Infected cyst? Abscess?

[Cuthbertsmirror]

I went to see the doctor about a week ago re a cyst that has started to grow rapidly and become uneven in size and texture. It is located on my sternum. He diagnosed an infected sebaceous cyst and prescribed a week’s course of Flucloxicillin, which I took according to the instructions.
A few days in, Christmas Eve, I messaged my GP because there was no improvement and that it had turned purple, was painful and was spreading. His response (via email) was that there was no point in prescribing further antibiotics and that it could be removed after 6 weeks. He said that it may ‘spontaneously burst’ and heal itself. I continued taking the antibiotics and finished the course last night.

There has been no improvement.

Over the last few days I have had small, yellow discharge mostly after hot compresses. The first time I noticed it was in the morning after a nights sleep. I sleep on my side and I think it may have been warmed and crushed, as if it had been squeezed.

The warm compresses have been producing small, yellow discharge. Yesterday, a yellow, smelly discharge came from one hole of the cyst after a shower. Presumably, the heat brought it on. Last night, a discharge from two holes after a compress and lying on my side, except this time it was green.

Throughout all this, the cyst has been painful, sometimes in stabbing bursts, sometimes throbbing, It changes colour from purple to skin colour,

i awoke this morning, the cyst is purple again and painful. I am at a loss now. Is the cyst spontaneously rupturing and will go onto heal? Or do I still have an infection, if so, should I leave it, based on his thoughts that further antibiotics wouldn’t help? Is it unsafe to just leave it?

The surgery is closed. I have an appointment for removal at the beginning of March and wonder if that is safe to just leave it ?

It sounds like you need more antibiotics at a minimum.
I think I would be putting iodine ointment on to see if that helped as it seems to soak right in.

Pharmacist as a medium term solution? They might have something that can help.

I'm following this thread with interest as I have what sounds like a similar cyst on my coccyx. DP is not being terribly helpful and it's hard to photograph, but basically it has been the same size for six weeks or so. Went to the health centre, slightly worried that it might be a pilonidal cyst (which DS had once, it was horrid), but was told it was too low for that and was given amoxicillin which stopped it growing, but now it's settled down to just suppurating from time to time.

The other day I reached round and squeezed it, which gave some relief but not the big yellow "brrrraaappp" that usually means you've got the fucker. If it hasn't gone in the next 6 weeks or so I might ask the nurse at the centre if she can lance it or something.

20 years ago I had a sebaceous cyst just above my waist (also not pilonidal, fortunately) and after about a year of squeezing and annoying it, it has just become a hard lump. I had a minor operation to remove it. It looked like a cube of feta cheese like you buy in a jar of oil. Wanted to keep it as a sporner trophy but it had to be sent off for a biopsy, which came back negative.

I had this and it needed surgery once it was this bad. It was the size of a big golf ball and I had to have general to get it removed. Sorry OP! I have a thread on here about i think. Will find it

Hi op,
did this resolve?

I went back to my GP and saw the practise nurse. The nurse put on a massive hydrocolloid patch to help drain it further, but there was no evidence of infection. Once it drained and settled down, I was using foam plasters to protect it from my clothes. Eventually, the GP removed it and I had the stitches out this week.

There was no cyst, only fluid and any remaining sac was burned away.