Should I put my cartilage piercing back in?

I got my cartilage pierced 10 months ago. I never really did a good job of cleaning it but it never got infected. After the time was up, I took the earring out, cleaned it well, and put the earring back in. I cleaned it every once and a while but not as much as I should have. Today, I took the earring out and there was a huge bump on both sides of my ear(on the piercing hole). It looks like there is blood and puss inside the bumps, and I can barely see the piercing hole anymore. It's only been 2 hours since I took the earring out. So, should I leave the earring out and let the hole grow over or try and put a earring back in? I have a hoop that is not as thick as the earring I had in before so it might be less painful to put that in. So.. Would it be best to just leave it out and avoid the pain? Thanks:)