Pilonidal Experience #51

“My story started in 2014 when I was 18. I was working and my dad came to pick me up when getting in the car I could barely sit due to pain. My dad saw the pain in my face and asked what was wrong and I told him that I couldn’t sit . When I got home I had a shower and felt a lump just above my bum crack on my left side. My dad asked me how I was feeling and I told him about the lump and his exact words were oh no I hope to god this isn’t what I think it it he then proceeded to tell me to go to the doctors the next day. After getting a ultra sound done my dads suspicions were confirmed i had a pilonidal sinus. I then got referred to a specialist for the surgery but had to wait two weeks to see him. The day after I got diagnosed with the pilonidal sinus I stopped working and day by day my health started deteriorating and the pain and the cyst got worse. A week after the original diagnosis my cyst busted and pus leaked out my health rapidly decreased after this and within two days I was rushed up to the hospital and had emergency surgery. The emergency surgery however was only a drainage so I had to wait two weeks for the wound to heal and then had to under go the real surgery. My surgery was a open surgery and boy was it big. The community nurses said that it was one of the biggest incinsions they have ever seen they actually said that a medium to large size orange would be able to fit in my wound . I got the wound packed every day but my healing unfortunately was slow sometimes and sometimes non existent. My wound was actually deteriorating sometimes .1 year and 3 months is the amount of time it took my wound to heal. 6 months was the amount of time I was on bed rest. I took a toll in me and my mum who was my carer at the time. Now 3 years later I’m on surgery number 5 for my pilonidal sinus. This year I had a reoccurrence I had the procedure performed but this time with a new surgeon whom stitched it. After 4 weeks of bed rest the bottom of my stitches came open and they said my wound closed on the top but not on the bottom. So in I went for another surgery this was only a little incision where the stitches opened it measured at 1.5cm. All was well with that I was getting it packed ever second day then one day I feel pain and a lump I went to get it packed and got sent straight up to emergency where I got sent in for surgery number 5. I’m currently healing from this surgery it’s been 6 weeks of being on a vac machine which keeps the wound dry and is very uncommon for a pilonidal but due to my circumstances vital. My wound started at 4.5cm long 2cm deep and 1.5cm width. It’s currently 3.8cm long 1.5cm deep and 1.5cm width they don’t know why it’s taking so long to heal but I’m going to see the specialist on Thursday so wish me luck.

Becky”