Chronic Bartholin Abscess and Cysts - My Experience
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After roughly 5 years of experience with these beasts I opted to have my gland removed. I feel as though I've been through hell and back and almost feel a sense of obligation to share my story to those who may be going through the same thing. I know I wanted to know everything about them, so the least I can do is contribute my knowledge of the topic.
*I am NOT a medical professional and I am not dishing out medical advice, just sharing an experience*
I got my first abscess towards the end of my senior year of college. I'm now 27. I had the abscess drained by OB and it did not reappear until several years later. And guess when it decided to return? My honeymoon. My honeymoon was completely ruined. We were in the Dominican Republic and I noticed it starting to swell up the morning after we arrived. By that afternoon I was already starting to feel sluggish and almost like I had the flu. By the third day I was in bed with a 102 degree fever. I was too embarrassed and nervous to see an actual doctor in the Dominican so we went to the resort clinic and I faked a sinus infection knowing they would give me antibiotics. The antibiotics did not help (cephalexin) and I still had several days until I could get a flight back to the states. I writhed in pain for days, I didn't sleep for 3 days straight. I made a half-assed attempt at popping it WITH A NEEDLE. That is what desperation will do to you! The pain was so bad I had to stop and LAY DOWN IN THE AIRPORT when we were trying to get home. Do you know how disgusting and humiliating it is to lay down on the ground in an airport? I refused to get help until we got home. There is just something about getting cut open by someone you don't know in an unfamiliar place that is just unsettling...I cried for the entire day during the course of our 2 flights home. My husband rushed me to the ER as soon as we landed. The doctor lanced the abscess and gave me a word catheter. I felt amazing afterwards. It hurt to sit, but I could work from home and within a week I was back to normal. Story should end there with a happy ending, right?
Wrong.
Fast forward to a few months later and it's back. I tried the sitz baths, but it did not change. When it got big enough and I started to feel that awful flu-ish feeling, I saw my OB GYN who once again lanced it and inserted a catheter. Went home, did my sitz baths, back to normal in a week...
Fast foward another two months and I feel another one coming on. Once again, I got the catheter. Except this time my OB stated she made a larger incision than before. It hurt extremely bad this time. I cried at the pharmacy waiting for my pain meds and cephalexin. I almost couldn't make the drive home. That night, I got chills and noticed I was bleeding way more than normal. I also developed another high fever. By that time I was a veteran with the word catheter so I knew something was wrong. Me and my husband called local hospitals trying to figure out how to classify "too much blood loss". I toughed it out and tried to sleep through the night. I was sure it was infected and that it was bleeding too much. 3 days of bleeding with chills and fever, puss burst through the catheter, almost as if it had re-burst again after it was lanced. It was a horrible, horrible experience.
Later that winter it came back once again...like clockwork, I swear. This time I had a marsupilaization. The procedure seemed almost TOO good to be true. I felt way better afterwards than when I had the catheters. We even went out to eat that night! This blissful feeling lasted for 3 whole months! I know it seems odd, but when my husband and I were intimate after the incision healed and the stitches dissolved, it was better than it was before this whole mess started!
Too good to be true, you say? You are correct.
Here we are...summertime, a little over a year after my honeymoon disaster. On a holiday weekend I felt it coming back. I went and saw my OB and she said she would lance and insert a catheter. At that point, I finally took control of what I thought should be done and declined the catheter. I requested a lancing instead because at that point - I already know it will come back, so why go through the extra pain of the catheter? She lances it, it got infected (despite the antibiotics) and re-burst again a few days later. Same fever, same pain, no sleeping, etc. I cried once again, but this time not just because it hurt, but because I felt broken. I felt like it had officially taken over my life.
Before I left my OB's office the day I got it lanced again, we talked about a more permanent solution. I mentioned removing the gland entirely (because like you people, I troll the internet looking for all possible solutions to this thing) and she shrugged her shoulders and gave me an uneasy look suggesting that removing the gland was not something she would advise.
The fact that she wouldn't even hear it out made me feel a bit less comfortable with her even though she had been my OB for 14 years! I once again took to google and searched for the BEST gynecological surgeon in my area. I settled on one and set an appointment for a second opinion. My visit with her was borderline inspiring. She was so confident, she expained that I was considered an ideal candidate for the surgery and even went so far as to draw pictures of the actual procedure for me. It sounds weird, I know, but it helped. She sent me on my way and said to call back when I was ready. I called back two months later when I just barely felt another abscess coming on and she put me on the surgery calendar. I met with her the night before and even sat down with the anesthesiologist to get a very clear picture of how everything the next day would run. The surgery went great. I'm 3 weeks post-op and feeling really well. There is still a little pain, but definitely no bleeding. I'm used to healing really quickly so I keep expecting it to not hurt at all, but that is just unrealistic considering a gland was removed from my body.
I'm not going to tell anyone on here to go out and do the surgery. It is up to you.
Below is what did not work for me.
Sitz baths
Tea tree oil
Epsom salts
Silicia
Serrapeptase
Probiotics (these are good for you anyway)
Drawing salves
Massaging the area
Steam/warm compresses
Ice packs
Antibiotics
Calamine lotion
The Bartholin Cyst Miracle e-book
Here is a little procedure cheat-sheet for those who may be unfamiliar:
Lancing - the area is numbed with a topical anesthetic, again with local anesthetic and a small incision is made into the abscess/cyst to allow the built up puss to drain. **soooo gross**
Word Catheter - incision is made similiar to the above, except a small tube with a balloon on the end is inserted into the hole. This allows the hole to remain open and encourages the cyst to continue to drain. My first doctor said the catheter should stay in place for a few days. The internet told me 4 weeks. My second doctor that performed my excision also said it should have stayed in for at least a few weeks.
Marsupilization - incision is made per the above and instead stitched open to allow the hole to remain open. From what I've heard, this has been a permanent solution for some! Not for me, but I definitely preferred it over the catheter.
Gland Excision - exactly that. The entire gland is removed. Recovery time is around 6 weeks, pain is mild, I was also warned that disfigurement is a possibility, but that was not the case for me. Yes, I've looked at it.
It may be too early to tell if my surgery has a good prognosis, however, my doctor did say she was able to remove almost all of the gland. It is important to know that the gland is so small and the area is so vascular, that it can sometimes be difficult for the surgeon to remove the entire mechanism. Understanding how much was removed will help you better figure out your chance for reccurrence.
Well friends, I wish everyone on here the best of luck with this awful condition. It blows my mind that this disorder doesn't get a whole lot of attention considering how life altering it really can be. I leave you with just a few of my mantras for battling this crap: you are not alone, you are not broken, and you are not crazy. Do your research, don't be afraid to get second opinions and do what you feel is best for your body and your well being.
12 likes, 230 replies
tracey73476 megan38992
Posted
Hi Megan.
I'm so happy to read, even if it was 2 years ago, that your gland removal went well.
I'm 29 and I've had over 30 bartholins abcess lancings and word catheter procedures performed. Until today, it had been a year since my last one. And the last one I felt coming on, couldn't miss work and my the trauma nurse knew me well enough at that point that she just called in some antibiotics which apparently stopped the cyst in its tracks.
I've read so many stories and this is the first time I've ever shared mine. If by some miracle a gynecologist in Las Vegas reads this and wants to help me that would be wonderful. Lol.
Anyway, I'm serious. The majority of my abscesses are on the right side. I would say the last 20-25 or so have been on that side. I haven't had one on the left in probably 5 or 6 years. I've been offered marsupialization but the stories of failed procedures scare the crap out of me. Gland removal is the same. I'm currently sitting on the couch waiting until I can take my antibiotics on top of a heating pad hoping and praying that this will work again.
The real thing I want to say about these effing monsters is... over the course of 7 years and more procedures than I can literally even remember, I discovered something that typically caused them. If I had sex with a guy that hasn't recently showered or had sweated at all, I would get an abscess. So if it helps anyone out there in my situation, make your man take a shower before you get it on.
Not sure how my story will end or if it ever will, but good luck to everyone out there.
megan38992 tracey73476
Posted
milly48544 megan38992
Posted
Megan, i am shocked to read all these stories but relieved to find other people in the world in the same position as me. You have given me hope! I have had this since i was 11, i get offered antibiotics and referalls to the hospital in which i am told this is a cosmetic surgery.
It greatly affects my life, i can't ride bikes for very long, i can't run, i have a small opening which i have to leak it out at least 3 times a day. I have lived with this for 22 years, alot of shame and embarassment ad pain and because of all your stories i rang a gynocologist. It's looking at about 7000 privately for surgery but they sympathised with me and told me to see my GP again and push about how much it affects my life when i finally get the appointment.
I'm going to push for surgery. I just got engaged and i want to walk down the isle without worrying, without pain, without any discomfort.
I just want to thank you for sharing because i didn't realise so many people were in the same boat. I feel positive about going into this and i plan on doing alot of research and presenting it at the hospital as well as personal statement in the hope that i will finally be heard and they will realise it is not cosmetic, it really affects me, physically, mentally and emotionally.
I'm not afraid, this is empowering and i am ready! THANK YOU, thank you to everyone else who has shared to. I gave up and now i feel i am fighting for myself again.
megan38992 milly48544
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milly48544 megan38992
Posted
megan38992 milly48544
Posted
dallas30490 megan38992
Posted
At 17 years old, I was cursed with my first Bartholin's abscess in August of 2016. I had gone into the ER hoping they would do something about it because the pain was excruciating. I had five nurses and a nurse practioner examine me, only to be told that my condition was not serious enough to be dealt with at that moment. I was referred to an OB/GYN. I felt defeated. I couldn't work, I couldn't walk and I couldn't sleep. I thought that it was just something I would have to deal with for the rest of my life. Later that night, at 3 in the morning, I woke up with a fever, and I was vomiting. My mother drove me to the ER and FORCED them to do something to resolve the issue. The gave me a general anesthetic and lanced the abscess. Because I had waited so long to seek treatment, the infection had actually become septic, and was thus making me sick. I healed within a week and a half and everything was fine.
In May of 2017, I noticed some discomfort in the same area as before. I kind of ignored it, because I didn't want to take time off from work again, and I was house sitting. Within hours the abscess was the size of a golfball, and the pain had returned. My mother then took me to the ER, AGAIN. Did I forget to mention this was on Mother's Day? Yeah, sorry mom but my Bartholin's gland sorta hates me. I explained the situation and told them that this was a recurring problem. They gave me a local anesthetic this time, which by the way was still excruciatinglypainful, and lanced it. They were going to place a catheter, but the catheter fell out before they had completely in. The doctor then gave me a referral to a surgeon to excise the gland itself because of my young age, and the recurring problem.
I went to the surgeon, thinking he would make an appointment for the removal of the gland.
He then told me to wait and see if the infection came back and then he would take care of the abscess, and the gland. I felt hopeless, but I tried to look at it from a poitive point of view, that he didn't want to follow through with the procedure because there was a possibility that it wouldn't return if they had gotten the infection out and the marsupialization had gone well.
It has been less than two months, and the abscess is back, and bigger than ever. Tomorrow I am supposedly going to undergo the excision of the gland, and hopefully, I won't ever have this problem again.
The first time this happened, I felt like something was wrong with me, and I cried all the time. This happens to 2% of women and i just happened to be part of that. I was depressed, and sick. A Bartholin's cyst or Bartholin's abscess is nothing to be ashamed of, and I wish I had known that from the start.
megan38992 dallas30490
Posted
anne_marie17603 megan38992
Posted
I have had recurring bartholin cysts for 15 years now. This has been emotionally and physically traumatic. I feel deformed and disfigured. I had one removed when I was 16 and the other didn't abscess until several years later. After many I&D procedures and a ton of scar tissue I recently had marsupilazation due the the fact that I am currently seven months pregnant with my first child. I feel even more deformed as there is granulation it feels like and things just don't feel normal down there anymore. I begged them to remove it but because of the pregnancy they obviously can't do such an extensive surgery right now. I hoped and prayed the marsup would take care of ut fir good but it's been almost 6 weeks and I can feel it coming back. I'm so depressed and feel like this will never end. And now I'm worried I got cut and damaged and for nothing..yes it helped temporarily but I just want to be normal again. I'm terrified I will never look or feel normal again and be even more disfigured once I am able to get it removed after the baby arrives. I have about 8 weeks to go and I don't know what to do in the mean time..I just want it to go away. I am also afraid of the surgeons not getting all of it..I feel like I'm losing my mind.
SSottc anne_marie17603
Posted
Hi Anne, I am so sorry that this keeps happening to you. I had my Marsupialization for about 3 months now and so far, no more recurrence. And the recovery went very well than I expected. Just make sure the gynecologist that is going to perform that surgery has a lot of experiences. Luckily my gynecologist has been great & I was only in pain for about one day after the surgery and I did not even need to take pain killer after the first day. Best of luck to you. I know how it feels and I was feeling the same way.
angelica57987 megan38992
Posted
SSottc angelica57987
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lisa98862 megan38992
Posted
Hi im lisa and im 23 I'm so glad to be reading all these and to know I'm not alone is a relief. I'm now on my second cyst the first one at 21 got really bad couldn't walk sit or nothing I was afraid to go to hospital as for i was unaware at the time about the bartholins cyst. They done the marsupialization straight away. I recovered well until now two years later it's back sad I was in A&E twice and they just gave me antibiotics and pain relief I now have this cyst 2 months and they won't remove it because it's only 2cm they said they antibiotics would get rid of it but its still there no bigger or less. The doctor also said to me that this is just my life now with these till I get menopause that there's nothing they could do when he left all I could do was sit there and cry my eyes out. I've been doing the sitz baths the whole lot spent lots of money on different things but nothing seems to drain it. It is really ruining my life and depressing me I can't wear jeans or nothing anymore and I'm currently in a relationship which this could come between us I'd this keeps happening. I'm looking to find hope in a solution and just looking for advice on getting the whole gland removed as for i do not wish to go through this for the rest of my life as I'm already giving up hope
?
lisa98862 megan38992
Posted
Hi im lisa and im 23 I'm so glad to be reading all these and to know I'm not alone is a relief. I'm now on my second cyst the first one at 21 got really bad couldn't walk sit or nothing I was afraid to go to hospital as for i was unaware at the time about the bartholins cyst. They done the marsupialization straight away. I recovered well until now two years later it's back sad I was in A&E twice and they just gave me antibiotics and pain relief I now have this cyst 2 months and they won't remove it because it's only 2cm they said they antibiotics would get rid of it but its still there no bigger or less. The doctor also said to me that this is just my life now with these till I get menopause that there's nothing they could do when he left all I could do was sit there and cry my eyes out. I've been doing the sitz baths the whole lot spent lots of money on different things but nothing seems to drain it. It is really ruining my life and depressing me I can't wear jeans or nothing anymore and I'm currently in a relationship which this could come between us I'd this keeps happening. I'm looking to find hope in a solution and just looking for advice on getting the whole gland removed as for i do not wish to go through this for the rest of my life as I'm already giving up hope
?
megan38992 lisa98862
Posted
This is not your life now! You do have options! Can you find another doctor in your area?
lisa98862 megan38992
Posted