Hi There – This is Rajesh from Bangalore, India. Thanks a bunch to pilonidal.org. Was able to get a good understanding of this condition which I have been having from 2009.
I visited this site in Nov 2012 and based on a post from a guy called Vishnu took up treatment at a local Ayurveda clinic and have got permanent relief (atleast for now). I used to get pus discharges once in 4 months or so which I used to dismiss as a temporary skin condition. In 2010, I started to have terrific difficulty sitting and consulted an Orthopaedic surgeon who did an MRI and concluded that my tailbone could have got slightly bent 🙂 and suggested that I use a physiotherapy cushion. Inspite of using different types of cushions, I did not have relief. I hate surgery and hence somehow kept managing with an “Invalid ring” (a type of physiotherapy foam).
In Jul 2012 had heavy pus discharge and went to the Ortho again and it was only this time that he diagnosed it as Pilonidal sinus and referred me to a General surgeon who recommended immediate admission and surgery. Consulted two more surgeons who advised to postpone surgery as much as possible and only advised antibiotic. Luckily in Jul 2012 with antibiotics, the pus stopped, but it recurred in Nov 2012 and that’s when I decided to browse online for more information and hit upon pilonidal.org. Wealth of information. Thanks a ton, Sasha !
And thanks also to dear Vishnu who had posted on this site about the Ayurveda treatment called “Kshara sutra” which he undertook here at Bangalore. I followed his advise and now am able to sit without the pillow and also drive long distances in my car without the cushion. The treatment was done for a period of 30-40 days involving daily visits to the doctor in Dec12 and Jan’13. This treatment is non-invasive but for minor bearbale pricks for inserting the thread(which is created from out of herbal extracts) into the sinus track. The thread is changed alternate days and the treatment duration depends on the depth of the track.
I am very grateful to Dr. Anit Goswami at Amar Hospital (http://www.amarhospital.org/contactus.html) who has helped me come out of this condition, a super irritant for the last 4 years. I strongly recommend him if any of you want to try Ksharasutra in Bangalore. Of course there may be other hospitals which do this treatment. Pl find something nearest to your place and get relief. I have stayed away from surgery and looking at the posts of so many folks in this forum where they have underwent multiple surgeries without permanent relief, I strongly recommend the Kshara sutra technique for getting rid of pilondal sinus. In case any of you need further details, I am happy to help. YI am not here to promote Amar Hospital or Dr.Anit but rather recommending him because of my experience and the relief that I have got.
Want more such folks suffering from this condition to benefit out of it. Thank you, Rajesh