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Date: August 30, 2005
StoryHi fellow sufferers of pd,
Mines occurred when i was only 15 years old and i remembered that i had to have a spinal tap to have mines removed. i'm 40 years old now and for those of you who keeps on getting it lanced it's not worth it because it's going to keep coming back. lancing only drains it but if you have surgery to have it removed most likely you will not have another one. the bad news with me is that although i never had another pilonidal abcess, i do get abcesses right next to my incision and other areas on my behind. my twin sister has the same problem so with us it's most likely in our genes. the doctor told us that we were just predisposed to getting them but i truly believe that there are natural remedies to prevent them from coming. i remember not eating meat for 2 years and i didn't get one abcess and when i started back eating meat they came back.
to jaydan who is worried about having the surgery, i never had any problems moving or bending. the incision though may be numb for the rest of your life (with me it is).
so with my experience my suggestion is to not keep on lancing and just get it over with by having the surgery. the lancing hurts like hell and in my opinion it's worse than having a baby. if you do get lancing don't let the doctor just numb the area before cutting. your gonna need something strong like morphine in your system BEFORE they cut you. believe me, i have had plenty of lancings and now i know to ask for morphine before they do it.
finally, i want to say that it's amazing to read stories about people who suffered like i did because until i reached this site i didn't know many people had pd. like someone else wrote, this is truly the worse ailment of all times.
be well everyone!!!
Date: August 30, 2005
StoryThis is a great Web site for those who struggle with this annoying-as-hell disease. Maybe someone can learn from my experiences.
I have flare-ups about once a year. I am a healthy, 25-year-old male who first got a PC while in college at age 20. Out of the blue, it swelled and caused substantial pain. Thankfully, a friend knew what I had and told me to go to a doctor.
The cyst was lanced, cleaned and dressed. I returned to the doctor a few days later for new packing, and about a week later I was in good shape. The cyst, however, returned about a year later. I returned to the doctor, again had it lanced, cleaned and dressed. But I didn't return for a follow-up treatment and probably did myself a disservice. Silly me, I took out the dressing prematurely (and disgustingly) and probably precluded the wound from healing properly.
One year later, the cyst returned. The doctor, again, did the same routine, prescribing antibiotics (as they did the first time) and lancing, cleaning, and dressing.
Last year, my fourth battle with the cyst proved atypical. It flared up again, but I didn't rush to see a doctor; I took ibuprofen and treated it with a heating pad. This is where it gets gross. The heating pad made the cyst swell until it finally burst. I lost a noteworthy amount of blood, lots of pus, and it smelled awful. I took a hot shower, used lots of antibacterial soap, and put gauze in and around the wound. The cyst (abscess) went away within a few days, and within a week I was back to playing sports, which would be impossible amid an active PC.
Here's how I see it: I have an annual recurrences that last about one to two weeks, and though it hurts, it isn't as bad as other horror stories I've just read.
Intuitively, treating a cyst on your own wouldn't be as good as seeing a doctor, but I actually resolved my situation on my own with greater ease then when I saw a doctor for painful lancing. My cyst has, again, returned recently, and I plan to take the same approach as last time: use a cushion and sleep on my side, take ibuprofen, step up my consumption of Vitamin C and antioxidants, abstain from strenous activity (sports, namely) and use a heating pad. I hope it will go away without bursting. But a large part of me wants it to burst so I can finally take action to heal rather than wait and see what happens.
If surgery would solve my problem, I'd go for it, assuming my health insurance would pay for the bulk of costs, so that I don't have to become an indentured servant to pay debt. But I only think about surgery when I have the cyst and cool off on the idea when it's gone. Who wants to voluntarily subject themselves to surgery when they're healthy and uncertain if their PC will return again? Especially when there's no guarantee that it won't return ...
Good luck, mates.
Date: August 29, 2005
StoryI I noticed a pain about 3 years ago, shortly after the cyst formed, I am very nervous about seeing doctors but thinking it could be cancer or something I went to get it checked out
prolly about a year an a half ago, the doctor told me I should go get it lanced but the nervous about doctors is more or less a fear of needles which will happen with a lancing so I've put it off. Another doctor told me I need to get it removed alltogether using secondary healing, just not sure what I should do very nervous about the whole ordeal, I do martial arts too so worried if I get the excision surgery I will loose flexibility and not be able to move as well as I did before.
if anyone has had the 2nd treatment please let me know if you can move and bend well. Basicaly worried about touching my toes. know it sounds weird but yeah its a worry of mine
-jaydan
Date: August 29, 2005
StoryHey!! Well.....as many of you know and have had this.... I also have this really annoying disease!! I have had it for like almost 3 wks!! Here's the best part... I'm only 16 yrs. old!! I see all the others out there who have had this over and over and over agin and it scares me to death!! My doctor told me that the only way I may be able to get rid of this would be to go and get surgery... sooo.....
I have a doctors appt. on Sept. 6th w/ our general surgeon!!! This
has really made me feel just horrible!! Thanks for any help ya'll can give and I'll be prayin for all of you!!!!
Date: August 27, 2005
StoryHi I'm 18 Years old and I just found out last Saturday that I had a Pilonidal Cyst. I was feeling pain for two days but the first day I didn't really feel that much but the second day (Saturday) my back was hurting really bad and it hurt to sit down. I went to the bathroom and I looked to see if I could see anyting where I was feeling the pain. I noiced that there was a big bump in my crack near my butt bone. It look to me like my butt bone had dislocated. After showing two friend they encouraged me to go to the er. The er docotor told me why I was having these pains in that area. I releve that my butt bone was not dislocated but a worry when he told me it was a pilonidal cyst. He gave me some local pain meds and started the procedure. It hurt like hell!!!!!!!!! After that he told me that it was abssess which is still making my back hurt. He told me that I need to see about getting it surgical removed. If anyone has had the same thing happened to them email me at kandijland@aol.com to let me know what kind of surgrey you had and what actions you toke. I have still not gone to a surgen about it. Thanks for your help
Date: August 27, 2005
StoryI had a PC last year. I went as soon as I noticed that it hurt. They gave me antibiotics and it was taken care of with out surgery. So far it hasn’t come back but the doctor said that eventually they all come back. I am sorry for everyone that has had a rough time. I hope mine never comes back. I am going to say a prayer for all of you before I go to bed to night that it will heal. I am sure it is taking toil on your jobs and life in general. I am very sorry. Hang in there!
Date: August 27, 2005
StoryWell I just had my second PC Surgery yesterday morning. The first one was in February of 2002, and it took nearly 2 years to finally closed. Well after the 2 years of packing and suturing a nurse initially told me i developed a decubitus back there, when going to the doctor I found out it was just a recurrence of the PC. The surgeon I went to operated a "break through" procedure with this disease called the "cleft lift." Now from the stories I hear this is the best possible solution for the long run. Doctors put you on antibiotics for a week before surgery to stop infection and completely close the wound. The trick is the give you a more lateral flattened midline to prevent recurrences in the future. A little more painful in the short run to be honest, but if you are out there struggling do some research and this might be a possible solution for you. Of course, I won't know for sure if it's right for me for a couple of weeks.
Date: August 26, 2005
StoryI stumbled across this site yesterday b/c I was researching cyst removal in the center of the back. I myself have had the dreaded pilonidal cyst. But I also have had cysts in several other places like the back of my neck and shoulders. I had my "cystoid" (as I called the pilonidal cyst) removed about a year ago. It was the most painful surgery to date. The aftercare was horrible and after a month of packing, healing, and re-packing with stuffing the darn thing came back, so I had to have a 2nd surgery! Thankfully I have not had another recurrence. I constantly keep that area clean and check EVERY DAY to make sure it does not re-grow. I was very embarrassed about this when I learned what I had, b/c I am a 27 yr old female with what doctors consider a men's disease. I had it lanced one time but the victory was short lived and it returned. I actually went to a plastic surgeon to remove my cysts. I also had one on my shoulder at the same time and wanted minimal scaring. I was happy with the procedure but healing time took me out of work for almost 2 weeks since I couldn't sit at my desk to work, I work in the ITS field. This site is very helpful and I am glad that there are other young woman who share my same fears/stories. My advice is to constantly monitor the area and keep it clean. I also use Nair to remove any hair that may grow down in that area. My doctor is not sure why I have so many cysts, I have had 5 so far in various places. But it runs in my family and my uncle and I have a running tab b/c it seems where ever he gets one I get one in the same place!
Date: August 25, 2005
StoryI am a 41 year old female and I had the surgery 21 years ago to remove my PC. I had fallen on my tailbone when I was about 9-12 years old, so I thought that was why the cyst had formed (and maybe it did have a little to do with it)but come to find out, both my parents had them! My brother also ended up having one, later. Anyway, like I said, this was in 1984 when I had mine, the surgeon took the cyst out completely and left the site open to heal. The surgery was in March and I got married that May and my new husband had to pack my 'opening' several times a day (we still ended up having a great time on our honeymoon in Hawaii!) I have never had it recur, I think that is a test to the doctor I had and the fact it was left open to heal. Now, my daughter, who is 5 months pregnant has one. It is so painful for her (I can definatley sympothize), but with her being pregnant, I don't know what can be done, except for lancing it. She has not yet gone to see the doctor for this, she is going on Tues. so I hope she gets some relief soon. I think this site is great for those of us who have suffered this slightly embarrassing problem, I am amazed how many of us there are! If you have any suggestions for my daughter, please post them. thanks, JF
Date: August 25, 2005
Story Hello all victims of the worst ailment since the beginning of time! I have stuggled with this cyst for 5 years now, and every time I think it has left, it returns twice as bad! I have had 4 operations and 2 procedures done in the doctors office to try and end this cycle for good, but they have all failed. I am now a freshman in college and having this disease is very rough, because there is no one here to tend to my wound without having to go to the hospital across town. Plus all of the walking I have to do to get to and from class is only making this cyst more difficult to fight. If any of you have any advice on how to make the next four years pass in terms of handling this, please do.
But I can offer some advice to you all as well. I have found a great product that will help fight this thing, or at least it helps me anyway. It might work for you, might not. It's called Allevyn, and you place it in the wound and change it every day, and it really helps close the wound faster. You can get it from a company called Byram, or ask your doctor to get it because it is expensive, but it is worth it. So check it out.
One last thing, If you have surgery often enough like me, you can get on a first name basis with all of the staff at the hospital, but don't do it just for that. Hopefully your cyst will go away without an operation. Good Luck!
Date: August 24, 2005
StoryWell I hope I fare better than most on the site...I had my cyst drained (I have sinuses) in the middle of June. Afterwards I became very sick and when I called my doctor (who was on vacation) his replacement asked if I was taking my antibiotics. Of course my doctor said they weren't needed-who knows
Well I had to go back in this week because it wasn't healing properly and now my doctor said he found another sinus cavity that needs to be drained-so here I go again. Will update surgery scheduled for Monday......
Date: August 24, 2005
StoryThis has got to be the most annoying irratating stupidest symptom ever!!! I am so sick of living my life as a cripple... and i know that sounds horrible and that there are people out there who have it worse then us but this pilonidal abscess is literally making my life hell! I have only had the operation twice but apparently i need to have ummm i dont know wat its called the one where they cut a huge arse chunk out of ur butt! and my surgeon has told me that it takes upto 3 months to heal which means 3 months off work... 3 months out of my 18 year old life! Your only 18 once and already it has taken a good 3 and a half months out of the 5 months ive been 18! Im really scared and im contemplating whether or not to have this major surgery or just continue with the minor open wound incision again and again and again...... :-( :-(....
Im glad i am not the only sufferer however i would like more moral support... Cheers...
Mel P.S is surgery in Australia different to anywhere else in the world? because i know this is an american site and even though all the details on here are familiar they dont sound exactly the same as down under...
Date: August 23, 2005
Storyi have had 3 operations and im need of 1 more but as you could gueuss im more than apprehensive about having it done!!!! im 26(m) and had my first op. 10 years ago which left a hole at the very top of my bum cheek the size of a golf ball. the wound was left open and packed with a seaweed gauze to heal from the inside out. my second op followed simillar procedure. as you can imagine by the time i needed my third op. my consultant was a bit pissed off. he decided to really go 4 it this time... he repaired the top scar tiassue and made a cut down my crack. 18 stiches later and a drain to boot i recovered and thought all my problems were over but 18 months later im here again. my consultant tells me there has been new research and procedures into pilonidol surgery. apparently they cut out the infected area and then use a part of skin to flap over the open area. my consultant has said that they have had good sucess with this technique, but my worry is the time it takes to recover and the time im off work.
m.bax england
Date: August 23, 2005
StoryWell, I am here just updating everyone on my progress. I have been three weeks healing at this point. Everything is going very well. Once a week I go to the doctor for a check-up and he says everything is good. I have spent 100's on gauze,tape and meds. That my friends is not a joke either. I had the open wound surgery and it is healing from the bottom up. I will tell you guys to make sure to be careful with the tape. I have a very raw and sore butt, due to ripping the tape off three times a day. I no longer use it per doctors orders. I am a mess when it comes to what the tape did. The doc says that most of my pain is from that and not the wound. lol Anyhow it is very important for you guys to remember to shave down there, hair is your worst enemy. I am a 27 year old guy ( Italian too ) , so you can imagine how hairy I am . lol But shaving is key to your success. Also, if you have a deep cleft, you need to take extra care of keeping it clean, from debris, and everyday junk. That can be a problem. This site can be your best friend in times of need. It was very helpful to me, and it will be to you. The best part is you can share your problems with other people. It was nice for me to know that there are other people out there. I wish you all the best and I will keep you updated with further details
JDV
Date: August 23, 2005
Storywhen i was 16 i noticed there was something wrong, so i went to the doctor and he said i had a pilonidal cyst, so he gave me antibiotics which didn't help, so he sent me to a surgeon, he preformed a surgery and stiched it up and after he took the stiches 2 weeks later the wound came open and he tried to get it to clost for 2 years and then 2 years later i had another surgery the same as before and the same thing happened, so i went to a plastic surgeon and he did anotehr surgery but left it open and packed it everyday, which was really painfull bc the wound was so big, it was like 7 inches long. about a month later, he put me on the wound vac, which is the best thing for this to heal fast. i was on it for about 4 months and they took it off and did calcium alginate which helps close small open wounds, but it reopened, then back to the wound vac...then about 3 months later they took it off and put ameri gell open for it to heal, but it didn't, it opened back up agian, so then after about being on the wound vac for 7 months now, i got a massive staff infection which i had to have 3 boles drained and packed, so now all together now i have 4 wounds that are packed and are finally starting to heal. But if you have a open wound as your Dr. about getting a wound vac, its the best thing for it!
Date: August 22, 2005
StoryI am a 24 year old female who recently underwent pilonidal surgery. I debated on whether or not to have the surgery since my cyst was not infected or very painful. I visited this web site and read some stories and was SCARED TO DEATH!! I ended up going ahead with the surgery, though, and I am soooo glad that I did. My surgery was on a Friday and I was back at work teaching school Monday. It was difficult and painful to sit or lay down for a few days. I only took the pain medicine on the 4th day, when the pain was the worst (the worst actually was not that bad). I had stitches, and my fiance cleaned out the area with water every night. I know that is so gross, but it kept the area from getting infection. 2 weeks later the stitches came out and all was well. I am really happy to be revisiting this site with a good story!
Date: August 22, 2005
StoryI had my first pilonidal about a year and a half ago, but it went away after two weeks or so. Then it came back three weeks ago, and i decided to have it taken care of once and for all. I came to this site numerous times to see what the recovery was going to be like, and i was scared. Mine turned out to be a piece of cake tho. Four of my brothers and sisters have had one, and three had surgery. One of my sisters recovery took 6 months or more. After two days i was sitting almost normal again. I was off pain pills by the third day too. No pain, no hassle. It was great. I guess im just writing this to say that every case is different and if your debating whether or not to have yours taken care of, just do it, you probly wont regret it.
Date: August 22, 2005
StoryHi, I am sitting here with my PC and I figured I would write. I am 20 and already I have had 4. The first time they lanced it, the 2nd and 3rd time i got antibiotics. I got a sugery and it took abouta month to heal with the stitches and everything. A year later I have number 4. Of course I am the 10% where the sugery doesn't work. I leave for China to study a semester abroad on wednesday. Wednesday morning I have a appt. to meet with my surgeon. I don't know what will happen, but I feel everyones pain.
Date: August 22, 2005
StoryOk, so I'm a 28 yr. old female that recently---like two weeks ago had the pilonidal cyst surgery. I had no idea what it was. All I knew was the top of my butt crack was sore like I had fell on my tailbone and bruised it. So there I was, taking a shower and I'm washing my body when I get close to the sore area I feel a bump. I'm thinking ok...I must have a bole. Well, My partner and I go to the movies, I keep my mouth shut. Then finally, I can't take the pain no more. Switching cheeks in the threatre isn't helping the pain. So, my partner is like "We are going to the hospital". So I go to the Emergency Room. Finally get to see the doctor and this dude is like, "We have two options here.....pain meds in an IV or no pain meds ....but I have to cut and drain the cyst--because it is absesed." I'm like WHAT!!! CYST?! I'm thinking uh, yeah, I need and IV with medicine. HAHA So here comes the nurse with the IV then 5 minutes later heres the doctor cutting it and I was ok until he began to drain it. MAN!!, that was intense. So,my doctor said that a lot of people get these cyst and that they take up to a month to heal. He also said that perfuse sweating or either a hair follicle can cause them to become inflammed. I work outside so I'm sure my cyst was from the sweat. Anyways, I'm ok. They gave me an antibiotic and a pain medication --today I'm actually gonna try to go back to check up on it because I need to get back to work. Gas prices are zooming to the top. All of yall out there that just got a cyst and are scared........It's ok. It gets better.
Date: August 21, 2005
StoryHello everyone! I'm 18 and I first noticed my PC the beginning of April about the 5th or so. And of course it was on a Friday. I went through 4 days of pain each day gradually getting worse until Tuesday when I could see the doctor. I could barely walk. The doctor told me it was a PC and it had to be drained. GREAT! So she numbed me which hurt like a you know what and then she packed it. Well I had do go in two of three more times for packing and that was it. A couple days after that it started to drain again so I went in and she sent me to see a surgeon. I went to the consultation and he said I needed surgery. So on May 20th I had the surgery. Two weeks later much to my surprise it got infected. Went to the surgeon's office got antibiotics. Went back two weeks later they said it looked fine. Still had problems and a few more visits.
Finally I was not satisfied with the surgeon because they could not get the wound to close. I went back to my primary doctor and she prescribed antibiotics and some ointment. Didn't work it started to drain again. I was so MAD!AARRGG Finally I went to Plastic Surgery Institute because my grandma works there. The doctor said I might not have needed the surgery. Currently I am using these plug things that I have to change twice a day and take two showers a day. I go back to the Dr in about 10 days. She told my grandma the skin around the wound is getting old since its been open for 4 months and she might have to open it and cut the skin out. At this point I am willing to do just about anything. 4 months of an open wound at the top of my crack is not an ideal way to spend the summer. Has anyone else had a similar experience of it not closing? Thanx for reading this long story.
Molly
Date: August 20, 2005
StoryMy dad had this surgery on the 16th of August. He is doing really well. I have been reading stories on here, and would tell my dad about other people experience with this disease. I am glad others are posting their stories, so that people like my dad can relate to what is going on. This is a great informative site. I didn't know anything about this disease until my dad was told this was what he had, and I begin to look up the computer about it. We are grateful for the information on this site.
Date: August 20, 2005
StorySurgery update---Had the open surgery about 3 weeks ago and I am finally starting to feel somewhat back to normal.
The first week was horrible--lots of pain and draining of the wound. Be prepared to spend a small fortune on gauzes and tape. I also wanted to alert people on what happened to me during my first week of post-op. After the surgery, my written instructions stated to cover the area (no mention of actually packing the area) and I also called my surgeon's office and the nurse also said just to cover the area, packing the wound was not neccessary. This seemed strange to me but went with the "experts" so I just covered the area after each dressing. Well about day 5 I started to have a bad fever, horrible pain, and a nasty odor in the wound. I called the on-call surgeon, of course this would happen on a Sunday, and he told me that by not packing it, it was in the beginning stages of infection. Later that day, I lost a large amount of blood and my stiches started to come loose. The doctor told me to cut off any loose stiches, wash the wound out with a saline solution and to start packing the wound immediately. After that, the wound started to heal correctly and I went to my surgeon the next day and he said things were back to normal.
My advice here is to ask any questions or concerns with your surgeon prior to the surgery and to make sure you understand exactly what is expected to ensure proper healing. I would not wish what I went through that weekend on anyone!!
Week 2 involved many packing and dressing changes ( My dressing of the wound has consisted of betadine ointment and 50%water/50%peroxide (I have seen many statements on here about not using Peroxide but both of the surgeons I talked to told me to use the diluted version to help the healing process and it seems to be working). I had to take a lot of pain meds this week which started with Darvocet which did not help at all and then I was told to take 2 at a time which also didnt help. I then got a script for Talwan and I had never heard of this pain medication before. Word of warning--this med made me have insomnia and horrible cramping--After 2 of these, I threw them away and went back to Darvocet. I also was taking at least 3 warm baths a day to help alleviate the pain.
By the end of week 2, I started to feel a little better.
Week 3 has been a lot better. The draining is minimal now and I do not have to change the packings as often as I was. I am back to just showers for the most part and not had any pain meds at all. The wound is getting smaller and starting to heal from the bottom up which is how it is suppossed to heal with the open wound procedure. It is hard to pack now since the opening is getting smaller and I am sick of using tape (I stopped the taping around the end of week 2 since it was starting to irritate my skin). Overall, I am starting to feel like my old self and have little pain at this point. I finally go in to see my surgeon next week for my first post-op meeting with him. Hopefully I can start to reduce the amount of packing.
I wish everyone the best with this nasty condition. For anyone electing to go with the open wound procedure, make sure you ask your surgeon of all the details and be ready for at least 2 weeks of miserable living. However, the research I have seen shows this way reduces the likelihood of getting another one greatly compared of just getting it lanced off or drained and then just stiched up. I also encourage others to share their stories, good or bad. I have learned alot on this website and I am sure others will as well. Good luck to all!
Date: August 19, 2005
StoryHey Guys.
Three years ago I fell moving things into my apartment and this big red bump appeared on my tailbone. I tried to ignore it but a long car trip aggrivated the cyst and I ended up in the emergency room crying my eyes out. I was told right away that it was Pilondial cyst and they would drain it and pack it and if it showed up again I should consider surgery. A year later it flared up again on the day before my college graduation. I got it lanced and packed once again and it seemed to heal well. And today, almost exactly a year after my last one it has flared up again! I am defintely going to get surgery. But I have to wait for the infection to clear up before I can. I just wanted to say it is very comforting to find this website and know that I dont have be embarrassed anymore because my "icky tailbone thing" is actually a real problem that other people experience. I hope you all find some kind of relief.
Thanks!
Maggie
Date: August 18, 2005
StoryI just found your site after looking up pilonidal cyst. I wasn't sure what it was I had on my back, other than an abcess. Which is the only thing anyone would call it. The only way I knew what to look up was that was on my $2000 bill. It started out as what I thought might be a bug bite. A few days later, I went to a doctor at a walk in clinic that cut it. Couple days later I went to work and picked at it in the shower. Do NOT do this. It bled for like 5 minutes straight. I got freaked out and went to the hospital. They cut it more, drained it, packed it. Gave me more antibiotics, and sent me on the way. It hasn't entirely healed, and more are around it. They go away but another comes up. I am so glad to find a site with so much info on this. The hospital doctors didn't tell me anything other than it might come back, and if it did they were gonna have to cut out a big piece. Thanks.
Date: August 18, 2005
StoryHello fellow sufferers,
Just figured I'd share my story too. It's nice to be able to read and see others who share this wonderfully humbling experience.
I also, like the person who keeps this site waited seven years to have mine even looked at. I got it when I was only 15. I didn't have it looked at because it came along shortly after I had good fall on my tailbone off of a 16hh horse at a full gallop. I figured that it was just something temporary and it would go away with time. It
finally got to the point where if rolled over in bed I'd wake up crying (which is a lot to say for me because I have a high tolerance for pain). The first doc I seen took an x-ray thinking it might be from a small chip off of my tail bone. Since the x-ray came back fine (except for a tiny fracture that he believed healed fine on it's own) he sent me away telling me nothing was wrong!!!
After a few more days, I just couldn't take it anymore so I went to see a second doc. Thank God he knew exactly what it was and put in for me to see the surgeon.
By the time I even got to see the surgeon, he was very concerned that if it flamed up one more time before the two weeks my surgery was scheduled that it would be too large to operate on. I got the double whammy when I went for my surgery. I had the spinal block and I.V. sedation to put me right to sleep. What was supposed to be an in and out thing turned into a four day hospital stay. It turned out to be a lot bigger than was expected the largest part of the cyst was the circumference of a 1/2 dollar! Due to how much of the skin taken away (like we have a surplus in this area!!) I was sternly warned that if i ripped the stitches they wouldn't be able to repair it and I would be left with a nice cave.
Everything went well, even though I didn't quite follow the surgeons orders of two weeks of bed rest :)
We also got stationed three hours away and took the long ride three days after I got out of the hospital. Did make a lot of stops, and I was about to scream if one more person asked if I just had hemmoroid surgery cause of my donut!!!
Anyways, it's been three years since the surgery. I was very pleased with my surgeons work. If you live anywhere near Wichita Falls, TX and need surgery, look up Dr. Dorval. He's hard to understand with a very heavy african accent but he has more awards and certificates than you can shake a stick at! Hopefully my insurance will send me back to him since another one has formed right on the area where my skin healed back together. Due to the previous circumstances, I really hope things go well this time. Too many things in life revolve around sitting. I'm not about to give up riding dirt bikes, horses, etc...
My best wishes go out to all of you! A lot of people just don't understand just how painful all of this can be. I'm really glad I found this site!
Amber
Date: August 16, 2005
StoryHi i just stumbled upon this site after a web search and very helpful it is too. Ive had these pilonidal things for years now (im almost 35) I had my first surgery around 6-7yrs ago and it was at the top of my 'crack' and it was closed surgery. Since that time i have had numerous flare-ups with the worst being just recently. 4 weeks ago i was admitted to hospital for emergency surgery where they drained it and left it open. This latest one was very painful and situated just below my scrotum. I had the surgery on the Thursday night and stayed in the hospital for 2 days. On my release I was meant to have my packing changed daily which happend only for around 1 week. I am now due back in hospital tomorrow 17/08/05 as I now have another one in the same area, just an inch from my last one that still hasnt healed properly. I am in a great deal of pain with this now as where it is situated couldnt really be a worse spot in my opinion. Ive had so many courses of antibiotics that my doctor now tells me that my body has built up an imunity to it.
Date: August 15, 2005
StoryHi everybody,
I had my surgery about 2 months ago. Every things it's ok now. I mean the wound it's close.
The only thing is the surgeon and the nurses told me that I have to go to the clinic one a day to pack my wound, not more like some are saying in this web site. They told me that packing the wound more than once a day can increase the time of healing. SO the nurse packed my wound every day (once a day) and everything is perfect now.
Date: August 13, 2005
Storyhi i am a 25 year old female. i am recovering from my first lancing.... i never knew i had a PC before. but thinking back, about 2 years ago, i remember on occassion feeling a little pain on the top of my butt crack, like a inside zit. but it never really bothered me. then about a week and a half ago, my tail bone started hurting, i figured i bruised my tailbone from sitting all day, cause thats what i do all day, sit on my butt- i have bad posture. so anyway i watched it for 3 days and then it started getting progressively worse, but the 5th night, i could barely walk. i was freakin out cause i dint have health insurance, but i couldnt stand the pain, so i decided to go to the ER. it was the most painful experience i have ever felt before. i went back 2 days later to have it re packed...more pain. i took the packing out 2 days later, and it feels so muck better, and i have a little hole now, but after reading all the stories, im having some anxiety around this. im afraid of it coming back... i guess ill have to wait and see what happens... i guess im hoping htat i never have to deal with it again...wish full thinking...
Date: August 13, 2005
StoryHi there.Firstly thank you for this site, it's been very helpful throughout my pilonidal experience. I had a cyst for about 4 years with about 7 or 8 major flare ups, all very painful, i won't go into the gory details, no doubt most of you will be familiar with that side of things. Anyway i,ve noticed a lot of people's experiences are pretty bad and i'd just like to say that sometimes it can go well.I had closed surgery on 8 august as a day patient and was in and out of hospital in about 6 hours. I was up and about the next day feeling a bit stiff and sore, but otherwise fine. I had my stitches out 4 days ago with no problems. Having read some of the things other people have gone through i feel very lucky. I was pretty apprehensive before the op, but am glad it's over. So if you're thinking about having the surgery don't put yourself off by worrying about the negatives, it can go well. Thanks one again for this site and good luck to you all out there.
Date: August 13, 2005
StoryI have suffered from this disease for 4 years now I will go in for my 7th surgery in a few days, I had been dealing with this on my own till I talked to my mom and she was telling me that she too suffered from this. The surgeon removed it and did an open wound healing and she has never since had a problem with it. So I that is what this surgeon is going to do, beacuse the lancing and the closed wound surgery's are just an expensive joke, and they don't seem to work. And to relate to the story before mine I too have to wear Maxi Pads on my Butt, Bright side is I dont have to buy them I just borrow them from my wofe HAHAHA
Date: August 13, 2005
StoryGood day to all of you. I am a fellow sufferer and wanted to take a second and thank this site. This website was a huge help to me, and also made me feel good. I am glad to know that there are other people out there who are going through this too. My friends have no idea the pain involved. They are laughing and making jokes (which is normal of course) but, they have no idea what it is like. I am sure you guys and gals are going through the same thing. Nobody can understand that we have giant holes in our rear. I mean a GIANT HOLE !!! It has been two weeks since my third surgery. The first two where just cut open and drain surgeries. This last one is where they cut me open and took out half of my butt. lol It is healing nicely now. One week after the surgery my girlfriend became worried because of the greenish goo in the hole. However we came across this website and found out that it is normal and called exudate. We would have gone to the doctors and paid big fees but, this website saved us the trouble.
When I had the third surgery done two weeks ago, I was in serious pain. They gave me Darvocet first for the pain. Those didn't help one bit so they then gave me Vicodin ES which didn't help. Then they gave me Norco which didn't help. I am now on Percocet and it is working pretty good. However it knocks me out pretty much everyday. lol I am ready for the pain to go away. It is such a pain in the rear ( no pun intended) to have to change the gauze three times a day. I also have to wear a tampad ( or whatever their called) I am a grown 27 year old male wearing womens menstrual pads ( god help me). lol But I need to do this so I don't drain through to my pants. Anyhow just wanted to say good luck to all of you and their is hope for us through this site. Hopefully none of us will have to go through this pain and suffering again. By the way, is anyone else spending $100's on gauze pads and tape and prescriptions???? Because I am spending a ton of money on this wound, I am going bankrupt. lol But seriously !!!!
Date: August 12, 2005
StoryHi everyone,
A positive note...
When I was 19, I too suffered with a PC. I went through the same pain as you all. After excision with open wound healing and packing, my cyst has been history for 25 years now :)
Unfortunately for my 17 year old son, he developed a PC last year. After surgery, the doctor (a general surgeon) decided to stitch the wound closed. 6 months later, the PC returned. I then took him to see a colon and rectal surgeon in a well known hospital. If he had to go through surgery again, I wanted a doctor who performs pilonidal cystectomies frequently, not just once a year. The surgeon was wonderful.
It is now 6 weeks post-op. I am packing his wound 3x a day. It was very sore in the beginning, but the wound is healing nicely. The surgeon said packing 3 x a day is crucial to proper healing. He said the wound looked great at last checkup.
My suggestions to you: If you're going to have surgery to remove the cyst, have a colon and rectal surgeon do it because they perform them all the time and become quite skilled at removing the ENTIRE cyst and tunneling sinuses. Also, open wound healing seems to be the best way.
Good Luck!
Date: August 12, 2005
StoryI first noticed a bump just above my crack when I was 17 that was four years ago. I left it alone figuring it would just go away but it didn't within 6 months it started discharging. after about a year of dealing with it I went to the doctor. (The strange thing is about 8 months after it showed up it stopped hurting) The doctor 'Lanced' it about 2 weeks later it was back she lanced it again, and then about 2 weeks later it came back. My family doctor reffered me to another doctor who again lanced it, and go figure about 2 weeks and it was back. I pretty much gave up and just decided to live with it. for about six months I did.
Then it started to hurt again, so, I went back to the second doctor he cut it out this time and sewed it up I thought it was gone but after two months it was back again. When I wnet back to the second doctor he reffered me to a surgeon. The surgeon cut into it and left a tube in the wound for about 3 weeks so it could drain. That seemed to do it, but three months later it came back again. I decided that it was going to be something I was going to have to deal with forever. but about 2 weeks ago it started hurting, and when I say hurting I mean pretty much the worst pain I have ever experienced in my life. it started where the original one was which was the right natal cleft. and then my entire cleft swelled up and I now have one on bith my left and my right side. I decided to do some research on it myself and thats when I found this site. And may I say I am so relieved that there is actually a support group for those suffering from this disease. Armed with the information from this website I went to my surgeon's office and told what I wanted to do. No more of this 'least intrusive method' crap I wanted it gone. I am scheduled for surgery on tuesday. The surgeon originally told me there was no cure for this disease and that all they could do was drain it when it hurt and I would have to deal with it. after enlightening him to the info on this website he has changed his outlook on it and hopefully this is the last I have to worry about it. I will post later to let everybody know how the surgery went.
Date: August 12, 2005
StoryHi! I am an 19 year old male. For about three years ago I discovered a abscess on my butt and thought it was nothing and that it would go away. It was bleeding a bit and it was kind of unpleasant. I was very shy about this so i lived with it for 2.5 years not telling anyone. Sometimes it was leaking alot and sometimes not at all. For about half a year ago i finaly realised that this wasn´t going away so i called the doctor. I went there and had my pants down for 10 second before they knew what it was and gave me an apointment for surgery. before this point i hade no idea of the holes that go into the skin, I thougt it was just the abscess, so that scared me a bit.
I had my suregry done yesterad, and I also got into a study that was going on to improve the surgery methods, or at least that's what the surgeon said. The surgery went just fine apart from the anaesthesia shots that hurted like hell. They left the wound open for healing so i have to go to some nurse every day for a weak to fill the wound up with something. In my case it doesn't hurt at all. I can sit down almost as usual and I had no problems sleeping.
The study requires me to write down how much pain I am feal in a scale from none to very much and how much pain-releaving pills i have taken. I will have to go back to the surgeon after one month, three months, six months and a year from now for investigation. The only thing I regret is why i didn't do all this earlier and how i could live with this for three years. Now it remains to see how the healing developes.
Date: August 11, 2005
Storyim a 18 year old male. back in april while playing basketball i was hanging on the rim and i fell right on wrist and ass. Right then and there i shattered my wrist and had to have surgery the following week. I was in a cast for about 8 weeks. About a month later i felt a pain in my tailbone area. I thought it was bruised or something. A couple of days later the pain got so bad i could not even sit or laydown. We went to the doctor where they diagnosed it as being a pilondal cyst. The doctor referred us to the surgeon who treated me from there on in. We went to him and he had to drain it. The pain was unbearable.
He gave me anti-biotics and we both immediatley scheduled surgery for the beginning of july. I had surgery to remove the giant cyst which the doctor described as being larger than normal and the wound was left opened to heal. Post surgery instructions were to leave the gauze in and to take sitz baths twice a day. I had a spinal block anastesia. This type numbed the lower back and down. The only bad thing about this type of anastesia was that it took so long for it wear off. Anyways we had the first post surgery check up. The doctor took out the gauze and showed my parents how to change it. They could not do it so we got a home health nurse that came to the house twice a day to change me. When the packing had to come out it hurt so bad. It only hurt in the beginning but as the wound began to heal it hurt less and less. About a week and half after surgery i was able to drive and return to work. Its been about a month and 2 weeks now and the wound is almost completey closed up about 3/4 closed. Im still packing it. The doctor said to continue packing until the wound is 100% closed. I guess when i fell playing basketball this aggrevated the cyst to form infection. This disease is horrible and i wish everyone luck who gets it. Hopefully i never get one ever again.
Date: August 11, 2005
Storyi had mine for 5 years before getting it checked out.. my boyfriend was the one who convinced me to go.. he accidentally hit it once and it flared up so i told my mother (i'm only 16) and i went to the doctor, she originally thought it was a fistula, but the surgeon figured out it was a pilonidal cyst... i had the surgery, my first surgery... and i had a panic attack when they put my iv in... and my doctor decided to try stitches.. i had the stitches for a week and then yesterday we went for the post op checkup.. he had to take 6 of the stiches out and left two... we now have to pack it with gauze which i think is what normally has to be done.. it's very painful and i'm not used to it because i've never had anything like this happen to me before really.. i still have about 3 weeks left to go with my packing but hopefully it will be worth it in the end
Date: August 11, 2005
StoryHello everyone, I am a 27 year old male. I first felt the pain of the cyst about a year ago. I thought that it was just a bruised tailbone. I workout pretty heavy with the weights and just thougt I had over done it or something. Well the pain started getting really bad and it got to the point that I had a hard time getting into and out of the car. Right when I decided to go to the doctor, it went away, the pain and all. So, like any guy, I just forgot about it and moved on with my life. Well a year later ( which puts us at April this year) the pain came back. I let it go for a couple days but it got very bad. I had my girlfriend look at my butt to see what was goingf on, ( which took a lot of guts, being I am a man, and that part is private).lol Well she said that is looked like a little pimple, so we decdided to wait a day and check it again.
The next day it had doubled in size. Scared but not threatened we wanted to wait another day to see if it went away. The next day it had doubled again in size ( and pain). We went to the doctors and my family doctor decided to do surgery right there. She put a numbing solution in there and it was the worst pain I have EVER felt. I have had a couple surgeries and none as bad as pain. So she sliced it open and removed the cyst. My girlfriend had to pack my wound for two months. Well it came back in June, it was small when I realized that it was back. I rushed to the doctors on a Saturday to get it fixed. They cut the little wound open and drained it. They let it try to heal for 1 month and wit no luck I had to go to the hospital and get the open wound surgery. I had that done two weeks ago and I am still in pain. It looks like a giant crater in my rear. We have to pack it twice a day, and put gauze over it. I am going into gauze pad and tape bankrupcy. lol Thank god for the pain meds. I do not wish this on anyone
Date: August 11, 2005
StoryWell about three years ago (when i was 19) I noticed this little pimple thing on my tailbone and kept trying to pop it but it was extremely painful. So I let it go. Then I was too embarassed to get it taken care of. So I let it go. Then about 7 months ago I finally went to the doctor to have it looked at and decided to get it removed but I was in school and had to wait until summer to have the surgery. In that time it had broken itself off into two little cysts, both probably a half inch in diameter on the surface. So the doc has done many of these surgerys before and says that since they look small enough on the outside that hell probably just stich them up and ill be good in two week. He gets in there and I guess since I left it so long what happened was the original cyst had actually tunneled itself to the other cyst and deep inside my body.
To any person that has this DO NOT WAIT!!!!! It caused my wound to be a lot larger than it had to be. Almost down to my tailbone about three inches deep, 6 inches long, and about 2-3 inches wide. The doctor told me afterwards that He couldnt stich it up because it was too large and I had to do open healing. But instead of packing it he wanted to try this wound-vac thing on me which is supposed to heal it faster and better. I got the surgery on August 4th, so today is a week after the surgery, I packed it over the weekend and got the thing put in on monday the 7th. The packing was kind of painful, but the fitting of the sponge for the wound vac had me SCREAMING, they had be spread open and poking around in there, putting glue all over me and trying to make it so I could safley have a bowel movement (the cut came down less than an inch from my anus). Trying to poop for the first time is very scary but it will not hurt you trust me, but stool softener may help it come out better. Anyways I had it done a week ago and I still cant sit but its feeling better and im getting more mobile and hopefully ill be back to work in a week or two. ALSO, try not to get the flu while u have this thing. I had the flu for two days 4 days after my surgery. It was the worst. I had a 103 fever, felt like crap, and was taking drugs like crazy to try and control the fever and my dizzyness.
Questions? Want to see the wound? I got pics, AIM:Chubbs59
I'll keep you updated when I get back to work
Date: August 08, 2005
StoryI am and 18 yr. old female, and I don't even remember when I first noticed the little hole between my cheeks, I remember that I did have an accident on the see-saw with my cousin when I was about 14, he just dropped me on my butt and I slammed into the ground. Then after that I noticed my tail bone was really sore, so I just thought I had bruised it, then it started leaking, and at first it would only be a little bit. And you have to understand, I'm a very private person, and I keep things to myself. So I didn't tell anybody about it. So I let it progress untill about a year and a half later, it got really bad, it was leaking through my jeans!! Then I started to freak out, so of course I had to let my mother look at it, and then she freaked and took me to the doctor, where they told me what it was that I had - a pilonidal cyst. And they said I needed surgery, but that the swelling had to go down and it needed to stop leaking before they could perform it. So about a week later, I had the surgery, and at first they couldn't even get the freakin IV in my arm!! it took them 5 times on my left arem, then twice and my right, and the finally got it on the second try. The healing process was a little rough for me, I was in extreme pain, and almost took too much of the pain pills.(oops) the first night, when I went to bed, I couldn't even sleep, my hips were in EXCRUCIATING pain! I couldn't sleep in my bed, I had to sleep on the couch for 3 nights. But now 2 years later. I am doing fine, I am hearing alot of people having them come back, but so far so good for me!
Date: August 03, 2005
StoryHi all,
I am a 31 yr old male who just had surgery for a pilonidal cyst. This is the second time I have had one removed. The first one I had was 6 years ago and I elected to go with the closed surgery where they just removed the cyst and closed the area up with stiches. That seemed to do the trick and the surgery and recovery time was very minimal with little pain. I thought this prblem was behind me (no pun intended!) but late last year I got my second one. I went as long as I could but decided it was time to get this one removed. This time my family doctor referred me to a Colon and Rectal specialist and that physician recommended I go with an open surgery this time. I agreed and realy did not think much about it since the first time I had this done, there was little pain and healed quickly.
I want to warn all who elects to have the open surgery that there is a lot of pain associated with this procedure. This is my second day since surgery and it has been very sore. The wound is a large opening which really suprised me on how large this really would be. Make sure to take warm baths and shower that area with warm water (that has helped me tremendously). My doctor told me to clean the wound with half water/perioxide, dry the area after that and then apply a betadine ointment to the area. After that, change the gauze. I was never told to repack the area. The day after the surgery, I took out the packing (lots of blood--beware!) and then I just place a new gauze over the area. I have done this 3 times daily. I will update on here how my healing progresses. I have gained some useful tips on this website and hope my experience will help others. During the first few days of sugery--make sure you wear loose fiting shorts, get all supplies before you get home (bandages, ointment, etc.) and plan on not drinving for a few days. I hate even being in a car at this point. Make sure your doctor gives you good pain meds. I got Darvocet and they have helped alot.
To anyone going with this surgery, be ready for some pain and make sure you take time off to rest and recover. You will need it!
Date: August 03, 2005
StoryI am a 27 year old male. I remember the first time I noticed a boil shaped hole was 2 years ago. At that period I just thought that this could be a normal boil or infection and it will disapear itself. Well, it disapeared but for only 1 week, every week I were noticing that I have the discharge again. I went to a doctor, he said that this is a bunch of skin cells with hairs that are kept under your skin, they need to come out by operation. I did not go for operation until 29th of August 2005. I had an open wound operation and still having pain, I use painkillers. I am so optimistic and my wound looks nice, normal healing.
I realy thank such information on the site which increases patients' spirit for operation.
Date: August 02, 2005
StoryI first noticed my cyst when i was 17, and it took almost a year before i went to the doctor for it. The doctor lanced it open and I had to pack the wound with gauze everyday for about 3 months. I thought everything would be better, until it came back about December of 2004. I was afraid of surgery, and so I postponed it until July of 2005. I had surgery July 29th, and so I'm only a few days after my surgery. I'm sore, the pain
doesn't seem to go away. But i know that this pain is temporary and i will hopefully never have to deal with it again. Thanks for your stories, they keep me in good spirits though this not-so-good time.
Date: August 02, 2005
StoryI had a closed excision in Nov 2003. The Pilinoidal returned and I recently had a flap procedure done on May 3, 2005. I was very satisfied with the surgery...Except for the fact that my suture wound opened up when the removed the stiches. It was about 2 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide, so I had to transition to open wound management and packing everyday. I was doing great, when I had a fall and did a butt bump down 5 steps. Blood all over and I went to the emergency room. I didn't re-open the entire flap, only caused some of the healing that had already progressed to evaporate, so I was starting all over (first weekend in June '05). FYI, I initially was packing about 10 yards of gause per day, it went down to about 8, the fall brought me back to about 15. A friend told me about Rapid Response (origially designed as a horse supplement, but a human version is available--www.amerdon.com) I took it religiously along with my daily packing. Now, 8 weeks after my fall and the 15 yards, I am down to only about 10 inches of 1/4 inch packing in the "backside." This stuff helps your body heal its soft tissues. I thought it was my imagination when my shoulders stopped hurting from several dislocations and separations, but kept on with the supplement. I ran out for 2 weeks and guess what, the miraculous amout of healing that was going on stopped as well. I have been sitting at 10 inches of packing for 1 1/2 weeks now, and have gotten back on RR for about a week. It's starting back up and healling at a much faster rate. They say it takes about 10 days for the stuff to really get into your system, but its worth it. Oh yeah, it tastes Gawd Aweful too, so if you do try it, I recommend mixing it with R. W. Knutsen's "Mega Green" juice (found in the Organic section of your supermarket.)
Date: August 02, 2005
StoryI am 21 years old now and female but my first experience with a pilonidal cyst was when I was only 13 years old, I had had a horseback riding injury from hitting the back of a saddle to hard and it caused the cyst to form. It was pretty bad so my pediatrician back then just lanced it and it went away for almost 6 years. When I was 18 it flared up again and I lived with it for 2 years because I was afraid of having surgery. Finally after 2 years of suffering and pain I had surgery. The pilonidal cyst was removed and I have
been PILONIDAL CYST FREE FOR OVER 1 YEAR. The surgery was nearly have as bad a I thought it would be, except for I couldn't do any strenuous activity for a week or two. I thank God everyday that I won't ever have to deal with this disease ever again. I have my life back. To all of you suffering out there with pilonidal cyst disease there is hope, if it doesn't go away get it removed so you can go back to living your life again! God Bless You and get well soon.
Date: August 01, 2005
StoryI'm not sure who reads these, but I found that others experiences with this helped me so I thought I would share mine. I am a 25 year old male. I remember exactly when I first noticed that I had a Pilonidal, and I don't remember exactly when I discovered what it was but I know that about the age of 18 I had a knot on my backside which, from time to time, would get swollen and painful. I had several sinuses below them and when it began to swell up I would just lay on my back for a while and it would all drain out. I did not know then that it could (and would) get worse.
I had one particularly bad flare-up and finally went to see a doctor. I was in the military so the treatment was sub-par (to say the least). He asked if some students could come in and look at this amazing wonder of the modern world and then while they looked on, proceeded to stick a 10 gauge needle into my a$$ and drain it.
After Torquemada finished, I think I may have had a little relief but I left feeling like I had been born with 2 heads or something.
I did finally get to see a real doctor who basically discouraged me from having the treatment by saying that the only incision option was to leave it open and even then, I had a 50% chance or reoccurence. I weighed the options and it did not seem worth the pain just for something that ocasionally leaked and hurt.
Years went by and it remained a minor nuisance until at last the rent came due. The normally mild pilonidal swelled to epic proportions as the infections set in and my temperature rose. I ended up going to the ER feeling like I would die and a big swollen baseball on my backside. Once again I was treated like a freak of medicine until my "hero" walked in. A surgeon happened to be on call who specialized in minimally invasive procedures and was an expert on pilonidals. The gave me some good drugs and lanced it. Problem solved, right...nope. I had relief for a while.
About a year later, another flare up and off the the ER again. This time I had some idiot foreign intern (or something) who proceeded to lance my abcess and pack it without the benefit of anesthetic. He did this alone, without nurse aid or the presence of an attending. He barely got the kit w/the scalpel open. Just in case I forgot to mention it, this kid should not be practicing medicine anywhere.
Several more trips followed to my surgeon (who originally lanced it). We tried to control it with antibiotics, but by this point it has progressed to far to go away without surgical intervention. The last lancing leaked fluid for several months before it stopped and then the pilonidal proceeded to "tunnel" up another inch and then open 2 more infected holes which now leak like
sieves 24/7. I'm a grown man who wears a maxi pad so I don't stain my khakis. Add to this the complication of dealing with a new HSA health plan and I finally had enough. I finally went to my surgeon and said, "Take it off". Whatever it takes it has to go. SO I now have a date of 9-2 (so wish me luck). I will post the results after that date. If you've made it this far through my story, thank you for reading this and I hope it helps you find the courage to be vocal about your care, educate yourself and others, and take this problem seriously. I have every confidence in my surgeon as a companion in my care. If you live in the E. Tennessee area and are looking for a surgeon email me at volguy7@bellsouth.net.
Date: August 01, 2005
StoryHi, I am a 23 yr. old female who just had a closed excision procedure done on July 28th. I first discovered my cyst last year when I sat down in my car and felt like I had a bruised tailbone. Three days later the pain was so bad I could not take it so I went to the ER and had it lanced. My mom had to pack my wound and it was the worst pain ever - worse than an 18 hour labor with no drugs! After I healed I was nervous that I would have another flare up but all was good for about a year. Then one day I felt a twinge of pain near my scar. So I went to my primary doctor's and was given an antibiotic to fight off any infection. The next day I saw a surgeon who explained my options. I decided to have a full excision b/c I didn't want to worry about flare ups for the rest of my life. It is now Day 4 after my surgery and I am feeling ok. When I first came home I was really sore and took pain pills every 8 hours. Now I feel better but I am still taking it easy. My surgeon was wonderful - very kind and reassuring - and I am so glad I had this procedure done b/c now I can move forward and not have to worry about this ever again. Good luck to all of you out there =0)
Date: August 01, 2005
StoryI just noticed this webpage. I first had problems with the PC back in 1978 when I was six months pregnant with my first child. I was 21 and suddenly woke up to find what I called "a bubble on my butt". To me it looked like a fluid-filled blister and it was very painful. My OB lanced it and that was a big relief. He said I would need surgery but they could not have that done until after the baby came. Six months and two lancings later, I went in for the surgery. It was preformed by an old family practice doctor, not a surgeon. In fact, he was the doctor that delivered my husband. Anyway, when I woke up, he had put four clamps along the incision that went from an inch above the natal cleft to within an inch of my anus. These were clamps like they hold together a heart surgery incision with I was told, big clamps not staples or stitches. I was told to put hydrogen peroxide on the wound several times a day and to apply heat from a light bulb each time. So I lay on my side, a lamp without a shade close enough to feel the warmth but not burn. Actually the warmth felt so much better. I did not put dressings or packings or any of that. Just the peroxide and lamp. After two weeks, he took out the clamps and it continued to heal. After it healed completely, and also as of today, I have a whitish thick scar there with several nodules of scar tissue (button sized) along the sides where the clamps were. I never had any reoccurance after the surgery. No one in my family had ever had that.
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Date: July 31, 2005
StoryJuly 16th original story.
It's now been 19 days since surgery. I'm finally beginning to be able to sit on surfaces without a coccyx pillow and be comfortable. The inflammation and pain is way down, but
definitely there especially during sleep. I stopped taking painkillers after about 5 days as I didn't want to become dependant and lost sleep when I stopped taking them. The drain fell out a couple of days after surgery which I was told was normal, to just wait until it falls out and then that's that. I'm changing my gauze twice a day, after a shower and before bed. Showering is weird because I can't get direct contact with the wound, so I can only shower facing forward and the only water that touches the wound is runoff. I still bleed after bowel movements and that's no fun, I hope it'll stop soon, but it's not much. Some of the stitches have come out over time, but my doctor said that was normal since the stitches are the self-dissolving kind, but there are still some that haven't finished dissolving. I see the doctor for the last time on Wednesday the 3rd and hopefully all will be good and I'll be ready to sit for many many hours on a plane by the 12th (oh please I hope so). That's all for now. Maybe more to come soon.
Date: July 30, 2005
StoryMy family has a history of pilonidal cysts. While I never asked the surgeon if my genes had anything to do with the cyst (never felt it to be significant), I still believe that my lineage has something to do with the appearance of my pilonidal abscess. My tailbone region started to become sensitive back in the end of March (2005), but I immediately considered it a bruise. Actually, I wasn't even thinking about cysts when I looked in the mirror for the first time, seeing only a purple tint to my skin in the sensitive area. The next day, the pain seemed to be worse, and the skin around the painful area was becoming even darker; again, I figured it was a bruise, and went on without second guessing myself. About three days later, it was impossible to sit; my primary position was laying on my side, so that no direct pressure was placed on the bulge (good advice for anyone currently going thru it). Every night, the pain would be so great that I would sleep for two hours before waking up with a sick feeling in my stomach and sweat beading over my hairline.
I still can't believe the infection grew so much in those five days - it hit me like a storm. Late one night, I told my mom about it, and she understood the possibility of having another son with a pilonidal abscess (like I said, it runs in my family; my older brother had one when he was about 17 years old).
So, my mom scheduled an appointment with the doctor for me, and I was able to see him later that same day (April 4th). I went in, dropped my trousers, and allowed the doctor to examine the area... two seconds later, he said, "Yeah, that's a pilonidal." He referred me to a surgeon that same day; in fact, I went to a surgeon's office two hours later to get it drained. I was very nervous about going under the blade while I was awake, and I quickly pondered the possibility of waiting a few days until I could get general anesthesia. In the end, I chose the immediate relief: incision and drainage.
After the draining, the surgeon stuffed my wound with a six-inch strip of gauze (NOT packing gauze) and sent me home with a prescription for Tylenol 3 / Codeine, telling my mom (who was there with me during the procedure) how to care for / pack the wound. I immediately did not like the sound of "packing"... I don't like the idea of a sensitive wound being packed with gauze material, and I face the anxiety of that even today as I am typing this, three months later (I'll explain later).
In the following month and a half, I would have it packed once daily (I read on this site that you should do it twice? I'm glad my surgeon did not feel the same way) following a dose of painkillers (I almost immediately upgraded to Percocet / Oxycodone); I would come to hate the dressing less and less every passing day as the nerves died off and the infection cleared. Registered nurses would drop by the house, via a local home health care plan, and pack my wound with gauze tape. I became very familiar and casual with them, as I saw a particular nurse at least five times a week; my squeamish family wanted nothing to do with packing my wound, and to be honest, I'm not surprised.
Also around this time, I was talking with my surgeon about the follow up surgery; he told me it would be best to get the cyst sack excised, and that I should wait until my first incision-and-drainage wound healed before coming back for my second surgery. So, close to the end of May, I visited my surgeon to discuss the final surgery. By that time, my wound had just about completely closed, and my surgeon felt that I was ready for the follow up surgery, which he told me was optional but recommended. I agreed to go along with the surgery, and we scheduled it for June 16th.
For a while, I enjoyed a break - no packing, no wound cleaning, no painkillers, no worrying. During this time, I was going the gym, and was involved in other activites outside of the house. I enjoyed this time off, and visited some friends that I had not seen since the beginning of my pilonidal problem.
The week before my surgery, I passed pre-admissions tests with flying colors, being so healthy overall that the nurse did not need to take any blood samples. Time continued to roll on quickly, and it wasn't long before surgery day had arrived.
I went in very early in the morning (with my mom, again, who has been with me at my request since the beginning of this ordeal) and I was a nervous wreck - this was my first surgery ever. I went back into the changing rooms, got into my hospital robe, sat in a comfy chair, and got ready for my surgical team to visit me. My nurse gave me a Zanex ("chill pill"), seeing how nervous I was, and was kind enough to apply an anesthetic cream on my hand to prep for the IV needle (I definitely hate needles... very much so). Once I got the IV in my vein, my surgical team visited me. First the anesthesiologist... who gave me the option of either general anesthesia or spinal block. Upon hearing what spinal block was - a shot that would numb my entire lower body - I immediately asked her if I could have general anesthesia instead; I don't want to be awake during my procedure, and I don't want to feel like my lower body is paralyzed.
After the anesthesiologist left, my surgeon came into the room and we talked for a few minutes, and when he exited, the rest of the nurses soon came in to talk to me. That same team of nurses wheeled me into the surgery room - a cold room with bright lights all around - and they instructed me to lie face up on a table. As I got situated, I talked to the nurses, seeing my surgeon enter the room soon after.
During all this, I am surprisingly calm, knowing that I would be falling asleep soon. I was not given a chance to become drowsy; instead, my head hit the pillow as quickly as the anesthesiologist told me, "Ok, I'm putting the anesthesia into your IV." One doctor, who was cracking jokes at the nurses in the surgery room, asked me, "So, is the ceiling getting wavy, yet?" I answered, "No." Then... I was out; I don't even remember getting drowsy.
When I woke up from a dream about playing guitar, I was in the recovery room, very groggy. I had sore calves (possibly from the position the surgeon put me in) and a sore throat (a swollen uvula, from the breathing tube). I imagine that there was a great deal of local / regional anesthesia used to numb the surgical area, as I woke up with almost no feeling in the area. I remember the first phrase I constructed when I woke up from my anesthesia: "Did I need a drain?" (The week of my surgery, I was obsessing over the possibility of getting a drain inserted into my wound.) The nurse answered "no" and then my head hit the pillow, both in relief and tiredness. As a cause of my lethargy, I proceeded to knock over the ginger ale that my nurse provided for me, spilling it all over my medical papers (whoops); if I wasn't so tired at the time, I would have felt really stupid. When I finally gained enough control to steer the ginger ale into my mouth, the nurse wheeled me into a recovery room to see my mom, who was anxiously waiting for me in the waiting room for two hours.
My surgeon dropped by to tell us about the surgery, and to give us a brief statement of what he did. He wanted to see me in about two weeks, to check on the status of my sutchers. They did not come out that week; the next week, though, they were removed, and I was relieved that the procedure was finally finished. Or so I thought.
About three weeks after my stitches were taken out, I took a look in the mirror at my wound - something I had never done in the accumulative three month span of my pilonidal ordeal. I bent over, checking the area, seeing how the scar looked. To my bewilderment, I found a small, gaping hole in the bottom of my cleft. My skin had come open after the stitches were removed. I was shocked and a bit saddened... I looked in the mirror expecting to see a scar, and found another hole... you can imagine how that threw me off. I went back to the surgeon to get the opening checked out... he suggested that I go back to packing the wound. That was just a few days ago (as of today). Right now, I understand what could happen if I don't pack it, but it is hard to go back into it. Regardless, I am still having it cleaned every day, and we're gathering up supplies to pack it.
Soon, my ordeal will be over. But as mine is finishing, another person in the world is experiencing the same exact thing. I know there are people right now who are sitting up late at night, worrying about their upcoming pilonidal excision surgery. I know there are people right now who are nervously examining a sensitive spot in their tailbone region in the mirror, which is soon going to be diagnosed a pilonidal abscess in the coming days.
To anyone who is experiencing their first pilonidal: you're in for a humbling naked-butt-in-the-air-every-day experience (a position that is as undignified today as it was three months ago), but it's not the worst thing that could happen. I went from the healthiest and luckiest person in my family to having two surgical procedures in a two month time period and almost becoming addicted to painkillers (yep, it's true: they were reluctant to refill my prescription a third time). But, be glad that this will all soon be over. Pilonidal abscesses are becoming more and more common, so doctors and surgeons are becoming more experienced with them. I am very greatful that I did not chicken out and chose the paths that my surgeon recommended. Although the second surgery was intimidating, it was still optional - I had the choice to not go thru with it... I had the choice to take the chance of allowing my abscess to come back. But I did not. I would personally recommend that you take every single thing your medical team says into consideration, and if you have doubts about anything, get a second opinion. This is an important surgery; you want to treat it as best as you can.
Date: July 28, 2005
Storyi'm 31 and a mother of four, and i am 15 days post-op recovering w/ an open wound. my pc first flared up in june of 2004, i sat on my bed one night and could've swore i sat on a marble. there was no marble, but i felt a lump at the top and to the left of my crack. it scared me. i saw my nurse practitioner and she had never seen anything like that. she called another dr in the exam room and he knew exactly what it was. they told me it was a pilonidal cyst and it was infected. a what? what the hell is that? she put me on keflex and told me that would clear up the infection, but the cyst would still be there. the keflex worked, and i never really thought about it again until exactly a year later-june. this time it was worse. it was bigger, harder, and was draining a little-oh my god the smell! i went back to my np on june 30. she said it was too hard to lance so i was to take plenty of hot baths, use warm packs, take the keflex again, and come back asap if it got any worse. july 1st and 2nd-no change, by july 3rd it was worse. i could barely sit, i couldn't lay on my back, driving sucked, all i could think about was this gross thing growing on my ass.
July 4th-clinic wasn't open, but it seemed to be a liitle better. i dreaded going back in and i put it off until july 11th, my daughter had an appt w/ my np so i really couldn't avoid it. she didn't like what she saw and suggested surgery. she said if i chose not ot have the sugery, we could try a different antibiotic and there's the chance of future flare-ups. i didn't even have to think about it, i wanted the surgery. she made me an appt w/ the surgeon for the next day. she sent me home w/ cipro and darvocet and wished me luck. i met w/ a general surgeon on july 13th. he said he's removed quite a few of these. he would've done the surgery right then and there but he needed to show my husband how to pack it, so he scheduled it for the next day. i was scared, but i wanted this thing gone sooooo bad i was willing to do anything. july 14th, i had a local and general anethesia and the whole thing took about 30 minutes. i woke up to 5-6 people gathered around my ass telling my husband how to care for this gaping hole. the surgeon had already packed it so he just told my husband what to do. my poor husband had no idea what he was committing to.
I felt great for the rest of the afternoon, the anesthesia hadn't wore off and the nurse gave me a tylox before we left. the first dressing change went better for me than it did my husband. when he pulled the gauze out, blood ran down my cheeks and my crack. he cleaned me up and couldn't believe the size of the hole, it was bigger than a quarter in diameter and about 2 inches deep. he struggled the first day or so, but is a pro at it now! for about the first week all i could do was stand and lay on my stomach, our kids had to go to grammy's, and the dressing changes were pure hell. talk about the most excrutiating pain i have ever felt. i would cry before he even touched me because i knew what pain was coming. i had to bite my pillow to keep from screaming and when it was all done with i just laid there and cried. my husband hated having to put me through that, but we both understood that it had to be done. we do the dressing changes 3x a day. the darvocet was no longer working so my np gave me vicodin-much better. i saw my surgeon a few days ago and he was impressed with how well it looked, the infection was gone, and he said it looked nice and clean. EXACTLY what i wanted and needed to hear!!! we have to do the dressing changes 3x a day for at least another 2 weeks. i have my good days, and i also have some really down days, but for me all of this was worth it as long as i don't have to deal w/ it again. i hope that's the case. i'm on the discussion board if you wasnt to chat.
Date: July 28, 2005
StoryI am writing this about my son, who is 16 years old. He came to me one evening and said that his lower back was hurting. He admitted that he and his friend were horsing around, and his friend had kicked him in the tailbone. That was 2 days prior to this. When he decribed the pain and the "knot" I told him I thought it was a pilonidal cyst. Sure enough, when he showed me the area that's what it was. He already had 2 sinus holes and a third one about to open up. I asked him how long it had really been there and he told me, about 2 months. It had apparently started draining a few weeks earlier, but I guess he was too embarrassed to say anything.
I immediately made him show it to my husband, an internal medicine physician, who confirmed it. He started my son on Augmentin 875mg and referred him to a surgeon that we refer alot of our patients to.
My son had open excision surgery on June 30th. His surgeon injects dye to mark all the sinus tracts so he can be sure he gets the entire cyst. My son was left with an excision that measured 10" long x 3" wide x 2" deep. Not once has he asked for anything for pain, not even right out of surgery. I pack the wound twice a day with 4 x 4 qauze saturated with normal saline and a little betadine. The betadine absorbs any necrotic tissue and keeps the wound very clean. (Don't use peroxide because it will interfere with the body's ability to form new granulation tissue). No need for any further debridements. I have even put the normal saline in the microwave for a few seconds to warm it up, before soaking the gauze. I use sanitary pads over the wound to catch any drainage from the gauze. They're lots cheaper and have super absorbency. You can either use a couple of strips of 2" paper tape(great for sensitive skin), or use the adhesive strip on the pad to adhere it to the underwear.
My son is really hairy so we either keep the surrounding area shaved, or use Nair to keep it hair-free.
About a week and half ago the wound started filling in with new tissue, and my son's surgeon saw it today and said it looks great. The wound now measures half the size it originally was. A good diet with lots of protein helps the body heal faster, and a multivitamin is also a good idea while you're trying to heal post op. Lots of fruit and fiber will help make having bowel movements easier also.
My son says even though it's a hassle, he's so glad he went ahead and had the open-excision surgery. A word for those of you that have alot of pain when you remove the packing; you may have to saturate the packing with H2O before you try to remove it. My son says it's a alot easier on him if I wet the packing alittle before I try to remove it.
I'm so glad we went ahead with the surgery and got it over with.
I wish all of you the best, and this website has been a great help to my son. He found this site and knew what to expect before he had anything done. So hang in there............you're not alone!
Date: July 28, 2005
StoryI'm a 27 year old female and had a pilonidal cyst excised two weeks ago. I initially discovered the cyst as a college sophomore. I was cycling often, and after long rides I noticed discomfort when I put any pressure on my tailbone. It eventually became so painful that I went to a physician who drained the cyst. This procedure did not remove the cyst entirely, but I have been able to live with it for the past seven years without too much discomfort. Occassionally when it would flare up, running was sometimes uncomfortable, and I couldn't do pilates or yoga classes that required any pressure on the lower back. This would usually subside within a week or two, and throughout this time my cyst never opened or drained. It just became tender.
Earlier this summer my cyst flared up and actually began draining. I believe this was again due to my increased cycling, which I hadn't done much since college. Riding itself is not uncomfortable, as you're leaning forward on the bike and taking pressure off your tailbone area. But multiple hours of sweat and dirt in bike shorts can't be good for any sort of wound. After a few days of drainage, I also began to develop flu symptons. I had chills, a fever, and a sore throat. I'm not sure that they were related to my cyst, but my physician referred me to a general surgeon who removed the cyst and stitched up the area. I had the stitches removed yesterday. They didn't entirely take, and my wound is still draining a little, but apparently that is quite common. Its also very tender, and I can't sit on it. Hopefully I will be back to my usual antics soon.
Date: July 27, 2005
StoryMy daughter is 15 and has had surgery twice in 2 years to remove cysts. The 1st was in oct 2003, she was ill with backache, after a week long school trip, I took her to A & E and they asked weird questions (now I know why). They operated that day and left an open wound, which had to be packed everyday by nurse, with kaltostat, which is gauze made from seaweed, which draws out the infection. It took 7 weeks to heal up, she spent the new year with backache and was only at school for the mornings. We took her to Disney in Florida in the next October, with Antibiotics, but it was almost too much for her.
She had her 2nd surgery on 1st Dec 2004, this was to remove all the pits and to excise the entire area to remove all the roots etc. She was in unbeleivable pain when she woke up, and it didn't get anyless. They told us to take her home that night!!! We couldn't beleive it, luckily we had bought a new van/car, so she could lie down on a airbed in the back (it was an horrendous journey). She had her bed downstairs and luckily we have a toilet etc downstairs too. Again this was an open wound and it was packed daily, but this time with a new Kaltostat made from coillidal silver. We are now Nearly 8 months along, and she is just starting to recover. The wound took 4 months to heal over, she still has a plain dressing on as it is still sore and the skin is very thin. As she still gets bachache we were worried it could be another one, but have been told the pits have gone, along with the roots etc, so she shouldn't suffer again,but it will take a long time for the nerves etc to heal. We have also been told there is no point in having antibiotics to help with the healing as they can't pass through the cyst wall! it seems where ever you are in the world, Doctors have a different treatment for it. Surgery, however painful has to eventually be the only real alternative, as you have to get rid of the pits. These stories have really helped my daughter, she no longer feels like a 'freak'. My heart goes out to all of you, suffering this disease.
Date: July 26, 2005
StoryJuly 26, 2005 Story I will try not to write a novel! I'm a 51-year old female that developed an uncomfortable feeling in my tailbone area around 3/1/05 while sitting or bending. I had a sinus tract at the top of my crack that had beendraining for awhile. I went to the ER and the doctor put me on antibiotics-Augmentin-875mg twice a day plus Dilaudid tablets(a morphine derivative) plus a shot of morphine. He said to follow-up with a general surgeon for the pilonidal cyst abscess.
I had my 1st surgery on 4/27/05 which was closed with sutures.Within 3 days the incision site was red, hot and bulging. The doctor numbed the area and drew out a quart of a pus/blood mixture with a catheter. Four days later he had to do it again. On 5/9/05 I was in severe pain, could not sit or hardly stand. I went to the hospital and the same doctor did emergency surgery changing it to a very large hole to drain and to be packed 3 times daily. Besides the packing in the crack, I also soaked 12 abdominal pads daily but I felt better than I had in months. Then as the tissue grew back and the drainage slowed down, I began to fill lethargic again. The hole closed up completely in 9 wks. My pain in the tailbone was coming back.The doctor assuredme that it was healed and the pain was normal. I told him he was full of crap. I immediately went to my Primary Care Manager and my insurance company authorized a 2nd opinion 3 days later. The new surgeon put shots and numbed my crack. He inserted a catheter with a long needle and got several full of pus very deep. He put me on Augmentin-875mg. twice a day for 10 days. I'm supposed to go back tomorrow for him to set up a surgical technique called excision with flap procedure. He said he has had much luck with this for pilonidal cysts. Also, he is going to inject a chemical called Methylene blue which traces the tracts and roots to make sure he gets the whole cyst, pocket, roots and everything I pray. Ya'll wish me luck and you can e-mail me if you like at maudiepoo@msn.com
Date: July 26, 2005
StoryHi, My name is Greg I am 27 and on July 4th I was doing cannonballs off a diving board when I scraped my tailbone on the edge of the board. It hurt but I did not think about it too much. The next day I went camping. My tail bone felt a a little irritated. The night we were camping I went into the woods to have a BM. I cleaned up with a stick wrapped with leaves from around the area. It was dark and I could not tell what I was doing too well. I went to sleep on top my sleeping bag because it was hot. That I night I dreamt that a large scarab like beatle was eating its way into my behind. I woke up in extreme pain. And when I reached for the tender area I was shocked to find it was wet and very swollen. I had my buddy look at my ass crack with a flashlight and he was grossed out. He said it looked like I had a big dirty hole in my ass. I told him that was always there and he said "not that one, you have a new one". I could not see it but I could sure feel it. He said it looked really infected or as if I had been bitten by something. We thought maybe it was a snake or spider bite. So my buddy, Alex attempted to suck the poison out of my ass. He said it tasted really bad and he had to stop or he was going to get sick. We hiked out of the woods at 5-6am and I went to the hospital where I was diagnosed with a Pilonidal cyst. I had surgery and feel better now. But I want to thank my friend Alex for trying to save my life.
Date: July 26, 2005
StoryI am 35 year old female, and a couple of years ago when I was doing sit-ups and laid back something in my rear just kind of bit me/pinch like. I had a small little knot on my tailbone, I delayed a few days and then went on to my general physician. She diagnosed it as a cyst, but since it was so small there was really nothing she said she could do. So a few years went by and the little knot sometimes would just flare up, I ignored it until this May during Memorial Day weekend. It flared up Tuesday before Memorial Day and it kept getting worse & worse and then finally by Friday I was absolutely MISERABLE!! I went to my general physician and they couldn't do anything so they referred me to a general surgeon. He couldn't see me until the day after Memorial Day!! Anyhow, I ended up at the emergency room on Sunday absolutely in horrific pain. I hadn't been able to sit, lay, and even walking was painful. The ER doctor, was so nice and it was diagnosed as a Pilonidal Cyst. I had never heard of this until this website, which has been very helpful. They drained the cyst, and I am fine now but I have scheduled surgery for end of August. I am quite scared, I just don't like to be cut on and the extent of the surgery. My doctor told me I would probably need to stay out of work for a week and that is done in the hospital, and normally takes about an hour. He will be doing the closed procedure, I would love to hear some input from anyone on that. I have heard and read and I just don't know which I prefer. The open healing sounds disgusting changing your dressing and all and I like the idea better of stitches and the healing so any info or help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Date: July 25, 2005
StoryHello,
I am a 34 year old male with a Pilonidal Cyst. I first noticed it about seven months ago, although I think it may have been around before that. My job requires me to travel a lot, so spend plenty of time on my butt behind the wheel of a pickup truck. Usually, it's a three week trek across several different states. In March, I spent three weeks up in the New England states. I started noticing that my butt would tend to ache right around my tailbone area. For the first couple of weeks, I just thought I had bruised the bone and it would go away soon enough. After a month or two, I noticed a swelling in the area, with a head on it......kinda like a large zit. I made an appointment to see my GP to find out what it was. Once he saw it, he referred me to a surgeon to have it removed. Being the nosy person I am, I began looking up all I could find on PC while waiting for my appointment. Therefore, it was no surprise when he told me that I needed to have it removed. That appointment was today and I am scheduled for surgery on Friday morning. I will try to update you with the details afterwards!!
Date: July 25, 2005
StoryI had pains for about two weeks before I decided to get something done about it. I was having pains when I would work out or lift. Eventually it began to get really bad, to the point where I couldn't sit, stand, sleep, or move at all. I was having really bad pains one night and my friends thought that they should take me to the E.R. I decided to suck up the pain and went to sleep that night in pain. The pain only got worse and I ended up getting no sleep that night. The next morning I decided it was time to go to the doctor. I went to the doctor where they decided to do surgery and drain/remove it. While he injected a pain killer into me I was screaming, crying and grasping the pillow tightly. It was the worst pain I have ever experienced. The doctor perscribed my some Vicodin and I am on my way to not feeling any more pain. I am 19 and had never heard of Pilonidal Cysts before. I was scared and worried but then I found this website which is very helpful.
Date: July 25, 2005
StoryI was just reading Carries story and she said she hadnt read a story from a teenage girl. Well here I am. Unfortunatly im not a teenager anymore but i was when i first got this.
I first got a PC when i was 16. I went to mt GP and he just gave me antibiotics and told me to go home and take salt baths. It eventuly went away. But for a week i couldnt walk, sit down, it even got to the point i couldnt even lay down, on my front or my back, so spent a week laied on my side. The second time i got it, a year later, it was pretty much the same. went to the GP and he just gave me antibiotics, i never knew u could hav surgery for it, i just thought i had to live with it.
The thrid time it wouldnt go away and i ended up in A&E. the doctor tried to cut it open and then pack it but he didnt get chance. not to be discusting but he couldnt cut it enought before it all started coming out. So he just drained it and sent me home. I went to another GP who refered me to the hospital.
I had closed surgery in Febuary, Im now 21 and everyhting is ok, I was really scared of having the surgery done bacause i thought i would be in as much pain as when the PC comes up, but ur not at all. I was in hospital a total of 5 days and it took 8 week to completly heal up. I know it sound a long time but some people take longer to heal than others.
My surgen was fantastic and i couldnt have asked for anyone better.
Hopefully it will never return but if it does i know im in safe hands.
Date: July 24, 2005
StoryI am 26 and just had my first flare up back in the beginning of June 2005. I started feeling sore around my tailbone, and remember thinking it felt like I bruised it, but knew I had not (I've done that before!). Unfortunately, this started on a Tuesday and I was flying out of town on Thursday for a wedding that I was in. The pain got worse day by day, and the day of the wedding was really hard. It was a Catholic Full Mass and I was the maid of honor, and for those of you who don't know, the MoH's job duty during the wedding is to get up 50,000 times and adjust the brides dress. The kneeling and sitting back down was killing me and I had to do my best to keep my face from wincing in case it was caught on camera! Afterwards, it killed me to get in and out of the limo a 100 times as well.
So fast forward... I woke up the next morning in the hotel at 530 am CRYING because of the pain I was in. Now, the wedding was in the town next door to my hometown, and I didn't have a car so I was stranded at the hotel until I could get my sister on the phone at 830 to come get me.
The next 2 1/2 days, I esentially stayed on my sister's couch or guest bed, screaming in pain everytime I had to get in/out/up from bed/couch. I didn't want to go to the ER, and have them do some procedure and then I couldn't get back onto the plane and head home. So I waited it out, and upgraded my seat to first class for $50!
I got in late tuesday night (a week from when I started feeling the pain) and went to work the next day which was convenient because I work for a medicine residency program, and begged my Program Director (an internist) to get me an appt in the clinic. So he sent me up right away, and they diagnosed it as a PC, and down to surgery I went immediately. By this point there was a definate lump, where over the weekend there was not. I knew I had a bad infection because at my sisters I was having night sweats and shivering.
My surgeon is fantastic. He lanced it in his office - the pain killer stings a little and you do not feel him lancing - and then it drained. He pressed on it to drain, and that hurt like hell. I was screaming a bit. He then explained he had to put me on antibiotics for two weeks and wanted to make sure I was completely healed and rid of the infection for a couple months before he would even consider doing surgery.
So, I went in last week, and he said I looked great. He gave me the option to wait it out and see if it comes back or to do the surgery. I opted for the surgery because I never want to be in that kind of pain ever again. So he does the closed surgery. I am scheduled for a week from Tuesday. I'll post more afterwards!
But to all those who have this: get something done! The sooner the better! What you have going on is a serious infection, and if left untreated, can enter your blood stream, and it is very serious. I can't reiterate this enough! Not to mention, you will feel worlds better.
Date: July 24, 2005
StoryJuly 24,2005
Hello again My name is Anthony. My first storie was back in may, just four days after my surgery. It has now been 12 week since my sugery and i feel great. The Hole is completely healed and I am able to start enjoying the summer. This disease ruined my trip to cancun and other events that i was going to take part in, but the past is behind me, its finally over. I was receiving home care for about 10 weeks to keep the wound clean. I was taking showers twice and sometimes three times a day. To anybody living with the disease, my suggestions are have the surgery performed and get rid of this horrible disease forever. And to everybody who has done the surgery, my suggestions to you are keeping it clean and ask your nurse or doctor for solution called "Hygeol". This stuff will speed up the healing process. Too everyone with disease i
wish them the best of luck, thank you for reading my story. Anthony
Good luck, Everyone.
Date: July 21, 2005
StoryHi my name is Carrie and I'm 15 years old. My first Pilonidal bump thingy (sorry I dont remember what it was called!) started when I was 14. I was at my friends house and she prank called our friend as a joke and I was listening by the edge of her bed and all of a sudden I lost my balance and I fell right on my butt crack and about 4 hours later I felt pain on my butt crack and I touched it to see what it was and I noticed a bump. The next day it got worse. It hurt so bad I could barely sit and walk. So my mom took me to the emergency room and they took me to a room and a doctor checked it out and said she would have to call a surgeon. I was scared out of my mind! I had never had surgery before and the whole thought of it scared me to death! so I waited in the room for an hour until a surgeon came and he said he would have to drain it out. So he rubbed the area with rubbing alcohol and then he stuck like 5 shots on the bump to numb it and I was crying! I was lying on my stomch so I sqeezed the pillow on the bed to try to take the pain away. After the shots were done it hurt a lot less but I could still kinda feel him sqeezing the stuff out of the bump.
Then he gave me the address to his clinic and I had to come back every couple of days so he can check it to see if it was getting better. After 2 weeks he said I didn't need to come back anymore, unless I got another bump. He said that 50% of people who have this get it again. And he said if it happened again he would have to put me to sleep and they would have to take out the whole thing that was causing the bump. When I got home my dad told me thta he had one too and so did my older cousin who is 22. So I guess this is a family thing. So 6 months went by and nothing happened but one day I started noticing another bump, this time it was a little higher up than the last one. It was small and then it got big and then one night I slept on the ground and the next day I saw brown stains in my underwear and I noticed the bump got smaller so I decided not to worry about it a month went by and it was still the same size. Then it got a little bigger and it started hurting more. Right now I still have the bump and it kind of hurts. I will try ANYTHING to get rid of it. Anything except surgery. I read some of the stories here and I havent read one with a teenage girl yet. I am so glad I found this site. I thought I was the only one in the world with this. I love reading the stories because it doesnt make me feel so alone.
Date: July 21, 2005
StoryI am not sure if my condition is a Pilonidal Cyst or Abscess. Around the beginning of November of 2000 I was studying abroad in Mexico. I remember walking to school and sitting a lot in my foreign language classes. I started doing some Tibetan postures for exercise that supposedly reverse the aging process and energize the body. Once I began to perform the exercises daily I felt my tailbone stick out. I freaked out because it felt hard and bruised so I went to the school doctor. He agreed with me and said that was what it was and wrote me a perscription, actually I think he wrote me two perscriptions, I have no idea what they were. A few days later my condition worsened. Whatever it was was causing redness in the area just above the tailbone to the left. It was very tender. I remember having to rest my right bun on my foot which I sat on during my classes to relieve the left side of my tailbone. Around Thanksgiving it was really bad, I remember going to a party with friends even though I had to ride in the taxi on all fours (I was so bored of staying at home).
I rode back to the house the same way and when I paid the cab driver I thought to myself, "Wow, I don't feel pressure anymore." I felt relief all of a sudden. At that point I ran into the bathroom and felt my bump and sure enough it was draining on its own and reaked. I went straight into the shower and cleaned the area. Then I grabbed my stuff and my friend and I took a cab to the ER. The nurse was hilarious. She had long fake fingernails and put the rubber gloves on and applied pressure to the periphery to help drain the abscess. I screamed, I felt like someone shot me in the tailbone, I wouldn't wish that pain on my worst enemy. She tried to comfort me by speaking what little english she knew but I begged her to stop, eventually she did. That night I went home after picking up some pain killer medication and that was the end of that until a year later EXACTLY. The next November the flare up happened again. This time I was in the States so my doctor referred me to a general surgeon after diagnosing me with a Pilonidal Cyst. I went to the surgeon and he said it was too infected to perform surgery so he gave me the antibiotic Sipro (the same stuff they treated the people that were exposed to Anthrax that year, remember?). I followed his directions and when I returned he decided the cyst was not infected anymore and therefore surgery was not necessary. I was livid. I had just spent the last week out-of-my-mind on Sipro
for nothing... I wanted this alien out of me. He didn't explain to
me very well why he changed his mind and his nurse didn't seem to
explain the Dr.'s reasoning well either. I decided to cry in my car
and leave things be. I started going to my acupuncturist to
alleviate the pain, which it did, and then I went to one more
surgeon, who didn't want to do anything about it either. Now it is
July 2005, the pain is coming back and I cannot exercise normally. I
am mad because I want to do something about it. What should I do?
Date: July 20, 2005
StoryI would first love to say how glad I am that this website has been here to give me information and support while I deal with my Pilonidal Abscess. For a long time I can remember having periods when my "tailbone" hurt and it would be uncomfortable to do sit-ups or to sit on hard benches but the pain always went away and I never noticed and drainage or anything.
Last Monday I started feeling a bit sore in the tailbone area and didn't think much of it. On Tuesday morning it was worse and by Wednesday I could hardly walk. I thought I had pulled a muscle moving a safe the previous Sunday and since my regular doctor was on vacation I went to a local clinic on Thursday. The Russian doctor there didn't even look at the effected area and diagnosed me with a pulled muscle. He told me to take some over-the-counter pain medicine and to put heat on it. Accidentally he actually did give me good advice because the heating pad brought the abscess to the surface faster.
The swelling got worse Friday and late on Saturday afternoon I noticed some leakage. At this point I realized I didn't have a pulled muscle. I went on the internet to try and figure out what was wrong with me and eventually came to this site.
I'm not a big fan of going to the ER and if this site hadn't convinced me that my condition was so serious I may still be suffering right now.
The ER visit was not very pleasant. My abscess was badly infected and no painkiller they gave me had any effect. I consider myself a fairly tough guy when it comes to pain but after the first few stabs and cuts I was scaring people in the ER because I was screaming so loud. (Not to scare the readers but it was the worst pain in my life by far. This will not happen to everyone that gets lanced. I was a special case because of the infection. Get some antibiotics beforehand and you probably won't end up in as much pain). Thankfully the ER doctor was very skilled and was able to get me treated and calm me down.
I went to see a surgeon on Monday and today I had surgery to better drain the area and make it easier to put packing in. I was still a bit shaken from the torture I endured in the ER but things went well. Right before they put me under general it was funny to hear the nurses joke how it's so seldom they get someone as young and cute as me as a patient (I'm 24). Next thing I remember I wake up in the recovery room with just a tiny bit of discomfort coming from my tailbone area. I actually had more pain coming from my throat from the tube they put in there for the general.
I am off to start healing now. I know that there is a 60% chance that my abscess will become infected again, but my doctor says it's best to wait 2 to 3 months to make sure before doing anything major. Thanks for reading, and please if you are suffering with Pilonidal problems see a doctor your health is worth all the money in the world and a week or two of discomfort after surgery is worth a lifetime of peace of mind.
Date: July 19, 2005
StoryHi... im a 23 yr old female that started experiencing a little buttcrack pain a few weeks ago. It started out feelin a little like a bruised tailbone, then i thought maybe it was a pimple... so i asked my fiance to look at it for me, and he stretched the skin to look and it popped itself. After that i started lookin up "buttcrack boil" and "buttcrack pain" and other stuff online and found this page. after reading the numerous stories of torture and barbaric treatments and healing going better and worse than expected had me scared to death. as the week went on, it seemed to have started to heal... by this past friday, i could actually sit for the first time in like a week. saturday night was a sadly different story... by sunday i was running a fever of 102.2 and in so much pain i couldnt move. so.... monday (yesterday) to the Clinic we went. the doctor took one look and sent me to the ER! This was disappointing because not only was this the worst... most stomach turning pain i had ever felt... but now i had to ride in the car increasing the pain to get across the other side of town.
Upon arrival at the wonderful establishment of Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie, IN. the first look the doctor took at my butt.... he said... its a pilodinal abscess and we can take care of that right here. so thankfully the doctor knew what he was talking about, but my first thought is, "oh no... im gonna be awake as he stabs me in the side with a big fat needle into what felt like a baseball tucked into my assfat... and im scared of needles as it is!!" so i swiftly cried and pleaded that they give me atleast pain medicine first! cuz by this time id been in pain for a week so much so that i couldnt stand straight up. THEN after 3 hours in the emergency room i FINALLY got an iv started and i got a whoppin 10mgs of morphine. not even 5 minutes later the worst pain i have felt to date.... the injections... into the rock solid mass of infected fevered flesh, which had caused so much pain when touched could make me scream... and i did... i screamed... and screamed... it was agony... the most barbaric act ive ever heard anyone get away with... felt like torture... then after he said i was "numb enough" he sliced me open in an X and shoved his finger in the hole to break up the pockets of infection. my fiance watched the whole thing and said... atleast 8 oz of liquid poured out! but ill tell you dispite all the pain yesterday, the relief i finally felt last night and all day today... it was worth it... just one piece of advice, if you ever have to have a lancing on a VERY severe abscess... request if at all possible to have them sedate you!! its only humane!!!
Date: July 19, 2005
StoryINTRO
Well, y'all, I apologize because this is a really long post. I hope I don't bog you down in all the little details. I didn't want to leave things out in case someone would find the information helpful. I know certain tidbits of information from people's stories have really helped me.
MY PILONIDAL JOURNEY
My history with pilonidal disease began my first year of college (2000). I noticed a little "dimple" near the very top of my butt crack and went to the doctor to have it checked out. (I wasn't having any pain or other symptoms, I just saw something that was someplace it wasn't supposed to be, so I thought I'd have it looked at.) My primary MD referred me to a general surgeon who had a look at the dimple, and he explained to me that it was a small sinus tract. He cleaned it out, declared me free of any cysts or other infection, instructed me on the importance of keeping the area clean, and let me go.
Fast forward to 2004. In May I graduated from college (I'm a nurse), in June I got married, in July I started working on the surgical floor of a hospital, and in September I took state boards and became an RN (yeah!). A few weeks later, while kyaking with my brand new hubby, I noticed a tad bit of pain right above my crack and could feel a hard bump under the skin. Nothing was visible on the outside of my skin. I was referred to a general surgeon and the long battle began.
PHASE 1: Lancing and Draining
When I first saw him in his office, he lanced the area, removed a good bit of scar tissue that had formed around the cyst (caused by londstanding infection), and inserted iodoform gauze (a skinny, long, yellowish gauze with antibacterial properties that acts as a drain by pulling out the fluid) and put me on antibiotics. After a few days we ditched the iodoform and started packing the wound and doing wet-to-dry dressing changes twice a day (the purpose of leaving an open wound and doing wet-to-dry dressings is to allow optimal healing and to prevent reoccurance--if he just closed me up it is way more likely that a cyst would return).
My sister would come and do the dressing changes, but when she couldn't my husband had to, which was not the best idea. He had such a hard time seeing me in pain, let alone being the one to cause me pain by pulling out the gauze and packing it in. It put a HUGE strain on our new marriage, and finally we got wise and asked for home health nurses. Not everyone is able to handle dressing changes, and doctors shouldn't assume that the patient's spouse or mother etc. can! Ask about homehealth nurses/aides!
Every week I would see the surgeon and he would look at the wound, and most of the time he wasn't really happy with what he saw. He kept cutting a little bit more, or trying different techniques to help the wound heal properly but it just wasn't working. Finally, he decided to do a pilonidal cyst excision in the OR on December 9, 2004.
PHASE 2: Surgery #1- Excision of Pilonidal Cyst
The surgery was performed in the hospital where I am employed and I stayed on the surgical floor where I actually worked as a nurse. You think it's bad showing a doctor your bum, I was cared for by nurses who are actually my co-workers--imagine having all your co-workers seeing your butt. Imagine them giving you suppositories and enemas! Anyway, my surgeon closed the incision in the OR, so I didn't have any dressing changes or an open wound. I had about a 7 in. long incision extending from just inside my crack to my lower back, with several sutures, and a JP drain (a little plastic drain that consists of a little tube that exits the skin near your incision and connects to a bulb that fills with blood/fluid as it drains).
With this first surgery, it seemed that everything that could go wrong, went wrong. I was only supposed to stay over night and I ended up in the hospital for a week. I woke up from the anesthesia scared out of my mind, yelling for my husband, crying, hyperventilating, and with my teeth chattering out of my skull (all fairly common when coming out of anesthesia). My pain control was poor the first day, so my dr. switched me to a PCA (Patient Controlled Analgesia--you get to push a button and a machine lets out pain medicine into your IV, you don't have to keep harassing the nurse to bring you medicine, it's great!). The upside was the PCA gave me pain relief, but the stronger pain medicine made me more groggy so I wasn't getting up and walking around like I should have (I can't stress enough how important it is to get up and move around after you've had surgery--even if it hurts, your body needs it to wake up after the anesthesia and get your systems working again).
So I developed a high fever, started vomiting uncontrollably, and became pretty delirious. I also had an allergic reaction to an antibiotic and developed a rash all over my face. Also, I had to have a suppository and enema and I still wasn't able to have a bowel movement before leaving the hospital (if you are worried that suppos. or enemas are uncomfortable or embarassing, let me just share with you that when you can't poop, that is all you care about, you'll let them do anything to you if you think it would help).
Anyways, I was finally discharged and after what I had been through in the hospital, the post-surgical recovery seemed a piece of cake. I had the sutures removed and was doing well, and then a couple weeks after being home my incision started draining pink fluid. My surgeon had a look and told me that a small tunnel had opened in the wound and was forming hypertrophic granulation tissue. Normally, granulation tissue is good, it is supposed to form when a wound is healing. But mine was forming lots of it and it was seeping a lot of serous fluid. Over the next couple months, my surgeon tried silver nitrate (it cautarizes the wound and gets rid of the bad granulation tissue), iodoform gauze, scraping the wound, and whatever else he could think of. But it just wouldn't heal. And so, I was scheduled for the surgery of pilonidal surgeries--z-plasty--on April 6, 2005.
PHASE 3: Surgery #2- Z-plasty
In a z-plasty, the surgeon basically removes a ton of "bad" tissue and replaces it by pulling healthy tissue from the surrounding area over the incision site. The incision is literally z-shaped due to the way the surgeon pulls the tissues together. Z-plasty is a type of skin flap procedure. This surgery went much more smoothly than the first. I still woke up anxious and chilled from the anesthesia, and I had a few pain control issues, but I made sure I was up and walking around and not too sedated. Other than having to have 5 IV's (ouch! they leave your arms bruised for weeks afterward) because mine kept giving out, it was smooth sailing. And the recovery has been smooth sailing as well.
Although, I want to add a little side note because I read in a previous story someone asking if anyone had experienced fatigue whith their cysts. Well, during this time I was struggling with being really tired and not having much energy to do anything. I just assumed that it was due to recovering from two surgeries, but when I brought it up to my surgeon, he decided to check my thyroid. I found out I had low thyroid so he put me on synthroid and it has made a noticeable difference. (Other symptoms, besides low energy, if you are worried about having low thyroid are: Often feeling cold or chilled, slow metabolism/weight gain, constipation, thick/coarse hair).
THE END.... OR IS IT?
Well, the doctor declared me healed and I was ready to return to work after TEN MONTHS away. I spent the month of June resting and regaining my strength. I never really used a coccyx pillow because I didn't find them to be the most helpful. Mostly I just became an ADD sitter--constantly moving and adjusting position and standing when possible, etc. I am, however, concerned what effects constantly sitting "crooked" or off-centered (because I can't put pressure directly on my tailbone) has on my spine. I hope I'm not screwing up my back or anything with "bad" posture. I started being able to sleep on my back again, and I was actually able to go camping a few weeks ago! All these things I previously took for granted...
Anyway, about a month ago I woke up with drainage all over the bed (funny- but I've never noticed a bad smell with my drainage) so I went and saw my doc and he said another small sinus tract had formed. But it was clean and looked good and wasn't deep and he didn't think it would be a problem. A lot of people live for years with tracts and never have a cyst or any other problem. So then, a few weeks later having had no more problems I started work (July 12), and I'm not kidding, the first day I started I began having a lot of pain again. I had to tell my manager I wasn't able to return after all (I started sobbing in the middle of an orientation meeting because the pain was so bad and I was so discouraged because I had that I was all better).
And the pain has slowly gotten worse every day. It's so different from the kind of pain I've had before. It's not localized--it's more diffuse all over my buttocks (although, I still have a lot of numbness back there so maybe that makes it harder for me to pinpoint pain). There is no drainage, no redness, no swelling, no heat, no fevers, my WBC's are normal. Now vicodin's not even helping, so I'm taking norco (double strength vicodin).
My surgeon prescribed antibiotics and says he wants to wait at least one more week (maybe two) to see if this (whatever "this" is) spontaneously resolves on its own, or if he'll have to do something about it. Meanwhile, I'm in constant pain. His next course of action would be to inject dye that would allow him to visualize all the tracts (hopefully, it's not fullproof) and then he would just remove more tissue even closer to my rectum (previously he tried to stay far away from there as much as possible). He seems to think the problem area is below the surgical incision, closer to my rectum (he thinks some tracks may have formed there, because that is basically the only place he hasn't remove a bunch of tissue). But I have pain all over and even above my rectum, so I'm not sure about that.
Anyway, I absolutely love my surgeon. I worked with him at the hospital so I knew he had an excellent reputation, and he has been such a wonderful doctor. He even gave me his home number and twice he has met me at the office during off hours (once on a Friday night and once on a Saturday morning). My surgeon said that he hates doing pilonidal cysts because it is so rare that the surgeon gets to be the "hero" in helping the patient. He said pilonidal cysts are often very complicated, the patient doesn't heal, the cyst comes back, etc. Anyway, now that the pain has come back again, I have finally caved in from pressure from my family to get a second opinion. I think that my surgeon is doing the best any surgeon could do, but we'll see what this guys says. My appointment with a colo/rectal surgeon is tomorrow.
Thanks for listening, y'all, and most of all, thank you for sharing your own personal stories!
Date: July 19, 2005
StoryI am a 49-year old female and I just had a PC removed on July 14, 2005. I have been agonizing for years and will be glad when all the healing is over. My first PC appeared about 15 years ago. At that time, I went to the doctor and he lanced it. It seemed OK for a few years, but occasionally would hurt. It seemed to have gotten really bad in the last few months. Luckily when my surgeon removed the PC it was not infected so I didn't need to have it drained. I was back to work on Monday (I really could have used more days off -- only because my job requires that I sit most of the day). I have hardly no trouble at all walking or laying, but sitting is a real problem. I went and bought a coccyx cushion, but it doesn't really seem to help me, although I take it everywhere with me ... the car, the train and the restaurant ....)I am scheduled to have the first set of stitches removed this Thursday and the next set of stitches removed the following week. Right now I have this wad of gauze on the top part of my crack and it is truly very uncomfortable. I am hoping that after the first set of stitches are out the pain will be minimal. I'll let you know what happens after Thursday.
Date: July 18, 2005
StoryHi everyone, my name is Jess and I am 22. Well I had my first PC over christmas of 2003. I had about 4 outbreaks between that summer and Christmas. I wanted to wait till I had the time to take off so I endured the pain of these golfball size bumps I would get. I went to a general surgeon that was going to take care of me. Anyway my family doctor would never lance them so I had it down to a science of getting them to pop in three days with warm water baths in epsom salts and hot compresses. So I had my surgery and havent had a problem with the area for a year and a half. I noticed I did have some drainage occasionaly. Well the other day my scar started to bleed. I went to my family doctor and she looked at it and said that there is a tract and hole at the end of my scar. So now I have to go see the surgeon again to see what we need to do now. I hope everyone has a pain free day!
Date: July 17, 2005
StoryPART 4 of my story (this is Michael - check July 9 for pt. 3)! Well, several days after meeting with the general surgeon, the area swelled up again with lots of pus and blood. It was not nearly as painful as before. The doc had me come in that day to lance it (4 days after orig. visit). The lancing was painful, but not really a big deal...about 1 inch long. He pulled out a bunch of hairs - totally YUCK, dude! I am doing my best to let the wound heal from the inside out. I shower twice a day and after each shower I swab the wound with a Q-tip and pack it as best I can with some gauze (the wife is too squeamish). Yes, the gauze comes out after a couple hours, but I do my best. As for surgery, he tells me "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," meaning that we will see how this heals up, and THEN discuss the possibility of surgery. Regardless of all the horror stories you read here, the vast majority of Pilonydal
Cysts are "cured" with a GOOD lancing job, never to return. I will
continue to update you with my treatment/experiences (return visit
to the doc in 2 days).
Date: July 16, 2005
StoryWell, I've had a pilonidal cyst for almost 2 years that was misdiagnosed again and again by my doctor as a hemmorhoid because I described it as some bump that bleeds once in a while. I finally saw a dermatologist and he diagnosed it and referred me to a plastic surgeon for excision. On Wednesday morning, I went to get the surgery under general anesthesia. Because it's hard to see the nature and extent of the wound from the surface (because of tracks and whatnot), it was hard to tell what would be the result. A few hours later, when I woke up, I discovered that I had a combination of open and closed healing, the bottom part of where the cyst and sinus had been was sutured while the upper part was left to open heal.
Here are a few things I didn't see mentioned on the site that should be taken into consideration: 1) Something called a "drain". Where the open wound was, they put a 1/4 inch rubber tube inside to help drain the wound, they told me it would either fall out before today (Saturday) or to take it out myself if it hadn't today (it fell out yesterday). Positively revolting and quite a bit painful. 2) My throat is just now healing after hurting terribly. With general anesthesia, they intubated my throat and put in a breathing tube. Hurts terribly for several days. 3) Bowel movements are pretty painful, especially because the painkillers usually tend to stop you up, so eat plenty of fruit and stool softeners. The muscles that you'd usually use to push out a stool are pretty sensitive after the surgery. 4) I had hair on my butt cheeks... they shaved about half of my left butt cheek, but for 24 hours I had tape on the hair and it hurt horribly to get off.
It's now Saturday, and I have to admit that the pain of the actual wound healing is hardly anything, and I've taken far less painkillers than prescribed, usually only one to get to sleep. But the little things that I didn't even know about add up here and there... between tape on my butt, painful bowel movements, the "drain", and my throat, it hasn't been pleasant, but I must admit, it hasn't been as bad as I expected. Hopefully, this will be the only part of my story as the worst should be over, and from here on out it's just changing the open wound's dressing and relaxing.
Date: July 15, 2005
StoryHey everybody!
I have known since September about my pilonidal cyst. I am due to have surgery on the 28th of July (had to delay this because of vacation unfortunatly...) I am not nervious about the surgery at all but I am worried about the recovery. I am afraid of ripping the stiches or getting debris in the wound. If anyone has any experiences or suggestions, I would love to hear from you guys!
Matthew
Date: July 15, 2005
StoryHi,I'm Amanda, a 20 year old female and I just want to post a follow up for my experience. It was I think April when I discovered I had a pilonidal cyst. It is now July and I've had NO problems. At first I thought my pilonidal area just hurt from the way I sit at my boyfriend's house in his computer chair. My whole butt has hurt before because the chair is not meant to sit in for hours while you play video games.
I decided just to wait and see if it bothered me the next day because usually it doesn't. This time it did. I had my mom look at the area, she's a nurse, and she said it looked fine and I could have bruised it. Eventually it started to swell and she said it could be a cyst. I've had subaceous cysts before, two on my legs. We went to the doctor who said it needed to be taken care of because it was infected. As it turned out he said antibiotics should help but if it was still as bad in a few days I should go back to get it drained. Just so everyone knows.
******************Antibiotic treatment************************
Both my doctor and the nurse said the same thing. Antibiotics don't always make it go away for good. What they do help with is to allow the cyst to encapsulate. He described it perfectly. At the stage my cyst was at to just suck the fluid out via a needle would be like sucking water out of a soaked sponge. What the antibiotics would help to do is to encapsulate the area so it wouldn't be spongelike anymore but balloon like. Since it's easier to suck the fluid out of a balloon rather than a sponge. Make sure to talk to your doctor about this if you don't want to jump head first into surgery rather than try lancing first. This REALLY helped with my treatment.
**************************************************************
It wasn't any better. Under deress I went back and sure enough he wanted to lance it and drain it. I thought, ouch, needles! He said it wouldn't be that bad because he'd shoot it up with painkillers, numbing agents. He shot it up ok. The needle kinda hurt as he put it in the area around the cyst but that was NOTHING compared to what I later dealt with. So my doctor then cut a little incision with the scapel, really small, about the length of a fingernail from the cuticle to the tip without the nails being over the tip of the finger. Then he proceded to push on my rear. Just above my crack. I could feel the liquid just running down into the pan. It's amazing at how much liquid there is in the cyst. He did not sew up the incision site. Instead he left it open and gave these instructions to my mom.
My mother was to use a q-tip and gently push it into the incision area to clear anything out of the way. Then push on my buttok like he did to futher drain the liquid.
Within days my mom noticed a difference. The puffy area was much smaller. Plus the area where the tissue was hard to the touch. That would be the area which was infected that the doctor wanted to encapsulate. That area was SO much smaller. It hurt like hell when my mom had to do that. But it was worth the pain.
My mom would have to "tourture" me 2 to 3 times a day and change dressing each time. But it was SO much better.
Before I saw the doctor to have it lanced I couldn't even sit! If I did need to sit, like at school, I had to lean foward to keep the pressure off it. I felt a BIG relief the same day it was lanced. I COULD SIT! Anyone who knows what a pilonidal cyst feels like knows to appreciate the ability to sit.
I would definately recomend talking to your doctor about your cyst. If need be find a doctor who knows what they're like. My doctor had a pilonidal cyst before, he knew my pain! But look into lancing if you don't want to go through surgery for whatever reason. It may not work for everyone. But it definately worked for me. Plus after lancing make sure to keep the area clean. Wash it and if you wear thong underwear, be sure they're not too tight. As that can cause an irritation to the area. I recomend if you wear thong underwear to wear the kind that's wide instead of like a string. It's more comfortable if you have a history of pilonidal cysts. And by all means make sure it's not tight! If it is, it can rub against the pilonidal area and force bacteria and particles in there that would cause an infection.
I hope my story helps. If anyone has further questions about my experience feel free to email me at drpepperholik@yahoo.com.
Date: July 15, 2005
StoryHello!
I`m a 33 year old mexican-american living in Saltillo (4 hour drive from the border with Texas) I had been (stupidly) suffering with the cyst for 6 years. First I felt pain in my tailbone and was scared it might be some thing deadly, so I kept it to myself for a while. It would appear, bulge, break & drain and disappear about twice a year, from then on it would appear and disappear about every 4 months. Finally around february 2005 it appeared, bulged, drained and just stayed there, God!, it was horrible, as most of you know this thing interfears even in your sex life.
So I finally decided to get rid of it through surgery. Well I checked with a couple of Drs. and most of them told me story of open wound, packing, draining and 4 months for recovery, that made me shudder, then a friend recommended a general surgeon who was a friend of her`s and I went. I was surprised to see such a young man (37 yrs. old) he asked me many questions, prior sicknesses, other surgeries, medications, he asked sooo many things that I thought weren`t necesary, but happily surprised he made a full background check. Then he checked it, made his diagnosis and sat me down for a detailed explanation of what was to be done, first he said he would blast me for 2 weeks with antibiotics, to reduce the inflamation/size of the cyst, explaining that if he didn`t do that he would have to do a open wound procedure, so I took the antibiotics along with a lactobacilus casei drink (this to ease my stomache from the antibiotics) and the cyst reduced it`s size. He did to me what is called a marsupalization, he removed about 1 pound of fat/flesh/cyst sac & skin, left the cavity but stretched the side skin over it and left a small drain hole and 14 stitches (half internal which disolve and the other half external), which of course will drain for a couple of months, but a small gauze tucked between my buttocks does the job, there is a 3% posibility that it will come out again, but he said he had removed more than necesary ( even my "crack" - then he made me a new one :).
After surgery, no pain! I only took pain medication 1 week after surgery, just in case. YES! there is a certain tension and fear of riping the stitches, but the material is so strong it`s almost imposible, I had no fear of infection because I only had to shower after using the potty and sprayed the toilet seat and other things I used with a disenfectant spray (HEB brand- cheaper) and who ever checked my wound had to wash their hands with an antibacteial soap (I bought the HEB brand- cheaper!) I am at week 6 and and with a thin scar down my new "crack" which nobody can see, sitting comfortably at my computer sharing with you this story in hope that you could talk to your own Drs. about antibiotics prior to the surgery and marsupialization instead of open wounds. If you have any questions/doubts and would like to contact my Dr. (for those of you who are close to the border) His name is Dr. Jose Ignacio Alustiza and his Pnone number from the USA is 011-52-844-455-0526. I wish all of you that are headed for surgery the best of luck , keep your chin up! and my heart is with you for those that are recovering or have had a bad experience.
Date: July 15, 2005
StoryHello, I'm a 19 year old male from Massachusetts. The first I learned of a Pilonidal Cyst was last Sunday when i was diagnosed with one. At first I thought it was just some random pain and that it would go away, but eventually it got worse. I had to have my cyst drained and packed which had to be the worst part. The road to recovery has just ended for me because my packing was pulled about 30 min ago, which was also painful. I am just glad doctors and I caught the cyst in time because it's friday right now and I am flying out to Greece on Wednesday and will be staying there for 3 weeks. As a closing statement I would just like to share that it is not easy to have a Pilonidal cyst, so good luck if you do realized you have one. They are very painful and not fun at all.
Date: July 15, 2005
StoryHi. I'm Kelli, a 26 y.o. vet student. Memorial Day weekend I noticed that my tailbone was quite sore. It's been sore before, maybe once a year, but never like this. This time the pain didn't go away. I had 2 friends visit me in 2 different weekend, thus I had been driving around, taking the city trains, and walking around as I was their tourguide for their vacation. Well, in one last 3 hour drive I noticed that I now had a lump. So, i went to the health center on campus and was told that I had a Pilonidal cyst w/ abscess. Talk about a pain in the ass...of course it had to be incised and drained. Fortunately my mom (a nurse) took care of me for the next few days w/ my bandage changes. I give lots of credit to those that attempt to change their own bandages! The biggest problem (aside from the agonizing pain I experienced during healing) was that I was leaving for South Africa 2 weeks later to work with wildlife for 3 weeks. All I could think was that "not all roads are paved in south africa." But, it healed ok and I enjoyed my 3 weeks with only 1 scare of reoccurance but my back up antibiotics came to the rescue. Now that I'm home, my dr told me to schedule the surgery. I have 2 years of school ahead of me, with no breaks. i.e...no time for another surprise abscess, nor time for 4-8 weeks of recovery. So, i really have not choice. I'm very frightened of the pain, however after reading all your stories I am somewhat relieved that the surgery pain won't be anything like the abscess pain. I'll let you know how it all goes...till then I'll be reading up on all the personal advice you are all posting. Thanks so much!
Date: July 15, 2005
StoryHi I am a 32 year old male from London Uk who has just had his pilonidal abscess removed just 4 days ago. however this is my second and like most people I was embaraced when I got the first abscess and did not go to my doctor until the pain was unberable and to the point where I could not sleep at night. I went to my doctor and was sent right to the hosiptal where I was taken right into surgery to have it removed. This time I know that this is nothing to be ashamed of and when the adscess started to form I went right to the hospital and had it opened up knowing that the discomfort after the surgery is far less painful. If you are suffering in pain and embarcement please just go to your doctor this is very common and nothing to hide.
Date: July 14, 2005
StoryI had my experience with pilonidal cysts my first year of college. It was the first week of school and I had just moved into the dorms. On the first day of classes my tailbone started hurting and then it just kept getting worse and worse. By the third day of classes I could hardly walk, it hurt so bad. I decided to drive home and see what my parents thought I should do because I had no idea what was wrong with me. I went to the hospitol and they told me that I had a pilonidal cyst. They lanced it right away (not a fun situation since my doctor was a young good-looking guy and I was in a ton of pain) and I was sent home. Even though it trip to the doctor was painful and a little embarrassing, it was totally worth it - I have not had any problems with cysts since then (and I hope it stayed that way!!).
Date: July 14, 2005
StoryI'm an 18 year old female. I had a pilonidal cyst about two years ago and it was a pretty bad experience. I just woke up one morning and it felt like my tailbone was bruised. I wondered if I had gotten up in the middle of the night and fell really hard or something... It kind of fluctuated between being really bad and not being able to feel it at all. But soon I got to the point where I could barely sit down. I went to the doctor and she (yes she, thank god) lanced it and gave me some antibiotics. It lessened for a little while but around September it started getting bad again. So finally I scheduled surgery to get it fully excised. The doctor who performed my surgery was also a female, and she really knew what she was doing. I had the surgery in October 2003, and the recovery was hell for a week or two... I couldn't sit down at all. As of now though, a year and a half later, I am so glad I had the surgery. I really recommend having it done if you know a good specialized surgeon. By the way it's really great to read peoples' stories here... I remember being so embarrassed that I had this cyst, and I thought it was probably so rare for it to happen to a 16 year old girl. So thank you!
Date: July 14, 2005
StoryI am an 18 yr old female. I got my cyst about 2 yrs ago. I had always noticed the slight indentation at the top of my butt crack but never thought anything of it. It had gotten so badly infected about 2 yrs ago that i had to have it lanced, i could barely move before it was lanced. The recovery afterward was not
pleasant either. My mom had to stuff the wound 2 times a day for several weeks and that was so painful. Since that experiance was so awful i decided that i didnt want to go ahead with the excision surgery. I figured i would take the chance that it may com eback. Well sure enough, 2 yrs later, it came back. I've been bleeding for 2 days now, the pain has lessened, but there's still some discomfort. I've decided i'd go ahead with the surgery.I guess it's for the best.___AA___
Date: July 12, 2005
StoryI've had my cyst for over a week now. At first I thought my crack was irritated because of a tag in my work pants, but it gradually got worse. It hurt to drive, to bend over, to sit straight. Sleeping was done on the side or on the stomach, and I'm a back-only sleeper! Then on Monday, the pain was unbearable. I was in tears and running a fever of 103F. Needless to say, I went to my GP who diagnosed it as a Pilonidal cyst. She also offered to give me references to surgeons, prescribed hotsoaks, hydrocodones, and biaxin as an antibiotic. I spent Monday afternoon curled in bed battling fever, nausea, and pain.
Tuesday morning, my darling pulsating infected cyst ruptured. I found that maxi pads worked excellently for catching the foul drainage. Changing my 'dressings' regularly, cleansing the area with unscented baby wipes, and applying a thin layer of triple antibiotic cream, I've found that the discharge has lessened in odor and viscosity. Also, pain in the area has greatly lessened, and I can even sit like a normal person!
Many thanks go to the webmaster and all who help maintain this site. The information here is wonderfully laid out and, well, informative. It's helped me a lot with my decision regarding surgery.
Date: July 12, 2005
StoryWith all the horror stories on here, I figured I'd tell my little tale to help even things out a bit. First, a little bit about myself. 20 yrs old, 6'0" 200lbs, fairly lean. I'd like to get involved in intercollegiate athletics next year, so I'm in pretty good shape.
Anyway, I was on a trip to visit some relatives about 15-20 hrs away. We made the trip in one day by car. We split the return trip into two days, and spend the night at a hotel. I notice that I'm having a little trouble sleeping, and sleep on my stomach that night. I wake up and note a damp feeling in back. From there I also notice a lump to the left of where my tailbone should be. After I get home, I try and figure out what it is that's making me feel rather silly, and I come upon this site. The more I read, the more I'm convinced I have a PA.
Well, I schedule a doctor's appointment ASAP and spent the time before that trying to not aggravate it and keep it clean as possible (3 showers or baths/day). In any case, I get to the doctor's today and he confirms what I already know: PA. We talk about treatment options for a bit, and since my case is relatively mild (about the size of your thumbnail, can't see sinus or
abscess unless you're really looking for it, minimal drainage and discomfort), I get a 10-day supply of antibiotics, get told to take Sitz baths at least a couple times a day, and if things do not dramatically improve by then to schedule a follow-up appt (the doc seemed very confident that this would do the trick). In any case, I drove myself home, and managed an 8-hr shift at my workplace, where I need to stand up, bend over, lift things, etc. At its worst it feels like there's something in my back pocket. While I don't have a conclusion to this story yet, I'd like to think that I'll be lifting weights and getting back on my conditioning program in a matter of days. Guess this is what I get for doing rough and touble things like sports.
Date: July 12, 2005
StoryHi! I am writing because my 18 yr old son won't. He had an open surgery on May 12 and is healing nicely. I have been changing dressings for the last 2 months and I am sure it is an embarrassment for him but I would give my life for any of my kids and this is all just another part of motherhood I suppose. I am writing to let the other readers know of a dressing that saved him from the pain after surgery. His doctor suggested dry 4x4 guaze pads but his pain was so bad that I started doing a lot of research. I finally found alginate dressing that aleviated if not eliminated his pain during dressing changes. You can get some samples online at www.hollister.com follow the prompts and click on wound care and you can get some free samples. I suggest you get the samples prior to surgery because they might take awhile to get. In the meantime, contact a medical supply store and purchase some alginate dressings. Very expensive but worth every penny. Good luck. Feel free to email me at DonnaDonut1104@hotmail.com
Date: July 10, 2005
StoryWhen I was about 15 or 16, I noticed one of these hard lumps right at the top and in between the crack of my butt. Thinking that was it was just a bone (which didn't make sense because the lump was more to the left side then the right!), I let it go and by the time I was 19 and in my Sophomore year of college, the lump suddenly got much larger within a few days. Finally, it had just gotten so large that I actually felt it and took a look at it in the mirror. WOW! It had to be 1 1/2 times the size of a golf ball and it was somewhat sore (but not like many people describe it on this website). It was at the point where sitting on it would be uncomfortable but not agonizing.
Finally that night I went to the emergency room and it had it lanced, which is where the doctor does and incision and drains out the pus and whatever else is in there. Great, the wound was left open and I had to go the college nurse every day for 2 weeks to have the packing changed (sweet!). After that it was healed and I was feeling good again. Still a small lump and I knew the cyst was still there because a lancing doesn't get rid of it. Then almost exactly a year later, while I was studying abroad in London, I started to feel it come back again. Could you imagine being in another country 3-4 months and having this thing acting up right in the middle of the trip? Good thing I had international health insurance from my school. Received two antibiotic prescriptions from two different doctors. That helped kick back the infection and I didn't have to worry about getting any procedures done while abroad THANK GOD.
When I returned home I immediately saw a Colo/rectal doctor (which I had specifically searched for in my HMO's available doctors) and scheduled excision surgery to be done a week and a half from that date. I had the surgery May 12 and the wound was left open to heal. It is now July 11th and the wound is looking pretty decent as it is just about closed. However, there is a bit of dent on the side where the cyst was primarily located. Hoping that will shape up eventually. I'm still not 100% confident that it is gone and probably won't be until after a year has gone by without any problems. Good luck to anyone who has to go through this. This website helped me a lot.
- Greg
Date: July 09, 2005
StoryWell, this is Michael again with Part 3 of my story (Pt. 1 began on July 3). The day after I went to the ER, the cyst burst as I was bending down at work. I felt INSTANT relief. Thank god, because the night before was complete AGONY. There was no horrible odor because I had begun treatment so rapidly. Every day I soaked in the bath for 1/2 hour unitl the wound healed. In the meantime, I saw a General Surgeon who specializes in this and we made a couple decisions. 1st of all, I am going to continue to soak in the tub when I can. 2nd, I will shave the area, keeping the hairs as short as possible. And 3rd, I will see the doc again in about a month and plan a surgery to permanently remove the cyst. To anyone who puts off treatment and an operation, you are NUTS. You are risking much more involved and invasive surgery in the future. Most people recover from surgery within a week, but if you have continuous pilonidal
problems and delay and delay and delay your treatment the cyst gets
worse, the infection gets deeper, and your recovery time increases.
For those who say they don't have the money, this is what Medicaid
is for. A Pilonidal Cyst can be nothing more than an inconvenience
if you IMMEDIATELY react and start treatment. By waiting and
DELAYING, you are going to have a lot of pain in your future.
Date: July 09, 2005
Storythis is my story,
Hi my name is chris and im going to be a senior and graduate in 2006. One day i had felt a lot of pain and i missed a day's worth of rest.i still went to school with the pain cause i never missed a day of school and this pain wasn't going to stop me from going to school.I had went to the clinic and they told me it was a sabaceous csyt and gave me medicine(big horse pills).about 3weeks later i had found a hole right next to my tailbone and i amediatly went to The Little Falls hospital and they had told me it was pilonidal Cyst and they gave me different medicine.They told me that i should have it surgically removed even though mine was small he had told me that the longer you wait for surgery the bigger it will get. He even told me that he has delt with patients that had a cyst about the size of a baseball! of coarse mine was a size of a bb.i went to a couple of appointments the had pre op before sugery and for the people that dont know what pre op is , its just giving blood. i had sergury 3 days ago and i had to be put to sleep even though this was my biggest fear, but i was strong cause i wanted this to go away.People dont wait get it done! the longer you wait the worst and most horrible pain you'll have. Iv'e got it easy but im in little pain and there isnt much that i can do till i fully recover.doctor told me i cant go to work till after 2 weeks so he can remove the staples and the packing.for oh and a nother thing dont do and anesetics to the spine cause your taking the risk of being paralyzed. just tell them to put the stuff in your IV.
Sincerly, Chris Carpenter
Date: July 08, 2005
StoryI currently have a cyst. I have had for almost 1.5 years now. I have had it lanced twice. The last time I went to get it lanced, they said I need to have surgery done on it. Well...I also heard that after surgery, I will have to take about 3-6 weeks off work b/c I will be in so much pain. I was wondering if this is true. Because I wanna have the surgery, I just can't really take time off work. Someone please respond to this. Thank you for your help. *~*DJ*~*
Date: July 07, 2005
StoryI found out I had it in my senior year of high school. I was at school one night ( I took night classes) and I was in a huge amount of pain. I couldnt sit and I was trying to hide the tears. I decided to tell my teachers I had to go, and so I called home and they picked me up. I had a seriously high fever and a large red lump on my booty in the top of my crack. I was rushed ot the ER and they took my temp, it was around 103F. I was halucinating and everything it was so high. My friend called my fiance at the time and told him what was going on. I was soon taken into the room where the dr told me what I had, pumped me full of Antibiotics and order an emergency surgery to drain the fluid for the next morning.
About 3 months after that another surgery was schedualed to close the cyst or what ever it is. The first one I was packed shut, and yes I did it with no pain killers (I hate pills) that was harsh I missed a month of school because of it but I still made that up and graduated early infact. But I had never heard of this condition before. Just to sclear things up yes I am a female lol and I was engaged at age 17. I am not married and have been for three years, and to this da yI am praying tha ti t does nto come back although I must admit I have a sore lump a bit higher than the first time, and I hate an attack from it once before this. maybe though mine is becaus eI was sutured up the second time after surgery. I just could not handle having the dressing changed everyday for 2 months 2 times a day by my mom. It was pain full. Although I think I got to do the one thing that all people want to do after that surgery, I kicked the doctor in the nutts lol cause he didnt warn me it was gonna hurt lol. I also have pcos and have been told that this could be part of it, and yes I have a hairy boot ybut my hubby likes it and that is all that matters lol.
Date: July 07, 2005
Storyi felt pain about 2 months ago. I did not know what was going on. My mom took me to the doctors where they diagnosed it as being pilonidal cyst. It soon after hurt so bad. The doctor referred me to a surgeon where he looked at it. We scheduled surgery for july 5 2005. Its been 2 days now and there has not been any pain or discomfort. Im so happy.
Date: July 06, 2005
Story(july 6th author, as u have dubbed me) I went to the mall today, and while i was walking, it ripped open....I screamed right next to hottopic, and i felt stuff running down my leg....I hobble-ran to the bathroom, it was blood/pus, some of the pressure is gone, but it hurt sooo bad...I'm crouching while i write this, (im not gonna cut it, im not brave enough to do that after today's rupture or whatever) I checked out some of the links here, and I think i have the anal fistula-spinoff, rather than the pilonidal, both the pusbag and the opening are actually on my....self (not my "no-no" region tho). Oh god it hurts, but its not bad credit that is stopping me, we dont have ANY means of paying for it....(no credit card/bank card) our credit already sucked....Jeez it hurts
Date: July 06, 2005
StoryTo the July 6th author who doesn't want to go to the doctor: What you are doing is spreading the infection into healthy cells. By squeezing and cutting you are not only doing severe physical damage, but you are making things MUCH worse for yourself in the short and long-term. The awful smell you mentioned is INFECTION. Cells are DYING. By constantly rupturing cells, it is possible the infection can make it down to your no-no spot, which would be a DISASTER. You are definitely playing with fire. I don't wish you luck, but I do wish a little common sense will make you go to the doc, even if it may put you back some money. What is more important to you, bad credit or a horribly infected backside?
Date: July 06, 2005
StoryHi....I'm 16 and my family has a history of pilonidal cysts... my grampa had one, my dad had one, my uncle etc. (it seems to be a male thing in my family) I knew I had one long before my first real problem (2 days ago), because my dad had seen it when i was a little kid (before it ruptured or whatever) He used to get in sooo much pain, and get sick... We couldnt really afford hospital trips, so it took years of flare-ups and drainage before he saw a doc. Long story short they never completely cleared his up...
2 days ago, while i was wiping, the tissue came up with alot of blood.... I thought perhaps I had a small tear in my....region....yesterday i felt this huge lump in the same region, so i poked and prodded it, with a ton of pain, until i decided to get a small mirror....I saw what I was pretty sure was the pilonidal, but I thought it coulda been just a boil...So i stuffed a rag in my mouth and grabbed the protrusion and squeezed it really hard, and I got this sensation like it squirted into itself, and I almost passed out with the pain....We cant really afford the doc, so i've been considering numbing it with ice and lancing it myself with a razor....I just havent gotten up the courage yet, becuase it hurts soooo much....I didnt know u had to "pack" the wound, so I guess this site has saved me a bunch of pain...I still think im going to cut it open though, so I can sit/go to the restroom without any more agony. My boxers for these last 3 days have reeked horribly no matter how many times i bathe or change them, so i think its got a small hole in it (the cyst) I suppose ill cut it tomorrow.... Wish me luck!!!
Date: July 05, 2005
StoryI am a 28 year old male. It was about 1997 when I first noticed this. I was snowboarding in Canada when I fell pretty hard on my "rear" It hurt so much I went to the Care Center...Whistler Mountain has an incredible care center by the way...I noticed my "crack" feeling kinda wet...so I figured "Great now my ass is bleeding" When they looked at it they also took an xray and nothing was broken. I asked them what the "wetness" was and they said it looked like an infected pimple broke when I fell...we had a good laugh. Fast forward a few years and I started noticing lumps in my "crack"...they would come and go and then drain and that would be the end of it. About 2 weeks ago I got a lump that was the last straw...Swelled up out of nowhere and hurt like hell. I went to the proctologist and he said I indeed had a pilonidal cyst. Needless to say today I am 4 days post-op with about a 5 inch long open wound about 1/2 inch deep. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain so I am trying to "save" my Vicodins for later. My wife has been great with the packing and cleansing of it. Being that she is a trauma nurse nurse she has seen much worse. So far I am happy to have gotten the surgery and will hopefully have a happy ending to my story but I will keep you updated as my healing progresses.
Date: July 04, 2005
StoryI had a flare up of the syst over spring break. I am 18 and attending college. My parents knew something was wrong when I came home and rather than wakeboarding and going out with my friends and being active like I normaly am I was laying on my stomach on the bed in so much pain that I couldn't walk from one room to the next. I didn't get my syst drained. One day it got so big that I could take it and my mom came hom to find me ridiculous amounts of pain. I am guessing the syst drained itself. Somehow? I haven't read any stories where this happend to someone else. I felt the syst coming for a week, when it got here it was HELL and it drained and the pain and the swelling have been gone since. I stil have a dark spot where it was, and if it were to ever starts to hurt I can push puss out of that hole thats there. I have an appt. in 3 days with a general surgeon to figure out if I need surgery. Does anyone out there know what type of sugery I should look into? I've heard theres a few kinds. I just don't know about my case because it doesn't seem anyone has experience certain things I have. So if anyone can offer advice, on sugeries, healing time, and so on please feel free to let me know SOMETHING!
Date: July 04, 2005
StoryPart TWO of my story (See July 3 for pt. 1). This is MICHAEL again! So, after work I went straight to the ER with Pilonidal printouts in hand. The doc was surprised I knew so much about it and never had one before (THANK YOU SITE!). Apparently, it was not ready to be lanced (DAMN!), but I was given a 'scription for Percoset and an antibiotic, Cefadroxil. Last night it felt like a soldering iron was being stuck into my tailbone, but the Percoset helped. I was given a referral to a booty-surgeon, which I will make an appointment with tomorrow. Thank god for my wife, because she has really helped me out through this agonizing experience. I will add a part THREE after I talk to the surgeon. My advice to everyone is DO NOT HESITATE and go to the ER ASAP if you think you may have this. The faster you start trying to control it, the better.
Date: July 03, 2005
StoryThis story is going to be in two parts. Part 1, which will discuss my pre-MD experience, and Part 2, which will go into what I encountered once I saw a doctor, will be entered at a later date.
My name is MICHAEL and I suffer from booty-crack pain. As of today, I have been experiencing pain at the top of my booty-crack for about 48 hours. I first noticed it when I was sitting on the floor, playing with my two year old (I am 31) at about 6pm. It felt weird, like it could be a bug bite, so I just let it ride without thinking much about it. However, when I woke up the next day, I definitely knew something was up. The zone directly above my booty-crack was red and sore...when I pressed on it it KILLED! I actually thought it might be a broken tail-bone, but I couldn't remember hurting it. I work out twice a week, but couldn't remember anything which could have caused a broken tail bone. When I went to bed that second night I took a Benidryl just in case I was having a very bad reaction to a bug. When I got into work today, it had been about 36 hours since the first dull pains occured. I Google searched "coccyx pain" and BOOM...found this site. THANK GOD!
Today after work I am heading straight to the ER (it is a Sunday on a holiday weekend, otherwise I would go to my GP on Monday). I think I am prepared. I am even bringing some printouts from the links on this site! It will have been less than 48 hours since the first tingles, so I hope I have caught it early.
Part two tomorrow...
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