In 2008 I noticed a bump in the top of my butt crack. I recognized it as a cyst but didn’t think much of it, i’ve had a cyst on my scalp for longer and no problems and my mom has had cysts without issues. every now and then if i plopped down too hard or sat wrong I would get a quick pain then nothing so I wrote it off. in 2009 I was sitting and leaned back in my chair and felt something odd, went to the bathroom and found it had popped! It freaked me out at first then I figured it must have been a good thing, if cysts typically get cut and drained my body popping it must have been great and money saving. Then it wouldn’t close and it was hurting all the time. My job involved walking and bending and sweating I just hurt. So I starting going to Doctors. Every doctor claimed they didn’t know what it was, gave me anti-biotics (This was in Dallas TX) and sent me on my way. Finally I moved back to the state I grew up in (Alaska) and went to a low income doctors office where a nurse practitioner took the first samples and sent me to a General Surgeon, Lets call him Dr.Z. Summer of 2011 I have surgery, the Doctor grafts skin from my butt crack and covers the whole,(recovery is supposed to take 10 days) less than a week later I had 105 degree temp and my Mom AKA my home wound care provider if you will notices that the grafted skin is shriveling up. We go back to Dr.Z who notes that the skin is dying, time for a different approach. So, a week later I have surgery number two and Dr.Z cleans it all out again (he tried to get permission to use a wound Vac but hospital wouldn’t let him because I was uninsured and worked at Walmart). After the surgery it takes 3 months to heal. Three! My mom says my wound was the size if a softball, as it turns out it had been tunneling for years. Beginning of 2012 The area abscesses, I had no idea what an abscess was so was caught of guard and by the time I got to the E.R. I was in a lot of pain (I was trying to wait till Monday to call Dr.Z) I had a high fever. E.R. doctor drained it and called Dr.Z and set up an appointment. I saw Dr.Z for months after that, the wound never closed completely. He gave me tons of anti-biotics from the first surgery and during all of this ordeal, I kept taking so many for so long I am now allergic to most anti-biotics which is terrifying. Dr.Z used Silver Nitrate in my wound and taking episome salt baths and packing the wound all the time and it never really completely healed. The next few years I have a bunch of doctors offices and E.R. visits to have it drained. Had a new surgeon in Fairbanks (Dr.K, a colorectal) drain it. Dr.K was avoiding surgery. I asked Dr.K for a doctors note for work at a grocery store because I was in so much pain (wound was still big) and he literally responded by telling me I wasn’t supposed to be in pain, therefor I wasn’t in pain. My boyfriend and I then move to the lower 48 to be truckers, I have to have it drained every once in a while but as always I just have to live with the pain and constant mild drainage. Then comes a time when we’re getting it drained every few days and the pain is getting so bad I can barely sit, even when I’ve been taking pain killers provided by E.R. doctors. So he(boyfriend) drops me off in Nashville at my Aunts house to see a colorectal doctor. Doctor looks at wound and schedules surgery for three months later. THREE MONTHS LATER! Gives me anti-biotics and sends me on my way. a week later, back on the truck the area is swollen and I can barely function. So we stop by his home town and I see an entirely new doctor. Dr.Hsuing, he is The best I have had so far, he is in Las Vegas, NV. It took FIVE MONTHS to heal, the infection had tunneled again. He is the first doctor in six years to get the wound to close all the way and to STOP HURTING! He never gave me anti-biotics because anti-biotics DO NOT HELP. However, here I am again, I can’t do wound care in Vegas right now due to how life goes sometimes. Boyfriend couldn’t get off truck, we can’t afford him getting off with me so I am in Dallas with my Mom because the area is highly irritated according to a doctor here. I need help. What can I do? I do I get my wound to stay healthy? I am now shaving my hairless butt and laying around. I sometimes blame my weight but if I exercise my wound flairs up fast and I can’t afford weight loss surgery yet. I keep the area clean and dry. If their is ANY drainage or blood I start packing it right away. I don’t know what to do anymore, this can’t keep coming back. I feel like this cyst area is going to kill me. I am so frustrated and sad and mad. This is constantly interfering with my life, it’s keeping me from work, from fun, from everything. 🙁