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Found an old thread on here from a couple of years ago which has been really useful but thought I'd repost to get any newer advice.
Just been diagnosed with a pilonidal sinus, doc said I'll need an op which results in a fairly small but deep wound with a reasonable risk of infection afterwards. He's suggested I get the summer over and done with (cram as much riding in as possible) then have the op done when the weather turns and its much less fun being out on the bike. Unless it gets worse in the meantime then have it done asap.
Funny thing is, it's been fairly well behaved for a while until the doc started poking and prodding it, now its inflamed and relatively painful again. I guess it will settle down shortly and I'll end up having the op at the back end (!) but I'd be really interested to hear your tales and advice.
I had one operated on when I was 22 - whatever you do, *DONT* let your significant other bring her legs up in bed and knee you directly on the open wound.
It hurts.
A lot.
I was laying on my front for around 6 weeks and was gingerly sitting down for a month or two after that.
Saying that, since the op it's never come back and was the best thing i'd ever had done!
Having the sutures out was interesting though...
Lots of different ways to go. My preference is to avoid surgery if symptoms are minimal. For regular flares I would initially go for a small procedure to washout the underlying cavity, to try and get rid of the hair that sits there causing infection. There are more extravagant options for more serious disease but I would avoid these in the first instance as the downsides can be substantial if things don't work out.
had one, not nice, absolute agony before and after,think of it as a manky peach, they cut it open then dig out all the gunge, then leave a open wound,and every day, district nurse calls round, packs wound white tape resembling quick hem, next day 20 mins in shower to wet it sufficently to be able to be pulled out, then wound cleaned, and more tape rammed into wound, went on for 2 months.
oh and for some reason medical students are always brought round to have alook, and i also had 3 days in hospital.
I was about 20 when I had it done, hasnt come back which is great.
Fully expected the open wound scenario, where they let it heal from the inside out, but they stitched me up, meant some pretty incredible build up's of pus, daily cleanouts at the doctors for a couple of weeks, lots of standing and lying on my front. Not a great experience, but not as bad as I expected.
Mine had gotten pretty infected, so no option but to chop in there...
oh and you bleed a lot, so new bed sheets required,got up next day after op in hospital went for a piss, came back and bed and nightie they had given me looked like i had been attacked by an axe murderer, luckily they had given me 4 units of blood the day before due to anaemia.
Really shoked the other guys on the ward .
Youll be ok.
I had one, twice.
First time I had a bad back for about a week, then one night literally shit myself when it burst and I thought I had a second arsehole. That cleared up by itself, or at least drained and the infection went.
About six months later it returned, lots of pus and blood. Doc gave me antibiotics and referred me for the op, but it cleared up with the antibiotics and I thankfully dodged the surgery.
I had one. Bit of a horror story this...
Thought it was a boil or a spot, left it a few day.
Wife came home to found be with a raging infection based temperature.
Rushed to hospital to have it operated on, it had made it all the way to my spine.
They cored it out and left a hole you could put your whole middle finger in.
I had to have to have bandages re packed 3 times a day to start with, at home as I was bed bound .
I ended up having 4 months off work as it just wouldn't heel.
It's such a bad area to keep clean it just kept getting infected.
Sorry for the bad formatting as I am on my iPhone.
Why oh why did I just Google Pilonidal Sinus?
It was the most unpleasant thing I've ever had done to me.. 🙁
The doc told me it would be a small incision, you could it a tennis ball in the wound he left when he'd finished..
Good luck..
Here is a video of what they do, not for the squemish and no wonder it hurt after. A lady freind had one burst in the gps surgery,as it was examined, squirted accros room she said, almost as fast as her husbnd ran out when she told me in graffic detail.
I had to Google it too, Steve! 😯
Not what I thought it was going to be, hope you get it sorted without some of the horror stories above.
I have had two surgically removed in my early 20's. As above, they dig out a hole, pack it with dressings and then you bathe / shower every day before the nurse comes round to re-pack the wound until it heals.
Expect much sneering humour from surgeons showing med students around. He looked down the ward at me, turned to the med students and said: "Can anyonone spot the patient with the pilonidal abcess?"
Then, without waiting for a reponse, answered his own question by saying: "Yes, it's the only man lying on his belly in bed!"
Cue cloying laughter from med students.
I had one they ended up opening me up in a big zigzag and stitched it back up called a z flap doc was pretty happy with his work.
Dont go back to work too early I had 6 weejs off and thought I was ok first night at work we had a house fire and I ripped my stitches out, blood every where and another month off
Why oh why did I just watch that?