Saddlesore, boils, abscess - how much worse will this get? (now w/ pics...)

Triathlon Forum
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After all that training… I can still remember every mile of my last couple of 5 hour rides under rain and wind in the last few weeks, determined not to miss one single key training in my preparation to IM Austria. Hotel booked, travel tickets, car rented, etc., almost everything ready and just 4 weeks to go.

Unfortunately, everything seems to converge to this single dot, volcano shaped zit on my butt. It started with a discomforting rash which I decided to leave alone and let it heal by itself, just paying more attention to the hygene and improving my Vitamin C intake. It didn’t help… that little f&%*ng bastard turned into an unbearable, painful abscess in just a couple of days. In the process to stop its course, I tried some heavy NSAIDs, obviously to no avail.

Barely being able to seat - and even walk - with this excruciating pain in my butt, I decided it was finally time to go to the hospital. To cut it short, the nice doctor there decided it was better to drain the biatch. Gee… I cannot even touch it and now you are saying you are going to squeeze it!!! Off we go… everything ready, I lay down, area cleaned, and after a few seconds of apprehensive moments she picks this scalpel and starts to work my butt…. Holly mother of lord JC….Then the real deal starts… she starts to squeeze the bejesus out of my butt… Screamed like a biatch, bit whatever was at hand, regardless she wouldn’t care… when I thought it was over, she would start it all over again… It took her about 30-40 minutes to finish the job. Man, I was never in such pain - no kidney stones, no broken bones, nothing compares to this.

Now I’m on antibiotics, maybe needing to squeeze this f#$@er a few more times, NSAIDs, pain killers, etc.

Anyway, here I am - with another hole drilled in my butt (just a little bit over to the left) - but still wondering what on earth am I going to do. Does IM Austria stand a chance? Will I heal soon enough to seat in my bike for 180Km? When will I be able to train again (currently I feel like I was violated…)? Should I throw the towel and try to register for Louisville instead?

Any thoughts guys? Has anyone gone through that in such a short timeframe before a race? Is 4 weeks time enough to heal albeit at the cost of (not/ reduced) training? Any ideas to improve the healing process?

Thanks!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7783132@N06/with/7252282928/

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This threads useless without pics.

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I say a little sunshine on it!

My husband has this issue from biking and hope you get some good ST wisdom here. Hope you heal quickly!

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It crossed my mind to post the pictures I took showing the development of this bugger… but maybe too gross for the faint of heart. :open_mouth:

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Are you using a chamois cream to train daily? I actually like vaseline most, I didn’t use it a couple times and got a large saddle sore, mine only took a few days to go away but I made sure to use a lot of vaseline every day. I heard they could get really bad and pros have abandoned grand tours b/c of them. A different saddle may put pressure on a different area and allow you to train while it heals, what saddle are you using? With antibiotics I can’t imagine it would take more than a couple weeks to heal as long as you don’t exacerbate things.

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Good points…
Yes I use chamois buttr for every ride, wash my shorts after every training session, take shower as soon as I get home. I did have a bike fit just after the rash appeared - although my decision to do the fit was not directly related. It turned out that the fitter lowered the seat by .30 inches. I use a Fisik Arione Tri2, contemplating changing to Adamo after the IM.

I guess it popped up due to the lowering of my immune system (training load, maybe not recovering thoroughly, and stress!!!).

I don’t see a bike ride anytime in the next 5-7 days…maybe in a couple of days, after the antibiotics starts to work out, I’ll be able to swim / run.

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pictures or it didnt happen.
But if it did happen… don’t despair and don’t thrown in the towel. You can just start an early taper.
An antibiotic course, change the dressing frequently, keep it clean, stay out of pools and hot tubs, make follow up visits and you should be good to go.

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Good points…
Yes I use chamois buttr for every ride, wash my shorts after every training session, take shower as soon as I get home. I did have a bike fit just after the rash appeared - although my decision to do the fit was not directly related. It turned out that the fitter lowered the seat by .30 inches. I use a Fisik Arione Tri2, contemplating changing to Adamo after the IM.

I guess it popped up due to the lowering of my immune system (training load, maybe not recovering thoroughly, and stress!!!).

I don’t see a bike ride anytime in the next 5-7 days…maybe in a couple of days, after the antibiotics starts to work out, I’ll be able to swim / run.

It’s possible it is not from riding. I had one of these on my thigh years ago. It just showed up. Doctor said “infected ingrown hair follicle” (BTW, all that time in the saddle could cause an ingrown hair). After the draining it took about a week to heal. It was about 4 inches in diameter. I know your pain. Sorry.

I put toothpaste on the hole and it seemed to keep it open and draining. Don’t know if that’s still recommended.

You’ll be on the bike in no time.

Post some pics! Video of the “release” would be all time!

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Well the adamo has a radically different seating area than the fizik. I personally prefer a Selle SMP which is like a cross between a standard saddle and an adamo. My saddle sore was more toward the pubic bone which is where I would expect one to be if you ride an adamo also. So if things don’t clear up you may be able to survive the race on an adamo or SMP, best of luck.

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When I had a staph infection cut open on my foot I found soaking it in epsom salts helped.

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Oh post pics already…and stick your ass in the ocean. The salt water will do it good :0)

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Not a butt boil but maybe this will satisfy everyone’s need to see a picture - Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf8G-c_eAhs&oref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fresults%3Fsearch_query%3Dgiant%2Bboil%26oq%3Dgiant%2Bboil%26aq%3Df%26aqi%3Dg1%26aql%3D%26gs_l%3Dyoutube.3..0.9656.12511.0.13275.10.9.0.1.1.0.191.1205.2j7.9.0...0.0.Ho5_TU8OQj0
.

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Get this and use it after every ride: http://www.bagbalm.com/. I dealt with a saddle sore for a year and with a few weeks of balm, it was gone.

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Jesus man, the guy had a freaking alien in his back… or the girl drained his brain matter… But his zit didn’t appear to have an infection / abscess which is far less painfull…

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Ok, since you are all asking for it… here it goes. Unfortunately I don’t have video / photo coverage of the procedure - my GF was just about to pass out just by being in the same room…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7783132@N06/with/7252282928/

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+1, I never had the problem, but work with geriatric patients and this stuff is great for their sores.

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Ok, since you are all asking for it… here it goes. Unfortunately I don’t have video / photo coverage of the procedure - my GF was just about to pass out just by being in the same room…

http://www.flickr.com/...N06/with/7252282928/

It looks like the infected follicle is still in there. In my experience that sucker needs to come out for it to ever heal.

YMMV,

Hugh

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X2 with what sciguy said.

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Not a butt boil but maybe this will satisfy everyone’s need to see a picture - Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/....0...0.0.Ho5_TU8OQj0

Apparently there is a sick subset of the population that derives intense satisfaction from seeing/popping other people’s zits btw. I do not count myself as one but know more than a few people with the disease. Some kind of weird primal social grooming thing maybe. All I know is that my wife told me about an abscess she saw at work (she was an RN) on a woman’s labia. The size of a golfball. Same basic process as in that video except a more solid mass came out the size and shape of a walnut. She said the smell was the worst part…

Anyway, I guess the short answer to the OP is that it could be/get way worse. I hope it doesn’t.

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Ewwww
.