to ask about "DIY" surgery?

[Salmotrutta]

Have you ever done any? If so what did you do?

So, I'm asking because I have a small cyst-type thing near my eyelashes. It actually looks like a tiny fat-filled cyst (bleurgh).
It's very small (about 1mm), not causing me discomfort or really impinging on my life but I don't like it. I "feel" it when I'm rubbing my eye or applying mascara etc.
I don't think it's even that visible to others.
I don't really want to go and see the GP as it's not exactly a big deal and it would take weeks to even get a referral for something like this.
So I'm thinking about trying to break it open with a sterilised needle or somesuch. What can I try? Hot compresses or something?
(If it helps, I can easily lay my hands on a scalpel)

I'm also prepared to be told I'm being ridiculous to even try messing with it - it's been there for about 1-2 years and is just annoying!

Vile rubbish??!! Eeek!
How long was it there for?

I had one of these just under my eye, I looked it up on the internet and found it was a fatty deposit (nice). And the NHS didn't remove them for free and to get it done privately would be about £500. So I did it myself with a sharp knife, just made a little incision next to the lump then squeezed it out. It hurt like a bastard and my eye swelled up so that I could hardly see, but it was all fine in the end and I saved myself 500 smackeroonies.

The stuff that comes out the cyst in my neck smells like sweaty, rancid cheese.

I have tried wart freezer on various blemishes with varying degrees of pain success. But I wouldn't stick it in my eyeballs or up my front bum, though, if that's what you're thinking. Certainly not whilst sober.

You see, Viva, I would freeze that, and if it all goes horribly wrong it only takes a few weeks for the self-inflicted damage to heal over enough so that the doctor you finally decide to see doesn't have to know you ever tinkered irresponsibly and let's face it futilely with your own health.

God, for a minute I thought you meant bag up the gunk and stick it in the freezer. Thought that was well weird. Now I get your drift I think I may give freezing it a go.

I suppose you could put your whole head and neck in a freezer but I'm struggling to imagine what that would possibly achieve, health-wise, other than a rather mystifying MRI result further down the diagnostic line.

With the wonder of Wartner, you can imagine all kinds of things.

igetmorelove - I think I'll pass after your description!

Viva - sounds like a fatty cyst type thing. FWIW I thought LineRunner meant you to freeze the gunk too!!

[grin]@LineRunner

Do you not find though that sometimes you make it 1000x worse than it was to start.

I had a spot just above my lip(on my face!!!), rather than leave alone(was tiny) I howked at it until I ended up with a scab the size if a 5p for the entire duration of my holiday. Gutted.com

Have tied a piece of string round skin tag under arm before, that worked.

I had one of those on the bottom of my eye lid. The Dr steralised a needle and voila - no more fatty thing. Well no more fatty things on the bottom of my eyelid. I was still here

igetmorelove - I also had one of those under my left eye. Turned out it was a typical sign of high cholesterol (according to my cardiologist). It has only just gone after 4 years - High dose statins are great for that

That's what I mean, Geordie, always be careful not to leave actual evidence of your pointless and inevitably painful interference. You don't want your doctor talking to you like a hairdresser.

So true Geordie - leave well alone is the message.

And I know this - I was you before the menopause (if it's any comfort spots die down a lot at this point). Couldn't leave spots alone. And I knew they ended up much worse than if I'd just left them!

Ah yes, Tigerbomb, the joy of fat deposits. I ran a control-blind Wartner test on myself once, using a placebo on my left side (Sudocream) and Wartner on the right.

They were both fucking useless. But the Wartner smarted a bit more.

I find my Doctor talks to me like that anyway - and he has never seen any evidence of my interference in his domain. Unlike my hairdresser who obviously has!

Salmo It's all making sense now - barbers used to be surgeons, right?

I can only talk about skin tags. I went to the GP to get quite a large one removed from under one of my norks and could see that a few more were developing.

The GP told me that in future I should buy a pair of very sharp scissors - hairdressing ones are ideal apparently -, sterilise them in boiling water, buy sterilising wipes from Boots/Superdrug, clean the area with said sterile wipe, snip off the skin tag and leave the bleeding to dry before applying a plaster/dressing.

Works well for me. No scars and a lot less skin tags to date.

The eyelid lump thing sounds like it could be a chalazion one of my colleagues had one and was told to clean it with baby shampoo daily. eventually it went away, but they do come back. you can have them removed but it's quite painful apparently - though not sure of the DIY method!

I'm a terrible poker and prodder though. My finest hour was last summer - snipping off a skin tag just below my eyelid with a sharp pair of scissors

friedspam - x post!

Shame, I don't feel so reckless now a GP has endorsed the scissor method of skin tag removal!

Does anyone else remember the amateur arse doctor thread that was on mn years ago. Someone surgically removed their own piles.

- a sort of DIY Butt Doctor??

Would there be a link to such a thread?....................

I did tackle a cyst once next to my nipple with a sharp pair of scissors. Right as rain now, give or take ten years.

I'd have thought it would be in classics. Posters name was amateurarsedoctor

Ouch LineRunner -

My DH has a cyst on his shoulder. He keeps attacking it ............... I may offer assistance as I'm now inspired by all of these examples!