Praying for an Abscess?

I am either praying that it's an abscess or that whatever it was, is done. A week ago Tuesday Izzy showed up three-legged lame. The kind of lame that looks like a fracture. The kind of lame that you're sure is life ending. If you've had horses for at least 12 minutes, you know what I am talking about.

Izzy's front leg was extended as far forward as he could get it. Each stride was labored and lopsided. His leg was swollen from the coronary band up over his fetlock. He was clearly in pain. I quickly knelt down and ran my fingers up and down his leg, probing every inch. Nothing I did elicited a pain response. 

I cleaned out his hoof searching for a crooked nail or a foreign object that might have punctured his sole. I gently rotated his knee and fetlock - nothing. As I worked to find something to explain the lameness, other than a suspected abscess, Izzy nibbled my coat, snuffled my hair, and generally made a nuisance of himself. He wasn't in that much pain.

After checking that he had been eating breakfast, he had, I dragged out my wrapping materials and packed his hoof with some goop. Each day I checked on him, hoping that an abscess would pop or that he would be magically healed. By the third day, he clearly felt better as he began bearing full weight on the affected hoof. The filling gradually disappeared and his stride grew even and sure.

As of last night, he was perfectly sound at the walk, but he's still not quite right at the trot. Although truthfully, I couldn't get a good trot out as it's been windy and rainy, and Izzy doesn't really focus in those conditions. 

I am 99.9% sure this was or is an abscess, but I wish it would hurry up and be gone. I have a class all day tomorrow, but on Sunday, I'll have time to work on getting a decent trot out or even a ride. That always tells me if he's sound or not.

Sheesh.