How do I walk with this THING on my leg (gross picture alert)

[Fatthighproblems]

I had what I thought was an ingrown hair on the inside of my thigh for a couple weeks. Over the past few days it’s turned into this fluidy ball which became very painful and today it finally popped a load of blood.

My partner has spent the past hour squeezing everything out and it is STILL NOT DONE. To my despair it very much hurts.

While mainly blood and clear fluid there was a white bead in it which I’m assuming is pus but was v hard. There is definitely more to come out of it but I cannot take another half an hour!

Anyway my dilemma: I am very very overweight (in the process of making lifestyle changes which is currently very slow moving…) and am diabetic, and wounds don’t heal well on me (it took 4 months for a cat scratch which turned into an open wound to heal and has left a hefty scar).

Obviously being fat, my thighs chafe like crazy and let me tell you even walking to the bathroom has been and is agony right now. How am I meant to deal with my thighs rubbing together with this?!

Not sure what I’m asking here but if anyone has any advice on how I can heal this quickly or any tips on getting rid of the pain as quickly as possible that would be v appreciated! I already know I need to stop eating so much chocolate.

Grim picture attached for those who like to see squeezed spots/ingrown hairs/boils. Look away if squeamish.

@MetaverseMavis Shocking fat shaming! OP asked about a blister not to be told she needs bariatric surgery! Unbelievable

Just because OP called herself fat, you've decided she is 'bariatric' and needs surgery?????? Reported

@Fatthighproblems Sorry OP, I forgot to include the pic

I had something like that, your description is the same. It was a boil. I wasn’t overweight, didn’t have diabetes and was otherwise healthy, but it was a nasty thing. Please seek medical advice, and in person not over the phone.

You need antibiotics they might want to lance it as well. Cleaning it with some cotton wool and cooled boiled water with salt in will help for now.

see a Dr (mainly because of your diabetes). I had something not dissimilar a while ago. It turned out to be impetigo - which I’d picked up staying in a hotel where either the bath or the towels hadn’t been properly cleaned. Only antibiotics would clear it up.

See a doctor, DH had an infection and kept following the above advice such as savlon, salty water etc.

He quickly ended up with a staph infection, a 3 week hospital stay 6 months in some reverse pressure contraption to stop it healing incorrectly and 9 months off work. The scar is pretty epic too.

Fun times

When it's healed, buy some liquid talc, I have fat legs & it stops my chub rub.

I am very overweight and I have these every few months.
I've always thought they were boils but I really can't be sure, I get DH to pop them with a sterile needle and squeeze them within the first few days of them flaring up.
Not sure what would happen if I left one for weeks.

I think they occur due to the chaffing as I've only ever had them while I've been very overweight.
But I don't have diabetes and I generally heal pretty fast. I would see a doctor as it is quite an open wound and you don't want it to get infected.

Good luck.

If anyone gets these regularly, look up hidradenitis suppurativa to see if you relate to it.. Very very common. Not suggesting that's what the op has, but it's worth saying in case it helps someone else.. Extremely unpleasant, and frequently debilitating.

OP hope the doctor sorts you out. They may give you Co amoxiclav, or possibly not. Interested to know how you get on. Keep it clean, dry and don't unecessarily poke it.

You need to see a doctor and get it properly treated. It’s too large for diy, especially if you are diabetic.

a gauze dressing will prevent chafing while it heals.

for the future, invest in some anti-chafing shorts. They are much like bicycle shorts, but if you get the right ones they can be very thin and cool and you just wear them in place of underwear. For me, They help prevent bumps and ingrown hairs from forming because the skin doesn’t get irritated.

You dress it. If that's problematic then seek medical help.

As others have said because of diabetes you need to be seen by dr or nurse practitioner as it’s infected by the look of it .

For immediate help with the chafing you could try plastic bags. I've used this very successfully as an emergency fix for ski boots that are rubbing. Cover with a double layer of thin plastic bag (the sort you get in the supermarket for loose vegetables is what you're looking for). The two layers slide against each other instead of against your skin. Not sure how this would work in your circumstances, but you might find that even just holding a bag in place enables you to hobble across the room.

That looks really painful, please get it seen.

I’m a hard core sporner and even I say stop,squeezing and see a dr.

Please get it seen: you can mess around when you have diabetes. Healing is different and may need more help

Doctors. Do not muck around with that.

I agree with everyone else about getting medical attention today.

How’s your diet at the moment? If you’ve been in can’t-be-arsed mode recently (total sympathy for that by the way), then maybe now is a good time to start watching your carbs again. It does make a difference when you need to heal.

I hope you feel better soon!

Rola, you’ve been through the mill many times over. Your experiences must have been horrific. How are you now?

That looks infected. You might well need Flucloxacillin, which usually works well for skin infections, but if the infection is deeper down, you might need it physically cleared out.

Chub rub shorts for the chafing - game changer

Bloody hell Op!

The risks some people take by poking & prodding!

Nurse here. Looks infected, you definitely need to be seen today and potentially need antibiotics judging from that picture and your history. Always be cautious with wounds if you are diabetic in the future (particularly on your lower extremities) and get them seen by someone. Don’t be worried but do get it seen today.

I had something like that in my groin - it was an infected cyst. It happened just before I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, so I suspect it was linked to raised blood sugar. It came and went a couple of times before I saw the doctor and got antiBs (I assumed it was a spot/boil, so just used self care until it became evident it would keep reoccurring). The antiBs did their job, as presumably did the lowered blood sugar after diagnosis/diet changes, and it seems to be completely gone now.

Ring GP and let someone have a look at it, the nurse will be able to give you dressings to use whilst its healing.