Looking for advice please- Tunneling into colon?
Hello all! I’m on a throwaway account because this is quite an embarrassing situation for me, despite having lived with severe HS for about 6 years now. My main affected region is my groin, I have had three separate surgeries due to tunneling, infection, etc. I am quite familiar with pain and unfortunately due to the severity of my condition, what would be most peoples absolute blinding level 10 pain, roughly equates to about a 3 or 4 for me. I recently stopped taking Humira due to the side effects it caused me and my insurance situation being up in the air. I was only on it for about 3 months, on and off due to having that big surgery after I started it.
I, 28F, have developed a boil quite close to my anus, no more than maybe half an inch. It spawned about 2 days ago and blew up QUICKLY. The entire swollen area is about the size of a tennis ball and it is finally forming about a dime size head on it (dark spot, skin is peeling around the area). Of course, walking and sitting are extremely painful. Laying is only comfortable with my leg propped up. I’ve had FAR more painful bumps, so I’m just doing my normal routine with it. Same thing, different day basically.
However, I noticed when I was going to the bathroom (#2) this morning, which I feared heavily due to the location of this monster, that I had more blood than usual in my stool. It wasn’t concerning then, I’ve got hemorrhoids and a history of smears of blood in my stool. The only concerning thing for me was I woke up with a sharp cramping feeling in my lower abdomen, around where the appendix is. I have PCOS, so I wrote it off as a cyst rupturing or bad cramps or whatever. It went away after about 30 minutes. Basically my stool was normal, healthy colored and textured stool but toward the end had streaks of bright blood running through it. I cleaned myself, placed a warm wet rag on the bump, and took a nap with my daughter. I woke up, having to go to the bathroom again. This time, there was less stool but more blood. When I wiped, there was a fair bit of blood on the toilet paper and it wasn’t bright red or dark red, about ruby red I’d say. Looking in the toilet, my stool was dark, in two small, lumpy logs, and heavily mixed with darker blood and what looks like the drainage that typically comes from my bumps. (Dark red, kind of brick colored, mixed with darker blood and purulent drainage)
I guess my question, and my biggest concern is… SHOULD I be concerned enough to go to the hospital? I’m not experiencing abdominal pain, fever, chills, ANY symptoms really other than the typical searing hot pain from the bump. I don’t like to get mine lanced unless it’s an absolute last resort and I’m in tears from pain. Which is exceptionally rare. And I am NOWHERE near that level of pain currently. But I had a bump recently on my thigh that I had to have surgery on and packed for weeks. My fear is, seeing the change in my stool, that it may have tunneled and broken through my colon or something. Can this happen? Does anyone have any experience with something like this happening? Does this sound like what is happening for me?
I know this is long but I appreciate anyone who read through all the way and is willing to offer legitimate advice and insight. I know Reddit isn’t a medical center and I know that the best case is to go to the hospital “better safe than sorry” but my local hospital is an absolute barbaric joke and I like to avoid going when possible. Plus, I am a stay at home mom home alone with my 18 month old until her dad gets home from work in the evening. I welcome any constructive opinions and advice!
Thank you!