What I Used to Aid Healing My Abscess

I know...what a delightful topic.  As many of you know, I ended up in the ER on Easter because of a lump I had on my big toe that was not going away and getting bigger.   I had cellulitis that was treated with antibiotics and while the painful lump on top of the toe went away, the lump underneath wasn't.  I wondered if it was a blood clot because it seemed like something separate since the antibiotics didn't treat it.  The ER doc had a venous ultrasound done and confirmed no blood clot and I was dealing with an abscess that wasn't big enough to drain there.  He prescribed Bactrim and to do foot soaks and warm compresses a few times a day to get it to drain internally.

It should be said, I am not a patient person.  I was immediately trying to find out how long it could take for this to go away because I'd already been dealing with it for weeks and was over it.  The general consensus seemed to be 7-10 days.  I was faithful with my Epsom salt/baking soda soaks at least twice a day and warm compresses 3x a day but I also did a few other things to help slay the demon.  

I have ZERO idea if they helped or not but I do know after doing one in particular, is when I saw the most reduction.  If you have an abscess you NEED to see a doctor.  I am not one so therefore if you want to try any of these things, you need to discuss it with your doc first!  They can be deadly if not treated and spread!

Magnetic Field Therapy Pad-  I can't find the exact model I have but I got this to help after compartment syndrome in 2016 because I didn't want to pay for Bemer therapy at my chiro.  (It paid for itself with three uses)  I would sit with my toe square in the middle of it while watching TV and it promotes circulation without heat which is what I was told an abscess needs to heal...circulation.

Handheld UltraSound- I used this initially to continue with the ultrasound therapy at home that my chiro used on my TTS back in 2012.  It does not heat up like some people in bad reviews seem to think it should, it just penetrates the skin to heal.  I have no clue how it works but when I used it on the abscess area, it would almost flatten out.  It would come back but smaller.  It seemed to be a complimentary treatment to the soaks and compresses.

Epsom Salt Gel- I would put this on it at night so that there was still some kind of treatment going on even when I slept.  It's a good thing to have on hand anyway for sore muscles or aid in post workout recovery.

Bentonite Clay-  While after a full 6 days on Bactrim and faithful soaks/compresses were shrinking the size, I began to get antsy.  I was looking up how to heal abscesses quicker and I don't know why I didn't think about bentonite clay before!  I had some left and it is used to pull toxins from the body when used as a facial mask with apple cider vinegar.  That is what I needed!  So I added that to my regimen and kept a paste of it ready to help kick things to the curb.  (I even made a poultice using both the clay and the Epsom salt gel for maximum suckage.  I think it works the best once it dries, especially if you're on the go between soaks and your issue is somewhere hidden.)

Dry brushing-  Dry brushing can help the lymphatic system do its job.  If you sit all day, your lymphatic system, which helps rid you of toxins, illness, etc, can get clogged.  In the morning, I would use the brush starting from my ankles up to the top of the leg as well as the arms doing all moves toward the heart.  

Again, who knows if any of these things helped speed healing for me, but I need to feel like I'm doing all I can.  As the Mr says, when I do something, I go hard.  

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