Morning,

Well cant get an appt at docs so went to pharmacist who says its a staphococcul (sp) infection......having looked that up it appears to be a posh name for a boil!!!

Anyway they can be caused by stress (so those of you who have read my other posts will know that that is almost certainly the case)

Still no head despite hot water so have magnesium sulphate and docs appt tomorrow, pharmacistreckons definitely antibiotics , but it feels like a small, actually no, a large, alien is trying to gnaw its way out of my head

Apparently it can easily be transferred to other areas and people if they share towels or bed linen and or touch it and all laundry should be boil washed and I should refrain from touching it, (easier said than donE)

So thats my great start to the week. and I bet I cant drink with A/bs and I am off for a night in York...

I once had one on my rear end. It was so huge and painful i couldn`t even sit down!! I was teaching a class of 7 year olds at the time and we all shared it as a huge joke. It even got a nickname. It was christened Billy Boil, even got a place in the register. Billy finally went but left lots of laughter for a long while after ( also a lot of pain while he was with me!!!)I hope yours leaves quicker than Billy did!!

OUCH poor you!!!

As others have said, its best treat it with hot water - hot as you can stand and eventually the puss (YUK) will start to come through the open "paws" (get it? Paws! LOL) - sorry couldnt help it!!

PS dont mess with it as apparntly they can spread over the area and become infected.

If it is a stapphy infection you really need to be careful. My husband had one on his neck when we were on holiday abroad and by the time we came home he had it in his nose as well. It can spread to other areas by touching another area with your hands. He had a hooter like concorde before it got better. I didn't realise it can be related to stress. I have had a few over the last few years, never suffered with them before, I thought it must come with age, as everything either drops or becomes bigger with age.

well thats what the pharmacist says, but who knows.....

Apparently the size and reddness suggested it was a staph infection......

He did warn me not to touch other areas unless I had washed my hands with an antibacterial soap....

He said that we all carry the staphylococcus (sp) bacteria in our systems but when you are stressed, or when you are recovering from an illness, your immune system is reduced and the bacteria is no longer controlled and becomes aggressive.....

Like I said "so he says" will just have to wait and see what doc says.....

How is this for spooky....

Staph - One on my rear. One on my inside thigh. One on my arm. One on my knee.... Er, these are in the past, not right now. lol

The one on my thigh was, I kid you not, bloody huge. If you ever want photos to turn your stomach, just shout!

Mine always seem to start as just small red pimples and they then grow into painful boils. Then, the worst bit happens, the deadening and blackening of the surrounding skin, which can last for weeks and weeks. So, who is up for a hot date then?

The one on my thigh was soooo painful that it actually stopped me being able to walk for weeks. I went to the hospital and they did this puncture thing to see why I kept getting them so frequently. Alas, it was unable to provide the answer.

My GP's best answer was that my diet was so poor, and I was just coming out of my breakdown, and so my immune system was extremely weak. I can say that I haven't had one this year, since recovering and completely overhauling my diet and lifestyle. I now use fruits for eating, not for throwing.

Absolutely horrible things. The only thing you can really do about them is treat them with antibiotics. I now have a repeat prescription for them so that the moment I see a pimple, I can start a dose of antibiotics.

P.S. Tried magnesium sulphate too. Might as well have tried covering it with chocolate.

Get it treated ASAP, as I can vouch for the hideous scars they can leave behind. I dread getting one just for that reason. Don't waste time with home treatments -- get it dealt with properly, or else I post photos and believe me you don't want that!

GSD Lover. I am glad you said in the past. I was beginning to think you must look like one big boil. Maybe we should start a thread on pictures of our boils to see who has the biggest.

Hmmm A trophy that I would feel confident of winning.

They used to really embarrass me. But like most things, I suppose, as I realise there isn't a great deal I can do about them other than treat them when and if they arrive, I've just learned to accept them. Perhaps if I was younger, then I'd feel worse about them. If you can't laugh then there ain't a lot left....

Once again thank you both so much for making me feel "normal"

I have the doc tomorrow at 5pm so hopefully he will get it sorted.

I am lucky that so far I can't see mine as it is on the back of my head, although this morning I have noticed a burning itch and red patch beside ear ( a bit like an insect bite)

Isn't the human body just an amazing thing........

If you are using me as as a compass of normal, then a staph boil is the least of your worries.