Hi there! New to the thread and am I ever glad I found this on the internet! I'm 23 years old and I have had the notorious uncle FESTER since I was about 16 or 17. When it first happened my tail bone area was so swollen the top of my butt was swollen together. I had surgery for it and everything seemed to be good to go after that. After about a year or 2, I would feel pain in my tailbone and then it would go away. I finally went up to the hospital here (my doctor is in another town and I can't get to him a lot and the cyst was oozing green)). And this is where the horror began. I had a doctor who just didn't have any bed side manner. I explained that I knew what was happening back there and I just wanted to know what to do. He gets my pants off (no drink first!) and he says "There is nothing there I can see." And everything went silent. When I turned to look at him he was getting out a needle and he was going to freeze it. And he did....it was horrible and I screamed so loud nurses came and looked to see what was happening. He ended up putting the needle right into where it hurt the most. Told me to get some pain meds and off I went. After a few days my mum asked to see what was going on. The freezing had caused an purple bruised infection that was pushing out between me cheeks. Again...off I went to the hospital to another doctor, who cut it opened and asked me the name of the doctor who "did this to you" lol. Another time I went to the hospital here again (making sure that doctor wasn't there hehe) and they cut it open and sent me to get it packed. Again I ran into issues. The nurses couldn't figure out why it was getting deeper every time they were to pack it. At one point the wound was bleeding. I got into my family doctor who suggested I just sit in baking soda baths. So thats what I have been doing whenever I felt one coming and I was good to go. However...last night I guess it has flared up again. I just was wondering what you all thought and if you feel I should go for surgery again? The first time I can't even remember if it was just to get rid of the first one or if it was the extensive surgery.
i meant if i should get a cleft lift. i must of had the pit surgery before. i have decided i'm going to just ask to get the cleft lift, because having to deal with this showing up every couple of months is just ridiculous.
Hi kylie. It is difficult to determine what procedure/surgery you may have had. I know it can be confusing and often the surgeon doesn't explain fully what he has done. Pit-picking and cleft lift have very good outcomes and a consultation with a surgeon who can do them would be your best bet. Not all surgeons do them- in fact most don't. There is a list of surgeons on this site that you can contact. Good luck.
Please find someone that does pit picking. No one should have to go through a painful excision surgery for this problem. It's so upsetting that so may people are told its an emergency and they don't have time to research their options before they are wheeled into the OR for a barbaric procedure. This won't kill you, take the time to do your research!
I agree with Nikki, but I do want to add a few words. When people on here are talking about an emergency situation they do not mean emergency in the same way as cardiac arrest. Excruciating pain that leaves you unable to function is what lands pilo sufferers in the ER, and may end up leading them straight into surgery. For some people this happens on their very first flare up so research isn't an option. If you are not in let's say a "pilo emergency" then yes find someone who does pit picking and if you are a candidate have it done, it is minimally invasive and should always be considered first.
