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Date: April 27, 2009
Storyhi everyone, i live in Melbourne, Australia. Have had 2 surgeries to date. First one was some sort of flap procedure. Then few years later (SEP 2008) an open surgery nothing major. But now am getting flare ups and its just NOT fun. Its really bringing me down, left my full time job end of last year(2008), trying to find sales reps jobs or work from home jobs that work. After the open surgery, i swear i have had bad luck. From recovering from the open surgery, i got an ulna nerve entrapped on my left elbow, which basically just makes your two left finger go permanent pins and needles. Then not wanting to make my left arm worse, i started using my right arm more often and developed bursitis, which then had to have a cortisone steroid shot into my shoulder and still both aren't healed. AHHHH!!!! i shout out. How frustrating. Still living at home, wanting to move out, now 29yrs old, but obviously not a good idea. Life really sux at the moment. So exhausted from thinking and trying to find work. This website is great have bought myself 2 pillows, and doing my best to manage my P.S. If anyone knows of how i can work from home and make somewhat a $400-$600 AUD dollars please please let me know. Ideas or methods that really work. Good luck for all those other sufferers i feel ya. I think there should be a support group here in Melbourne, Australia would love to chat and share my pain and help one another.
Thanks, take care, good luck
Bruno
umabola@hotmail.com
Date: April 19, 2009
StoryApril 19, 2009
I am a 43 yr old female born with spina bifida occulta. About 10 years ago, I had my first encounter with pilonidal cyst. My OB diagnosed it after it had already ruptured and sent me for emergency surgery to a gen. surgeon. The surgeon laid me down on his table and used a local anesthea
that did nothing. It was Barbaric! The pain was crazy and it ends up
that he did not just lance it, but excised. He put a bandage on it
and sent me to drive myself home.
Over the past ten years the site has flared up several times, sometimes worse than others. The lancing or aspiration process was so painful and barbaric I began refusing those treatments in preference for antibotics.
Last Spring, I went to a surgeon again for a consult on having
surgery again and he told me that I would most likely have a wound
that would appear like a shark had taken a bit out of my back, would
probably suffer sever deformity and would have to wear a vacuum on
my would for a month or 2. That was a pretty easy NO.
Last week, another infection reared it's ugly head and the antibotics just would not do it this time. My gen practitioner advised me that he wanted to send me to the ER and have a surgeon look at it. I was adimate
that I was not having any procedure without some working anesthesia.
He assured me he would advocate for me. I brought my husband who
also helped me beg the ER doctors for anesthesia and they finally
agreed to do it under a general. So far, so good.
There is no reason why the medical industry can not approach this horribly painful disease with more compassion and use of pain control. They use various cocktails of anesthesia for other procedures that are often not even as painful. There's no need to treat me with such Barbaric and antiquated approaches to what appears to be a fairly common disease.
Noelle
Schenectady, NY
Date: April 19, 2009
StoryHi, i had a pilondial abscess operated on about a year ago, when i was seven months pregnant. i had noticed a pimple like thing in my bum crack a few times over the years but just assumed it was a pimple. Then it appeared again one day and progressively got worse over a three day period until i went to my OB and he diagnosed the pilonidal. he drained itand it felt heaps better but it came back worse about two days later and i ended up having to have surgery under general anaesthetic even tho i was so heavily pregnant. there was no other option coz the antibiotics just werent enough to get rid of it. needless to say i was in excrutiating pain. and afterwards i had to have the wound redressed every day for two weeks. luckily, the nurses that came to my house were excellent and very understanding. they all reckoned that pilonidals were really common - even tho i had never even heard of them before i had mine.
one year on, my scar is still quite noticable and it does feel tender every now and then. if it ever gets sore i am under strict instructions never to hesitate rushing back to the doctor for a check in case its going to flare up again. this is the most painful and inconvenient (and embarrassing) thing i have ever experienced and whats worse is that a lot of people just dont understand.
im glad i found this website, its comforting to know im not the only one suffering!
Date: April 18, 2009
StoryI am 19 years old and
roughly 7 weeks pregnant. Not overweight at all, 125 pounds and 5'0. I discovered the top of my crack hurting quite a bit, like I hurt my tailbone or something, about a week ago. It was red and tender, but no signs of cysts. I went to the doctor and they said it was Coccydynia.. well when it turned into a boil a few days later, we realized it definitely wasn't.
It looked like a small pinky lying in the crease there. My doctor/OB checked it out and decided I needed to come back later that day to have it lanced. (Since i'm pregnant they can't give me anesthetics, therefore I can't have the surgery just yet.)
Needless to say, it was the most painful experience of my life. I've never cried and screamed so much. They numbed it with some freezing spray and several shots, which I barely felt. The worst part was pushing on it and squeezing all the gunk out, then the cold water to rinse it.. Very uncomfortable.
After I left it felt much better though, I could sit, stand, lay down.. It was great.
I went yesterday to get it re-dressed and didn't really know what to expect. My nurse didn't really know what she was doing and just kind of dug around in it trying to put the new wic in,
EXCRUCIATING.
So today I found this site, in hopes to build a little bit of strength so I can carry out the rest of my dressings and finally get on with my life.
Date: April 17, 2009
StoryI think it's important for people to know, especially those of us with cruddy insurance, that this cyst has the possibility to be unworldly pain. There's no use hiding it, looking away, or calling it a pinch. if you have one and your doc is a meany, this is going to expand your threshold. period. I'm currently sitting on my cyst for the second week in. after one week of pain, it eventually ruptured. setting aside the shame of asking my ma to help me squeeze it completely flat, pushing the thick brackish pus through a pinhole, I was free to experience the full 20 minutes of hell.
It decreased in size significantly, but I knew after that experience I was ready for the surgery. I needed this thing dead for sure. The doctor gave me only local anesthetic, and it was not very effective. I felt the rapid fire jabs of his q-tip as he stuffed me full of the anti-bacterial ribbon. I felt his finger inside me, and his steel tools scooping. he knew this and worked fast. thankfully, what I didn't feel was the slicing and internal scraping.
afterward, he prescribed no pain killers. no vicoden. no codine. for the last 4 days,
I've revisited the pain of removing the sticky gauze and having it packed back into my tender wound. while I stood in the shower removing the ribbon, it was like a magic trick gone terribly wrong. it simply would not end and when it did, I felt weak in my knees, dizzy, and ill.
since those first 4 days, it's gotten more acceptable. It's by no means comfortable, it's not even simply unpleasant, but I've grown accepting of it and I know soon it will grow even more bearable.
I'm telling you this now not to prevent your surgery, but give you faith that, even without much of any medicinal aide, this CAN BE DONE. know yourself. if you need to be knocked out, if you need vicoden, get it. don't let anyone tell you to cowboy up and be a man. if you endure this, even as I do, managing only a single packing a day despite doctor recommendation, you will recover, and you will be stronger for it.
Good luck.
Date: April 16, 2009
StoryBleach worked for me
I had a pilonidal cyst that was bleeding every time that I would go to the bathroom or take a shower, but I'm free of it now and haven't seen any sign of it for over a month.
All I did was to have my mom shave the area with a normal razor, and then apply 1/2 strength bleach twice a day, for 3-5 minutes at a time (using a cotton swab). I did this for only a week, and it was dramatic how quickly the bleeding stopped and the bump subsided and disappeared.
Now mind you, it gave me a bright red bleach burn in and around the area where I was applying it, but it seems to me that that is exactly what you want to happen: You're trying to kill not only all the germs and viruses, but also to destroy the oil-secreting cells.
Before this, I had tried shaving + using alcohol and as-hot-as-you-can-stand-it shower faucet water twice a day, but those did nothing. Only Bleach did the trick; bleach kills everything. The only thing I do now is that I am careful to watch my posture.
Date: April 16, 2009
StoryGreat big sigh.....Hello, my name is Carla and I too am a long time pilonidal cyst sufferer..I am 39 and my cyst started in my early teens. Boil like at first,like a white head. My mom is a nurse so she'd open it,just the head and dress it...antibiotics were always on hand so we'd do that too. Sits baths etc. I had it lanced in the Dr office maybe 6 yrs ago. It was evacuated and packed ,and we had to irrigate and change the packing daily. Fast forward six yrs, it never went away,it would flare ,the Dr would put me on antibiotics, it would calm to a dull roqr..on and on. I was told I needed the big surgery, but with 4 kiddies,it was never optimum time.
In Jan of 09 I had my surgery, the first one. The Dr used the blues dye to find the tracts,cleaned it all out, and closed it. Sits baths, antibiotics, that i had a sever allergic reaction to....anyway...pressure continued to build behind that incission ,and on April 4, I had to have it redone. This time left open ,and packed. They used a ton of antibiotics during surgery, and so didn't come home with any. Here is a side note...I have become allergic to so many antibiotic over the years,as a result (I believe) of being on so many for so long...not good guys,anyaway,I am a week out of the second surgery,and dressing this twice a day,cleaning etc...the pain is getting worse,and there is yellow puss again...NOW my question is this...Have any of u ever had a bone scan to see if there was bone infection,causing the recurrances? Have any of u pursed an infectious disease Dr? if so how did u make out? Any input is much appreciated. I am very frustrated ` and discouraged at this point....I'm all ears~ ty in advance ~ carla in Pa
Date: April 15, 2009
StoryI'm 20 years old and I first had the boil appear when I was 19. I lanced it myself, which was stupid, and it drained A LOT. My Dad is a physician and he thought it was just a boil or something. Well I dealt with drainage and only minor pain occasionally but it was very embarrassing at times.
Well I decided finally that it was time to take care of it. After over a year of "dealing with it". I went to a surgical consult who agreed with my self-diagnosis of a Pilonidal Cyst, I'm a medical student. He scheduled surgery for a week later and the surgery went just fine. He did say he was surprised I wasn't in more pain because I had two cysts and four sinuses and they were infected.
The surgeon placed four drains and some stitches. He did the incision of the mid-line, which is definitely the route to go. After a week the drains came out, there is a lot of drainage but it's totally worth it. After another week all the stitches came out. The drainage completely stopped a week after the stitches came out.
I'm a month out and I feel great. There is no pain sitting and there is no drainage for the first time in over a year. I would highly recommend doing the surgery. It's so great now. The sinuses are almost all completely closed and should be totally closed by the weekend. Having "lived with it" and now, there is no comparison. I just want you guys to know there is success, the treatment of these cysts has come a long way.
Date: April 10, 2009
StoryHello :) Well.. I'm 21 years old, from Bangalore in India. My story starts about 8 months ago. I had the usual noticeable symptoms: Started with the boil. Thought it would go away. Then I noticed the sinus tract under the skin. Got it checked with a regular doc who just lanced it. But it did not solve the problem. Eventually, I started reading up about the problem and made up my mind to visit a great family surgeon who said excision was necessary. But when he mentioned excision I was a little taken aback and after much deliberating decided to go through with it as it was summer holidays and I definitely had the time to let it heal. The procedure was performed last Saturday. It lasted just bout twenty minutes. 3 tracts were found. Approximately a 2” x 1” section of about 1” depth was removed. Surgery was perfect, haven’t felt any pain , even till today. There is mild discomfort at times when I get out of bed or climb out of cars.
Nearly been 7 days now. Getting the wound dressed every day. DO NOT USE HYDROGEN PEROXIDE! Hurts like a @#$%&. I have been eating lots of freshly cooked food and loading up on pulses, soy, eggs, fish and chicken. Importantly I have been on antibiotics, having tablets that give me a good dose of vitamins and supplements especially vitamin C and zinc. Few tips I have for my PS friends out there: 1. Go to a doc if you have the problem, take that first step please. 2. The pictures on the website though useful are graphic and are cases which have been worse. 3. Excision is not as gruesome as it seems. If you have the time on your hands, go for it. 4. Have someone drive you around during treatment. I nearly passed out once when I stepped out of the hospital after a hydrogen peroxide shock induced by a careless nurse 5. You may ask yourself, why YOU!!!. Well, I had it too : )
If anyone needs any info or help in my part of the globe or anywhere I’d be more than glad to. Email me on: kunalpal@mail.com .
Date: April 07, 2009
StoryThis story is my husbands really. I'm just the nurse.
Sam has had this ongoing since his teens and is 32 now. He had seen doctors before that just go in and so "oh, well you have a boil" and proceed to do nothing. My husband is a very hairy guy and when this came on it was with a
vengeance. We found only on e home remedy that worked and it was just to get the darn things to a head. You cut an onion and take a really thick ring about one and a half inches thick and take the middle core out of it (So you have like an onion donut) and bake it in the oven for about 15 minutes then put it over the spot. It leeches out the poison on the more minor ones. The problem was when they were further down into the "nether regions".
This last time nothing worked. I was out of town for a few days visiting family and Sam, not wanting to ruin my vacation didnt tell me how bad it was. When I got back he was in soooo much pain we took him to the hospital immediately.
It was supposed to be a day procedure but the way the schedule was they couldn't get him into surgery till after hours and its a good thing. The next morning when they were showing me the steps for care, he started bleeding all over the place (he was butterflied open and all the infected area was removed). I was very scared and there was a puddle of blood under him. They had to rush him back into the OR and cauterize some blood vessels. Then his oxygen levels were low when he came out and he had to stay on oxygen all day. Don't get all scared if you are reading this before surgery, it wasn't typical but we found out the hard way he was also anemic.
He is in his second week of recovery right now. Lots of pain pills. The doctor took out the rubber stint yesterday and now I have to go in it with a Qtip and that is a bit more painful. We don't know but maybe he will be back to work in a couple more weeks.
Luckily since we both work together at a restaurant I am able to cover about 50% of his shifts.
I am so glad I found this and will be showing it to the hubby when he wakes up!
Thanks!
Date: April 04, 2009
StoryHello,
My name is Scott a fellow sufferer. The problems for me started about ten or so years ago. I would have flare ups about every two or three years, due to improper posture while sitting, or just leaning the wrong way, or just by sweating. The first time (it) flared up on me, I did the guy thing by ignoring the pain and saying to myself: it will just go away on its own, I don't need to see a doctor..(you know the guy macho crap).
But, as time went by it got worse, i couldn't sit, sleep on my back, or drive my car, or do anything that required a lot of moving. It made my family and me miserable.
After about 6 months of pain and torture. I broke down and went to my family physician, she was surprised I waited that long to come in and see her, due to the severity of the cyst. They gave me antibiotics and painkillers on my first visit,which took care of the pain and infection.
Until, it reared its ugly head again. I'm not sure why, but it did.
So, I went back to my physician and was referred to a surgeon to have it lanced. Which I did, and that only lasted about two years, which I feel is not very long.
The third time (it) came back with a vengeance, and more painful. So, I went back to my doctor again and she referred me to another surgeon, this time to have it totally removed (hooray). The procedure didn't take long at all, about three hours and was done just recently (April 3,2009), if this makes it where (it) and I don't have to come back.
I say, if you have the insurance, or no insurance and can afford it...skip having the thing lanced and just have it removed on the first flare up. I wish I would have, it would have saved me and my family the pain and torment of going back and forth to doctors and surgeons offices.
Date: April 02, 2009
StoryHello fellow sufferers,
I’m a 20 year old female who had her first complication about a month ago. After a couple of days of excruciating pain, I went to urgent care to get my cyst diagnosed and dealt with. The doctor said the sinus was draining (maybe a drop? Not really), so he didn’t lance it. I got some antibiotics and a follow-up appointment. The next night, a miracle! I was in my usual position of face down on my bed, and I felt this little trickle. Lo and behold, the sinus was finally draining properly! I would say about half of it drained that night (THANK GOD). What a freaking relief! I continued to take my antibiotics and ibuprophen (I was eating that stuff like candy), and made sure the area stayed clean and nice.
I had a follow up appointment on Friday with a family care doctor, and she referred me to a surgeon. When I went to the surgeon’s office, he looked at the area and said I actually had 3 sinuses (I thought I only had one), and that two of them had already closed. The surgeon said that it probably wouldn’t just go away on its own, but he could do a phenol treatment. Basically, he went in and dug around in the cyst with some tweezer/scissor things and cleaned out all the hair and crap. This started out not really being painful, but eventually it was just like he was stabbing me (which in a way he was..). This pain, however, was NOTHING compared to when the cyst was infected, I was more than willing to get it fixed then and there. After that, he had a nurse come in so he could do the phenol treatment. This time, he used local anesthesia because the phenol burns. He only got a little phenol on some skin that wasn’t numbed, so there was some moderate burning for about a minute then it was all good. After that I got some gauze and went home! This was about 2 weeks ago, and as far as I can tell the sinuses have closed up, and I haven’t had any further complications (cross your fingers)!
I had done A LOT of research on the internet before I went to the doctor, and I’d like to tell anyone who’s reading this that the research REALLY helped me. Getting help from the doctor was much easier when I was able to say, ‘Um yeah I think I have a pilonidal thingy’, and when the surgeon suggested doing a phenol treatment I could ask questions about it. Also, I never had my cyst lanced, and by the sound of it those are pretty traumatic. Cross your fingers for no surgery for me!
I also wanted to write this post because so many of the accounts that I’ve read on sites like this involve horror stories. I decided that if this all worked out for me I would write a nice post and give people some hope. If you had told me when I was in the most pain that I would be pain-free a week later, I wouldn’t have believed you. This was the worst experience of my whole life, but now I’ve lived through it and it will hopefully continue to be ok, without surgery :)
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Date: March 28, 2009
StoryFor some, an alternative treatment to surgery?
I am a 33 year old male and first noticed the cyst in my early twenties. It flared occasionally (every few months) but I first noticed it draining as open sore about 7 years ago in my late-twenties. This lasted about a year, and at the time the doctor told me to try a salty bath for 2 hours or so every other day for a few weeks. I did not take this advice because I suppose that being a young single guy with a job that had long hours, I did not have time for long baths, and frankly, I thought the doctors treatment seemed a bit irrelevant. Over the past 7 years, my cyst subsided somewhat but unfortunately flared up quite badly and continously in 2005 after I took a nausea-inducing hit in the area while playing sports.
I should note that when I saw a doctor in December 2007, he advised that I had a mild case with just one apparent pocket/opening. I explained that it flared and drained (mostly at night) for about 3 days about twice a month, and at its peak caused trouble for me when sleeping on my back, as the pain seemed spread across my lower back. He thought my case warranted surgery and being mild, would heal fairly well.
Then in Sept 2008, I took a 2 week holiday to Florida and the Caribbean, and for the first time as a working adult, I had 2 weeks off with no sight-seeing agenda. My family and I spent every day in or by the pool or ocean for at least half the day or longer. Shortly after we returned, I noticed that the cyst was flat for the first time since my early twenties. Since then, for the past 8 months, it has not flared up one, with no swelling or drainage, and has remained completely clear. I am careful to wash the area with soap twice a day, though not sure if that makes a difference.
I assume that at some point it may flare up, and also know that not everyone can take time out for a long beach / pool break but in my case, However, I am convinced that as a treatment at least, and thought I would share my experience with, in case it might bring hope to those of us with a milder case?
Best of health to you all
Date: March 25, 2009
StoryI'm 20 and after months was diagnosed. My (army) doctor didn't know what it was and sent me to multiple doctors. I opted for surgery and had the sack removed. I was stiched up afterwards. I am told this is key to it not ripping open again. I wanted to tell my story so that others will consider having the stiched up afterwards as well. It was painful.. very painful. I couldn't sit, stand, walk, lay down, go to the bathroom. Everything hurt and I was desperate to have the stiches removed. After 3 weeks they were and my wound never ripped open. Years later, the only problem I have now is sudden random pain every once in awhile. It's bearable and lasts only seconds.
If you opt to have the surgery. Please make sure you get the stiches. Packing just doesnt seem like a good option to me.
Date: March 24, 2009
StoryI'm a 21 y/o female who had my first flare up in 2003. It started with pain in my rear-end after my horseback riding lessons and progressed slowly for a year until I was constantly draining and couldn't ride for very long at all. One day during class the pain became so intense that my teacher sent me to the nurse (who called my mother). I was taken to my doctor who diagnosed me immediately but took several days to give us a referral to someone who could do something about it. The specialist lanced it, saying it was the worst infection he had seen in his career. I spent the next two weeks laying face down on my couch.
I finally had surgery a week before Christmas. We have photos of me giving my horse her holiday treat with a drainage pouch pinned to my coat. It took me six months before I could get back in the saddle (literally). But I haven't had any problems since!
Date: March 21, 2009
Story3/21/2009 Hi! I am a 28 year old female who is 34 weeks pregnant and OHHHH do I wish I didn't have to write this story!
My pilonidal cyst reared its ugly head when I was about 17 after a bad fall on an ice rink that resulted in breaking my tail bone. For years I would only have about 1 flare up per year - if that - and it would drain on it's own - no pain, just annoying. Sometimes it would even go dormant for years...
Flash forward to Aug 2008...My husband and I found out we were pregnant and 8 weeks into the pregnancy it flared up worse than I had ever experienced. I couldnt walk, sit, move without screaming and crying in pain (maybe labor will be easier! ha ha). I went to an urgent care doc and she prescribed Cephalexin? (Keflex) for 10 days for the abcess. After excruciating pain for 3 days and living on the couch, it did go away for a while...then reccured again a few months later. In Dec, we went on a 10hr road trip for Christmas which I knew would be a recipe for disaster - sitting for 10 hours...ugh. Of course, it came back again and I decided to try getting it cut and drained in January before it got painful to see if that would help - loved the procedure, in and out, relatively painless except for the shot to numb the area. The doc at the urgent care (who now knows me by name and face) used to be in OB/GYN and also worked as a doc in the army so he had lots of experience with pilonidal cysts. I was HAPPY...
THEN Feb. - I let it get really painful and got it drained - BAD IDEA. The numbing agent only works on the skin not the actual cyst so it was like 20 minutes of pain HELL while the doc squeezed and pressed on it to drain all the puss. Not one of my better moments! It healed after 3 days. Then in early March I caught it early and got it cut again. It healed. Now it's been just 2 weeks since the last incision and drainage and it is ready to be drained again. UGH! It has been reccurring every 4 weeks and now it's down to every 2! I don't know what to do anymore! I have 6 weeks left until I deliver my baby and am just trying to manage it until post-delivery so I can get it removed once and for all - hopefully! I am so glad to know that I am not the only one suffering with this horrid condition. I am guessing the hormones or extra weight from pregnancy are making this worse for me...but who knows! Thanks for reading.
Date: March 21, 2009
StoryI am a 26 year female who just had surgery on Friday March 13th, 2009. When I was 19 and recovering from an appendectomy, (removal of the appendix) my pilonidal cyct ruptured. I went to my dermatologist because I didn't even know what it was at the time. He sent me home telling me that it would heal on it's own. It festered and ruptured monthly with my menstrual cycle.
After some research to figure out what I had, I went to my primary care physican to get a referral for a surgeon. Dr. Phan in Waterford, MI performed the surgery successfully, but the aftercare was horrific.
The pain medication made me so nauseous I could bairly eat, and calling my surgeon to get something else was a joke. Finally after three days of calling he called in a prescription for hydrocodone which does not have codeine in it.
My only discharge instructions were a sitz bath twice a day. He never told me I needed to re-pack the open wound (four inches long, two inches deep, one onch wide.) twice a day, which left the wound irratated and stinky. I demanded that he see me six days post-op because I was affraid it was getting infected.
So here I am eight days post-op cleaning my wound (the shower works better than the sitz bath because my wound is so long) and re-packing like a champ!
This website helped me SOOO much with different products I need to get. I wish I found it before my surgery. It would have saved me a lot of pain and frustration. Thank you for the information!!!
Date: March 20, 2009
StoryI am 23 years old and have had problems with cysts since I was 15. The first time my parents took me to a doctor he told me that I was allergic to anti-perspirant (it was in my armpit) and that I needed to change to baby powder. We did that for a year until I started getting so sick that I was coughing up blood and losing a bunch of wait. I was rushed to the hospital to find that it was actually a cyst that was getting progressivly worse. 3 days later I had surgery and it hasn't bothered me since. 1 year later I had surgery on my tailbone for the first time, 1 year after that I had another surgery on my other armpit, April 2007 was yet another tailbone surgery with yet another following right after this past september. I'm still healing from the last one as there was complications with some nerves that got slightly damaged. I have been in constant pain for 8 years and I'm really getting sick of it. I've been doing what the doctor has told me, with the cleaning and the hair removal(though i naired like there was no tomorrow and still had a recurrence)I even lost 80lbs. I go to see him again this week and I hope that after all this time there will finally be some sort of good news. I know that this isn't exactly a success story but it's definitly a work in progress. I wish everyone more luck then I have had and just wished to share my story with people that have gone through thi before.
Date: March 19, 2009
StoryI am 26 and was diagnosed with a pilonidal abscess last summer.All i can remember is waking up one morning and not being able to sit properly, i thought nothing of it so left it for a week and gradually the pain got so bad i couldn`t straighten up and had difficulty walking so i went to my doctor who sent me to hospital immediatly to see a surgeon,he gave me two types of antibiotics and told to return if the pain got any worse needless to say i was rushed back to hospital 2 days later. I had surgery and the wound was left to heal from the inside out,i had a nurse come to my house and clean my wound every day for a week then after that i went to my local health centre where the nurses were great and went to great lenghths to make me feel comfortable and not embarrassed.I now think that it has returned as sitting down is getting uncomfortable and i have a pain in the area where the abscess was before,hopefully when i see my GP tomorrow she will tell me that it`s not true and that it`s just a phantom pain and i can relax
Date: March 19, 2009
StoryI am 29 and I have had two surgeries so far to remove a pilonidal abscess.
The first time I wasn't sure what was happening, I left it too long before going to see mt GP and again after starting to take antibiotics I left it too long before going back. The GP said "you poor thing", sent me to ER where I waited 12 hours before being operated on. I was crying and got sick from taking too many pain killers, then sat on my side in the ER for ages.
The second time went smoother as I knew what was coming as soon as I saw the first bump on my ski. I didn't wait so long before going to see the doctor. Still it had to be surgically removed.
I got my third abscess a few days ago and the doc drained it yesterday. It is still a bit sore but I'm not sure whether it's the healing or the abscess re-forming. In any case I'll go and see the doc again tomorrow so he can take a look. I try to use a mirror to see if a head is forming but it's next to impossible to get a good look. Having a partner who can take a look, take pictures etc. definitely helps.
Date: March 14, 2009
StoryI'm 59 and here's a non-surgical remedy that works for me. When a pilonidal cyst erupts, I keep the area clean with rubbing alchohol 3 or more times a day. Purchase a new bottle of echinacea capsules as they usually have a short shelf life. Do not buy the tablets. Take 2 capsules after meals 3 times a day. Do not soak in warm water. You don't want it to come to a head. You want to calm it down.It usually calms the whole situation down in 3-5 days. For a more serious eruption use Ferric sub sulfate (Monsels solution) instead of the rubbing alchohol. Use Monsels solution for no more than 3 days. Good luck......P.S ....Some people have had as many as 4 surgeries without success for this terrible condition.
Date: March 08, 2009
StoryI am a female in my 20's. I was diagnosed with pilonial cysts only a few months ago. My doctor immediately sent me to a surgeon who said that the cysts needed to come out. My surgery was scheduled for a week later. I was put under general anesthesia, and the surgery went fine. The incision was closed with stitches inside and on top. The doctor said everything looked good and I shouldn't need to see him for a week. The only bad thing about the surgery was the anesthesia made me sick and I hurt a lot. About four days post op my site began to hurt really, really bad. I went to an urgent care center (it was Saturday) and they said I had "popped out" the stitches! But only a few of them, so I had a little portion that was open, but nothing to worry about. A few days later I began running a fever and noticed that the wound still hurt really bad and was leaking a lot of fluid. I went to the surgeon who treated me and he said my wound was infected and I had managed to rip it even more. He went back in and removed all the stitches and created an open wound.
I was really disappointed.
It has been 4 days since then, and I have to have someone pack the wound twice a day. It still hurts often, and I find it hard to do normal activities. I am hoping for a speedy recovery. Right now I am not sure if the surgery has been worth it...I have had a lot of trouble. Hopefully it will prove to be beneficial.
Date: March 08, 2009
StoryI'm a 16 year old Female who had her first flare up at 13. My mother and I were scared and didn't know what to do so we went to the family doctor who referred me to a surgeon. I went to the consultation and he set the surgery for my spring break from 7th grade, expecting me to be recovered by the time I was to go back to school. I was not, as a matter of fact, I never recovered. He didn't go deep enough to remove the sinus when he performed the surgery and he said he would go in and fix it, however it took a year (364 days between surgeries) for him to realize what was wrong. I couldn't do anything physical because of the pain and it was seriously embarrassing. I put on a lot of weight (I was already overweight) and miserable. The second time I got surgery, he had a drainage tube in that I was to keep in my pocket. That experience traumatized me. I would sob when it was time to take a shower because of this canteen looking thing hanging from my body. Despite both of my surgeries, there have been multiple flare ups since. Some being more intense than others, usually about 1 lancing every 6 months. I am learning to live with this disease, still affected by its symptoms. I'm very glad there is a site like this for people like me who had no clue what was happening to them.
Date: March 07, 2009
StoryHELLO, I am a female who just turned 21 and sadly I have had my third flare up in a year, a week before my birthday. Because i didnt have health insurance i really paid no mind to what was going on and just hoped it would get better. Finally i got insurance and was able to see a doctor who finally diagnosed my Pilonidal Cyst after having it lanced three times. My doctor has finally given me a referal to a surgeon also that i will see in two days and hopefully have an answer and a good outcome to this problem. Im very afriad of emergency rooms and surgery so this will be a tough time for me but with the support from my boyfriend and family i know i can take care of this problem. so i can continue my life the way it was going. This website has helped so much although most of the stories and pics give me the "willies" i know i want to move on from this time. So thanks to All of you who post on the forums it really has helped calm me down alot. Good luck to all those with this problem like myself i hope we all have a speedy recovery
Date: March 05, 2009
StoryI saw your page regarding exfoliation and noted that nobody had reported having tried this in "that area". Well, here's that report.
When I was about ten years old I developed a pilonidal cyst (trauma-induced, I remember the specific incident) and after many years of trying to live with it finally gave in and had it removed surgically while in college. The doctor recommended periodic shaving.
I wound up trying the electrolysis method. It took a while to find someone who would do it, but finally did. It required about 4-5 treatments but it worked fine. Now I'm 41 and have had zero problems since that day - I have not had to take any steps related to that condition since then, it's just like it had never happened.
Your mileage may vary, of course, but I couldn't be happier with the result. In case you're wondering why I'm even posting here, someone else in my family does deal with this condition and I was doing a little research on the latest methods, it's been awhile.
Date: March 04, 2009
StoryHi , my name is Andy and I am from Romania . My first surgery was in the summer of 2008 and it was a
abscess. It didn't healed proper as the doctor didn't advise me well . I healed the open wound alone , with no doctor advise and the infection got back so , from summer 2008 , till
February 2009 I lived with my pilonidal disease , with daily baths and straps around the sinus that was leaking , very poor but leaking . In
February 2009 I had a 2 week vacation from school and found me a better surgeon at a local hospital here in Constanta , Romania . I was operated with the diagnosis of pilonidal cyist without an
abscess (as there was a sinus*hole there that was always leaking the infection out) .
I want to say , this site was gold because no other site presents this awful , anti-social disease as well as you do . I have a closed operation and removed my stitches on 2nd march . now my wound seems to heel very good but I am scared to sit down .
My advice for the ones who suffer for this disease is : Go for surgery and alocate at least 2-4 weeks for healing depending in most cases how fat you ar , as the healing is slower for the fat ones (my case)
because of the fat in your tissue .
That`s my story and I promise , when i heal the wound I will be an active member of this site .
Thank you all for the advices , pre on post operation . Very good structured site , very good quality people around it . Thank you again AMERICA people for the support that in my country I
couldn't find .
Date: March 04, 2009
StoryI'm a 38yr old male, I had been dealing with PL for approx 10 yrs, when it would flare up to the point where I couldn't stand it anymore, would go and see a doc, the first one thought it was just a boil and lanced it, had small flare ups, 2nd doc thought it was a staph infection, heavy dose of antibiotic and was good to go, the last time it really felt as if an alien was going to burst from between my cheeks. Shuffled in to see DOC,dropped my drawers. The first thing out of his mouth was you have a Pilonidal cyst. He lanced and packed it
apologizing the entire time for the pain and all I could do was tell him he needed handles on the bed to get a better grip. 5 days later, a great young lady gave me some I'll follow you off a cliff drugs and an hour later I was up in recovery. The cyst was approximately the size a peach. I have an open wound that is healing nicely, according to the doc's, By the time I'm through I think the entire staff will have a good look at my asset. Weekly check ups and my wife has gotten an A+ in packing it for me. I just can not get the hang of packing it myself using a mirror.
Work has been very understanding, the pain in the ass jokes slowing down after 3 weeks, and dress code infractions forgiven. Sweat pants are the only thing that was comfortable for the first 2 weeks after the procedure.
The doctors have recommended that I remove the hair from my buttocks as a precaution for future.
I have found that many more individuals have and do suffer from this painful condition than I had previously thought. This site was and is valuable resource for individuals to inform
themselves and ask the correct questions to their caregivers.
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