2 infected sweat glands
27th May 2007
If you have any big lumps that your doctor is telling you not to worry about, I recommend a second opinion.
About a year ago I had an infected sweat gland removed from my upper back, near my neck. It was a big, hard lump that I had had for years. In high school I was worried it was cancer but a doctor told me not to worry about it so I didn’t. I wish I had talked to a better doctor…
Eventually (many years later) my wife and I thought it just looked too weird and it had to go.
The surgery was fairly minor - they used local anesthetic, showed me what they took out (it looked like a fleshy ping pong ball), and sent me home.
I had one other infeected sweat gland that no one paid attention to (I knew it was there) because it was on my lower back just below the waist line. Somehow I managed to pop this one. It turned red and became painful.
The doctor who removed my first one saw it and said I’d better come in for surgery right away. 2 days later I had gotten my EKGs, bloodwork, urine tests, etc. done to make sure I could handle my first ever general anesthesia. Because this one was popped and deep and whatever they were going to knock me out.
I spent a couple days in the hospital recovering. They couldn’t stitch up the wound completely because of the infection so I have a little tube sticking out of the wound to drain all the bad stuff. It’s very hard to get comfortable (not surprising when there’s a hole in my back) and I have trouble sitting and sleeping. I can’t bend my back.
Anyway, if you have an infected sweat gland or two (or just a couple of round bumps that could be anything) see about getting them taken care of before they cause you extra trouble. Now that doesn’t mean go get surgery. My father in law has had one of these bumps for 50 years or so and if it never bothers hims than not getting surgery was obviously smart.
I’m just saying find a doctor who can tell you what it is and the advantages and disadvantages of getting it removed. Because if knew then what I know now I would have gotten both of mine removed last year - thus avoiding the second, more serious surgery with its longer (I can’t work out for 2 weeks) recovery time.