7393fc91_SA_Abscess_and_Septra_Reaction__Overview
[Day] Day 16 - 19 [Date] May 23rd - 26th [My Story] I had to go to the clinic to get the abscess repacked every day. Psychologically, having an open, draining wound on my body for weeks was very difficult for me, let alone having it repacked every day. They kept me on the Septra during the packing process. Because of the anxiety and pain involved with repacking the abscess, I was prescribed Vicodin and told to take it an hour before I went to the clinic. The Vicodin helped me a great deal in managing anxiety in the first few packings. At the clinic, they would remove the packing and then irrigate the wound with saline solution. They would then use a long cutip to probe the wound to figure out how deep the abscess wall was and where to pack the gauze. They then applied an anti-microbial gel (Silvasorb) before repacking the wound with a long strip of gauze. The main function of the gauze is for it to wick the drainage outside of the abscess. Thus, the tail of the gauze is left trailing through the incision point. After the 5 days of daily wound packing, I could begin going in every other day. This was such a relief. [Suggestions and Advice] Ask your doctor for Vicodin for the first few packings. This is for managing both the pain and the anxiety. You should only take it for the packing itself to minimize the chances of becoming dependent on it (it is a narcotic). Take Advil or Tylenol otherwise. There is a powder variation of the Silvasorb gel. While it is supposed to be more absorbent than the gel, it also stings a great deal for 10 minutes. If you have a choice, ask them to use the gel instead of the powder. For me, I would rather change the dressing once more than to have to deal with the stinging pain. While the very first unpacking hurt a great deal, subsequent gauze removal hurts a lot less than you would expect. The most painful part is when gauze is packed back in the wound. Hold on to the bed railing and take deep breaths. You need to try your best to not distract the nurse from the necessary packing. If you make too much noise, it may lead some nurses to not pack the wound as much as they should because they are worried about your comfort. There are now 2 complications to dressing the wound. The first is not getting the packing wet while showering. I found that the best bandaging for this was Nexcare's Absolute Waterproof Premium Adhesive Pad. It goes on hard-to-cover, non-flat surfaces, is comfortable, and very waterproof. Pricey but worth it. The second complication is not dragging the gauze strip out while changing the outside dressing. For this, I found that dabbing Neosporin on the dressing before putting it on the wound helped a great deal. When necessary, use a cutip to hold the gauze down while removing the dressing. With regards to antibiotic use after I&D, most studies have shown that the antibiotic doesn't really help much. I would suggest getting off Septra as soon as the I&D happens if you're on Septra. [Overview] 
Initial Clinic Packings
MRSA Abscess and Septra Reaction
Overview