saddle sores - AGAIN

[The Ouzo]

Two things I remember:

 

1.) Have you changed your shorts. I got my saddle sore from cheap, crap Chamois. Really worth investigating if they come back, maybe you need some new high quality shorts with some new high density Chamois. I changed shorts after my incident. No more freebie shorts. good ones i chose personally.

2.) You can get those sit bone plasters - not sure what they are called. You can wash and re-apply them. I saw one at the lab the other day - about R400-00.

 

Words cannot describe the pain. It brings tears to my eyes. And the image of you lancing a nut had me chuckling and squirming...

do you buy the ones with proper chamois leather or those with a fluffy type of material ?

The one pair I have have rather thick padding (the fluffy material) and I find it actually folds and irritates me even more.

[Pieter1]

Tell me more

I just got the Dischem brand R40 for 100 tablets, been taking one a day and the sores are gone. Edited December 18, 2012 by Pieter1

[kandui]

Another cause for the sores could be Staff virus. I had a bad case of saddle sores the last 2 days of Epic this year (i never suffer from this) and couldn't get it to heal. Had almost golf ball size bumps under the skin on the sit bone.

Had small pimples on the skin which erupted into horrible fountains of gunk and the pain brought tears to my eyes.

Got the Doc to give me Antibiotics on 3 occasions which solved the problem for a while. The infection came back without warning and it really made riding flipping sore. I changed saddles, put bum cream on and when all failed, called my GP for more Antibiotics.

I did a nose swab for Staff, but it came back negative.

Got another bout of the saddle sores a month ago and couldn't take it anymore. Made an appointment with a Dermatologist and the first thing she said when she inspected my bum was that I have Staff. The reason the swab came up negative was due to me being on Antibiotics at the time.

 

She put me on a 6 month course of: Antibiotics (one capsule a day), Batroban Nasal Cream (5 days/month) and I use an Acne wash for the infected areas.

Some of us are Staff carriers without knowing it and a little bit of Foliculitis after a lot of riding creates an ideal breeding ground for the virus.

 

My advice: Go to your GP and get a nasal swab done. It's cheap and will tell you whether you are a carrier or not.

The Dermatologist says most Bum creams/ Udder creams are not goo to use . They block the pores, plus if you have Staff and are sticking your hand in the pot all the time, you are creating a lekker little place for the Staff to breed. Next time you use the bum cream, you are transferring Staff back to the infected area.

[G-Unit]

Two things I remember:

 

1.) Have you changed your shorts. I got my saddle sore from cheap, crap Chamois. Really worth investigating if they come back, maybe you need some new high quality shorts with some new high density Chamois. I changed shorts after my incident. No more freebie shorts. good ones i chose personally.

2.) You can get those sit bone plasters - not sure what they are called. You can wash and re-apply them. I saw one at the lab the other day - about R400-00.

 

Words cannot describe the pain. It brings tears to my eyes. And the image of you lancing a nut had me chuckling and squirming...

 

I just about had to change my shorts, when reading this thread - I'm cringing for you!!

 

Seriously though, I'm with Kandui on this one - I also got a staf (staphylococcus) infection type saddle sore last year just before 3 Towers, and the solution is antibiotics along with a topical treatment like Bactroban or Quadriderm. It also helps to go to a pharmacist and ask them to mix in a bit of cortisone with the antibacterial creme. That helps to reduce the inflammation and speeds up healing.

 

Good luck, man!

[arendoog]

I just about had to change my shorts, when reading this thread - I'm cringing for you!!

 

Seriously though, I'm with Kandui on this one - I also got a staf (staphylococcus) infection type saddle sore last year just before 3 Towers, and the solution is antibiotics along with a topical treatment like Bactroban or Quadriderm. It also helps to go to a pharmacist and ask them to mix in a bit of cortisone with the antibacterial creme. That helps to reduce the inflammation and speeds up healing.

 

Good luck, man!

Wash with savlon soap or some antibacterial like preticin, Gill soap to stop the folliculitis that causes the open wounds to get infected ,Find yourself a better saddle and do your own setup .I often ride with a tool and stop and adjust all the time until everything feels comfortable .I have tried 5 saddles this year and the WTB silverado is by far the better for me .I dont know why i ever bothered to try different saddles .If you can ride 3 days ,,5hours at a time without problems stick to whatever it is you are on.Some good advice also on nose carrier treatment

[kandui]

If it's a Staff infection, then changing saddles or getting new bibs won't make a difference. Spending long hours in the saddle will always cause some friction and the Staff will get into the red area and infect it. Staff like to sit in the nose , hence the Batroban Nasal cream.

The Dermatologist told me that Batroban topical cream will only be effective if the wound is open.

Since Staff is a virus and not bacteria, boiling bibs will also not help.

The soap I was prescribed is an Acne remedy and contains peroxide.

Riding the same saddles and the same bibs and spending my usual hours in the saddle. Touch wood, all is clear.

[BeegMig]

Silver gel.

Its expensive and is used for bedsores in hospitals, so you should get it from a hospital pharmacy.

 

Or man up.

Slap some Frair's Balsom on the opened sores and bite on your teeth.

[semisub]

Bennett's baby bum cream has worked for me but I normally catch it an early stage when it's still a pimple and it's gone within a day.

[V12man]

I did 40km on sunday and another 30km yesterday and man oh man were they swollen.

I've dropped the the saddle to the correct height before the rides but it did not seem to help.

 

1 - Get the area sterile and keep it that way - Hibiscrub - from a pharmacy - use a nailbrush and scrub the area for at least 2 minutes - soak your shorts in it overnight.

2 - Try using a topical anti inflammatory cream on them - Diclohexal Gel - over the counter at Dischem - apply 3 - 4 times a day after sterilising.

3 - if the above does not improve matters in a couple of days - then the boils should be lanced, and the discharge sent for a path exam to see what is causing the boil - and then you can treat that - probably anti-biotics, but sometimes it can be fungal.

[kandui]

Time for my Antibot!

[The Ouzo]

Thanks for all the replies.

But the million dollar question, can I still ride?

[V12man]

Thanks for all the replies.

But the million dollar question, can I still ride?

 

Take a couple of days off, get it under control and then get back on.

[BushGoblin]

Bepanthen - baby butt cream to heal the sores.

[Dirtbreath]

Not sure about your boils. Have however had pretty bad saddle sores on a stage race. What helped me in events post that was showering, drying properly, cleaning with surgical spirits and then putting lube (milking balm, assos, whatever) on. Make sure you do your toilet trip prior to showering.

[The Ouzo]

well mother nature has forced me to take a day or 2 off, picked up a stomach bug.

 

on the bright side, I'll drop a few kg's from this.

[DJR]

If it's a Staff infection, then changing saddles or getting new bibs won't make a difference. Spending long hours in the saddle will always cause some friction and the Staff will get into the red area and infect it. Staff like to sit in the nose , hence the Batroban Nasal cream.

The Dermatologist told me that Batroban topical cream will only be effective if the wound is open.

Since Staff is a virus and not bacteria, boiling bibs will also not help.

The soap I was prescribed is an Acne remedy and contains peroxide.

Riding the same saddles and the same bibs and spending my usual hours in the saddle. Touch wood, all is clear.

 

This bit is incorrect. Staphylococcus is a bacteria. The correct antibiotics will kill it. (BTW antibiotics do not work for viral infections, for that you need an anti-viral.) But the rest re. carrier status and cross infection and the prevention thereof is correct.