Posts by Megan Anderson2

Oh, I just thought of something else—over the last week or so (depending on how closely I monitor it and touch the area), I’ve developed this itchy rash on my arm. It feels a lot like some kind of allergic reaction. Generally speaking, my skin has just gone completely haywire.

Tyler James5 said:Go ahead and kill that little beast, but look, since it’s on your shoulder and that’s not exactly a minor thing—and an infection like that isn't something you want to play around with—you really ought to get some professional help. You definitely don't want to be dealing with this once it turns into twenty different bumps all over your body, alright?

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Fair enough. I'll see if there's a dermatologist available in this area. If I can't track one down, I’m planning to catch a flight to Chicago this Friday to visit a private specialist who can either prescribe something effective or potentially cut half my shoulder off.

So, I just spotted this rather large spider hanging out in my living room—honestly, it looks like a slightly older, more distinguished cousin of a tarantula—so I’m not ruling out the possibility of a bite here. Especially considering that bit about the two distinct puncture marks. One of them actually burst a little earlier and leaked some fluid, then the second one opened up a few days later. Eventually, I just ended up joining them together into one large, ragged patch of irritated skin. It also reminds me of a situation my mother dealt with about a year or two ago; she had some skin issues where several itchy bumps popped up, and after she scratched at them, they took forever to heal. She ended up using an antibiotic ointment prescribed by her doctor to get it under control.

Tyler James5 said:Honestly, you don't even need to spend all day hovering over a stove to eat better than what you're doing now. It’s actually pretty easy to balance out your macros—just tweak the protein, fats, and carbs a bit. Throw some fresh fruit and a salad into your daily routine, grab a multivitamin, and maybe swap out half those sugary sodas for sparkling water or just plain old H2O. There are tons of threads on this forum where you can dig up specific advice on that stuff. And just find a way to move... hit the gym, go for walks, whatever gets the blood pumping.

But here's the real kicker: that layer of subcutaneous fat, combined with being sedentary—and if you happen to smoke, which you didn't mention, and man, I really hope you aren't... but let's face it, that combo is everywhere—it slows down the circulation in your tiny peripheral blood vessels and capillaries. That means any surface wounds take forever to heal, and your immune system isn't going to be nearly as tough against microbes.

Plus, given your age, you're probably dealing with skin issues driven by hormones too. The silver lining of being a young guy is that your body is basically a sponge; it'll react incredibly fast once you actually start eating right and working out.

For skin that's prone to clogged pores and those deep, under-the-skin breakouts, you should use a body wash containing salicylic acid, and then follow up with a moisturizer that has AHA acids... just tell the clerk at CVS what you're looking for, they'll know what's up.

Regardless of what's causing that specific ulcer on your shoulder and the one on your arm—stuff a doctor might try to fix with antibiotics—you seriously have to change how you eat and how much you move, otherwise you're headed for a major health crisis. I mean, it's pretty obvious you shouldn't be polishing off three chocolate bars in one sitting, right? You don't need to be a professional nutritionist to get that.

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I don't smoke. I don't even drink alcohol, 99% of the time. :P But the reality is that I barely move at all. I sit at my desk all day at work, then I come home and just sit there. In fact, I was so stationary recently that the entire right side of my head and lower back seized up, leaving me with a bit of a tilted head. I'm asking about this here because I'm a bit of a hypochondriac, and whenever I notice something unusual, my mind immediately jumps to the worst-case scenario. As for the chocolate—I don't usually eat it. I generally avoid candy and sweets, but I guess I had a moment of weakness and polished off some large Toblerones, two Kinder bars, and a bag of those mini Snickers. For nearly a week after that, everything felt sore, from the subcutaneous boils to the ulcers.

So, is it possible this is just some kind of infection or something similar? It isn't raised; about once a week, enough of that green gunk builds up that it falls off along with the scab, leaks a little, and then a new scab forms. The skin surrounding it is redder than the rest of my skin. About a week or two ago, it looked like two small pits and was raised, almost as if a subcutaneous boil had surfaced, and then I ended up digging at it until it became one slightly larger, flat pit, which is how it has remained since.

Tyler James5 said:I mean, you wouldn't even eat this bad out in the Sahara, so why would you do it in Mexico? You seriously need to fix this diet, I don't even have to tell you that... Nobody—especially if there's diabetics in your family—should be eating like this. It's a guaranteed way to end up short on vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, and just plain old clean water. Plus, you're definitely overdoing it on the sugar and fats. Get it together.

The specialist on duty will weigh in on those skin changes once they get online here. You didn't mention your age or what your general health situation is like. What's your BMI?

All these details will be necessary for a doctor to actually give you a diagnosis.

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Because I'm lazy. I'll admit it. 🙂 I just don't feel like cooking. I'm 24, and my overall health is actually great; I barely catch a cold more than once a year. I haven't needed antibiotics or any kind of medication for about three years now, aside from having a wisdom tooth pulled at the hospital two months ago. However, I am prone to subcutaneous stitches, which mostly pop up on my shoulders and back, and occasionally on my chin. My BMI is sitting somewhere around 28 or 29 right now, which makes sense given how I eat.

Tyler James5 said:I’ve got a bad feeling this isn't just some minor thing. How long exactly is "some time" when you say it hasn't cleared up? Also, where are you located right now? (Just asking because the climate and local parasites or infections can make a huge difference). And what do you mean by eating junk? Like, are you low on vitamins? What kind of work do you do? Did you take an injury or maybe get bit by something? Some spider bites out here can be real nasty and just refuse to heal...

Do you deal with any immune issues, allergies, or maybe diabetes? Anyone else around you dealing with stuff like this?

Look, I know I'm grilling you with questions, but you really should see a doctor. If that's totally off the table for you right now, try using http://symptoms.webmd.com/symptomchecker. It'll walk you through a bunch of stuff like your age and medical history. You probably have a first aid kit lying around somewhere, right? Have you tried putting any antibiotic powder or cream on it yet?

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Well, "some time" would be about three or four weeks now. I'm currently working out in the field in Mexico, though my job is in telecommunications and I spend most of my day sitting in an office. As far as my diet goes, I've basically been living on chips and processed snacks. The last time I actually took vitamins was back when I had some Gatorade. I drink a ton of soda and eat a lot of sweets. This issue cropped up right around the same time I polished off several large chocolate bars in a single day along with a bunch of other sugary treats. One spot is on my hand, and it's been there for about a month. As for insects, I haven't a clue. I haven't seen any spiders or anything in my apartment, but I suppose it's possible. Otherwise, my immune system is generally solid; there's a history of diabetes in my family, though I haven't been diagnosed with it myself, and I don't have any allergies except for Advil. I haven't tried anything on it yet...

Hey everyone, I’ve got this little spot on my shoulder that just refuses to heal, no matter how much time passes. It’s about 2mm across, and if my memory serves me right, it looks exactly like where a pimple used to be—the shape is pretty telling. The skin around it stays slightly flushed, and there’s this greenish discharge building up in the wound. A scab forms, eventually falls off, then leaks again, and the whole cycle repeats itself. It doesn't hurt or anything, but honestly, it’s starting to get under my skin. To make matters worse, my diet has been pretty terrible lately, and I’ve been breaking out in a bunch of acne across my shoulders. There’s also this red bump on my arm that’s been sitting there for a month and a half, though it isn't an open wound like the one on my shoulder. Since I'm currently traveling through a foreign country, I really don't feel like blowing money on a doctor visit for something so minor, so I was wondering if anyone knows what this might be or has any advice on how to finally get it to heal?