How can you tell if you have an infection?!
Question: I had a lump under my arm last summer and it got really big and all this pus and blood came out of it. Well, it went down, although there was still a bump there. Two days ago, it started coming back. It is very big...not only is it wide, but it is raised up quite a bit. A lot of pus and blood came out of it today and it hurts. Not only does that hurt, but the area all around it hurts as well. I know I need to call my Dr. tomorrow, but how can you tell if something like this is infected? I know, its gross but I am a little concerned....I don't know what it is. I thought it was an ingrown hair and so I didn't go to the Dr. but now that it's back....I'm wondering......
Answers: I had a lump under my arm last summer and it got really big and all this pus and blood came out of it. Well, it went down, although there was still a bump there. Two days ago, it started coming back. It is very big...not only is it wide, but it is raised up quite a bit. A lot of pus and blood came out of it today and it hurts. Not only does that hurt, but the area all around it hurts as well. I know I need to call my Dr. tomorrow, but how can you tell if something like this is infected? I know, its gross but I am a little concerned....I don't know what it is. I thought it was an ingrown hair and so I didn't go to the Dr. but now that it's back....I'm wondering......
Pus in and of itself is a sign of an infection. Pus basically consists of dead skin cells, white blood cells (there to fight the infection) and bacteria (the source of the infection).
"Pus coming from a wound, or a pimple that gets larger and larger, suggests the body may need a little extra help fighting the infection. In these cases, a wait and see approach to pus is definitely not recommended. Untreated infections that the body can