I've been contemplating posting this for awhile now, but figured maybe it could help someone. Plus, I know we have folks here in the medical field and was hoping they could weigh in the situation.
Background: Beginning of November I get some weird looking ingrown hairs, but I'm concerned and go to the doctor. The nurse practitioner confirms folliculitis. Due to another, more pronounced ingrown hair very close to my neither regions she prescribes Cephalexin (sp?). I take the antibiotics and move on.
12/23: I go to Taekwondo for a 1.5 hr workout. While there I'm wearing my compression shorts and cup. I come home, put the kids to bed and shower.
12/24: I notice a bump on the inside of my left groin that I assume is an ingrown hair due to the rubbing from the previous night's workout.
12/25: Bump is slightly larger. No big deal as it's only slightly uncomfortable.
12/26: Notice an ingrown hair on the top of my right leg. I scratch it and think all is well. Bump on left side is larger, but no more uncomfortable.
12/27: Bump on left grown is larger and tender. I begin to think it's a hernia, but am not sure. Ingrown hair now has a bump and is red surrounding the area.
12/28: Make doctor appt for 3:45. I can barely stand my boxers touching the areas let alone anything else. It's painful to move. I go to the doctor and she tells me they have to be lanced and drained and that it might be a strep or staph infection.
Well, she gets ready to give me the local. She swabs both sides w/ an alcohol rub and I almost fall off the table. She then proceeds to give me the local. I've never told my vasectomy and complications story here, but lets just say this was so painful I'd rather have a shot to my nuts than go through this.
Now, the fun part. She lances them, drains them and packs them to keep them open. She prescribes Cephalexin again and Bactrum (in case it's MRSA). I leave at 4:55. Yep, 70 minutes in there and every minute of it sucked. I'm walking funny because my legs are sore and there's medical tape pulling across tender, thin skin and hair.
I shower later that night and remove the tape and bandages. Removing that tape was almost as painful as having the procedure. Let's just say that I'm a little more understanding to the ladies that get the Brazilian waxes.
12/29: Left side feels better, but right side is still swollen and the surrounding area is more red. Remove packing from both incisions.
12:30: Follow up appt w/ the doctor for an 8:15 appt. She takes one look at the right side and a severe look of concern comes over her face. It's even more red (size of a dinner plate) than the day before and now there is a second bump. She tells me she wants to refer me to a general surgeon because they see this type of thing more often. She's not sure if she needs to make the incision longer or a second incision. The culture results are not available yet.
I end up getting an appt w/ the general surgeon for 12:15. At this point I am absolutely sweating bullets because there is a real possibility it might be in my bloodstream and I might have to be hospitalized.
The surgeon looks at both areas and says the one on my groin is healing nicely. He says the incision on my right side is too small and he has to open it up. I'm freaking out because he's touching the area w/o gloves. He then proceeds to do the procedure and tells me hot water and soap is all that is needed to prevent the spread of it. He writes me a script to extend my bactrum for another three days and sends me on my way.
In addition, there is another small infection at the top of my shin on my right side. He decides not to do anything about that one because it is so small and says it should clear up w/ the anitbiotics.
12/31: Still hurts to walk and can't wear jeans yet.
1/1: Remove packing from right side and nearly pass out. Incision remains open and continues to seap.
1/2: Wound closing and finally can wear jeans.
1/3: Wound healing nicely. The pressure on the small infection on my shin has gotten to the point it's bothering me. I squeeze it and drain it in the shower.
1/4: Everything progressing.
1/5: I finally get the culture results w/ news that it was a moderate case of MRSA.
Here I sit today w/ incised wounds healing. There are bumps on both of them from scar tissue being formed. The infection at the top of my shin is healing, too. It's still hard and hurts, but nothing like before. I've been keeping a band aid on it since Sunday night.
I will be finishing the antibiotics tomorrow. Each night after I shower I towel off, wash my hands, throw the towels in the washer on hot and wash my hands again. I then dump boiling hot water all over the shower floor.
I am not too sure how I got it, but think it was from Taekwondo. I broke the skin across the knuckles on both feet a few weeks ago from kicking the heavy bag. I'm not sure I got it from that. The other is the fact of the rubbing and sweating from wearing the compression shorts w/ the cup. One last possibility is that I got it just from changing in the locker room. I'm not sure, but it certainly sucks.
I'm certainly glad I went to the doctor to have things looked at. Part of what prompted the visit is that I jammed a screw driver into my hand on Sunday morning. It had been some time since I had a tetanus shot so I figured I'd get one at the doctor. The tetanus shot was the least painful part of the visit.
Background: Beginning of November I get some weird looking ingrown hairs, but I'm concerned and go to the doctor. The nurse practitioner confirms folliculitis. Due to another, more pronounced ingrown hair very close to my neither regions she prescribes Cephalexin (sp?). I take the antibiotics and move on.
12/23: I go to Taekwondo for a 1.5 hr workout. While there I'm wearing my compression shorts and cup. I come home, put the kids to bed and shower.
12/24: I notice a bump on the inside of my left groin that I assume is an ingrown hair due to the rubbing from the previous night's workout.
12/25: Bump is slightly larger. No big deal as it's only slightly uncomfortable.
12/26: Notice an ingrown hair on the top of my right leg. I scratch it and think all is well. Bump on left side is larger, but no more uncomfortable.
12/27: Bump on left grown is larger and tender. I begin to think it's a hernia, but am not sure. Ingrown hair now has a bump and is red surrounding the area.
12/28: Make doctor appt for 3:45. I can barely stand my boxers touching the areas let alone anything else. It's painful to move. I go to the doctor and she tells me they have to be lanced and drained and that it might be a strep or staph infection.
Well, she gets ready to give me the local. She swabs both sides w/ an alcohol rub and I almost fall off the table. She then proceeds to give me the local. I've never told my vasectomy and complications story here, but lets just say this was so painful I'd rather have a shot to my nuts than go through this.
Now, the fun part. She lances them, drains them and packs them to keep them open. She prescribes Cephalexin again and Bactrum (in case it's MRSA). I leave at 4:55. Yep, 70 minutes in there and every minute of it sucked. I'm walking funny because my legs are sore and there's medical tape pulling across tender, thin skin and hair.
I shower later that night and remove the tape and bandages. Removing that tape was almost as painful as having the procedure. Let's just say that I'm a little more understanding to the ladies that get the Brazilian waxes.
12/29: Left side feels better, but right side is still swollen and the surrounding area is more red. Remove packing from both incisions.
12:30: Follow up appt w/ the doctor for an 8:15 appt. She takes one look at the right side and a severe look of concern comes over her face. It's even more red (size of a dinner plate) than the day before and now there is a second bump. She tells me she wants to refer me to a general surgeon because they see this type of thing more often. She's not sure if she needs to make the incision longer or a second incision. The culture results are not available yet.
I end up getting an appt w/ the general surgeon for 12:15. At this point I am absolutely sweating bullets because there is a real possibility it might be in my bloodstream and I might have to be hospitalized.
The surgeon looks at both areas and says the one on my groin is healing nicely. He says the incision on my right side is too small and he has to open it up. I'm freaking out because he's touching the area w/o gloves. He then proceeds to do the procedure and tells me hot water and soap is all that is needed to prevent the spread of it. He writes me a script to extend my bactrum for another three days and sends me on my way.
In addition, there is another small infection at the top of my shin on my right side. He decides not to do anything about that one because it is so small and says it should clear up w/ the anitbiotics.
12/31: Still hurts to walk and can't wear jeans yet.
1/1: Remove packing from right side and nearly pass out. Incision remains open and continues to seap.
1/2: Wound closing and finally can wear jeans.
1/3: Wound healing nicely. The pressure on the small infection on my shin has gotten to the point it's bothering me. I squeeze it and drain it in the shower.
1/4: Everything progressing.
1/5: I finally get the culture results w/ news that it was a moderate case of MRSA.
Here I sit today w/ incised wounds healing. There are bumps on both of them from scar tissue being formed. The infection at the top of my shin is healing, too. It's still hard and hurts, but nothing like before. I've been keeping a band aid on it since Sunday night.
I will be finishing the antibiotics tomorrow. Each night after I shower I towel off, wash my hands, throw the towels in the washer on hot and wash my hands again. I then dump boiling hot water all over the shower floor.
I am not too sure how I got it, but think it was from Taekwondo. I broke the skin across the knuckles on both feet a few weeks ago from kicking the heavy bag. I'm not sure I got it from that. The other is the fact of the rubbing and sweating from wearing the compression shorts w/ the cup. One last possibility is that I got it just from changing in the locker room. I'm not sure, but it certainly sucks.
I'm certainly glad I went to the doctor to have things looked at. Part of what prompted the visit is that I jammed a screw driver into my hand on Sunday morning. It had been some time since I had a tetanus shot so I figured I'd get one at the doctor. The tetanus shot was the least painful part of the visit.
