a bit.  Bev x

    • aspiring2be
      aspiring2be hypercat

      Posted

      thank you Bev!

      well currently, I'm in day 7 of the doxycycline they gave me, and immediately it started draining the next day. right now there's a little hard skin surrounding the wound, but everyday the skin seems to get softer and the abscess goes down. it seems like a scan formed over the "open" spot where puss was coming out of, I'm not sure if I should kinda rip the scab off so more puss can come out? the abscess has been getting smaller everyday, but I'm worried it will close up and there will still be an "infection" in there..

      here's my other question, do antibiotics just kinda.. make the puss go away? like where does the puss go if this thing does close up? I mean it's barely an abscess right now, like it's pretty much flattened out, but there's still some stuff in it I think..

      I've been trying to not over worry myself about getting more abscesses or this one reoccurring sad I guess if this one comes back I will go and asked for them to incise it- but what exactly does that mean? to "incise"?

      thank you so much, I'm tying not to worry self too much.

    • hypercat
      hypercat aspiring2be

      Posted

      Hi you need to continue taking the full course of ab's even if it has gone down considerably.   When you get an infection your body's antibodies rush to the scene and this causes the swelling and the pain.    When you take ab's this causes the infection to go so the antibodies go away.  

      Incising means cutting open the wound and scraping the matter away.   If there is no matter there it can't recur. 

      Don't squeeze anything as you might spread the infection or make it worse.  All the matter might go completely or it might not.  It doesn't necessarily mean it will recur though. 

      Hope this helps  Bev x

  • tammyjo311
    tammyjo311 aspiring2be

    Posted

    I hope this helps some..hot compresses as much as possible..sometimes i sleep with a paste made of Epson Salts and gause pads to cover, can help dry up some, but surgery will be required if you cant get that one to go away, you sound much like me, had the same one about the same age as you, then it was ON so to speak, had that removed, but never ending..im 50 now sugar, 5 kids (funny how no flare ups during pregnancies)...i am not over weight, only a size 6..so the myth about being over weight is bs...this thing gets ya or it doesnt, and yes ive lived my entire life with can i do this or can i do that...;(..much love and hope you too get relief
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