Boils...just a few questions.

[Gater]

I hope someone can offer some advice.  I have what I think is a boil on the lower back of my head.  This is the second one I've had in approx 2 months.  The last one was a few months ago on the top of my head.  I don't have many symptoms...just a lot of pain.  I'm concerned because in the last 24 hours I have developed a lump in my neck.  I assume this is a swollen lymph node.  Just wondering if boils are common in POZ individuals an if anyone can offer a remedy?  Thanks

[Matty the Damned]

I don't know if boils are more common for pozzies, but I do know that trying to lance them oneself is generally Not a Good Idea.

Matty the Damned learned from that simple mistake.

The best piece of advice I can offer is to show the horrid thing to your doctor. Many boils are caused by staph infections, some forms of which can be very dangerous.

MtD

[LordBerners]

For a year or two after becoming positive I would occasionally get boils in the hair follicles of my pubic hair just up from the base of the penis.  Left untreated these could get pretty ugly looking and take a long time to heal (I'll wager it was staph).  Anyway I took to dribbling a few drops of hydrogen peroxide on them which seemed to dry them up and set them on the road to healing immediately.  Haven't had any for a year now. 

[MitchMiller]

Just wanted to add that an HIV neg friend seems to have "chronic" staph.  I never knew there was such a thing, but apparently, it is on the rise.  He said an infection starts with a small pimple that enlarges, the breaks and looks like a boil.  It sometimes heals without treatment, but the last one did not.  He said it was huge and the culture came back positive for MRSA.  The bacteria literally eats a whole into your body.  It is now thought that MRSA doesn't need an opening in the skin to infect.  He said there are online forums where others are posting with the same chronic condition.  They can't get rid of the stuff.  This is very scary and just reenforces my decision to remain celebate.
 

[Nashvegas]

Hey Gater --

I've had several bouts with MRSA (one of which occurred before I was positive), and I can assure you that it's nothing to mess around with.  Of course, I don't know whether you have a staph infection, much less whether it's MRSA, but I'd strongly encourage getting your doctor to do a culture. 

The first time I had MRSA, I had what I thought was a spider bite on my leg, and the next day (as well as the following three) I was in the emergency room getting antibiotics via IV.  It took weeks of daily shots from my doctor in order for the infection to fully resolve. 

The second time, I thought I had a painful zit on my forehead, but when it kept getting bigger and more painful, I realized that it was probably MRSA.  My doctor prescribed Bactrim (which apparently is generally effective against MRSA) and said that it should do the trick, but it didn't work for me.  A few days later, I had this huge, ugly, purplish boil smack dab in the middle of my forehead -- it looked like an alien was trying to pop out of my face! lol  (Funny now -- not so funny then).  I had to have the boil surgically lanced, and went on Bactrim and Rifampin (a heavy duty antibiotic).  The infection finally subsided, but my wound took weeks to heal, and I was not a pretty sight in the interim. 

Most recently, I had a small infection in my armpit.  Like you, I first thought that it was a swollen lymph node --- but when the spot became more painful, I realized that it was likely MRSA, and quickly started taking Bactrim and Rifampin.  This time, it resolved without incident.  Thank God!

It's pretty clear that I'm a MRSA carrier (as is roughly 20% of the population), and probably carry it in my nostrils.  I've used an antibiotic cream in my nose (Bactriban, I think it's called) to help eradicate the staph, but I'm also now taking a Bactrim a day to help ward off further infections, and that seems to be working (knock on wood).

My strong recommendation is to get your doctor to determine whether your boils are MRSA, and to be prepared to zap them with appropriate medications if it is...  I now have a few days supply of Bactrim and Rifampin on hand in case I get another infection so I can nip it in the bud as soon as an infection crops up.  MRSA is not so bad if treated early and appropriately, but it can be a real bitch if it gets out of hand. 

Good luck with this and let us know how things go. 

[northernguy]

I've had the scalp boils too.  They were cultured and it was MRSA, go to your doc for a definitive diagnosis.  FYI a lot of HIV+ folks apparently get an allergic reaction to Bactrim (including me).