So, here's the story that I promised the other day.
I have had a cyst there for MANY years. My dermatologist always said that if it became red or started to hurt, that they would need to remove it....and she warned that it would leave a NASTY scar...and that I would be awake during the process.
ICK. NOT my cup of tea.
So...it hadn't bothered me...I wasn't going to worry about removing it, even though it had become visible to the naked eye.
Anyways....for about a month, it has been etting larger and larger in size. Somewhere around Monday, it started to become tender. By Thursday, it was HURTING and had started turning red. Well, with our impending travels coming up, I felt that it was very important that it get addressed before we left, so that I wouldn't be in pain, or have an issue, while we are in Europe.
Friday night, I was sitting at my couch doing paperwork, and I kept getting little wafts of "dog poop" smell. I asked if anyone else smelled it....nope. Well, I got up to use the bathroom, and then checked my back. There was something sticky on it. I peeled it off, and (for lack of a kinder, gentler term) it looked like a booger. I IMMEDIATELY smelled that icky smell, so I put my finger to my nose. YUP! The smell was coming from the oozing from my back. green puss started coming out as I applied pressure. I walked out and told Dean what was going on. he came in (being the pimple-pinching affeciando that he is), and started messing with it until the pain was too much and I felt I was goin to faint. I decided to contact a nurse friend of mine in TX. She said I needed to take my temp, call my doc and be prepared to go into ER. She called it exactly right.
Dean took me down to ER, they checked me in, and I saw that the waiting room was about 2/3 - 3/4 full. After they put my wristband on me, a nurse took us DIRECTLY to a bed. Do not pass "GO", do not wait in the waiting room. Oddest thing I have ever been through.
A nurse practitioner came in, fully gowned with face mask, hair covering....the works. Took one look at it, and told me what they were going to do. Right there on the table in ER, she gave me a shot to numb my back. Dean said they put so much in that my skin bubbled up. She them IMMEDIATELY took a scalpel and opened up my shoulder blade. Dean said the incision was only about 1/2" long. Put a pair of tongs on the wound to spread it open, then began pushing the affected area with all of her force. I really couldn't feel anything, but was in tears, and knew that she was pushing REALLY hard. She then packed me full of gauze, put gauze on top, and had another nurse give me a Tetnus shot. The would was left open with the packing sticking out (hence, all the blood in the picture). Dean said that what came OUT of the incision looked like brown honeycomb, and did not have any pressure behind it. No squirting. The nurse said that it did NOT look ANYTHING like staph, but they sent a sample off to the lab.
I have an appointment at 10:30 today. Doc will be taking out my packing, and reviewing the lab results. My understanding it that if there is infection, then it will be repacked, and left open. If not, then he has the option of stiching it up while I am there. So....I will let you know what happens at the docs...and what the lab report reads.
So...no "vampie bites". Just a gruesome "quickie" surgery at the hospital on a late Saturday night. :(
