I recently go detected / diagnosed for pilonidal sinus for the third time.
not happy about it but kinda getting used to the pain of it.

During the surgery, the doctors comes to me and says he discovered an anal fistula as well and would like to remove it at the same time, i leave it to his expertise and he does the procedure.

What I had not expected was the pain, for a week I was prescribed 1000mg (500x2) of Magnesium Tablets per day and 200mg (100x2) of some painkiller.

Since the prescription is over, the pain has returned and the biggest hurdle right now is that everytime I have a bowel movement I have to end up retiring on the bed and resting for a few hours.

What I want to know is, is there a way to ensure the fistula pain reduces over bowel movements and I don't have to suck up to so much pain until recovery?
Of course I have heard of all the dietary options etc. I am just wanting to know if anyone has done something different from norm and has it worked.

I made a really hard decision to focus on my mental health and get the surgery now versus when it’d be convenient in a couple months. I know this is the cure but I’m still really scared to get the cleft lift in a couple weeks. I know people feel instantly better after. I just hate sitting in the hospital for 2 hours, waiting for them to wheel me into the operating room. Can anyone tell me what they did during their recovery, or just anything that can make me feel better about this decision? Please don’t share any negative stories, I’m not sure I can handle that right now😭

I am having a cleft lift done early September. I am getting married next year so my bridal shower got scheduled for early October (4.5 weeks post op) the bridal shower is like 1.5 hour drive from my town.
Can anyone who has had the surgery tell me if I’ll be good to travel by then? I should be back at work by then so i assume it will be fine but this is all so unknown to me.

Tldr at the end. Long post.

For context, I already have diagnosed PTSD from traumatic things happening to me from very early on in life.

I’ve had my pilonidal cyst for a few years now, not too sure exactly when it began. It became infected for the first time some time in 2024. I was on a 5 hour long train ride back home with an infected cyst sitting on my tail bone and I had no choice but to deal with the pain. By the time I got in my friend’s car, I could barely move. I made an appointment at Urgent Care the next day to have it lanced.

Generally, I have a high pain tolerance. But when the doctor put the first shot of lidocaine in I felt the worst pain I had felt in a long time. At the time I didn’t realize that because of how infected and enlarged the cyst was, the lidocaine likely wouldn’t take effect as it couldn’t reach the blood stream as easily. So by the time she started cutting, it felt like I was being sawed into. I couldn’t help but scream. I never scream. It was embarrassing, I was in pain.

And all the doctor could think to do was comment on how stinky it was. She stopped squeezing just to show me what was coming out of me. She didn’t ask, she just did it. I actually like pimple popping videos and extraction videos and such, but at that moment? That was the last thing I wanted to see. It was so painful that I ended up calling it quits before she could fully drain it. That wasn’t the right choice, but at the time I genuinely couldn’t take any more of the pain.

I was in pain for two days straight and lived by myself at the time, so I had to heal with no help, but I did it. I wanted to get the surgery to have it removed completely, but sadly, I lost my insurance shortly after this event.

I just had the procedure done again (coincidentally right after I just got insurance again through work), but this time I had my best friend who I live with, with me. I avoided going to Urgent Care for as long as I could. Doing warm soaks 2-3 times a day, warm compresses as often as I could, taking ibuprofen every 6 hours, staying on my feet as much as possible, everything. But it was too late by the time I started all the “preventative” measures. But once I had to call out of work bc I simply could not do any of my basic tasks, I knew I couldn’t avoid it anymore. My best friend told me straight up I had to go and I knew at that point I was in really bad shape.

The lead up to me going to Urgent Care was filled with nothing but anxiety and panic. I cried over and over just thinking about the first experience and knowing that was to come again. No amount of comfort could stop me from feeling faint and wanting to dissociate.

Even though this go round was just as painful, I will say it wasn’t nearly as traumatic, or at least I originally thought so until just a few moments ago. The doctor was so amazing and so patient. He understood my trauma, he reassured me as much as he could. He gave me an out if I really needed one. He communicated the entire time. My best friend held my hand and let me squeeze the life out of his whenever I needed to. They let me cry and groan, they let me feel scared. I felt so supported in that room and it was the only thing that got me through. My bestie also didn’t hesitate to say yes to helping me with changing my bandage (gauze and tape), and he has, every single day multiple times a day. We even went shopping afterwards and bought candles and a cushion for our home we really wanted since I moved in with him this month.

And yet, I can’t think about my open wound without feeling sick. I’m shaking typing this because 30 minutes ago, I decided to changed my bandage myself since he was at work and I really wanted to do a warm compress. It’s been 3 days since I got it lanced, and it feels like my reaction to the wound is getting worse. I instantly feel nauseous and lightheaded the moment I start to peel the tape off. It’s like I’m anticipating the pain. I found myself holding my breath the entire time I took the last piece of tape off. When I shower and the water hits my wound, I jump. Not because it even hurts, but because I expect it to hurt. I can’t think about it, let alone look at it, without feeling scared and panicked. Every time I feel the slightest bit of pain I worry that it’s not healing well. But when I looked it up, all signs point to it healing just fine.

I was already planning on doing therapy again, but I think I need to find one sooner than I planned because I don’t know how I’m supposed to function like this, being terrified of something on my own body.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Or rather, any experience finding a therapist specifically for trauma associated with a medical procedure?

Tldr; First time getting my cyst lanced was extremely painful and traumatic. After getting it lanced the second time, I can’t even think about the wound without panicking and shaking. Looking into getting therapy as a result.

I had an incision and drainage procedure for my pilonidal abscess, and the wound was left open without stitches. Is this the correct procedure? How was yours treated, and how long did it take to heal?please help!!!

I am 2.5 weeks out from a cleft lift with Dr. Wadie. I am so happy I went this route but I am STRUGGLING. I am alone now and I am still too sore to drive and walk for more than 10ish minutes. I get fatigued super easily and have still been needing naproxen or ibuprofen daily.

I know most people are fine by now but I had to take yet another week to work from home and I’m feeling guilty about it. Anyone had a slower recovery as well?

hi folks, sorry if this is TMI, I’m kind of freaking out right now. last week i started having tailbone discomfort when sitting or lying on my back. i looked it up online and learned about pilonidal cysts but i wasn’t experiencing any of the horrible pain people talk about, just a minor discomfort and occasional itching, so i didn’t go to the doctor. today i woke up to some drainage that had already started and now the cyst has been draining all day.

the problem is, i leave in exactly 4 days for a 2 week vacation, my only vacation for the entire year. i’d really really really like to not miss it, so i don’t want to go to the ER, and i don’t think i need to since i’m in no pain. i know i need to see a doctor to prevent recurrence but surely it can wait two weeks right? can i just buy some gauze for the drainage?

thank you for reading!!

I just found this subreddit today, so I’m sure many of you have asked this question, and have the same story, but my mental health has really been damaged because of this cyst. I would love to know if I’m permanently stuck with this ?? It first showed when I was about 23, and it opened when I was 24ish. I’m now 27 and still having this issue. I’ve had two small surgeries done where they took out the cyst, and stitched me up. Almost immediately the cyst came back both times. The last time I had it done was earlier this year, and it’s still present. The surgeon told me he wasn’t sure the cause of its reoccurrence, since I don’t have an excess of hair in that area. He told me he wasn’t sure what else to do. Mind you, this was right before he took the cyst out.

I haven’t been back, even though I should, but I’m starting to give up on it. I clean it pretty often, usually with unscented soap in the shower, then I’ll use saline wash to clean it up a bit. I feel so messed up about it, as it’s stops me from doing certain things. Even when I go to sleep it’s hard to lay on my back because I don’t want it to burst, or get irritated. I guess I should contact my doctor again, and see what’s left for me to do.

I’m not extremely over weight, but I could lose a few pounds, and I’m aware that being overweight is a symptom. So I’ve been trying to work on that. Is there something else anyone could recommend? Are there people whose cyst has gone away? I would hate to live with this problem for the rest of my life.

Would anyone (preferably who had the cleft lift done with dr wadie) be able to dm me some pictures of what the area looks like after couple weeks (or even years) after the surgery??

Lots of the pictures i’m finding online are closeups and i was more curious what the butt area looks like as a whole and if much has changed or if it’s noticeable that the deepness of the cleft was shallowed.

I want the surgery but scared i’ll have a botched butt if that makes sense. I like me ass as it looks (minus the abscess) :(

Thank you 🫶

Hi everyone,

I have had pilonidal cyst flares on and off for several years, but i always was able to get them to go away on their own or via antibiotics. Until this most recent one. The pain was so bad I went to the ER, and I ended up getting the abscess drained. They cleaned it out and left it open (no stitches or packing) and they sent me on my way. They didn’t give me much instructions beside wash the area twice a day with antibacterial soap and take antibiotics. It’s been about two days and I feel ok, and plan to follow up with my doctor. But I’m wondering if there is anything else I should be doing or not do during recovery? I don’t want to accidentally make the wound worse. I’ve been laying on my side and avoiding sitting as much as possible. It sucks because both my jobs include prolonged sitting and heavy lifting, so I want this to heal as quickly as possible. Thanks!

So I’m posting this here in case anyone else has had a similar experience. I have a history of recurrent disease (probably around 3 times in my life) and most recently had an I&D in the OR, this was all about 5 years ago now. However, for the past year I’ve been having a dull pain in the tailbone area that happens whenever I sit or put any pressure there, any sitting after 10 mins causes this pain which has been a huge disruption to my life. I have gone to the doctor multiple times and even had a surgical consult and there are no pits. The surgeon offered to do an exploratory surgery but doesn’t really know if it will help since he doesn’t know what’s causing it. I’m wondering if anyone has had similar issues after having surgery for pilonidal disease. I initially didn’t want to do exploratory surgery but it’s honestly not improving and not being able to sit without pain is huge :(

(24F) My pilonidal cyst excision experience — open wound, healed in 1 month

Below I describe what my surgery and recovery were like, what I did during my recovery and what went wrong (and what I wasn’t prepared for), and how I approached the recovery mentally. Hopefully, it can give someone who is nervous about surgery a realistic but reassuring perspective. It's a long read but I divided it into topics to make it easier.

This is my experience and story of my recovery and not medical advice. Please follow the advice of your healthcare providers.

I’ve dealt with my pilonidal cyst for more than 10 years. Exactly one month ago, I finally had it excised and left to heal as an open wound. As a little spoiler: the wound closed yesterday.

I’ll be honest: reading the stories on Reddit and the internet in general made me incredibly afraid of going through the procedure, but I eventually reached the point where I couldn’t live with it anymore. I know everyone’s experience is different, and this is just my personal experience in Belgium. I’m sharing it because I hope it might ease some of the anxiety for anyone who is nervous about the procedure.

A little background

About 8 years ago, my cyst became inflamed and I had to have it drained. The pain was awful and I couldn’t even sleep. The drainage itself was also extremely painful because it was done without anesthesia.

Luckily, the aftermath was a huge relief. Once it was drained, the pain disappeared and it healed well within a week or so.

Fast-forward to this year. I had the old drainage scar and four sinus tracts, with the holes clearly visible in a straight line. They were quite close together, which I think probably helped in my case. I have had some flare ups but nothing like the one 8 years ago. I simply couldn't sit properly for a few days and at times the cyst would leak and then just disappear.

I got tired of this endless loop of pain and flare-ups.

I decided to go with an open wound because that’s the only procedure the hospitals near me offer, and my insurance wouldn’t cover other options.

The surgery and packing of the wound

I arrived at the hospital at around 7:30 AM and left around 2 PM.

When I woke up from surgery, less than an hour later, I was in quite a lot of pain, but it was manageable with painkillers. I had the initial bandage for three days, and then a nurse came to my home every day for about three weeks to take care of the wound.

From what I could tell, my surgeon had stitched quite a bit of the inside of the wound together, as well as around the edges, to make the wound smaller. The wound was around 8 cm long.

The nurse packed the wound with a compress and Betadine gel. Apparently, this is a newer technique where the gel replaces traditional tight packing and helps function as the packing material while allowing the wound to granulate.

After about 10 days, my doctor and nurses told me to start rinsing the wound in the shower. I made sure to rinse it as thoroughly as I could.

The nurse also regularly removed the fibrin from inside the wound so that it wouldn’t close too quickly on the surface.

Recovery

I had my post-op appointment last week, and my doctor was actually surprised by how quickly the wound had healed. At that point, it was practically closed.

And now, exactly one month after surgery, it closed completely yesterday.

The worst part of recovery for me honestly wasn’t the pain — it was the itching.

My recovery also happened during two heatwaves, so I think the heat and sweating probably made things more uncomfortable and may have slowed things down a little.

The itching was treated with zinc cream, which my nurse applied around the wound, and that helped a lot.

Sleeping was also uncomfortable. I couldn’t turn properly in bed, and sometimes I could feel the stitches pulling when I lay on my left side. My wound went slightly towards the left, so that probably contributed to it.

Sitting was difficult too. It remained painful and uncomfortable until the wound was almost completely closed and the stitches had dissolved. I bought a U-shaped cushion, but unfortunately it didn’t help me very much.

Things I did during recovery

These are just things I personally did — I have no idea how much, if at all, they contributed to my recovery:

* I walked every day. During the first week I took it very slowly. The day after surgery I actually felt completely painless and probably overdid it, because the following day I was in quite a lot of pain. After that, I made sure to take things slower, but I still walked every single day as much as I could.

* I took L-glutamine powder and L-arginine pills. This was something I had seen people mention on Reddit. I genuinely don’t know whether it did anything, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to try.

* I increased my protein intake, mostly through protein shakes as I am vegetarian.

* I took iron supplements. I’m iron deficient, so I made sure this was a priority during my recovery.

* I tried to sit as much as I could. It was painful and uncomfortable, but I would sit until it became too painful and then get up and move around.

Things I wasn’t expecting in the aftermath

One thing I really wasn’t prepared for was the hard skin that formed where the wound had been.

Apparently, this is normal and is related to collagen and the healing process, but it still feels very strange. It’s definitely still early, so I’m trying not to overthink it.

The wound, in my opinion also looks ugly and I hope it will look slightly better even though no one can see it, including me.

I’m also aware that there is still a possibility of the wound reopening. I’ve mentally prepared myself for that and understand that it can happen during this stage of healing.

For that reason, I’ve decided to wait until the six-week mark before exercising or cycling, just to reduce the chance of reopening it.

What I am doing now, following the advice of the doctor and nurses, is putting zinc cream or Nivea cream (the blue pot). I also wash it really well in the shower and in the evening I disinfect the wound and reapply the cream.

Final thoughts

One thing that I think helped me a lot was deciding to view the whole recovery as a challenge to myself rather than something I had to rush through.

Before the surgery, I mentally prepared myself for pretty much every possible outcome. I had read experiences here where people’s wounds stayed open for several months, sometimes even up to a year, so I told myself that this could potentially be my reality too. I also prepared myself for the possibility of infection, setbacks, the wound reopening, and generally having a much longer recovery than I hoped for.

Because I had already accepted those possibilities in my mind, I found it much easier to be patient with the healing process. I didn’t constantly expect the wound to look better every day. Instead, I tried to focus on doing what I could and accepting whatever happened.

That mindset actually made me genuinely happy about the progress I did see. Every little improvement felt like a win, and when the wound finally closed after just one month, I was honestly amazed and incredibly happy.

Overall, I’m really happy that I finally went through with the surgery.

I spent years worrying about it and then spent weeks being terrified of what recovery would be like because of the experiences I read online. My experience ended up being much more manageable than I expected, and the wound healed much faster than I thought it would.

I know everyone’s body, surgery, wound, and recovery are different, so I’m definitely not saying this is what everyone should expect. My heart truly goes to those who are waiting or had to wait for months to see real progress. But if you’re currently terrified and reading this while waiting for your surgery, I just wanted to share a positive experience.

I really hope this gives someone else a little bit of hope and reassurance for their own journey. ❤️

I had a cleft lift procedure about 2 years ago and have been doing really well since then. Healed basically textbook. Recently, I’ve started noticing pain/discomfort when sitting on hard surfaces or in my car seat, which has me worried that my pilonidal cyst might be coming back.

It’s not a sharp pain it is a dull ache that comes and goes with pressure.

The weird thing is that I don’t have any pain when I’m walking, standing, or laying down. I’ve also looked at the area and had my partner look and we don’t see a sinus opening, swelling, redness, drainage, blood, or anything else obvious.

Has anyone had a recurrence after a cleft lift that started out just as pain with sitting? Or could this be something else, like irritation from pressure or scar tissue?

I’m planning to get it checked out if it continues, but I’d love to hear from anyone who has experienced something similar after a cleft lift. I’ve been having pretty intense PTSD because I will be so sad if this is back after experiencing surgery and would love to hear insight from anyone who has experienced similar issues.