Cultivating a Sporner’s Delight

[LovedFedAndNoonesDead]

So, for the last 5-6 months I’ve had a lump on the back of my shoulder; it was around the size of an edamame bean, painless and, unless you touched the skin over it, you couldn’t see it.

This week it has suddenly started growing, is now obviously there from both the redness and size - it is now over an inch wide, perhaps more. At the moment there is no obvious head although, when I feel it, there is a slight dent in the top of it which is also softer; so I’m hoping it will develop a head, or more than 1, with the assistance of the usually advised plan of action.

I have got DH to take a photo of it this afternoon and have applied mag sulfate paste and a dressing; I will change it tomorrow so long as the dressing doesn’t come off before then. I will keep a photo diary for as long as DH is willing to
keep taking them!! The first photo was yesterday in the bath; the second just before DH put the mag sulf and plaster on it!

So I’m now 1/2 way through the antibiotics and today I changed the dressing that the Sr put on on Tuesday. The skin is slightly discoloured from the Inadine dressing but you can see it has gone down quite a bit and isn’t anywhere nearly as painful as it was; the down side is it’s rock hard and doesn’t seem to have drained anymore since the Dr attacked it.

I’ll be finishing the antibiotics and will keep an eye on it in case it fills up again; if it does, I’ll be back to the Dr to get it done again or see if they’ll remove the abscess bed

Doc is obviously a closet sporner who couldn't resist squeezing.

He did seem rather enthusiastic 🤣🤣

This is the most recent photo from yesterday. It’s still swollen, still sore especially if I lean back on it in bed or if I stretch my arm sideways (GP said that was because it was close to the muscles). It feels softer than it did perhaps with a crater on top so I think, if it were decompressed like Dr tried last week, it might release more of the yuck in there - looking back at the photos from when I took off the Inadine and dressing the GP put on it, there didn’t seem to be much leakage onto the Inadine so I’m not sure it actually drained any more after he saw me (I’ve included that photo too today)

I’ve finished my antibiotics now so I fear my next step is going back to the surgery for a review and possibly more fun for the GP!!

How’s it feeling now op?

Still sore but definitely going down. Nothing draining from it (dressings are clean when removed). This is the latest photograph from yesterday.

Thanks so much for the update.

I reckon it will flare up again but in a more satisfying way soon. Do you like it and massage it between thumb and fingers to see how it's doing or are you way more disciplined than I would be and don't touch it.

I had one like that for years and it would flare up then settle down and when it settled it would produce a fantastic amount of 'cottage cheese' sporntastic!

Sounds wonderful!!

I have HS so get abscesses in my groin area too often. Had surgery last June to remove a large area from one side of my groin and it took till December to heal completely. As a result, I’m used to massaging abscesses and then popping them when they need it!! The only reason I didn’t manage this myself was the speed it appeared, how painful it was and the location made it impossible to stick a sterile needle in it and see what I was doing!!

It’s definitely deflating but, feeling it, there’s still something there so I expect it will flare up again soon. I suspect it took its chance to develop when I was unwell for pretty much all of December with a chest infection followed by flu. When it does put in a reappearance I’ll be sure to post an update!!

So I’m back almost 3 months after first starting this thread as, earlier this week, the residual lump became more sore, the texture of the skin over it had changed and it was more squashy.

I took a look at it and thought I’d have a poke with a sterile needle. It was a fruitful visit as it illicited a reasonable amount of yellow gunk (unfortunately the photos didn’t do it any justice hence not having any to add) followed by blood and it feels like a proper crater so I now believe I’ve emptied the sack until the next time it decides to flare up. I’ve got it covered with a silver impregnated dressing to try and prevent infection and will check it at the weekend.

No photos 😭

I know and I did try but it just looked like I’d put dots of banana cordial on a cotton pad

This was a very cruel update, OP. 😁