Armpit cyst infected

[SugarCookieMonster]

I had a small pea sized cyst in my armpit that suddenly jumped in size, turned red and sore. It’s now the size of a pound coin. I saw the Dr who said it’s infected and gave me antibiotics (flucloxacillin). He also said I needed to see the minor op Dr in the surgery to judge if it can be dealt with in the surgery or if I need to be referred. I’m assuming they’re going to drain or cut it out?

I’m wearing baggy tops, no bra etc as anything rubbing near it is so painful. I’ve been putting warm, wet compresses on it when possible. Is there anything I should be doing while waiting to see the Dr?

I’m feeling miserable. To add to my discomfort I have a shoulder injury in the same arm so holding my arm at angles to keep from pressing on the cyst is hurting my shoulder!

On the plus side the antibiotics are the ones where you have to take them an hour before/2 hours after food so I might lose some weight from lack of snacking! 😂

Can you stick mag sulphate or eveen sudacrem on it and a plaster?
Blister plasters are good
Then if it goes the children are safe!!!

The GP I spoke to said that lancing it is ok but it’s likely to get re-infected due to where it is. She also said that the sac needs to be fully removed.
I’ll keep that in mind in case I get nowhere next week, thanks!

I’ve been looking for some thick, padded plasters (think maternity pad thickness) or dressings so I can wear my own clothes again. I’m less worried about an eruption now and more concerned about comfort while I wait to get it sorted.

Sanitary pad in the armhole of your top?

You might find it doesn’t have a sac - I have hidradenitis supprativa and have ones like that but there’s no sac

So, about 4 hours after I had the appointment promising a referral I had a text from the Dr saying they were unable to refer me.

At the end of my tether, I emailed the practice manager to ask what was going on. She arranged an appointment with a Dr this morning.

He took a look and sorted the referral on his phone while I was there. I got sent straight up to the emergency day surgery unit. After blood tests, weighing, blood pressure etc I was taken through.

I had some anaesthetic injections, she drew on it with a marker and the opened it up. She did say “I feel like this one is going to be satisfying” 😂. There was quite a bit of blood (according to DH, I couldn’t see anything from my angle) and it was reasonably painful. She managed to get most of the capsule out. Then she flushed it and patched me up.

She did say that if it comes back I need to get a referral back asap as it’s easier for them to see me and sort it before it gets infected. Fingers crossed this is the last one I get!

Im glad it’s out but disappointed that the obvious sooner surgeon didn’t take photos for us!

😂 Yes she was very happy about mine. She’d seen a man before me and was disappointed with his!

Thank goodness it has gone. Did dh video it for you?

No, they were a bit worried he was going to faint so made him sit on the other side of the room 😂.

I told them he survived watching me give birth but apparently the guy who was in before me had a very low pain threshold. I don’t think he handled it well so they weren’t taking any chances!

I got several like that as a teenager, we lived in country where there is less of a culture of going to the doctor so my mother would tell me to wait till it looked "ripe" then I was to have a very hot bath, she would then lance it, and then dig about in it with sterilised tweezers to get out the "core" then just whack a dressing on it with fucidin on it. That seemed to do the job.

I did get sepsis when I had one in my leg and my whole leg selled up so I couldn't walk and I had a long red stripe going down my leg, it was like it was on fire and I had a raging temperature I did go to the doctor with that one but the main thing that annoyed me was I wasn't allowed to swim in the inter house swimming gala because of it. I still have a scar about the size of a 5p coin from that one.