boils

[motherinneed]

Has anyone experienced large painful boils? My son has had two so far over a very short period of time and they are the size of quarters in width and very hard and painful. Just wondering if this can be a medication side effect? He is on Atripla.

[weasel]

 Hi MOM ,
               I have suffered from boils !

   Not as large as  dimes BUT  many of them !

  It has happened   several times !

  My Doctors  always  Called them  "  Impetigo "  , A  Catchall  phrase  for skin  problems !

  I have found    AUGMENTON   fixes me right up !

 Two weeks and they are  gone , BUT  takes a year for the spots to go away !

 AND  then BAM !   I get them again !


   The Augment causes  HORRID  stomach  and Diarrhoea !

      I hope  your son is doing better !

 OH , I am on Truvada , norvir , Reyataz .

 I do NOT think they are drug related ,as I got my first ones BEFORE  starting   HARRT !

                                                           Be well ,
                                                                       Carl

[Ann]

Mother,

Boils are usually caused by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. While they won't be related to his meds, they may be related to the state of his immune system. What are his numbers like? Of course, it can also be absolutely nothing to do with hiv as healthy people can and do get boils. I've had boils in the past, long before I was poz.

He really should have the boils looked at by a doctor. There is a small danger that they are being cause by MRSA - Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. A doctor may also lance the boil, put him on an antibiotic and give him an antibiotic soap to wash with.

Here are some relevant links:

http://www.medicinenet.com/boils/article.htm

http://dermnetnz.org/bacterial/boils.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methicillin-resistant_Staphylococcus_aureus

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mrsa/DS00735

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_MRSA_ca_public.html

Hope that's some help, and please, get him to see a doctor, especially if the boils keep recurring or if they are taking a long time to heal.

Ann

[Inchlingblue]

I had a couple of these, in my case they were basically staph infections (as Ann points out). I was not officially diagnosed with HIV at the time, it was about a year before. I decided to "self-medicate" and I applied a very hot heating pad and they went away.

I don't necessarily recommend others try this approach, but heat does kill most of these bacteria that cause boils. It's extremely painful to apply heat and when I was doing it I just kept imagining that it was killing the bacteria and they were yelling out in a high-pitched "Mr. Bill" type voice. I normally don't like to kill anything, not even bugs, but if you're gonna get in my bloodstream you're asking for it.

The potential danger with these infections if left untreated is that they could get worse and go into the bloodstream and if that happens it can be potentially fatal (septicemia) or they can even reach the brain (bacterial meningitis). They can be treated with antibiotics and it wouldn't hurt to speed up the process and help it along by applying heat to them if you can stand it (heating pad).

The good news is that they are treatable so there's no reason for them to become fatal, just don't ignore them, make sure he sees a doctor.

[Florida69]

I found out I was poz by going to the doctor with two staph infections, you should get those checked out.  I kept infecting myself.  When I  had the two I heard there was a study out that staph infections could be fatal.  As Inchlingblue stated, they are treatable, but it is necessary to get a good antibiotic like bactrim, before they reach the blood stream and possible brain.  Good luck.. D

[Ann]

it wouldn't hurt to speed up the process and help it along by applying heat to them if you can stand it (heating pad).

The last time I had a boil, I asked my doctor about applying direct heat because I thought it would help bring it to a head faster. He emphatically said, "NO, DO NOT DO THAT". He claimed applying heat would make it more likely for the bacteria to get into the blood stream. He said a hot bath was ok though, but not a heating pad.

So maybe that's not such a good idea.

Ann

[chguy78]

[My doctor] said a hot bath was ok though, but not a heating pad.

How about some more contradictory information? :-)  I lived overseas for a few years in remote locations and we were told NOT to take hot baths if we had a boil (like that was really a possibility) due to the possibility of the bacteria spreading to other breaks in the skin.  Showers were OK.  Be mindful when cleaning them to avoid cross-contamination, too.  No fun.

[Inchlingblue]

The last time I had a boil, I asked my doctor about applying direct heat because I thought it would help bring it to a head faster. He emphatically said, "NO, DO NOT DO THAT". He claimed applying heat would make it more likely for the bacteria to get into the blood stream. He said a hot bath was ok though, but not a heating pad.

So maybe that's not such a good idea.

Ann

My doctor said to apply heat. I had already done it anyway, but she did recommend it, so go figure.

The actual recommendation was a "warm compress" but I turned up the volume and made it more  hot than warm. Obviously we are not dispensing medical advice here, just sharing our own experiences.

[Ann]

How about some more contradictory information? :-)  I lived overseas for a few years in remote locations and we were told NOT to take hot baths if we had a boil (like that was really a possibility) due to the possibility of the bacteria spreading to other breaks in the skin.  Showers were OK.  Be mindful when cleaning them to avoid cross-contamination, too.  No fun.

Yes, that would make sense. My doctor had given me an antibacterial bubblebath to use, so I assume that's why he said a bath was ok - because I'd be using the antibacterial soap in the water.

My doctor said to apply heat. I had already done it anyway, but she did recommend it, so go figure.

The actual recommendation was a "warm compress" but I turned up the volume and made it more  hot than warm. Obviously we are not dispensing medical advice here, just sharing our own experiences.

Yeah, my impression from the doc was that a certain amount of heat was ok, hence the hot bath, but not something as direct and hot as a heating pad. Go figure.

Ann

[skeebo1969]

  I don't mean to gross anyone out, but I have a few reoccurring boils that can really be great tools for passing times of boredom.  I got this one cool one right above my knee cap and I can always count on it for a little entertainment.  Perhaps I'll make a video one day and post it in off topic.

[motherinneed]

thank you all. I can always count on you all to give me something to think about. My son's first boil is gone but yes it left a scar. The second is draining and bleeding. I have suggested he go to the doctor several times. He says it is getting better. Thanks again everyone.