Well I tried clearing up my chronic pilonidal issue with antibiotics (despite the fact that antibiotics are frequently know NOT to help) and obviously it’s no surprise, they DID NOT help! I wish I never would have taken them.
After taking the Cipro antibiotic, I immediately started seeing side effects of the tight and swollen tendons in my legs. Then two days into taking it, I started vomiting profusely! I immediately stopped taking it but was told I could still have lasting side effects for weeks or even months!!
I stopped breastfeeding (again, something I wish I had never done) and won’t be breastfeeding for a few weeks due to the side effects of the medication and I’m sure it will be difficult right after surgery.
I saw a specialist and was told by him that antibiotics were not going to work. (Big surprise) And the only option was surgery. He said it seems like I have an ingrown hair problem (combination of my skin type and hair type) which is what caused the infection in the first place. The doctor said I probably still had an ingrown cluster of hair under the skin which is causing the pain and inflammation.
There are many types of surgery but the Bascom procedure seems to be very effective (95%) and less invasive than other pilonidal surgeries. Instead of having a large gaping hole, I will have a lateral incision where the infected tissue under the skin can be cleaned and removed and then one other incision to remove the “pit”.
To view the full pdf procedure by John Bascom, M.D., Ph.D. click here.
I will be put to sleep under general anesthesia for the procedure and will be left with an open draining incision that will need to be packed and cleaned frequently. My husband is taking 2 days off work to help and will be trained on the “packing” process right after surgery since I won’t be able to pack it myself. (Ah the joys of marriage)
If you notice I’m MIA around here, you’ll know why, although I plan on catching up on some blogging while I’m stuck laying in the bed.
My surgery is first thing tomorrow morning so please be sending good, healing, pain-free thoughts my way! I’ll be sure to keep you updated and post lots of disgusting pictures! (Just kidding 🙂 )
Good luck! Hope the recovery goes well!
hope it will go well for you and you get over this issue
i have the exact same thing!
Really?!?! Have you had surgery??
Sending you good wishes with your surgery and a speedy recovery…xx
Oh girl I had the same problems for years starting from when I was a preteen so I feel your pain!! I would end up getting it minimum of twice a year so had it at least 15 different times and would get as large as a golf ball, or even once a grapefruit, but doctors just kept pumping me with years and years of antibiotics.
…antibiotics will never work…
I actually had the other type of surgery in 2000, for the most part it hasn’t come back but mine had been growing for years and had attached to my spine so he couldn’t get all of it; though if it comes back now it just drains.
Please, please, please make sure you keep that drain in and packing clean because I was grossed out by the drain and pulled it out early which caused an infection that was more painful than the cyst itself and took months to get rid of.
Best of luck to you, I hope it heals fast and doesn’t come back!!!!! Oh and kudos to the hubby, clearly we have some good husbands haha though after all it does say “in sickness and in health” but I don’t think I’d wanna clean my hub’s booty 🙂 (j/k)
Thanks for the advice! I shouldn’t have a drain tube. He said it was just going to be an open would that would need to be kept clean and packed frequently. I’ll find out more tomorrow.
Luckily mine isn’t actually infected and draining right now due to the antibiotics. So hopefully it will heal quicker!
Praying it goes smoothly and gets rid of it for good! =)
But we really want gross and disgusting pictures. Ok, Maybe just me, but yeah. Don’t you know the rule, if you don’t see it, it isn’t real. 🙂
Haha! Grrl you know me! I’ll post em! 🙂