santa only went and brought me a boil

[christmasboil]

I have a large spot under my ear just below my jaw on my neck..
My husband spotted it from across the kitchen.

It Is soft approx pea sized with no head but painful and the whole area is a bit swollen.

All that bending and lifting Christmas fayre from a hot oven is going to bring it on nicely.

I have never had a boil before so this is an unexpected gift. I will attempt a photo.

It is starting to throb. Do I need to do anything ?

I am new to all this

Ooh, poor you. Here is what NHS Choices has to say about boils. Grim.

I'm no expert but I would do as it recommends and speed things up with a warm flannel, possibly taking some wine for medicinal purposes as well. (NB the website doesn't recommend that last bit!)

You should be able to get hold of a pharmacist if nothing else tomorrow, if you're near a supermarket with a pharmacy in. Hope it's better soon.

Hot flannel, as hot as you can bear, held on it will help to draw it out as will some magnesium sulphate if you have some or can get to a pharmacy in the next day or so. There will be plenty or people with good advice on soon

I can hardly serve the Christmas buffet with a flannel on my face can I ?

I just want to give it a good squeeze but fear it will be fruitless. It is growing though.

Will try to get a picture after the family have all left

Now that's my kind of gift! Also, if you treat it right it will keep on giving... :o

Picture on profile I think.

I am it has grown since this morning. Just taken 2 ibuprofen so it has driven me to drugs already.

Couldn't access your picture, alas, but how are you doing today?

It is still there and hurts. I tried to squeeze but no head so have left it alone.

I feel like I want to stick a pin in it and burst it.

I know what you mean but I would stick with the hot flannel theory if you can.

Will get some magnesium sulphate tomorrow to see if that brings the bloody head out. I am back to work Wed so want it gone

Well I must confess I did a bad thing.

After a couple of days no head appeared so I got a sewing needle and stuck it in then squeezed. A lot of yellow liquid came out and blood.

I was really paranoid I had introduced vicious bacteria into my body but it did not fill up again and today the skin peeled off from where it was and tis all gone.

So my sewing needle intervention worked a treat but of course you must never do this.

Of course you mustn't.
Well done, though.
Loving your work.

I've got one somewhere secret and have, for the last two nights, popped and drained with a pin. Must have lost a litre of blood at least!

Oooh, so tempting christmasboil. Not that I would ever do something similar, of course, but does anyone 'sterilise' the needle first by passing it through a lit match? My mum does this so I assume it represents the pinnacle of home sanitation and probably good enough for open heart surgery if anyone needs to do that too ...

No, no sterilization procedure was followed just a quick wipe on my nightie. Once the decision to intervene was made no time for elf and safety could be entertained.

CB - nightie wipe is Health & Safety Union rep (DP) approved in most public access areas (NHS exempt), so no worries.

Bastard! Santa just brought me the norovirus

He brought me tonsillitis so I win on quantities of pus, if not quality.

Nighties are excellent places to wipe a pin. Aprons are another good choice, for retro appeal.

Nuh uh, I've been left with a streaming cold which is producing vast quantities of lurid green goo too

And you've just made me remember the old joke: how do you drive a woman wild in bed? Wipe your willy on the curtains.

doesn't anyone want to sympathise with me with my boil on my noo noo?

Sympathies for all of you pus-carriers. (It's like something out of the Middle Ages, only on t'internet).

Thanks tibpot
strokes noo noo gently

then boils hand

Where the heck is a noo noo? (Actually I don't think I want to know).