I wish to give a progres reporton my cleft lift surgery. As background I am a 60 year old male. I develped my first pilo infection in 1972. I had three procedures done on the infection beginning with a lancing and progressing to excisions and treatments of silver nitrate. No treatment regime worked on me.
The symptoms we have all experienced returned within a year of each treatment. Eventually I gave up and decided to just live with the periodic discomfort and discharge for about 35 years. During a routine physical six years ago My Doctor told me that old man Bascom had developed a new method to treat the problem and that he had taught his son Tom the process. The old man was retiring. Since we all lived in the same city, Eugene, Oregon I agreed to see Tom for a consult. He and his Father looked at my area and decided a Cleft Lift would be the best approach. I had considerable scar tissue in the area from the three previous operations. That was a factor in their decision along with the fact that I probablyh had several “tunnels” from my thirty five years of infection.
I went home the day after the procedure and healed in seven to ten days. Soon I was fully functional. After a few months I began to “test” the procedure. I would sit in chairs that previously caused pain. Now there was no pain. After a year I rode a bicycle which I had not done in decades. Again, no problems. I then started horseback riding. My previous Doctors had told me I could never ride a horse again given the risk it created. Now there was no problem. I went backpacking with no discomfort. Now six years have passed since my procedure. I have been completely pain free. There have been no openings, no discharge and zero discomfort. I have placed the area in some dificult circumstances and in each case the surgery has been 100% successful.
Each person must decide for themselves what type of treatment is best. I can say the cleft lift has been simply outstanding for me. It gave me my entire life back. From golfing and horseback riding to bicycling and backpacking I am 100% mobile with no discomfort. I highly recommend the procedure. I cannot say enough good things about Dr. Bascom’s explanations, patience with questions, and his skill in the operating room. He was the perfect Doctor for me and I only wish I had met him and that his Father had developed the procedure thirty-five years earlier.
I am proof that a cure is possible and it is painfree and relatively inexpensive considering the cost of other less reliable treatments. Keep up the hope because solutions are available. Do not fear them. Look forward to them.