About an Abscess?!
Question:
About an Abscess?
I asked a question about an abscess and a some people responded that an abscess only occurs in the mouth. Not true. Another said I couldn't possible have one on my shoulder. Wrong again. I just thought I would clear up exactly what an Abscess is for you all. Because it can be aweful! Just spreading the knowledge.
An abscess is a collection of pus within a cavity or pocket. Abscesses can occur in the skin, muscle, or any body organ. The pus may appear cloudy. It may be yellow, greenish, brown, or red. Generally it has a foul odor. When examined through the microscope, the pus contains inflammatory cells (such as white blood cells). Abscesses usually are infected.
Answers:
It needs to be open up with a scalpel and allowed to drain. Then it needs to heal from the outside in. You can't think that it will heal from just squeezing the pus out. That squeezing just damages the surrounding tissues and they will become infected too. And if not opened up the bacteria is just trapped, no blood flow to the bacterial pocket means no intervention by your own immune system. It just doesn't get to it. After you open it up, you just get some sterile gauze and some sterile saline water from the drug store and wet little squares of the gauze with the sterile saline and apply it twice a day. Or go to the doctor. and it might be a way bigger infection if you start to get fever and sweats, in that case you need to bit the bullet immediately and go to the doctor.