Pain

Trigger warning: gross medical stuff.

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I have a pilonidal abscess.

An abscess is a red, swollen, painful lump of pus. Mine is right at the base of my spine, just below my tailbone. I think it might be spreading downwards though.

I went to urgent care on Friday and was given antibiotic pills and cream (glad the NHS hasn't been privatised yet) and since then I have existed in waves of okayness punctuated by Quite A Lot of pain. Like, on a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is “it feels like I'm dying,” this is an 8. Last night I couldn't bend at the hips without crying. It's worse than my period cramps, because I can't curl up in a fetal position and take Midol and sleep it away.

I also probably have a yeast infection. Major vaginal itching going on, exacerbated by the antibiotics.

I don't feel sick, and I don't feel injured, but I also feel both. It hurts to sit down, which means it hurts to play the cello. There's a moment a little while after I take the antibiotics when the pain just melts away. I'm lying in bed waiting for that moment so that I can go to sleep.