Butt Problem.

Zephonate

*swallows pride* This topic is not for the easily grossed-out.

So, I've been having an issue with my ass for the last few days. Note that I said "ass" and not "asshole".

I woke up with pain in my lower back mid-last week. I assumed at first I had somehow bruised my tailbone and for some reason didn't notice. The pain was palpable, but manageable. I was able to sit and run and do most of my day-to-day activities with little resistance. The only times I really felt the pain were when I bent over, laid on my back, or sat in a certain way.

Two days later, it became apparent I was not dealing with tailbone pain, and that the issue was stemming from inside my butt crack. After managing to get a clear view of the area (more difficult than it sounds), I can clearly see two (possibly three, not entirely sure) bumps that look like large whiteheads. The surrounding area amongst the bumps is red.

The conclusion I've come to via some small amount of research is that they are not hemorrhoids. My next best guess would be ingrown hairs, though I honestly cannot be certain since it's so hard for me to get a good look at the problem.

Thus, humbled, I come to you fine people with questions of what I should do. The pain has steadily grown worse, and it is now uncomfortable for me to sit in most positions or walk quickly, though taking two Aleve every once in a while seems to damped the pain by maybe 25%. I've danced around the idea of possibly attempting to pop the bumps, but they are extremely sensitive to the touch, and I fear I may get evicted from my apartment due to the volume of the scream I would likely emit from succeeding.

Any advice for proceeding with this situation would be greatly appreciated.

Inquisitor77

Could be an infection. Or even something like shingles (combination of skin rash + muscle aches/pains). If it's that bad I'd just go to a doctor, because if it is some sort of an infection you need to get that treated sooner rather than later. And if it's just some giant pimples, no harm no foul.

Probably don't want to pop it or rub it yourself, if that's the kind of advice you're looking for...

Zephonate

Problem is, I don't have health insurance, so I don't want to visit a doctor unless I absolutely have to. That said, the pain's bad, but it isn't unbearable.

Also, after a quick and horrifying Google Image search, it doesn't look like shingles or an infection. It honestly just looks like big zits, or potentially like a gnarly spider somehow found its way into my crack and went to town.

MushroomStick

One of best friends had some nasty cysts on his tailbone that required some surgery to get rid of permanently. If it doesn't go away soon, maybe look into having an urgent care clinic look at it.

Fyndir

I would suggest looking for free clinics near you then, this kind of thing can range from minor to very serious and you really should get it looked at.

GnomeTank

You could have pilonidal cyst. I had one right above my butt crack a few years ago, and I had to have it drained and removed.

As someone who has dealt with cyst and skin abscess problems over the years (I have incredibly oily skin), I suggest you get it taken care of. 10 minutes of discomfort at the doctors office can relieve hours/days of pain and discomfort later.

Fantasma

Hello Zephonate,

I had a conversation with my wife, who is a Doctor. First and foremost, do not pop the bumps till we know exactly what we are dealing with. She normally does not like the idea of giving medical advice or provide diagnosis through the Internet, but I have asked her to give her opinion.

Because of the symptoms, what you have could be Tarlov Cysts:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarlov_cyst

Do not take this as an absolute truth, see a Doctor, please.

UncleChet

One thing to look in to is "urgent care". In our area we have like 6, they all took over abandoned block buster locations. They basically are less expensive ER, with often faster care. Ours are "no insurance, 125 for service" . I went in (with insurance, it was treated as "specialist") and this was After a car wreck. I got xrays, 3 meds, and some other stuff, and was in/out in like 35 minutes.

Zephonate

BREAKING (sorry) NEWS:

While in the shower about twenty minutes ago, the thing seems to have popped on its own. Maybe it was the hot water, not sure. I did not do it myself intentionally. Anyway, there is a lot of fluid present (a little red in the beginning, now a yellowish to very light brown –basically looks like pus). The redness seems to have also gone down, and the pain has decreased significantly.

Any further thoughts, given this new development?

Shamus

Sounds like a boil or carbuncle.

Keep it clean. Try to keep a bandage/gauze there to soak up any further discharge, and definitely look into some sort of clinic to get it checked out.

JaysonFour

If they are just boils, soaking in a hot bath is good to keep them open and draining. You don't want them to re-seal until all or most of the crap is out of them, or they'll just keep coming back. Keep them bandaged and change them religiously when they are dirty. Wash your hands after handling the soiled bandages or touching the sores- that is some bacteria-packed shit that comes out of those, and you could spread something nasty to somewhere or someone else if you aren't careful.

Mad Jazz

Sounds like an abscess to me. Those things are painful because the buildup of pus inside stretches out the surrounding tissue and puts pressure on the nerve endings there; when they drain, the pressure goes away, and along with it goes the pain. Don't be surprised if it comes back, since they can be hard to get rid of without a full I&D (incision and drainage, any doc or PA at an urgent care clinic can take care of it for you). Follow the above advice, keep it clean and dressed, and hit a clinic if they come back, get painful, swell up, or you just want it checked out anyway.

Cliff

Should be fine now that its draining, just keep it clean. If it ever happens again, when I had something like this, I went to a Walgreens, the pharmacist had this ointment right behind the counter, I guess this kind of thing is very common with guys. Anyway, the ointment was goopy black stuff but it totally worked, brought the thing to a head and it popped and drained and that was that. Anyway, the ointment was not expensive, so I'd go that route first before a clinic if this happens again.

Screampunk

When outside of the shower make sure to press a warm to hot rag directly on the area for a minute or two a few times a night.

Keep it clean with soap and water. These things (if they are boils) usually form due to sweat and bacteria build-up. What you probably have is a minor form of staph infection which generally forms as a boil.

Keep cleaning it and putting hot towels on it and if the infected area doesn't decrease in swelling/pain in a couple of days go to a clinic or ER.

I had this same issue on my inner thigh last year.

GnomeTank

Cliff wrote: »

Should be fine now that its draining, just keep it clean. If it ever happens again, when I had something like this, I went to a Walgreens, the pharmacist had this ointment right behind the counter, I guess this kind of thing is very common with guys. Anyway, the ointment was goopy black stuff but it totally worked, brought the thing to a head and it popped and drained and that was that. Anyway, the ointment was not expensive, so I'd go that route first before a clinic if this happens again.

It's called Ichthammol Ointment, and it's okay as a temporary fix, but if it's a serious abscess or cyst, he'll need it to be cut and drained. When they do this, they put a "wick" in the wound to keep it open and let it fully drain over the course of a couple of days. The wick is basically just surgical cloth in long strips.

Again, I've dealt with these most of my life because lul, bad skin (and I'm generally hairy like a bear, so I get ingrown hairs as well).

GnomeTank

TehSpectre wrote: »

When outside of the shower make sure to press a warm to hot rag directly on the area for a minute or two a few times a night.

Keep it clean with soap and water. These things (if they are boils) usually form due to sweat and bacteria build-up. What you probably have is a minor form of staph infection which generally forms as a boil.

Keep cleaning it and putting hot towels on it and if the infected area doesn't decrease in swelling/pain in a couple of days go to a clinic or ER.

I had this same issue on my inner thigh last year.

For men, inner thigh and top of the butt crack are the two most common places to get these, for pretty obvious reasons really.

Gaslight

I have nothing helpful to offer, it sounds like you've gotten plenty of good advice, but I'd just like to point out how perfect it was you posted this on the same day as this comic was posted.

Zephonate

Having just read that comic...that is a hilarious coincidence.

UPDATE: Thing seems to be more or less completely drained. I've been periodically mopping up and disinfecting since yesterday. 99.9% of the pain is gone, it stopped bleeding late last night, and now it's barely pussing anymore (even so, given the difference in color and volume, I think it's more "wound-is-healing" pus rather that OH-MY-GOD-THIS-IS-HORRIBLE pus).

I think –for now- I'm in the clear, guys. Thanks for the advice. Feel free to lock this thing.