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What Causes Cluster Of Boils On The Chest With Swelling In The Arm?

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Posted on Wed, 28 Dec 2016
Question: Swollen right arm ; huge carbuncle on right upper chest; left arm thinner than right; some eyes of carbuncle have drained . Carbuncle is reducing in size . Should surgery be performed to remove carbuncle or just do antibiotics or remove the push one by one .? The heads are out after I applied a lot of Povofine -Iodine on the lump. Some heads are big some are Small . Done heads have drained, some have not . Some heads have pus but not yet draining. Others have no pus yet showing .
Right arm is slightly painful when not elevated. I do a lot of heavy household tasks. I can lift my right arm .Right clavicle and right shoulders are slightly swollen and itchy . Areas of My right armpit were bitten by ants and spider and swollen , itchy and hard but not painful unless It rubs against my clothes if my clothes are tight. It itches when my environment is very hot or if I wears too much tight clothes . If I touch it, it becomes bigger. How should I treat swollen armpit? If I leave it alone it is not swollen unless I touch it.
My stomach growls frequently but disappears when I eat , comes back after eating nor when I am stressed. I take 2000 mgs of Vit C, Super B Complex and Super B complex Stress . They helped in reducing size of carbuncle and gives me energy. What other foods and Vitamins do I need? Please answer my above stated issues . Thank you. XXXXXXX
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Answered by Dr. Dr. Kakkar (31 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Oral antibiotics are the mainstay

Detailed Answer:
Hello. Thank you for writing to us

I am dr.kakkar(dermatologist). I have gone through your query and i have noted your concern.

A carbuncle is a bacterial skin and soft tissue infection. Usually there is also surrounding erythema and edema/swelling.
An oral antibiotic from penicillin or cephalosporin group for 7-10 days would be first line treatment. Besides this i would also suggest cleaning the area of all pus and debris and dressing with povidone iodine.
Culture and sensitivity testing of pus/ discharge would also help in guiding choice of oral antibiotic.
In addition any collection of pus within the area should also be drained in order to help faster resolution of infection.
There are no particular dietary measures or vitamin supplements indicated.
You may take an oral anti inflammatory e.g diclofenac or ibuprofen to help relieve pain and swelling.

Regards
Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Dr. Dr. Kakkar

Dermatologist

Practicing since :2002

Answered : 9612 Questions

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What Causes Cluster Of Boils On The Chest With Swelling In The Arm?

Brief Answer: Oral antibiotics are the mainstay Detailed Answer: Hello. Thank you for writing to us I am dr.kakkar(dermatologist). I have gone through your query and i have noted your concern. A carbuncle is a bacterial skin and soft tissue infection. Usually there is also surrounding erythema and edema/swelling. An oral antibiotic from penicillin or cephalosporin group for 7-10 days would be first line treatment. Besides this i would also suggest cleaning the area of all pus and debris and dressing with povidone iodine. Culture and sensitivity testing of pus/ discharge would also help in guiding choice of oral antibiotic. In addition any collection of pus within the area should also be drained in order to help faster resolution of infection. There are no particular dietary measures or vitamin supplements indicated. You may take an oral anti inflammatory e.g diclofenac or ibuprofen to help relieve pain and swelling. Regards