I dealt with my pilonidal cyst for 15 years before finally getting it surgically removed. It started when I fell off a horse and landed on my tail bone. It hurt for weeks, but i figured it was related to the fall. It went away and I didn’t think about it for a few months. Off and on throughout high school I would get a bump in the same spot. It was extremely painful, but I just ignored it. Finally, when I was about 20, it got so but and painful that I could not walk. I went to a nurse practitioner and she told me it was a boil and I needed to clean better. Great. These bumps would come and go. They all “popped” now. It was embarrassing. Then, I got pregnant. I was about 27 years old then. These things came back with a vengeance. During my first pregnancy, I needed the cyst lanced 6 times. I finally got a real diagnosis though. I was referred to a surgeon who suggested I get my cyst surgically removed before I had another baby. Well, I didn’t listen. I had the cyst lanced 8 times during my second pregnancy! This time I was told to not have any more children until I had this cyst removed. It was too dangerous to keep treating me while I was pregnant. One year ago I had surgery to remove my pilonidal cyst. I’m not sure what the procedure was called, but they basically cut out the cyst and brought the muscles of my butt together and sewed them there. So far, so good! I still have some tenderness in the area, but its just superficial. I am so glad I went through with the surgery! I am also glad I made sure I found a surgeon who knew what it was and had successfully treated it before! DO YOUR HOMEWORK!! Technically I still have 6 months to fully heal from this surgery and the cyst could still return, but for now I am so glad to be rid of the most excruciating and obnoxious medical problem I have ever had. If you are newly diagnosed and reading these horror stories, please know that this surgery can work! Just take the time to find the right surgeon!