What to do about infected cyst

[Clarabell100]

Hoping someone can help!

I've had a small cyst on the side of my neck for about two years. My GP said if it wasn't bothering me to just leave it alone, which I did.

About a week ago it got really red, sore and itchy so I went back to GP who said it was infected and gave me an antibiotic. Been taking the antibiotic for 4 days now and yesterday it seemed like it had a sort of crusty head on it - sorry if anyone is eating - and this morning it was bleeding when I woke up.

I am sitting at work worrying about it. Is this just a normal part of the healing process? I can't get a doctors appointment til Thursday but I actually go on holiday tomorrow night.

Should I leave it and keep taking the antibiotics? My only other option is A&E but I'd rather not waste their time if there's nothing they can do. My husband is worried something will happen on holiday.

Anyone had this before or know anything about it?

Thanks in advance!

This happened to someone I know recently. When the cyst started oozing, his doctor squeezed all the puss out of it and put him on antibiotics. Maybe you need to have your cyst squeezed?

Thank you! I did end up having to go and get it looked at. They could t remove it as that would require surgery but they drained some to make it less painful. Now sporting a lovely big bandage on holiday!

I had a cyst and it got infected several times. It was removed at the gp surgery by a gp who performs minor surgeries. It went well.

He said after the surgery that it actually wasn't a minor surgery because it was difficult to get out. But anyway it is out and gp got some challenge :).

@solarscope did it leave much of a scar. I’ve been told I’d have about a three inch scar which doesnt appeal to me. Seems odd that such a small lump would leave such a large scar!

Three inches! My scar is round where the lump was with lines on both side. Maybe a inch total. It will get lighter with time.

Hi there, I was also wondering about this kind of thing, noticed a cyst on collarbone Feb this year, swelled up in Aug and then went red a week or so later, got antibiotics two weeks after first started swelling but had a side effect on them and although finished course it didn't clear it completely but went down a lot. GP was hesitant to give more antibiotics cos of side effects and hoped would clear on its own. Went away on holidays last Wed and it started developing a head on it which burst in shower this evening. I'm not going back to the UK till next Mon/Tues. I've cleaned it and put neosporin on it and a bandage. Should it be OK and might be healing now that it burst?