5th July 2006
I've now had two abscesses / boils under my armpit in the past few months! The first one was a month or two ago and frightened me. I thought I had the bubonic plague!
So I went to the emergency room and they said no, it was an abscess caused by an ingrown hair or perhaps an overactive sebaceous gland, and lanced and drained it. They told me that I should watch the area because it might come back. It did not.
I took antibiotics (cephalexin) and it went away completely, actually within a day or two. I continued with the antibiotics as prescribed for the ten days or so.
However, another one popped up a few days ago under the other armpit! Yikes. This time, because I knew it was not deadly I just waited to see if it would go away by itself. After a few days, it just had gotten too big and the skin above it was all red and painful, so I went back to the E.R. and same procedure, lance and drain. Antibiotics again, same one.
What I am wondering is, whether there is some preventative measure to keep these from coming back. I am using the same anti perspirant I always use. All I can think of is maybe lately since there has been a heat wave in San Diego this is causing me some extra sweating because I do go to the gym a lot. Maybe the sweating is clogging some pores or something. I don't know.
My mom suggested eating dried apricots and other foods to "cleanse" the blood.
Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? Similar experiences?
So I went to the emergency room and they said no, it was an abscess caused by an ingrown hair or perhaps an overactive sebaceous gland, and lanced and drained it. They told me that I should watch the area because it might come back. It did not.
I took antibiotics (cephalexin) and it went away completely, actually within a day or two. I continued with the antibiotics as prescribed for the ten days or so.
However, another one popped up a few days ago under the other armpit! Yikes. This time, because I knew it was not deadly I just waited to see if it would go away by itself. After a few days, it just had gotten too big and the skin above it was all red and painful, so I went back to the E.R. and same procedure, lance and drain. Antibiotics again, same one.
What I am wondering is, whether there is some preventative measure to keep these from coming back. I am using the same anti perspirant I always use. All I can think of is maybe lately since there has been a heat wave in San Diego this is causing me some extra sweating because I do go to the gym a lot. Maybe the sweating is clogging some pores or something. I don't know.
My mom suggested eating dried apricots and other foods to "cleanse" the blood.
Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? Similar experiences?