So this is gonna be a bit gross. You're forewarned.
I got my second set of lobe piercings done about six weeks ago. I was playing with one of them today and noticed that it was 'sticking' a bit. So I wiggled it around (probably a big mistake) a bit until it was loose, and then left it alone. Fast forward three hours.
My entire lobe is now red, swollen, and painful. I start to clean around the piercing, and then realized that there might be something trapped inside the actual piercing itself (it's happened to me before, with a very irritating piece of hair). So I removed the jewelry and begin cleaning the piercing site. As soon as I put pressure on the lobe, it bursts. Like, literally bursts. There was pus and blood all over the wall/mirror I had been standing in front of. Funny thing is, the area immediately begins to feel better. So I just clean the rest of the area out as best as I can (using plain soap and water, no alcohol-based cleaners for me), and pop the earring back in.
I'm pretty sure it's an abscess, so I'm gonna continue doing hot compresses on it until I fall asleep (it's 2:11, but I'm wide awake now), and then get it checked out at the infirmary tomorrow morning.
Has anyone here ever encountered a problem like this before?