Hello! I'm kind of embarrassed to go to a walk-in with this concern so I thought I'd ask here. For the past week, I've had a bump to the left of my anus. Just yesterday it became very large and very painful. It's hard and about 2 inches in diameter. It woke me up last night since I'm kind of putting pressure on it no matter which way I sleep, so I took a Tylenol in hopes of decreasing the pain. Is this just a simple pimple I can wait out?
Hi.
The symptoms you're describing sound like they could be consistent with a perianal abscess, which is a collection of pus caused by an infection in the tissue around the anus. Here are some features of a perianal abscess:
- Location: It typically forms near the anus, often closer to one side.
- Pain: It can be quite painful, especially when sitting, moving, or having a bowel movement.
- Size: They can vary in size but can be quite large.
- Other symptoms: The skin over the abscess might become red and warm. You might also feel unwell or develop a fever.
Other possibilities include:
- Pilonidal cyst: This is an abscess that forms at the base of the tailbone (a bit higher up than the anus). It can also become swollen, painful, and filled with pus.
- Hemorrhoids: These are swollen blood vessels in or around the anus. While they can be painful, they typically don't become filled with pus like an abscess.
- Anal gland cyst or abscess: Dogs and cats have prominent anal glands, but humans have them too. They can sometimes become clogged and form cysts or abscesses.
If it is a perianal abscess, it may need to be drained, and you might require antibiotics. Left untreated, the infection can spread or create a fistula (an abnormal connection between the inside of the anus and the skin outside), which can lead to recurrent abscesses.