I have a painful bump near my anus that is under the skin. It feels like a solid mass and hurts when I sit or bend over/stretch. I can't see what it looks like since it's on my bottom. I haven't noticed any drainage or anything out of the ordinary when using the restroom. I do have chronic pouchitis and have recently increased my Entyvio frequency as it wasn't taking effect. I just started a low maintenance dose of Prednisone to hold me over until the Entyvio (hopefully) kicks in. I've scheduled an appointment with my surgeon but that's in April. I see my GI the first week of March. Any advice is helpful, thanks in advance.
Replies sorted oldest to newest
You can use a mirror or two to see just about any part of your body. How big is it? Is it painful to touch? Is it just at the surface (like a pimple with aspirations), or is it deeper?
It feels like it's a little smaller than a nickel. It seems to be behind my skin wall, and isn't too painful when I touch it. I spoke with my dad about it, I guess he's had a number of abscesses on various parts of his body and said it sounded like that. He suggested doing a hot compress with a wet towel 2-3x a day to see if I can bring it to a head. I'll have to see if I can find a mirror to have a closer look. It does seem to be at the surface.
Hot compresses are an excellent home remedy, and (particularly if it’s just a boil) prevent the need for anything more complicated. If it turns out to be a fistula then it could continue to drain or the collection could recur.
Hi Scott, I examined it more last night. It is painful when I touch it and seems larger than I initially thought. It almost feels like bone.
It may well have gotten bigger, and the pressure inside may have increased. Do the hot compresses seem to be doing anything?
I just started them yesterday and they do seem to help the pain. It's not a searing pain but more of a dull pain when I sit or sometimes when I walk.
So I went to get examined by my GI today and he said it felt more like a bone than a lump. He said by examining me he could tell it wasn't a fistula but an abscess was still possible, although he didn't think that was it either. He's scheduled an MRI for me just to put the issue to bed. I'm pretty relieved at the moment, but will be fully relieved based on my MRI results.