Most abscesses are septic (caused by infection) but sterile abscesses can also occur which are not caused by germs but by non-living irritants such as drugs. If an injected drug, especially oil based ones such as anabolic steroids are not fully absorbed, it stays where it was injected and may cause enough irritation to generate a sterile abscess. Sterile abscesses are likely to turn into hard, solid lumps as they scar, rather than pockets of pus.
Superficial abscesses are readily visible and as stated above, are red, swollen, painful and warm. Abscesses in other areas of the body may not be obvious and may produce only generalized symptoms such as fever and discomfort. A sterile abscess may cause only a painful lump, for example deep gluteus injections. If the abscess is small enough, inch or less, applying warm compresses/hot soaks to the area for about 30 minutes ed can help.
Sometimes though, it will not disperse and you need medical attention. At this point a culture or examination of any drainage from the lesion will help identify what is causing the abscess. The infection can spread to the tissues under the skin and eventually enter the bloodstream, resulting in septicaemia which can be very serious and life threatening. Unlike other infections, antibiotics alone will not cure a well developed abscess. In general an abscess must be cut open and drained by a doctor in order for it to improve.
Once the sore has drained, the doctor will insert some packing into the remaining cavity to minimize any bleeding and keep it open for a day or two. With time the cavity will heal, but you can expect to be out of the gym for weeks. When it does heal, scar tissue will form, therefore, no more injections in that area.
Infection can be a problem with any type of injection, due to the nature of having to transverse though the protective barrier of the skin. It is extremely important to inject under sterile and sanitary conditions to avoid transmitting infectious foreign organisms into the body. The most common infective complication when injecting Anabolic Steroids is an abscess.
Researchers Rich et al. (1999) report of a case of a 26 year old anabolic steroid user who did not use sterile injection techniques and wound up with an injection-related thigh abscess. This individual reported sharing multi-dosage vials with two other weightlifting colleagues who also developed infections. It took approximately 3-4 months and a trip to the emergency room to control the infection and begin healing.
Two cases of thigh abscesses were discovered in male and female professional weight lifters who injected a veterinary preparation of stanozolol contaminated with Mycobacterium smegmatis. Two case reports of staphylococcal gluteal abscesses developed in young bodybuilders 18 and 21 years of age.
Precautions to take when injecting anabolic steroids:
1) Inject under strict sanitary conditions, this means not in your dirty ass bathroom you haven't clean in a year or near your dirty laundry and sweat socks.
2) Use correct injection technique, inject intramuscularly, aspirate the syringe and use large main, muscle groups only.
3) Avoid sharing or reusing needles. Sharing is for junkies, don't do it. As for reusing, needles are cheap and readily available right here on our board so dont do it. Use one needle for withdraw and then remove, put on a new needle and inject.
4) Make sure your skin is clean. Inject right after a shower or use an alcohol swab/wipe to clean the area as well as the top of all multi-injection vials.
5) Check your source for legit products. Some UG gear is made in horrible locations that are not sanitary, do some research to make sure what you are putting in your body is legit and well manufactured.
No comments:
Post a Comment