Can barely sit....

[Crankin]

OK, I hope this gets your attention!
I woke up yesterday feeling sore on lower part of my bum, right side, almost near the crease of my leg. On Monday, I had done a short trainer workout, involving lots of one legged drills and some easy spinning. I felt some "uncomfortableness" as the workout progressed, but didn't think of it.
So, when I got up yesterday, I could feel something there, like a welt. I got DH to check it out (above and beyond the call of duty here) and he confirmed there's a pimple there. It progressed as the day went on and is now all bumpy in the middle and red around this. It hurts like hell. I 've been putting the anti-hemorroidal cream on, thinking it's a saddle sore, but it just feels the same or worse.
I didn't do anything different, no new shorts, saddle the same, etc. It does seem directly related to the ride on the trainer.
Advice, please. I really don't want to go to the doctor for this...

[OakLeaf]

I've lanced boils myself, but you're really not supposed to. There's always a risk of sepsis.

Hot soaks/compresses and poultices are the safest way to go - comfrey, chamomile, raw parsley, raw onion/garlic if you don't mind the smell.

But if the red area is really big or seeming to spread, you probably need to go to the doctor and get it lanced ... what you said about it being bumpy (multiple bumps, not just the big one in the middle?) doesn't sound good.

And anything you can do to strengthen your immune system (like eating extra, extra clean) will help.

[Crankin]

Not sure if I can eat any cleaner than I already do. See the "what I ate today" thread.
My next step is hot compresses. There's no way I would try to lance this myself, believe me. I did get a look at it, by turning around and pointing my rear to the mirror. It didn't look as bad as I thought it would, but still.
I have Friday free in case I do end up needing to go to the doctor, but...

[OakLeaf]

Yeah, I knew you eat really clean - I don't follow that thread, but I know for myself there are improvements I make when I'm sick and/or when my allergic load is high. Just threw that out there, nothing personal. :)

[Biciclista]

Crankin, I'm sorry about your boil. Out of curiosity, i went to the eating thread and couldn't figure out what was so "clean" about what you ate. As opposed to what?


thanks and good luck.

[DebW]

Is this how MSRP infections start? Definitely see a doctor if it gets worse.

[Kerikay]

I've heard that soaking a piece of bread in milk and letting it sit on the area really draws out the infection. Good Luck!!

[Crankin]

Deb, I just came back from breakfast with a friend and she said the same thing. This freaked me out. Debating to see if I can get in to the doctor before I have to leave for Cambridge at 3 ish. Otherwise, it has to wait until Friday.
Oak, I didn't take it personally!
Mimi, I construe clean eating to be no junk food. Maybe someone else has a different definition?

Edit to add:
I have an appointment at 1:30. I decided I wouldn't be able to concentrate on my work and a meeting with my academic advisor unless i had it checked out.
Thanks.

[Catrin]

Crankin, I'm sorry about your boil. Out of curiosity, i went to the eating thread and couldn't figure out what was so "clean" about what you ate. As opposed to what?


thanks and good luck.

Is it "clean" of processed foods? I have heard this term before and have never been sure what it meant.

Crankin, I hope that your boil resolves quickly - they are not comfortable at the best of times...

[Biciclista]

So glad you are going to the doctor. You don't want to mess with painful infections!!

[OakLeaf]

Glad you're getting it checked out - hope it resolves quickly. It sounds super painful (and even localized infections can sometimes make me feel pretty sick systemically).

@Catrin, what I mean when I say eating clean is partly general things like mostly unprocessed fruits and vegetables, leaning toward raw; minimal amounts of acid-forming foods like grains and meat; everything organic and pasture-raised or wild caught/wildcrafted; no highly processed foods at all, which includes traditional foods like bread, cheese, tempeh, alcohol, etc. - and partly things that are specific to the individual, avoiding anything you might be allergic or sensitive to (dairy for most people but not necessarily everyone, gluten for many, soy and various grains for some, a whole list of things for me :rolleyes:).

[Owlie]

There went most of my diet. Guess I'm screwed. ;):rolleyes:

Crankin, I'm glad you're getting it checked out. Sounds painful. They always show up in the more inconvenient places, don't they?

[OakLeaf]

There went most of my diet. Guess I'm screwed. ;):rolleyes:

Like I said - I have a lot of room for improvement when I feel the need. :p

The cr*ppier I feel from non-dietary stuff, the more important it is for me to eliminate anything in my diet that makes me feel cr*ppy, that I'm willing to tolerate most of the time.

[emily_in_nc]

Crankin, good luck with this -- it sounds horrible.

I don't know if it is anything like the saddle sores I get, but I have one particular place in the "t'aint" area ;) on the left that has twice developed a saddle sore that eventually took me to the dermatologist's for a cortisone injection. But they come up more slowly, fill with blood over and over (yes, I confess to poking a sterilized needle in and squeezing them), and cause excruciating discomfort on the bike. The cortisone shot nips it immediately.

Yours sounds almost like a bacterial infection, a true boil. glad you're getting it checked out, and let us know the results.

[Crankin]

OK, so the doctor took one look at it and said, "It looks like a shingle." There are blisters on the thing. I was in a rush (they squeezed me in) and I did not have time to wait for him to consult with the dermatologist. He put me on the anti-viral drug and gave me a creme for the boil.
I had a very low grade fever (98.8, for me a fever) and my blood pressure was up. The shingles thing doesn't sound far fetched to me. I have had unexplained bouts of little teeny blisters erupting and unexplained itching for years, as well as a weird burning/tingling on my left side when I am sick. No one has ever been able to explain this, and i chalked it up to my never ending list of weird stuff, which has been tried to be explained away as fibromyalgia. So, if I have had this for years, it's too late for the anti-viral.
Meanwhile, the rest of my day went downhill. I had to get my prescription filled in Harvard Square, as Lesley has a new campus which is separate from where I usually go, and my class is over there. I walked right past the CVS and then when I found it, the computer was down. I ended up walking about 2 miles, and now i have a real blister on the bottom of my left foot. I did have a good meeting with my advisor, but I was late to my study group and my neuroscience class is just too intense. I did finally get the prescription, though.
OK, rant is over.

[OakLeaf]

Ouch, ouch, ouch.

Hope today is better at least.

I was under the impression that antivirals will suppress any new recurrence, so in that sense it's not "too late" - but I don't really know too much about it. Shingles by definition is a recurrent manifestation of a latent chronic infection, right? Anyway, hope it all clears up ASAP.

[Biciclista]

oh geez no wonder it's so painful! sorry about your crummy day, get well soon.

[zoom-zoom]

Ugh, shingles...I had a bout of that on my belly maybe 3 years ago. Mine was VERY mild and caught early, so I got on anti-virals fast. My bumps never ruptured and I had no long-term, lingering pain.

Might you be a candidate for the vaccine? It's something I've wondered about for myself. Contrary to popular belief, one can develop shingles repeatedly. It sounds like you may be one of the chronic sufferers.

I think I was prone to shingles because I already have autoimmune issues (allergies, asthma, endometriosis) + the stress put on my body from running. Generally the vaccine is only given to older folks, but I wonder if exceptions would be made for younger, healthy people like us who have already shown a tendency to developing outbreaks.

[Crankin]

Ha, I am just below the age for giving the vaccine, but glad you think I am young.
I am pretty much like you, allergies, asthma (well under control, not an issue) and some subtle autoimmune things, mostly in my GI system. I have been getting these "flare ups" for almost 25 years. I remember the first one, when my younger son was 2, and coincidently, was at the same time I started teaching fitness classes. Hard exercise sets me off, but not always. I rested today, as much as I can at work, but no exercise. Funny, I ran, or ran-walked the past 2 days, because I couldn't sit on my bike saddle!
The bumps, except for this one, have been teeny teeny and never ruptured, either. But, I've had persistent burning and pain on my left side for years, mostly when I am getting better from an illness, cold, etc. I can feel the weakness on the bike, but I just deal with it.
Frankly, I am just glad I don't have MRSA. But, the bump is definitely not a boil, in terms of there's nothing there to drain. It's drying up today, can't feel it as badly. Now, I just have to fix the fricking blister on my left foot.

[Cataboo]

Crankin, I hope your bum gets better.

I took my 30 year old brother to the eye doctor a month or so ago, the doctor looked into his eyes and started talking about pupil atrophy consistent with a shingles outbreak and said she'd put him on anti-virals if it happened again.

Not that he or anyone had a clue that he'd had a shingles outbreak in his eye.

[zoom-zoom]

Crankin, I hope your bum gets better.

I took my 30 year old brother to the eye doctor a month or so ago, the doctor looked into his eyes and started talking about pupil atrophy consistent with a shingles outbreak and said she'd put him on anti-virals if it happened again.

Not that he or anyone had a clue that he'd had a shingles outbreak in his eye.

That is scary...shingles can cause blindness. I have a friend who had it on her face and has scarring--she's just glad it never spread to her eyes. My MIL's ex-bf was recently hospitalized for shingles all over his face and scalp. Scary stuff.

[OakLeaf]

yeah - my dad had an outbreak of shingles when we were all in Vienna. He had excellent care from an English-speaking doctor (and unbelievably inexpensive, to an American). They gave him some ointment for his eye and impressed on him how serious it could've been. He did cut the trip short because of the pain and sick feeling, but had no damage to his eye.



Zoom-zoom, is the vaccine any use for someone who's had multiple outbreaks?

[Possegal]

Zoom-zoom, is the vaccine any use for someone who's had multiple outbreaks?


From the FDA's Q and A on the herpes zoster vaccine.
The effectiveness of Zostavax in preventing repeated episodes of shingles has not been demonstrated in clinical studies.

Which sometimes just means it is an endpoint that wasn't looked at. But the Q and A also comments that having an outbreak of shingles boosts immunity to the virus and that most people who have an outbreak of shingles usually don't have another. So I'm thinking that maybe they didn't look at that as an endpoint under the assumption that people with multiple outbreaks don't seem to benefit (or have) the immunity boost from the outbreak that most people have, so they maybe won't have that from the vaccine either? Just wildly speculating there. :)

[emily_in_nc]

Crankin, hope you are better soon, and very glad you wasted no time in getting to the doc. Sure does sound like shingles, given your years of issues. Not fun. I don't know a whole lot about it except that a guy at work a couple of years ago had a pretty serious case and missed a lot of work. He eventually recovered, but it was nasty and painful for him.

[Crankin]

The "thing" is definitely drying up, getting darker and darker and scaly. Not smaller, though, but hurts less. The muscle aches, etc. are less. I am so used to feeling all of this, that it's not hard to ignore. I read a very little bit on line, just glad it's not near my eyes... while the rest of it is annoying and maybe painful, it's not life threatening. I just want it to feel better before next Friday, as we are flying to AZ, for a memorial gathering for my MIL.
On a different note, I had my 2nd appointment with the MacKenzie pt yesterday, and that is going great. My SI joints were also messed up, along with my hip, so he worked on that. And I was happy to hear him say my "form" while doing the exercises was perfect. It's nice to have a medical provider that's 1) in good shape 2) doesn't tell me to do less, and 3) I can talk to about his x country skiing last weekend.

[redrhodie]

Crankin, is the shingles diagnosis the one you've been looking for for all these years? Does this explain other symptoms you've had, that have been thought to be caused by fibromyalgia?

[Crankin]

It could be. I am thinking it is, mostly because the pain I have had is only on one side, which is consistent with shingles. They are both made worse by intense exercise... of course I don't hear that (hands over ears). Interestingly, both are treated with low doses of Amyltriptiline (sp), which I took for a couple of months in 2008. It worked, but when I started gaining weight, I went off of it. Plus, it makes you sleepy, so you have to take it at night, early enough to get enough time to sleep. I goto bed later now, so it would be hard. But, it broke the cycle.
We shall see. The only exercise i did today was a 12 minute warm up on the treadmill and the stuff the PT has me doing. I felt a little worse after getting off of the treadmill, but I often feel worse in the morning and then it disappears as the day goes on. I really want to go nordic skiing tomorrow, so I am headed off to finish the paper I am working on.