Help! Is this an abscess?

"Eric J.M. Dean" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi. I'm a 19 year old male. I have a fairly beshaming
problem. Three days ago I started feeling itch and pain in
the anal area. After doing some research on the internet,
I found out about abscesses and fistulae. I inspected
myself and found out I in fact had some tissue growing
just outside of the anal area. It's about a quarter
centimeter long. I still have no idea if this is what they
mean by the term abscess.

I was pretty frightened by the stuff I heard on the
internet, about that it could be Chron's disease and
lots of people need surgery for this. I mean I haven't
had any real disease my whole life, or any complication
for that matter. I am pretty healthy by standards
really. So I'm really bothered with this...and have no
idea what to do really.

This isn't exactly the easiest thing to go with to a
doctor, you know? Is there any way of getting rid of an
abscess yourself? Is a doctor always needed? Is there the
possibility of the abscess dying out itself? And how bad
is this? Is it serious by standards? Is it bad if I don't
hurry with treatment? And can someone give me some
background info on abscess and fistulae and what they are,
and in specific what I'm having right now?

You need to see a doctor. Might be as simple as an inflamed
hemorrhoid.

HMc

Let's do some research.

Ready for some photos of the pretty anal fistulas?

medicine.ucsd.eduGU FIA.htmlOpen ↗
aafp.org77 f4.jpgOpen ↗ minho.sho-minho.sho-Open ↗
w.org.tw/gs/photogallery/photo27514/fistula_7.jpg mi-mi-Open ↗
nho.show.org.tw/gs/photogallery/photo27514/fistula_8.jpg

Here's an abscess:

minho.show.org.twanal abscess 2.jpgOpen ↗

Does yours look like any of those? Which one, the fistula
or abscess?

Are you sure it's not a fissure?

umm.eduanalfissure 2.htmlOpen ↗

Are you sure it's not hemorrhoids?

proctosite.comihemoOpen ↗
foto11.jpg

Fistulas aren't always due to Crohn's, "Certain conditions,
such as Crohn's disease (chronic inflammatory bowel
disease), can increase the risk of abscess in and around the
anal canal. Patients with conditions that reduce the body's
immunity, such as cancer or AIDS, are also more likely to
develop anal abscesses."

If that is indeed what you have, then the doctors might want
to investigate further, "Whenever the physician finds an
abscess, and especially a fistula, further tests are needed
to be sure Crohn's disease is not present. Blood tests, x-
rays, and a colonoscopy (a lighted, flexible scope exam of
the bowel or colon) are often required."

If it's an abscess, they'll want to drain it, "An abscess
must be surgically opened to promote drainage and relieve
pressure."

If it's a fistula you can try antibiotics, and if that
doesn't work then surgery. This information was cited from
gicare.comecdgs38.htmOpen ↗

Here is a good link:
clevelandclinic.orgpinfo fistula.htmOpen ↗

First of all don't panic. There is so much medical
information available on the net, and it is very easy to
become lost in it. Common symptoms cross over into a million
different conditions, so it is not always easy to figure out
what's wrong based on just reading some listed symptoms for
a problem on a website.

You are not going to die, you're not going to explode, so
just chill. I'd like to welcome you into the world of
sickness. You said you're pretty healthy, but everyone gets
hit with something, so expect more of these little scares.
Most will turn out to be nothing and disappear from your
mind, but eventually you might get hit with a big one, so
it's always good to prepare yourself mentally with these
smaller issues.

The first step is to look over those links I gave you. If
you compare what yours looks like with those photos then you
might have a clue as to what it is, and then can read up on
what it's all about. This way you will know exactly what to
expect from a visit to a doctor.

Or you'll discover it's something simple like rrhoids,
and you can just relax and go back to whatever it is you
were doing.

I hope your mom didn't walk in on you when you were checking
for a fistula. 🙂

Eric J.M. Dean said:

Hi. I'm a 19 year old male. I have a fairly beshaming
problem. Three days ago I started feeling itch and pain in
the anal area. After doing some research on the internet,
I found out about abscesses and fistulae. I inspected
myself and found out I in fact had some tissue growing
just outside of the anal area. It's about a quarter
centimeter long. I still have no idea if this is what they
mean by the term abscess.

I was pretty frightened by the stuff I heard on the
internet, about that it could be Chron's disease and
lots of people need surgery for this. I mean I haven't
had any real disease my whole life, or any complication
for that matter. I am pretty healthy by standards
really. So I'm really bothered with this...and have no
idea what to do really.

This isn't exactly the easiest thing to go with to a
doctor, you know? Is there any way of getting rid of an
abscess yourself? Is a doctor always needed? Is there the
possibility of the abscess dying out itself? And how bad
is this? Is it serious by standards? Is it bad if I don't
hurry with treatment? And can someone give me some
background info on abscess and fistulae and what they are,
and in specific what I'm having right now?

I really would appreciate any help cause I'm pretty
desperate currently.

Thank you.

In article
<[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Hi. I'm a 19 year old male. I have a fairly beshaming
problem. Three days ago I started feeling itch and pain in
the anal area. After doing some research on the internet,
I found out about abscesses and fistulae. I inspected
myself and found out I in fact had some tissue growing
just outside of the anal area. It's about a quarter
centimeter long. I still have no idea if this is what they
mean by the term abscess.

I was pretty frightened by the stuff I heard on the
internet, about that it could be Chron's disease and
lots of people need surgery for this. I mean I haven't
had any real disease my whole life, or any complication
for that matter. I am pretty healthy by standards
really. So I'm really bothered with this...and have no
idea what to do really.

This isn't exactly the easiest thing to go with to a
doctor, you know? Is there any way of getting rid of an
abscess yourself? Is a doctor always needed? Is there the
possibility of the abscess dying out itself? And how bad
is this? Is it serious by standards? Is it bad if I don't
hurry with treatment? And can someone give me some
background info on abscess and fistulae and what they are,
and in specific what I'm having right now?

I really would appreciate any help cause I'm pretty
desperate currently.

Might just be a 'roid. Those hurt, itch and burn. Sometimes
they can hurt A LOT. Sometimes they even bleed a little.
They can be very unpleasant little buggers.

Here's what I do when I've got itching and pain down near
my [censored].

First, I presume it's a 'roid.

Second, I try to keep the area as clean as possible. It's
hard to wipe when you've got a pain in your sphincter, so
try dampening the toilet paper in with a few drops of
warm water. The water will make it very soft, and it will
clean you off better. Use damp TP to wipe until the
tissue comes up clean.

Third, I shove a Preparation H suppository up my butt. This
melts and coats the inside, and helps to shrink the 'roid
and stop the pain and itching.

Fourth, I dab Preparation H ointment on anything that's
outside my butthole that feels tender.

Fifth, I keep track of how long the discomfort continues and
whether I think it's getting better or worse. I'd say that
if it lasts more than two weeks, or if it gets a lot worse
over the course of a week, then it's time to swallow one's
dignity and go have an MD look at it.