Boils

Updated on November 05, 2008
S.B. asks from Crosby, TX
33 answers

Hi everyone,

My 8 year old son has a boil on his butt right inside the crack and it is keeping him up at night. He hasn't had one in probably 4-5 years and I know that when he did that long ago I had to get him antibiotics to help it finally go away. A friend gave me some vasoline looking gel to put on it that has brought up alot of the puss and bloody liquid so is there anything else I can do for the pain or do I have to take him to the doc for the meds. Is there anything just over the counter that I can get. I do know it's a boil, I don't need a doc to tell me that. Obviously, I'm trying to save some money on going to the doctor so any help would be appreciated!!!!

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So What Happened?

Wow, everyone thank you all so so much. I did not expect this many replies, but I appreciate so much all of your caring and concerned replies. I did not take him to the doctor, but I did call her and talked to her about it and since he has had them before (just not in a long time)and she knew it she just called in a perscription of Baxtrim for him so he has been taking it since Monday and the boil is almost gone now and he is pain free. I did try the warm compresses and have been doing everything we can to keep it clean and covered and away from all of us. I absolutely will still be keeping an eye on it and also staying on top of him taking the meds for the next ten days. So thank you again to every single one of you. May God Bless each one of you richly for your kindness.

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P.

answers from San Antonio on

I would take him to the Dr. ASAP. There is an epidemic of MRSA in the community. MRSA has boil like symptoms usually in the butt area. If it is MRSA, he needs antibiotic. MRSA spreads and is very contagious and occasionally fatal. So please take him to the Dr.

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N.S.

answers from Houston on

Toothpaste is great for sucking the gunk out and drying it up. Be careful tho, if he needs antibiotics to keep the germs out of his bloodstream, especially since it's in a nasty area, then get them. He could get staff or worse if not. This guy that sits next to me at work had a nasty one on his forhead, almost made me puke. ha ha. he put toothpaste on it one night and the next day at work he shows up with it all flat and majorly healed. good luck.

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V.H.

answers from Houston on

My son had this, in the same place!!!!! To get it to go away you must get the head out, its like a big pimple but the head is long and hard!! Have him sit in a tub of warm water with epsom salts. DO NOT SQUEEZE, just use a rag and see if you get the head out by gently rubbing at it. This may not happen the first time. several times a day do this. Give him Tylenol for the pain as this to will pass!! Once the head comes out put on ointment, keep clean and dry.

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T.D.

answers from Beaumont on

my husband gets them and he puts regular toothpaste on them....he swears by it says they r gone the next day!

1 mom found this helpful
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J.L.

answers from Austin on

Hey, you need to get your son on antibiotics. My son had the same painful issue and the doctor explained to me that there is a very resistant strain of staph going around. This was a little over a month ago. If the sore is hot or warm to the touch, its infected and can get into his blood stream... not good!! Once my son was on antibiotics (sulfur kind), It started going away and then went completely away by the end of the week.

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H.P.

answers from Corpus Christi on

It sounds like staph to me and that does need to go to the doctor. He needs some antibiotics and he needs to have it lanced. You can try a urgent care clinic, it may be cheaper than going to the doctor.

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K.W.

answers from Longview on

Hi S.,
I am going to reiterate what some of the other women have said. First of all the Ichthimol is a good product to have on hand and it does work. We have used it for years. But this boil your son has sounds more like staph. My son, husband and myself have all had staph over the last 3 years. When you said there was puss and blood, that is usually a very good sign it is staph. It needs to be treated with antibotics and most of the time they give you a prescription for an ointment that you put in the nose. I dont want to alarm you, but sometimes they have to lance it to get that out. I was told by my doctor to use Lever 2000 soap, which is suppose to be the best anti-bacterial soap we can buy. Also, you want to make sure that you wash and sterilize any bedding, towels, washcloths, etc before using it again. I would suggest using rubber gloves when touching the area. It is very contagious. Know from experience.
I hope this helps.
K.

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P.M.

answers from Houston on

My son has had two boils and they can be very painful. We took him in to see the Dr. both times and he was given some antibiotics along with a cream that everyone at home including my son had to put a little bit in our nose. We were told this was to help prevent the boils. I also found the information below which refers to boils in the exact place your son has his, which they refer to as a Pilonidal cyst. Hope it helps. see below

Any boil that is associated with a fever should receive medical attention. A "pilonidal cyst," a boil that occurs between the buttocks, is a special case. These almost always require medical treatment including drainage and packing (putting gauze in the opened abscess to assure it continues to drain). Finally, any painful boil that is not rapidly improving should be seen by the health-care practitioner.

1 mom found this helpful

K.N.

answers from Austin on

I would take him to the doctor ASAP to rule out MRSA. No joke.

I used to work with a woman whose son contracted MRSA... Her son would get infection sites pop up around his bottom... Oi vey! once it starts getting resistance to antibiotics and your kid gets prescribed more and more powerful antibiotics... It can be a long, painful (and costly!) recovery.

Better safe than sorry.

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M.C.

answers from Houston on

Hi S.. I have been fortunate to not have this issue with my children (so far) but was curious since I've known other people with boils. Anyway, I did some online research and it basically said the fastest way to heal a boil is with antibiotics so obviously you would need to go to the doc for this. Anyway, this sight was informative so I thought I would pass along the link. If it doesn't copy as an active link just copy and paste it or type it into your URL address bar. Hope he heels soon. Goodluck and Godbless!

http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/pa/pa_boils_hhg.htm

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S.C.

answers from New York on

I haven't found any over the counter medications that really work well. I will suggest that you don't wait too long to take your son to the doctor. My daughter, who is three now, had one on her behind when she was about 18 months. I finally went to the doctor, and I had to hold her down screaming while the doctor tried to deaden the area with a shot (that I don't think works very well!), then the doctor cut it open and tried to squeeze the puss out. We didn this three times! Finally, she had to have surgery to have it removed! She was in the hospital, completely put under sedation. So, needless to say, we don't wait too long to go to the doctor to take care of stuff like this anymore!

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S.B.

answers from Killeen on

Boils are small infections. You need to get him to a doctor so that they can lance it or prescribe medications. It won't just go away with a topical ointment. It needs antibiotics or to be emptied out. And if they empty it out they always will prescribe an antibiotic to keep it from spreading.(My son had one on his neck and I had one on my face in the exact same week so we know about the pain, for sure)

Until you can get him to a doctor give him non-aspirin pain relief.

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R.M.

answers from Houston on

Put him in the bath tub, with about a cup of bleach and 1/4 to 1/2 full tub. Let him soak about 10 minutes, that should do it. If it has a white head pop it afterwards, because before it will burn bad. Hope this helps.
http://www.medicinenet.com/boils/article.htm

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K.K.

answers from Odessa on

I would take him to the doctor right away, the reason MRSA. I had a "boil" too. Mine turned out to be MRSA...it can be really bad for kiddoes. They always look like boils and are extremely painful, only meds can help this. See a doctor...

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S.K.

answers from Houston on

Warm/hot towel w/peroxide and clorox baths

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K.K.

answers from Houston on

My family uses a product called Xango. The main ingredient is Mangosteen fruit which contains a phyto-nutrient called Xanthones. Xanthones were tested against MRSA in the lab and were effective in killing this bacteria. I would still recommend going to the doctor, but if you would like some free samples of Xango to try-just call me. You can apply it with a Q-tip. It is a juice, so he can drink it as well. It may also help with the pain as it has a natural cox 2 inhibitor. We drink it and use it topically for all kinds of things.

Blessings,
K. K.
###-###-####

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S.N.

answers from Houston on

Yes go to the doctor ASAP like everyone else said. My daughter had this and it turned to staph. Very dangerous stuff. She was in the hospital for 3 days on antibiotics to clear it up. This not something you want to mess with. Please keep us updated.

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D.M.

answers from Houston on

S.,

The only way to get rid of it without going to the doctor is to manually get the puss out of it. You can use a very warm wash cloth 3 times a day to help bring the puss to the surface and keep the opening soft so it will drain. It's painful, but sometimes you have to help squeeze it out. Most times to completely get rid of it (because it is so contageous), you need an antibiotic from the doctor. Pain wise, nothing but pain reliever (tylenol) will help. Hope this helps.

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K.J.

answers from Houston on

Hi S., sounds like a diet issue. Maybe eats to much meat and not enough veggies. Go to Dr. Mercola [____@____.com] and visit with this very educated natural dr.; his research is amazing. Good luck and God bless

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N.R.

answers from Waco on

Yes, take him to the doc. He/she will probably prescribe Bactrim for it. Warm compresses help to draw the puss out, too, but you'll want the antibiotic to help get rid of the bacteria. It's most likely a staph infection. My husband is a family doc and our family has all had to take the medicine for what you're describing. NO fun. Good luck!

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R.B.

answers from College Station on

When my son had a boil last year, it was caused my MRSA (the penicillin-resistant staph), so I'd be inclined to let the doctor check it out.

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K.A.

answers from Beaumont on

Hi S.. My brother and sister would get boils from time to time when we were young. I never got one thank goodness. My sister had one on her bottom one time and we didn't have alot of money to go to the doctor so I can remember my mom laying my sister down and mashing that boil until she got the core out and then it healed after she got the core out. I also worked at a doctors office for 12 years and we would have patients to come in with boils and the doctor or PA would have to lance them and mash the boil until they got the core out. Sometimes if it was a real big boil the doctor would have to pack it and the patient would have to come back on a daily basis to have it repacked until it healed. So you might try mashing it yourself since it has already came to a head but be prepared for the yuck to just shoot out. It is also going to be very painful but once you have mashed it all out it will heal really fast. I hope this helps.

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M.P.

answers from Austin on

Boils are staph infections and are contagious. Bring him to the doctor.

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P.S.

answers from Corpus Christi on

Go to Walgreen's and get some Ickthimol. They keep it behind the pharmacy counter. It comes in a box and it is a green tube.It's cheap, about $4 a tube. It is black and smells like tar. It really works. I have used it for years. It will draw the boil to a head. I had the very same boils you describe but I had 2 right in the crack of my butt. It work and they are gone.

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C.H.

answers from Houston on

Hi S.,
I know just the thing: from The Health Way, Baker Rd. Baytown, TX. I purchased Newton's (brand) Tarantula Cubensis. It is a homeopathic preparation for boils, carbuncles and spider bites. Little tiny white pellets, pleasant taste. Relieves the pain and if taken before it breaks the skin, the body will eliminate it in a day or 2. First day improvement, second day gone. Because it is all natural it can be taken by any age person. Does not interract with meds, no side effects. I have used this for years with 100% success.

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M.C.

answers from Houston on

There is medication over the counter called Black Saval and boil relief that you can find at Walgreens. They are so painful. Keep it clean so it won't turn into staph infection . good luck. I will pray that it goes away. Oh Warm winged out wet cloths give some relief too. It feels good and numbs it.

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L.M.

answers from Sherman on

If myou will apply heat now that it has masde a head it will encourage it to open it up and drain. you can do this with a good warm rag applied directly to it or with him sitting on a low heating pad. Once it has opened up you can express the corruption out by applying pressure gently. When you do this, be sure to press away from it not squeezing like many people do pop a pimple. If you squeeze that way it will just spread the infection under the skin and take longer to heal. i know this works cause it is what my Doc had us do.

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S.O.

answers from San Antonio on

This is what I found:
book 1: A boil or abscess is an infection caused by an infected root of hair, a puncture wound, or injection with dirty needle.
Put hot compresses over the boil several times a day.
Let it break open by itself; never press or squeeze or it will spread.
If it is very painful and does not open after 2-3 days of hot soaks, get medical help.
If it causes swollen nodes or fever, you will need antibiotics.
book 2: caused by staphylococcus invading oil gland or hair follicle.
Unless it is on the face, it can be treated at home most of the time. Apply hot, wet compresses with a moist towel for 3 min/10 times a day and do this for 3 days after drainage begins. Water should be slightly warmer than body temp.
Do not poke, squeeze or pinch - spread or scar.
Wash bacteria away with soap after the boil drains to prevent further infection.
Avoid oil will plug up the skin.
If child is prone to boils, consider antibacterial soap on a regular basis.
If boil on face, or if any boil has a deep red color, or red streaks running toward other parts of the body could be signs of bad infection, or if he complains that it really hurts, he should be examined by a doctor.

Hope that helps.

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P.E.

answers from Killeen on

I would take your son to the doctor, because it may be a pilonidal cyst that needs medical attention. I wouldn't try anymore over the counter remedies until he sees a doctor. They can get badly infected.

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D.R.

answers from Houston on

Salt pork draws out the poison. Melaleuca oil also is great for killing the bacteria that causes boils.

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S.H.

answers from Houston on

Dear S. -- From one Christian Mom to another: Don't be "pennywise and pound foolish." Take your child to the doctor. Boils are an infection. He may need an oral antibiotic to heal it. In years past, people would actually die from boils that were untreated when the infection would enter the blood stream. (I'm not saying this to alarm you, but don't take any chances with your precious son. He'll heal faster with the right kind of medicine.)

God bless you--
S.

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T.F.

answers from Houston on

I recommend taking him to the doc. My 6 year old had one on his butt and the dr. was nervous about the poison traveling to his testies and causing even more problems. That being said - dr.'s orders are: Dial antibacterial soap - 6 months usage and swabbing his nose to control the over growth of staff - use neosporine (sp) or muripriacin - daily in am and pm - this routine helped my WHOLE family to finally get rid of them. The are SO contagious!
Hope it helps- poor guy - they hurt so bad!!

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D.A.

answers from Houston on

Boils always come up in the worst places. If you can talk him into putting up with the pain and keeping the area clean and dry for about a week, what works well to get the boil to come to a head is to keep it covered with a pad (clean cotton rag works well) saturated with Dr. Tichenor's mouthwash. I got that at Wal-Mart in Louisiana, but you may have to check around to find it here. I don't know if it's got to be Dr. Tichenor's - Listerine might work - but Dr. T's was recommended to me, and I've used it twice with good results. Like I said, though, it will take about a week, and you have to keep the pad saturated. Sometimes it's tricky to get it to stay on with the medical tape, especially in that area. Good luck to you!

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