What the heck is on my leg and how do I get it off?

Probably just an ingrown hair or a pimple. Leave it be, it’ll go away. Unless it gets worse, in which case, talk to your doctor.

@syz Do ingrown hairs normally get the size of a quarter?

That’s larger than I would expect. Any chance of an insect bite or sting?

I would see a health care specialist. You didn’t feel it at all?

Can it be a bruise?
It happens to me sometimes, that I discover one but have no idea or recollection of how it happened.

Try putting heat on it, if it appears to be an ingrown hair.

It’s not a bruise, because this is a raised bump. And when I squeeze it, it feels like there is something in it.

@flo I felt something weird, but I thought I was just randomly achey.

@syz Definitely not.

Any chance you could post a picture of it? That might help identify it.

@augustlan Hahahaha, eww no.

I just opened it up with my scalpel. Holy geeeeeez. I was not ready for this.

O___O
@KateTheGreat… Umm… That probably wasn’t the best idea.
How’d that go? XD

Home surgery=bad idea :P

Well don’t keep us in suspense. Was if full of pus?

That’s actually preferable to it being a tumor.

This thread is full of suspense and completely lacking gross photos. Disappointment.

It was this hard puss like thingy. All bloody and shit.

@AshLeigh and @incendiary_dan It’s okay, I’m quite skilled at home surgeries. Hell, I gave myself 48 stitches once and healed perfectly.

Haha. Ew. XD

A cyst. Oh, baby, I just posted a question about cysts (with strange body secretions), last week. Does it feel better now?

@KateTheGreat You just became the battlefield surgeon of our zombie survival team.

It was probably an infected bug bite or an infected boil. As for how to get it off, sounds like you already figured that out.

Sounds like you need to get some liquid skin. save the fishing line for fishing.

This is kinda what it looked like before.

This is what it looked like when I extracted it.

Those were examples that I found on the internet. I have properly identified it as a sebaceous cyst.

@incendiary_dan Sweet. I am like the MacGyver of the medical world.

@Jude Hell yeah it does! I stitched it up with 3 stitches and now I feel somewhat better.

@tom_g that was fricken exciting! I turned off the tv

I am impressed by your skills. I can barely shave my own legs without needing stitches – only I can’t do it myself ;) hope you feel better

@JessicaRTBH Hahaha, thanks.

Watch the incision for signs of infection, or to see if it needs lancing again.

Impressive. skalpel. stitches. I need to re-stock my medicine cabinet with cool shit.

Who has the triscuits? That thing looked like cheese.

@WestRiverrat Don’t worry, I’ve got this. ;)

I’d be terrified to do that to myself. Though I have definitely ‘popped’ sebaceous cysts before!

Also, this question has been moved to Social. :)

If it’s a sebaceous cyst, it will gradually fill up again. You’ll need to have the gland excised.

Here is a wonderful video in honor of this thread. XD

@syz Oh I know. I’m definitely going to the doctor about this. There is no way I want to do that to myself ever again.

This is kinda what it looked like before.

This is what it looked like when I extracted it.

Not gonna click on those links. No way. No how.

@jaytkay I don’t blame ya, dear.

Don’t click on them if you’re squeamish.. @KateTheGreat Eww.

Ahh…Boils are not for the squeamish. Good job opening it up @KateTheGreat! Just keep it clean so it doesn’t infect & you’ll be fine.

OMG I looked. What is wrong with me? I knew better. The first one kinda looked like a nipple.

I’ve assisted on a cow ceserean, a displaced rumen, and help deliver all kinds of calves, but I don’t want to see that again.

@chyna It’s not that bad.

Tee hee.

I didn’t look…until @chyna said something. Oh My!

Awesome, @KateTheGreat. You can be on my trauma team, fo’ sho’. I just hope you sterilized the skin and the scalpel prior to operating. That’s my biggest complaint (aside from operating on a kitchen floor with kids running around in the background – and getting Goldfish for one to shut him up) about the operation on the video. Neat links.

It wasn’t that gross. And the second picture just looked like a hairy sushi roll hahahahaha!

But I’m not watching the video…

It’s a rubber bullet…you must have been in the latest riot protesting against the mistreatment of squirrels in yarn sweaters and got hit when the Fluther Riot police were attempting to disperse the ruffians. Make a necklace charm out of it and wear it with pride!

That was horrible! (the video…)

Wow, all this made staying on my diet a lot easier.
In fact, I may just puke up what little I did eat…

Could you, perhaps, do this weekly?

Do what weekly?

Geez, I go out for the evening and miss all the fun.

I think he wants you to have more adventures like this Kate.

Seriously, between you saying you grabbed a scalpel until we found out you were ok, it was riveting.

Honey, if I posted all of my adventures on Fluther, you guys would have enough material to read for weeks. XD

I actually reopened it for some more extracting about an hour ago. I successfully extracted the sac and patched myself back up. I’m extremely skilled at this and took necessary safety precautions, so don’t you worry one bit.

I think you caught it from the sea vagina

@Imadethisupwithnoforethought Those damn sea diseases spread like wildfire.

Ewwwwwwww… can I touch it? (proceeds to poke)

;) Go right ahead!

So…I read this whole thread and what I want to know is: how the hell did you give yourself 48 stitches?!

@Keep_on_running Vodka, rubbing alcohol, catgut (stitches), and a big ol’ needle.

Should have seen the time when I was on a camping trip and had to use fishing line.

I hope poor @Wundayatta doesn’t stumble onto this thread. He’ll be traumatized for life!

@KateTheGreat Now you are all set….you got the “companion” piece for that pink thingy you found on the beach!

@KateTheGreat Check Here for my tribute to your efforts!

@Kayak8 You are awesome.

@Cruiser Ewwww!

@Kayak8,
I was very surprised when I clicked on that. :D:D:D

@KateTheGreat I’m not sure if you are pulling our legs or not?

@flo Most certainly not. I try to refrain from spending money on simple things like this.

@KateTheGreat but if it ends up being something more serious (something forbid!), then wouldn’t you wind up spending a lot more?

@flo I am a pre-med student. I’m pretty sure I have the common knowledge to determine what is severe enough for a trip to the doctor.

Honestly, the sort of infection @KateTheGreat might get at home, if any, is a lot less scary than some of the infections that people have been getting at hospitals. All you can do is sterilize the crap out of the tools and the area, which is, after all, what medical professionals do.

@KateTheGreat I did not know about the pre-med thing. But why did you post the question if you are sure enough? I’m confused.
Skin cancer related lesions for example, don’t look serious enough but they are.
@incendiary_dan why not just ask the pharmacist or nurse or someone like that? I just think that it is too much of a chance to take,

@incendiary_dan Exactly. I feel a lot safer at home because all of my tools are sterilized before and after usage, I have medical grade antibiotics and all sorts of ointments for these things.

@flo I wasn’t sure exactly what it was. I’ve never had them before and I’m not very inclined to study dermatology. I’m wondering if anyone else has had similar problems.

Maybe I’m just paranoid.

@flo Me too, which is why I’d get that sort of thing done at a clinic or home office rather than a hospital. We needed to be trained for MRSA where I work, and let me tell you, that’s freaky.

Well, @KateTheGreat, if you’re going to be a doctor, make sure that your fishing line or catgut stitches are nice and tight and don’t leave bad scars. No one will want to be a patient of a doctor later on in life who looks (at all) like Frankenstein’s monster, and to hear, “Oh, yeah, I did those myself one day when I was trying to save a buck.”

@CWOTUS Oh honey, I’m very delicate with my stitches. My scar from the fishing line stitches is almost invisible.

@incendiary_dan Ugh. MRSA is awful. Ever since training, I get really paranoid if I see someone who looks like they have it.

@incendiary_dan clinic, okay.

@KateTheGreat Have you heard about this new super-fungal infection that’s going around? I heard it’s mostly the elderly having a problem with it? Another scary thing to think about. :/

@incendiary_dan This past year has been awful. There have been new strains of infection and violent disease popping up everywhere. Mutant shit.

I feel sorry for those who get it.

@KateTheGreat That’s why I’ve been working on concentrated garlic extracts. They’ve been showing great success against some of the nasty bugs, since it’s supposed to be a broad-spectrum antibiotic but isn’t commonly used. Plus, I like the smell.

@KateTheGreat —weekly suture self surgery photos and videos?