Hello! I’m a 16 year old male, and back in May of 2014 I (unsurprisingly) felt discomfort in the tailbone region. This was after a class period slouching in the auditorium seats. It was most apparent when my backpack was resting upon it.
After school that day I went home to take a nap, hoping the pain would subside. I figured it was a result of my slouching. Unfortunately it did not, and the rest of the day was a bit miserable. Sleeping that night was horrific. I actually took “standing breaks” from sleeping several times throughout the night because that was the only way I wouldn’t feel pain. The next day I returned to school, and everything from the drive there to sitting in my classes to driving home was gruesome. I slept again after school and it sadly did not improve.
Fortunately I wasn’t afraid to expose my posterior when confronted with this medical problem. I realized that in order for this to go away, I’d have to show my parents. They knew something was wrong, so we went to a local medical facility called Patient First. The nurse was concerned when I wasn’t able to sit on the iconic blue bed with the thin sheet of paper over it. She wanted to take x-rays, but my mother intelligently asked for a doctor to observe it before anything like that was done. So a doctor came in and took a very quick look, and faster than you could imagine diagnosed it a pilonidal cyst/abscess. I was alarmed at first. No one close to me ever had a cyst before, and I didn’t know what to expect.
The doctor was phenomenal though, and walked me through every action that was to take place. A local anesthetic was administered, which gave a fair amount of pain – as expected. As a result, the lancing caused me to feel no pain at all. The most painful part was the ribbon packing. Packing it allowed for healing to commence from the inside before the incision wound did. I was to return every two days for unpacking and repacking until it was healed. I was sent on my way with sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim antibiotics, Vicodin, and a warning that I may feel chills that night. I did feel chills as I was going to sleep that night, but it was nothing unbearable by any means. I was quite elated that I no longer felt pain.
Two days later was when I went through the absolute worst part of the experience. While the culture didn’t come pack yet, it was almost certain that an infection was present. As promised, the abscess was packed again (not by the original doctor), without anesthesia. Apparently this was because it wouldn’t help (I definitely felt that it would have because the first time was MUCH less painful). Well let me tell you that I wish someone would have hit me in the head with a hammer to render me unconscious. It was longest and most dreadful experience ever, to be truthful. But that was it. Recovery was smooth sailing from there on out. Streptococcus was present, but cleared thanks to the antibiotics.
A week and a half later, it no longer required packing, and my doctor recommended that I have a visit with a surgeon. I met with the surgeon and he agreed to operate. Since school wasn’t over yet and I was to attend a camp in the beginning of the summer, I was scheduled for surgery in July. Until then I was to keep the same antibiotics (sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim – incase you forgot) with me incase a flare up occurred and to keep the area shaved.
I followed the instructions, and before I knew it was in the hospital having surgery. The staff was amazing, and I felt incredible upon waking up. No pain, energy to spare, and no nausea. A local anesthetic was administered before I woke up however. I consider myself fortunate to have gone through closed wound healing. Clearly I’m a bit traumatized by my previous packing experience and I’m so glad I didn’t have to go through it again. I was well aware that I’d be unable to sit for two weeks. Using the restroom was where most of the annoyance lied however. There was a fair degree of discomfort sitting down for awhile, and it took a few days until I was actually able to go due to the Percocet.
I drank orange juice with fiber powder to help, and it did. In addition, I also took a One A Day vitamin (daily, of course) in hopes that it may speed up the healing. After a week the pain had pretty much subsided, but I was still unable to sit. I had a visit with the surgeon after 2 weeks and he said he was happy how it healed given the time period. There were a few openings left to heal though, so I was advised to take it easy. It actually started to bleed once I had began carefully sitting again for short periods of time. That lasted for about a week.
I’m pleased to say that I was without infection (boy did I make sure that I stayed clean) and that after three weeks I’m able to sit again. My parents purchased me a tush cush to use while at home, and it’s quite comfortable. Since I’ll still be at the susceptible time of my life for this disease for a few more years (16-22), I’ll absolutely be taking my own preventative measures to ensure no reoccurrence. I’m going to make sure that it’s the last area I clean in the shower and that I do clean it every day. I’m also going to sit with better posture in school, and always use my tush cush at home. And finally, I’m going to ask my doctor about products like No Bump Rx to prevent ingrown hairs. I did ask the surgeon about shaving, however. I was advised not to, as the risk of infection from a razor scratch was more likely than a reoccurrence due to not shaving in my particular case (I’m not the hairiest of males that he’s seen).
So therefore, I’m not going to shave! I’m insanely appreciative for all of the people I’ve consulted throughout this “adventure.” I thank my amazing doctor, Irene, at Patient First for her quick diagnosis and excellent work on the first visit (different doctor for all the repackings). I thank the highly skilled staff at the surgi center for doing an exceptional job and being ever so kind whilst doing it. And finally I thank my parents for being supportive, catering to my needs, and allowing me to take their spots on the couch for three weeks so I could lay down!
What I take away from this experience is that I shouldn’t be afraid to be open with my parents when faced with a medical problem. I also learned that we really need to take care of ourselves, for the best. While I learned a couple of lessons, I certainly do not feel the need to go through this again, haha.
Thanks again to those that helped me throughout this endeavor. I’m forever grateful to you.