tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post905596697842930734..comments2024-02-18T13:53:30.168-08:00Comments on Surgeonsblog: Pile O' ProblemsSid Schwabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-40991248779657283002016-01-22T08:15:23.302-08:002016-01-22T08:15:23.302-08:00I've not heard of any success using ichthammol...I've not heard of any success using ichthammol; not in the long run, anyway. I don't suppose it'd do any harm to try it. The problem, though, as I wrote, is that as long as there are hairs and gunk in the cavity, it's nearly impossible to get rid of it permanently without a surgical procedure of some sort, that removes that nidus. <br /><br />It's known that hormonal fluctuations can affect chronic infections of various sorts; flare-ups that vary with menstrual cycles, for example. So I'd not be surprised that pregnancy could be playing a role.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-39004657543817420102016-01-21T17:29:08.555-08:002016-01-21T17:29:08.555-08:00Hello. Thank you so much for publishing this piece...Hello. Thank you so much for publishing this piece and creating this blog. I have a career in veterinary medicine and absolutely love reading about human medicine.<br />I suffer from pilonidal disease (thanks dad!), and I'm currently at the start of another flare up. This will be my 4th abscess in the last 3 years (first one occured in the summer of 2013), and I'm uninsured, so surgery is out of the question. Have you heard of patients who are not good candidates for surgery having success using ichthammol ointment? As far as home remedies go, it's the only thing I haven't tried. The abscess was lanced the last 3 times I had a flare up, but being uninsured, I cannot afford that again. If I could just get it to drain on its own, it would provide a huge amount of relief.<br />Another inquiry - have you ever heard of a correlation between pilonidal disease flare ups and post-natal women? My second flare up occured while I was pregnant, and the third 2 months post partum (about 6 months ago). I haven't changed my lifestyle much as far as the amount of sitting is concerned, and I am slightly overweight, but certainly not obese. My father has this condition, and we share the same slightly curved spine, so I assume that is the origin of this affliction, but I've had 3 flare ups since getting pregnant. I'm just curious if you've ever heard of that before. Thank you in advance!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-12853182048699000642015-04-17T22:00:45.365-07:002015-04-17T22:00:45.365-07:00Glad you found it useful. Good luck!Glad you found it useful. Good luck!Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-90850439603800473992015-04-17T21:00:06.902-07:002015-04-17T21:00:06.902-07:00Hi! I am 16 in high school, and I am affected by ...Hi! I am 16 in high school, and I am affected by these cysts! I have been trying relentlessly to heal them for months now, and I was extremely nervous about possibly needing surgery. The worst part is that I now have a boyfriend, and I don't want to tell him about this out of pure embarrassment. But, reading this article was a RELEIF. It makes me feel so much better. All the other sites I have been on had horrible stories about these cysts, but it is comforting to read that they are really not that bad. I have two at the moment, and they are both very small. I am glad to hear that treatment shouldn't be to traumatizing!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-68115019112579683492011-02-10T14:04:10.402-08:002011-02-10T14:04:10.402-08:00I couldn't agree more with your post. Unfortu...I couldn't agree more with your post. Unfortunately my brother and I both suffer from pilonidal cysts. This is the 2nd one I could not get to drain (using ichthammol ointment) the usual way so I had to have it lanced. You will never love a Doctor more than to have him/her drain a putrid smelling, literal pain in the a**!!<br />Thought my poor husband was going to pass out when he saw the scalpel sink down to the handle! :) <br />Doc did an ultrasound and you could see that the cavity was about 3-4in deep, small cut off to the side, and left it open to drain.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-15722260162798855952010-05-16T07:26:33.265-07:002010-05-16T07:26:33.265-07:00Nice try, Richa. Better spam than most.Nice try, Richa. Better spam than most.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-12448840341603314502010-05-16T04:52:53.632-07:002010-05-16T04:52:53.632-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-66285682089664546332010-03-05T15:38:59.388-08:002010-03-05T15:38:59.388-08:00Of course, without examining it I can't say. B...Of course, without examining it I can't say. But after the first time, it's not rare to see some blood, because healing tissue can be pretty bloody. Trying to get it to heal with silver nitrate, if it was a really small cavity, isn't crazy; but it's not very likely to have worked completely. So there could be a gob of "granulation tissue" in the cavity, which is healing tissue sort of gone amok. Sometimes silver nitrate works on granulation tissue, but not usually if it's in a deep hole.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-21367950681836188192010-03-05T13:50:18.003-08:002010-03-05T13:50:18.003-08:00I do have a question. I've been informed I hav...I do have a question. I've been informed I have a pilonidal cyst. That's all fine and dandy (oh yeah, that's right, no it's NOT). The last one was popped, drained, and silver nitrate was put on it that time and a couple visits after. Is that normal? And if so, well, I have another one and it's bleeding. Wwell, I think it's another one, but the last one didn't bleed. s it the same thing?Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09414909572527005723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-43538635494795854482010-01-21T11:20:46.248-08:002010-01-21T11:20:46.248-08:00Thanks for your comment. It'll be reassuring t...Thanks for your comment. It'll be reassuring to some people.<br /><br />"The Tingler." Great movie. I saw it when I was a kid, in a theater with buzzers under the seat, and people planted in the audience to scream and faint and be carried out by the ushers.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-22584940594667148962010-01-21T11:15:21.146-08:002010-01-21T11:15:21.146-08:00Thanks for posting on this topic! It makes me feel...Thanks for posting on this topic! It makes me feel much less alone and freaky. I had one of these back in 1983 when I was 17. Fortunately, I had no pain with the cyst. I also had no smell when it popped because I was in the shower. I had no idea what it was. I thought the bump had been a zit. When it popped voluntarily and left a gaping hole the size of a pencil eraser, I was convinced I was going to die of cancer. (Shows you how goofy our thoughts work as teenagers!) <br /><br />Our family doctor said it would need to be operated on and showed me a diagram of what I would look like on the operating table -- face down, butt in the air -- and I became hysterical. Of course as a 17 year old girl, my main thought was, "Will I be hideous 'down there' so that no man will want me??" The doctor ended up cutting a 2 x 4 x 2 hunk of flesh right down the middle of my butt-crack and installing a drain. I've seen pictures on the web of what it looks like but THANK GOODNESS I had no idea what it looked like back then. I was in the hospital for a week. The stitches were monstrously thick, black-coated cables of wire. Getting those removed was AWFUL!! I thought the doc was pulling out my spine like in that Vincent Price movie. I attended my first month of classes at college by standing up in the back of the class because I wasn't allowed to sit. <br /><br />Despite all that embarrassment, the story has a good ending. You can't see the surgery scar at all; only visible are the tiny scars where the drain was installed. (I guess you could see the scar if my butt cheeks were pulled open -- but it's tough to do that without permission from the cheek-owner.) It hasn't recurred, thank goodness. The only thing that still kind of worries me is that the doc said that I had an 85% chance of getting another one. At 44, I haven't had a recurrence. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-4079347697625731082009-07-23T09:05:38.287-07:002009-07-23T09:05:38.287-07:00Bippsie: quite a story!
It's possible, in yo...Bippsie: quite a story! <br /><br />It's possible, in your case, that it was all due to the injury: a collection of blood that got infected. Anyhow, I'm glad it had a happy ending. As it were.<br /><br />Parenthetically, I'm the first to admit many surgeons are idiots.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-14734636646398204302009-07-23T08:51:11.241-07:002009-07-23T08:51:11.241-07:00Wow ... you have just helped me go through a catha...Wow ... you have just helped me go through a cathartic reliving of the most humiliating medical experience of my life!<br /><br />I was at college in Ann Arbor, and had a spectacular fall on the ice directly on my tailbone. I also had a boyfriend at the time who was into spanking. These two things led me to grit my teeth and soldier on through the pain, sure that I just had some sort of deep bruise or something, even though I could barely walk. (If only I hadn't blamed my bf he could have seen something was up ... but I was too mad at him to get naked ;)<br /><br />One night after more than a week of this, I fell asleep with a heating pad on, and when I woke up it was covered with stinky blood. I *freaked out!!* It hadn't burst, it was just ... seeping.<br /><br />At that point I could barely move. I took a cab to student health where I encountered a surgeon who seemed to believe I had purposely contrived the whole situation just to gross him out. I don't think he had the slightest sense that he was dealing with a terrified freaked out girl who was in incredible pain.<br /><br />He never spoke to me directly but talked angrily about me as if I wasn't there, berating me in the third person to the nurses for letting the situation get as bad as it was. He swore. He loudly voiced his disgust over and over and over. Finally, I just broke into sobs and wailed "I fell on the ice!! I thought it would go away!!" I sobbed through the rest of the procedure.<br /><br />Thank goodness I never had a recurrence. The bf redeemed himself by faithfully changing my tefla pads and bathing the area morning and night. But even 20 years later I can never quite shake the feeling when I see a doctor for anything that they hate me and think I am disgusting. :(Bippsienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-62011047771874858872009-07-01T20:16:46.551-07:002009-07-01T20:16:46.551-07:00There are so many possibilities, in terms of opera...There are so many possibilities, in terms of operative choices, and surgical findings, that I really can't give you much help, I'm afraid, from this far removed. Sometimes it's all unroofed and left open; sometimes, the infected tissues are cut away and a flap of skin and muscle is rotated in (when it's very extensive), and closed primarily. Between those two ends of the spectrum are several other possibilities. <br /><br />I guess the only advice is to be sure various options are discussed and that the surgeon you choose has experience with the whole range.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-9752261158045080762009-07-01T19:47:43.344-07:002009-07-01T19:47:43.344-07:00O.K. All this information about recurrence is mak...O.K. All this information about recurrence is making me nervous. I've got a 20 year old, high-function autistic son, who is deathly afraid of needles, who has been diagnosed with pilonidal cyst disease (he didn't tell me about his "problem" for several months). His surgeon, when she looked at his posterior, said that the wound he has from the cyst and tunneling, is the worst she's seen. He's got the cyst, then he's almost completely open from the location of the cyst, down to his anus. As my son says, his "butt is cracked... get it, mom?"... at least he's got a good humor about it. My question is this: How likely is it that this could return, after having his whole butt "cleft" removed, then the edges sutured back together? Or is that even possible? Is it more likely that he'll have an open wound that I'll have to pack daily? I can handle taking care of him, that's not a problem. I'm very concerned about the level of pain my son will have to endure. They're thinking this can be done as an out-patient procedure. I'm leery of that, too. <br /><br />Any advice is much appreciated!<br /><br />Thank you!<br />A concerned Mom.Suzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08984571387552140354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-70822749844946504482009-06-24T07:47:44.948-07:002009-06-24T07:47:44.948-07:00Just curious, what's the record for number of ...Just curious, what's the record for number of operations? I just had my 4th on Monday, June 22. Last one was in 2005 and I thought it was gone forever. The healing process is so painful. Doctor, thanks for this blog. It's very informative, and comforting in a way knowing that there are others out there with the same aggravating problem.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-75297352927572670472009-06-16T11:56:38.904-07:002009-06-16T11:56:38.904-07:00He's lucky to have such a loving wife. Your se...He's lucky to have such a loving wife. Your services will almost certainly continue to be needed until he has it surgically treated, for "cure," not just drainage.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-71054370645362511642009-06-16T11:50:51.630-07:002009-06-16T11:50:51.630-07:00My husband is currently suffering from his second ...My husband is currently suffering from his second occurance (same location) of a pilonidal cyst. The first one went away with diligent expression and a course of antibiotics. I continue to tell him he is damn lucky he is married to a licensed vet tech, who enjoys expressing disgusting butt pustules. I have a good gross out story for all of your entertainment. The first occurance, we went to our GP and of course, while at the doctor's office, no evidence of purulent material. That night, he was tossing and turning because of the pain. I arose from bed to help comfort the area by expressing the cyst. I barely touched the thing and *Btht*, blood and pus all over my face. Talk about horrifying! Something for us to laugh at, and for me to take caution from.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-41911951260627552352009-05-09T20:48:00.000-07:002009-05-09T20:48:00.000-07:00i didnt realize so many people suffered with this ...i didnt realize so many people suffered with this problem I had mine removed 3 times by military doctors not saying military doctors are bad or maybe i have a persistant problem. After the last removal 5 years ago i still deal with it daily i shower in the morning and at the end of the day have some discharge in the back of my boxers i have learned to deal with it i am to scared to go back to any doctors for this so i am stuck wearing jeans the rest of my life for now. But after reading this maybe ill reconsider thanksAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-63672412198983069632009-04-23T21:08:00.000-07:002009-04-23T21:08:00.000-07:00ck: as I said, when there are lots of ways to solv...ck: as I said, when there are lots of ways to solve a problem it means the perfect one hasn't been found. The method that was used for you is one of many. When there's active infection, leaving it open to heal in slowly is often the best choice; as you found, it can take a long time. When it's possible to close primarily, with luck, it heals rapidly and cleanly. <br /><br />No guarantees with any option. Everything about the area is the opposite of what's desirable for smooth healing.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-56046743421733952162009-04-23T20:45:00.000-07:002009-04-23T20:45:00.000-07:00I had one removed from my tailbone about 20 years ...I had one removed from my tailbone about 20 years ago, after painful and frequent reoccurances. The final one was so bad I couldn't sit to drive, it was time for surgery. It was a simple office procedure either. It was "packed," and left it to heal from the inside out. The removal of packing a week later brought me to sobbing tears. Also had to have it cauterized twice for improper gristle growth, and it took a staggering 14 weeks to heal completely. I missed 3 months of work, and a whole sememter of college. Today, I have very slight reoccurances, nothing that would make me have that surgery again. To top it off, days after surgery I got the worst case of the flu in my entire life, with 104fever. Sorry, I can't add something uplifting and fun.ck in lvhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01880712694378822986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-76844987399528872082009-04-06T09:41:00.000-07:002009-04-06T09:41:00.000-07:00I don't know of data about families and pilonidal ...I don't know of data about families and pilonidal disease. Since the source is generally those dimples that some people have, it would certainly be possible that there are familial tendencies. <BR/><BR/>As to prevention: the first question is whether the kids have the dimples. If not, there's not much risk. If they do and are hairy, they could do something to reduce hair in the area: either shaving, or depilatories. I can't say I know if that works for people who've not had problems, and I sort of doubt there are prospective studies. <BR/><BR/>There are some fairly simple surgical ways to remove the dimples. It's arguable whether it should be done as a "preventative" measure. It's true that removing them before there's been infection means a much better chance of quick and uncomplicated healing, especially if simple surgery is done. (For example, some have had success using a skin biopsy punch.) I don't think I ever advocated the preventative approach, but I told people who had the dimples to be aware of the possibility of infection, and to seek help right away if it happens, because it's when infections are allowed to get big that it's a bigger surgical problem.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-74780766846459211582009-04-06T09:16:00.000-07:002009-04-06T09:16:00.000-07:00How common is it for more than one member of the f...How common is it for more than one member of the family to have this? I had open surgery aged 19,(not hairy and slim) long time healing, but no recurrence, bizarrely my husband also had one (hairy but slim), at 21, closed surgery, it did recur and he also had septicaemia. Today my 23 year old son has had his second lot of surgery, having initially had the abscess drained in January. The nurses tell him his wound is spectacular!! He is having a wound vac, and I am praying this will do the trick once and for all ( prior to original surgery he was given 5 lots of antibiotics - all dragged on far too long)Will this speed up the healing process, and are my other two non children doomed? What should they be doing to prevent this?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-31511879414296847672009-03-22T04:06:00.000-07:002009-03-22T04:06:00.000-07:00very informative. I have a non-hairy 12 year old ...very informative. I have a non-hairy 12 year old which will be AT his doctors office this morning at 8:30 am. I traced the size w/ a pen last night, it is bigger this morning.. I love the 7 day a week practice. Is 12 young for this? <BR/>He did have a large abscess in his arm last Thanksgiving. Antibiotics and draining cleared it up. I was very proud of him for taking care of it himself. (I monitored)<BR/><BR/>I have a 15 year old who has had 2 pneumothorax's, one each lung, this year (one in math class, one in lacrosse). I feel like all I do is see doctors.Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00531487134383459563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-22380804267343961192009-02-28T08:59:00.000-08:002009-02-28T08:59:00.000-08:00Sid: I am sure BrightEyes' intention was not to i...Sid: I am sure BrightEyes' intention was not to insult or demean surgeons or any medical practitioner. You as a veteran of the medical field should be above the "insensitive" comments from a medical student...I guess "insensitive" is a relative term. I had to go to the hospital to get treatment for pilonidal cyst complications. When I got I finally saw doctor I found out that she did not want to treat me--I guess the knew what she was getting in to when she saw me. A second doctor came in and he was a "sensitive" doctor. I am glad he was there to help me. All I can tell you is that I remember her face and name...if I ever see her in distress I will on a highway, woods, city, etc. I will make sure I forget how to DIAL 911. <BR/><BR/>Should you happen to read this BrightEyes...Keep your sensitivity, people will thank for you it.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15527731772181631885noreply@blogger.com