Skin Abscess

[bm28]

Hi Feelbad. I did tell him I was breastfeeding when I was there. So, I did call this morning and they said that nothing showed up on the culture they took. Hmmm I don't know. He said when I was there that it was an abscess and gave me info on it. It said that abscesses usually don't respond to antibiotics because they build a wall to prevent them from getting into the bloodstream and so the barrier doesn't let the antibiotics get in either. It said that they usually need to be lanced and drained This is the reason i came on here to look for help b/c I am dreading that! I didn't know if anyone knew what would help them heal on their own. It acutally is WAY smaller than it was. I have been keeping to clean and bandaged and it seems to be helping. I have also been soaking it at least once a day. I can't go to the same dr b/c right after I saw him we moved from ohio to colorado. I made an appt with a new dr. out here but they couldn't get me in for two weeks. Soooooo that is where i'm at now I wish it would just go away.

[feelbad]

it sounds like you are doing all the right things and this IS getting at least a bit better? i would definitely follow up with this new doc tho and at least get this drained if that is the only thing that is going to actually allow healing. it actually sounds much worse than it is with the lance and drain thing. in most cases,there is also alot of pressure built up since some wounds do create little types of gases within the wounds(and the amount of junk in them too),so when they just touch it with the he tip of that scalpel(which is very very sharp so it doesn't take all that much) it breakes the skin quite easily and the junk just drains out.

does this appear red around the outter edges or feel hotter than the rest of your skin around it? hopefully this will all be over once it gets drained properly. this new doc may also want to do some more in depth testing too. it just should not take this long for a wound like that to heal or even get to where it got considering the mechanisim of injury was pretty small?

just keep doing what you are doing til you can get this done. hopefully it will be done and over after that. but if you should notice any adverse or new symptoms with it,i would seriously get in there before that two week appt. espescially redness,heat,a reddish line running from it upwards,or new pain or hypersensitivity to touch. those would all be the signs to watch for in a worsening type of situation. good luck and please let me know how things go,K? FB

[bm28]

Hi Feelbad. Thanks for all your attention. It does make me feel a little better. I guess there is something else I should mention. Okay here goes! When I said I poked myself with a safety pin i mean literally! I took the safety pin and just started picking at the skin on my foot. I think it was the worst place I could have chosen on my body because I was 38 weeks pregnant and my ankles were swollen and so no circulation could get to my foot. I have OCD and had been on Luvox for 4 years and when I found out I was pregnant I had to stop it. I was fine until the 2 weeks before baby was born I found out my husband was getting transferred. OMG that was so stressful because he had to be across the country working and we didn't know if he'd make it back in time for the delivery. Me finding a new job, not being able to pack up our house, moving with a new baby.... can you imagine the anxiety???? Ironically, my husband was already at the airport when I started having contractions. Then, he had to go back to colorado without me after the baby was a week old. Long story short.....I kept picking at it and picking at it and picking at it....you know. Anyways, that's why it has taken so long to heal. It's embarrasing that's why I didn't mention it sooner. Also, I have definitly learned my lesson after this. NO MORE skin picking!!!!!!!

[feelbad]

thanks for the honesty,really. these boards are annonymous for a good reason hon. knowing the whole story helps. we all do stupid things even to ourselves from time to time so,i am not here to judge you,just make sure you are healthy for that baby.

that is alot to have to deal with all at one time tho,geez,i don;t blame you for going off there a bit. its that feeling of having no control and fear of the unknown that can send us for that loop in life ya know? believe me,i CAN relate to that one,totally. how are things right now for you? i mean 'with' you,in your head? have things stabilized for you with all this now? hopefully this will heal as long as it gets left alone. if you ever get that urge to go there again,really try to find something,anything else that you can just 'do' with your hands hon,it will help to get thru that feeling. is the med actually working for you or do you feel like something else maybe needs to be done or added to keep this at bay? if this doesn't "feel' in control to you,you need to try a different med and possibly seeing a good therepist who can just help you to learn different ways of handling things when you feel overwhelmed again. having a baby can just bring on certain stressors that we cannot always control ya know?

seeing a therepist really is not big deal,you would be amazed at just how many people you know are seeing therepists. i have had to as well as my son,just to try and handle all that life has decided to slam us with. it does help,alot. only you really truely know where you are at. if the meds are not working for you,you DO have some choices and options here,thats all i am really trying to say. thanks for letting me know the whole picture,it does put some things in a much clearer perspective. just take the best possible care of yourself for that new baby,K? and do whatever you need to or have to in order to keep things on track. please let me know how things are going. FB

[bm28]

Yeah, i'm doing much better. They say that pregnancy can make OCD actually go away. I am not going to go back on any meds until i'm done breastfeeding...that is....if I need them again. I am doing much better. I think being away from my husband the two crucial weeks before baby and two weeks after baby was one of the hardest things i've had to do. I came out here when baby was 2.5 weeks old and i've been out here with him since. I will find a new therapist out here if I need to. This thing with my foot though really opened my eyes. I have picked at my skin once or twice before but it has never got infected. Anyways, I have an appt in a week and a half so I will let you know how it goes. Thanks for all your help and advice