HELP massive lump (possibly abscess) in leg.

[youarenotkiddingme]

What can I do?

Started as a small lump and I assumed it was an in growing hair?

Yesterday and today it's just got bigger and bigger and now is so painful to walk.

I've tried tea tree oil bath and direct hot water and tea tree. I now have the wheat bag on it.

There seems to be at least 5 small possible areas of drainage and a small amount of puss came out.

Any ideas what I can do?

You need to see a Dr tomorrow and get some antibiotics. If you can get to a chemist tonight, you could get some Mag Sulph and slap that on under a dressing to help pull the gunge out, but still see an HCP tomorrow

How big, and where on your leg? Are you feeling well in yourself?

I think I would try and make an urgent GP appointment tomorrow morning if I were you.

Go and see your gp.
If it isnt draining outwards it could be spreading down towards the bone.

Go to your GP.

In the meantime boil a kettle & dip cotton wool into as hot a water as you can stand & dab the lump. The heat should draw out the infection.

Otherwise you could try a hot bath with detol in it.

What about a dressing, with medical grade Manuka honey ( cream or gel ) which health food shops usually stock? It has great healing properties for ulcers and the like.

you need a Dr

years ago DH had one on his thigh and it was really nasty. Took a lot of treatment to stop it

You're going to have the sporners along in a minute, demanding a photo .

I think previous posters are right to say you need to visit your GP. But is your leg red, hot or swollen? Because if the answer is yes to one or all of these, and the infection is spreading you might have an A & E job on your hands.

The fact that it is getting bigger means it is not getting better on its own.
It sounds as if it will need surgical drainage and antibiotics.
How big is it and do you have a fever or feel unwell?

I am a doctor. It sounds like you need an hours of hours GP appointment to get antibiotics started.

If it's very big and causing a lot of pain then you should go to A&E.

Massive infections are not to be trifled with.

I don't feel unwell as such but have felt very irritated today - like mad mood irritated!

It is hot to touch. Hotter now there's heat on it!

It's up inside my leg - which does help with walking - I feel like John Wayne

Temp 37.6° so up a bit but not fever level iyswim?

37.4+ is a fever, IIRC

Photo for the sporners!

Please don't just rely on your temperature OP, get to the out of hours Dr immediately. I had an awful time with an abscess that had really taken hold and done a lot of damage to its surroundings, the reason I let it get to that point was cause my temperature seemed fine, if I'd have gotten antibiotics earlier it would probably have saved me from a lot of the damage.

i am all for poking, and squeezing, but how much of that redness is from the heat pack?

I'd leave off the heat pack, and re judge the red area cos that looks massive atm....if that red area is actually that big and not just down to the heat pack I think you need antibs smartish.

The redness was up to the green line before the heat pack!

Why are you asking on here? Common sense will tell you to see your GP.

So the red's spreading? Or is the red outside the line heat pack related? Draw another line, and see if it spreads further?

I think it's work calling OOH/NHS direct or whatever it's called these days, to ask for advice.

Think you need to see someone tonight. Looks like you have a previously sutured / healed incision there - obviously I don't know your history but yes, out of hours now if it were me!

Common sense can tell you GP but part of you wonder if it needs more urgent treatment. It could be tomorrow 5.30pm before I can see my GP.

I've just had a hit as I can handle bath with Dettol and ran shower directly on the lump. A little has drained but not all of it and it's less painful to walk.

MIU don't deal with possible infection like this and so it'll be ringing 111 and getting appointment.

I'm not sure how necessary that is (red past line was heat bag) and would rather not drag my ds out to OOH GP at what could be middle of the night of it can wait.

That's not a scar that's the drainage holes I said seemed to be there! No idea what the weird line is!

A and e now IMO with a fever and spreading redness you shouldn't hang about

Managed to get a little drainage and it's not got worse so have followed googles advice of putting on tea tree oil and covering with a bandage. (Well it's a plaster!)

Hopefully it'll do what google says and draw out puss!
I was tempted to try a slice of potato which it also suggested!

I think you should ring 111 for advice (don't think you have?). Your home treatment may be the best course of action, but you don't currently know that. It could be a lot nastier infection than you are supposing. I don't think you have anything to lose by ringing.