Infected cyst

[Django1988]

Originally posted in general health but was advised to post here!

I’ve had a small cyst for years that has never bothered me. Last Friday I noticed it had grown and was slightly pink around it, it also had started to hurt. Went to the drs and they prescribed anti biotics but now it’s a lot redder in colour and the pain hasn’t gone. Why would it go so red when it should be getting better with anti biotics? I’ll be going back to the drs on Monday if it’s not gone down by then, which I assume it won’t! Pics attached.

Where is it OP? I’m afraid I had this and within a week or two of the redness starting I ended up needing surgery to remove it! The aftercare was awful so if I was you I would push for it now. You can pay a dermo to remove the privately . My thread is here https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/spornercorner/5184413-mother-of-all-sebaceous-cysts

Thanks for your reply. That link isn’t working for me! I’ll google it and see if the link comes up that way.

It’s on my back.

I will have a look in to that thank you. Why was the aftercare so awful?

it doesn’t help when my 4 year old whacks it!

It looks like it's about to erupt like Mount Vesuvius. I can see a head forming.

That cracked me up 😆

The aftercare was awful as they have to leave the hole open and pack it with material everyday/every 2 days which was painful! For about a month.

Oh god that sounds grim 🙈

I’ve had this. Have you tried boiling some water and letting it cool to the point it won’t burn you and then dip a flannel or cotton pad in the water and press gently on it to try and encourage the puss out? I’ve also used magnesium paste to encourage the puss out. It’s horrible and so painful when it’s like that and antibiotics alone won’t empty the puss but once it pops the relief will be immense!

My DH would have had me on my front and be squeezing that bad boy before you could say “sporner-delight”.

I agree with the hot flannel. That’s about to explode!

I have one right now under my arm. It's the second time I've had it - first time it needed antibiotics and left a scar but the cyst was still there. Now it's infected again and I'm back on antibiotics. I tried magnesium paste and hot compresses first but to no avail. Seems to be draining now after two days on the tablets.

Oh my mum had that after an abscess was removed. The district nurse came out daily to pack it with sterile fabric. I was amazed but it means it heals upwards from inside. This was in the 80s.

You could try hydrocortisone cream. See if that does anything

Thing is unless they remove the sack it will just refill in future. Dr Pimple Popper fan here.

Thanks all, I will try the hot flannel and I’m sure I have some of that cream in from when my daughter needed it so will try that too

I really really would not try to squeeze it. The sac will stay in and it will repeat

Definitely not squeezing it! It’s too painful to touch even if I wanted to

Keep going with the hot flannel, it may take a few days for it to open and then it’ll squirt out like squeezy cheese!

I had one of these between my shoulder blades. 3 courses of antibiotics and several bouts of thrush later, it burst in all its glory. It was amazing - first pus then this word cream cheese stuff. I had to get it dressed every other day by the nurse at the GP's, which was a pain with 3 kids under 3. Unfortunately the cyst came back again as you have to get the whole thing out but it did not get infected ever again. I finally had it cut out about 10 years later and it was as big as a golf ball (about 3/4 of it was below skin level!).

I had one like that on my back years ago that got infected and was absolutely agony. I got sent to the hospital and they put a local anaesthetic in and cleaned it out (looked like cottage cheese 🤢) then like a previous poster said, they packed it with gauze of some sort for about a month (new stuff each day) till it healed from the inside out. Im now left with 2 tiny holes and a scar where it was. I never want to feel that pain again, it was awful. Hope you get rid of your back buddy soon and you feel better xx

@Django1988 how is Mt Vesuvius today? Any better?

I sent a picture to my GP who referred me to the same day emergency department. After waiting for 3 hours they drained it and removed the ‘capsule’ as they called it. Had a severe allergic reaction to the local anesthetic (almost fainted, sick and throat closed up) so still here after they kept me overnight for observations. Just waiting to go home now!

So hopefully it won’t come back now

Hope you're feeling better now.

Loads better thank you 😊

Mine looked exactly the same, antibiotics made it go more red and pussy and then I squeezed it