Abscess drainage without anaesthetic or packing, anyone had this?

[AtMyWitsEnd2]

I had an abscess in my armpit drained recently. It was incised, drained and flushed, but I wasn’t given any local anaesthetic and the wound wasn’t packed afterwards.
I was told to shower it daily, direct water into the opening and gently keep the edges apart so that it healed from the inside out.
A few days later I saw a nurse for a wound check and she was surprised it hadn’t been packed. It already seemed to be starting to close at the surface while there was still some drainage underneath. I’ve been having regular dressing changes/checks since and it does seem to be improving, but I’m worried about it closing over too quickly.
I’ve had an abscess drained in the same area years ago and that one was packed, so this experience has been quite different.
Has anyone else had an abscess incised and drained without anaesthetic and/or without packing? Did it heal properly without packing, or did it close over and need further treatment?
I’m being followed up medically, so I’m not looking for a diagnosis — I’m mainly interested in hearing other people’s experiences.

I had a breast abscess located in the areola that was incised and drained (with local) that wasn’t packed. Everything was fine and it healed up nicely within a week or so, but it can’t have been particularly deep given its location I guess. I also felt a bit flummoxed aftercare wise though. They didn’t really tell me what to do with it/what to expect - I actually remember being freaked out when I took the dressing off and saw there was a hole there, which obviously there would be, but they didn’t even mention anything aftercare wise really. Hoping yours heals nicely and that it wasn’t too painful without any local!

Yes. It healed absolutely fine.

Yes. Had one in my armpit that healed fine

Thank you! Seems ok so far but always the fear of it filling back up quickly when it closes too fast at the top! I can say that no local anaesthetic was not fun but i live to tell the tale!
I completely agree with you about aftercare - we get different advice from different medical professionals so hard to know the right thing to do!
Really glad yours healed quickly for you!