What's a stye?

So I have worn glasses and contacts since I was about 12 years old and have never had any problems with my eyes...other than being blind. Today, I woke up with the most painful lump on my eye lid. It hurts so bad, I couldn't even wear my contacts to work. I had to bust out my 7 year old glasses, which the rx is so not current, and attempt to drive to work. That was an interesting experience, making sure I didn't hit the other cars on the road and making sure I didn't miss my exit. After talking with some friends at work, I realized I had my very first stye. I had not clue what a stye was, so I googled it. Definition: A stye or hordeolum is an infection of the sebaceous glands at the base of the eyelashes. While they produce no lasting damage, styes can be quite painful. So basically I guess its just a clogged pore on your eye lid and they say they can be caused from stress. Check out my very first (and hopefully my last) STYE...

Can you see it?

So now the question is...how do I get rid of this NASTY looking thing? When looking online, they tell you not to pop it. It hurts so bad, like I'm gonna squeeze it. Then they said to apply a wet hot wash cloth for 10 minutes, but I couldn't keep the stinking wash cloth hot for more than a minute. Anyhow, they also say a gentle massage will help...so I gave it a try. And sure enough the next morning it had drained and was feeling much better. It is still slightly swollen, but it doesn't hurt as bad and I was able to wear my contacts today. Thanks to Google, I learned all about a stye!!!