I am a male in his mid 30s and have had a semi-hard lump directly in the center of the rear of my neck(between hairline and shoulders) for about 10 years now. When I first noticed it almost 10 years ago, I went and saw my regular doctor and he told me it was nothing to worry about, just a gland and I would probably notice it gets a little larger in the summertime.
Well I was stupid and younger then and decided to not follow up on it after that. Here we are 10+ years later and it has grown a bit. Probably 1.5 inches diameter. It does not hurt, ever. What I have been noticing is that it is letting off a bad odor. I can smell it if I walk and come to a stop. I had an itch the other day right below it and scratched it and then felt a liquid on my fingers. There was a little bit of puss that came out due to the scratching and it smelt horrible. I then took my thumb and index fingers and squeezed it and a good amount of puss came out.
I have done some searches and cannot find what may be my issue. I was going to see a dermatologist to see what they would recommend.
Any ideas? This is starting to be a nuisance since I am now always concerned about the way it smells and others around me at work.
Thanks
I have exact the same symptoms, with my "puss eruption" occurring today. I intend to have it checked out by a doctor, probably you should too. Will let you know my diagnosis. Have you found you experience some neck pains, especially when for example sitting at a computer? I found the tension in my neck has decreased after my lump burst.
this sounds like a sebaceous cyst. these cysts are cystic swellings of hair follicle, and thus occur in areas which produce hair-eg head and neck. they have a central punctum and may drain fluid. they are wncased within the dermal layer of the skin so the skin cannot be drawn over them like a lipoma, node or abscess. foul smelling discharge suggests infection of the sebaceous cyst. they can be removed surgically, if desired, by excising an elliptical pirtion of skin containing the punctum. many of them are familial. no thanks necessary:)
for clarity; an abscess would cause a swinging fever, and a node would not drain fluid.
My husband had the same thing you cansqueeze it and puss like stufup comes out it will go down but goe right back up by next week. I bought the Theives essential oil and it was doing great actually going away but I ran out of it and it's is coming back but he will definitely tell you that the Theives oil doe work you just have to do it longer than we did. W e have placed apowder for some more and will continue on it until its all the way gone also it helps with the smell of it.
I had it surgically removed years ago, but it came back, just not as large.
Oh, and everything I've read about it, says "DO NOT POP IT". Popping it, might cause infection of the surrounding tissue. Ooops, too late... I've popped it many times.
I just now put some vinegar on a small bit of cotton and covered it with a bandage. I can feel the vinegar sting a very small amount, so since I can feel it, it must be doing something. I can't wait for a few days... hoping this works. That little thing is the most foul smelling ever...
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Pop it and put a small of potato on it and cover it it will suck out the goo and go away I had a few of them lanced one myself and put potato on it and it disappeared the one the doctor lanced is still slightly there.