I have a degree in Biomedical Engineering and Psychology from Northwestern University. I finished medical school and completed my M.D. at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. I am currently in my residency for surgery- hopefully to be specializing in neurosurgery.
I want to answer questions on medical type questions. I'm a big fan of Dr. Drew Pinsky on Love Line and would like to help younger people from the mistakes I see a lot of young people do when they come into my ER.
Gender: Male
Location: I'm from all over.
Occupation: Physician- Surgeon
Age: 29
AIM: ArunKSherma
Member Since: January 23, 2005
Answers: 188
Last Update: January 2, 2009
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Melanie4981
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i didn`t know where to put this question, but i`m really concerned right now so i guess that doesnt matter. ok so, i`ve had a lump kind of thing "down there" like kind of near my leg, but closer to my .. yeah you know. so i told my mom about it & she felt it & said its probably a cist, everyone gets them. i get cists in my ovaries, & a lot of people get those too (i didnt know if that has anything to do with this bt it might.) i've had this lump since the beginning of the school year, & now its turned into like a big zit. & its kind of a purplish color. i popped it today & blood came out but it just turned back into a big zit again. i know i should get it checked out by the doctor. but if its just something that will go away then i don`t want to worry about it. any ideas on whats wrong with me!? (link)
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It sounds like what you have is called an abscess. An abscess is when bacteria gets from your skin into the underlying tissue where it grows and makes a "pus" pocket. Depending on the size and symptoms, the usual treatment is to incise and drain the abscess and then a short course of antibiotics. Antibiotics alone doesn't help b/c the antibiotics can't get to the bacteria b/c its walled off from the blood vessels that carry the drugs to the pocket.
Often if it is small, a small sterile needle can be used to drain the pocket and then a small course of antibiotics can be used. If bigger, it may need a longer incision- some sterile packing- to keep the pocket open (if it closes then it'll stop draining and then the pus pocket will regrow) and then course of antibiotics and then the pocket will close from the bottom up without a problem.
It happens a lot to a lot of people. It is not anything to worry about.
FYI: A cyst is usually a more solid membrane (ie solid membrane) filled pocket- which can be surgically removed whole, which an abscess cannot.
Yours,
AK
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