Chronic Bartholin Abscess and Cysts - My Experience
Posted , 91 users are following.
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
EmmaS. megan38992
Posted
Hi Megan! Thank you so much for starting this conversation. I'm a 33 y old woman from Finland and writing here because Finland is a small country and it's hard to reach anyone with this condition. I've had Bartholins since 2013, went through Word katetri- and marsupialization. Still having symptoms.
I've contacted three doctros about this now, the last one in Helsinki university hospital. I can't understand how little the doctors know about the symptom! They only know what to do up to marsupialisation, but after that they either turn quiet and start talking like politicans (not saying really anything). No-one seems to get the psycologial effects of all this!
And in Finland there's a support group for allmost everything, but off course not for Bartholins and especially for Bartholin excicion. I'm starting to turn desperate, there's no info on experienced doctors, no-one to ask how their life has been after excision.
Luckily I found this discussion. Thankyou.
So I've already had one marsupialization, and now the doctors suggested another one. I'm sceptical whether it would help. Have you heard of anyone, who has found a permanent cure from the second marsupialization? Should I focus on finding a good doctor and aim for the excicion?
And thank you everyone on this discussion for your supporting words. Little by little I have started to see my body as something ugly and not lovable. Last night I red a post where someone wrote words like that we shouldn't identify too much with this, that we are beautiful and whole and it WILL get better. It gave hope.
megan38992 EmmaS.
Posted
Hi Emma!
I agree...it WILL get better, it's just a matter of finding the right solution for you.
I unfortunately do not have any experience with, or know of anyone who has had more than one marsupilization. However, that's not to say it won't work the second time around. Some people have much success with just one. Have you asked your doctor how successful they think it may be, and what the next steps would be if it didn't work?
lisa98862 megan38992
Posted
Hi my name is Lisa iv just had my second marsupialzation the first was two year ago. There meeting me home from hospital today hopefully. Just wondering had any tips o what to do when I'm home healing wise do I keep taken the baths and stuff or stop them stitches do seem to be abit sore today any help would be appreciated thanks.
lisa98862
Posted
SSottc lisa98862
Posted
Hi Lisa,
I had my marsupialization about 5 months ago. After surgery, my doctor said I could take a bath but I was a bit nervous. If you are going to sit in the bath, just make sure you really really clean the bath-tub. For me, I used this bowl that's just big enough for me to sit in because it was a lot easier for me to clean than cleaning the whole bathtub. I did that three times a day after the surgery for about 2 to 3 days and then my gyne said that it's okay for me to not do it anymore so I stopped. I hope it does not come back for you anymore. I never want that to come back in my life or any women because it was an awful experience for me.
lisa98862 SSottc
Posted
Hi I was told by my gynae not too have a bath or anything for a week just to let the skin heal but I think that's too long to wait so going to try in about a day or two. Thanks for your help I do that instead of the bath as I'm also very sore still it sounds much easier. Yeah I hope it does not come back for either there not one bit nice for anyone we just have to keep on hoping.
SSottc lisa98862
Posted
Oh really. You know after my surgery, I was sore for a day only. I had my surgery at like 7 PM so I didn't get home till 11 P.M. and then the next day, I took a shower & I sat in the bath one time only but the second day, I noticed that my pain was a lot better & I only had to take pain killer twice a day and then on the third day, I took it just one time only & no more soreness. I hope you have speedy recovery. I found this site when I felt like I was lost & did not know who to go to or what to do & then I saw that there are other women who are going through the same problems.
Lauraalicetom megan38992
Posted
Hey guys, I know there are some old comment on here and some new, don't know if you's still follow this or anything but can I just tell you this has been a life saver for me! I'm 23 and from England and I have been suffering with these cyst since I was 18, 15 I've had in total all on my left side, every time I visited the doctor or the hospital they would just palm me off with antibiotics or they would lance and drain it and even sometimes tell me that it's too small to do anything, when you know in yourself it's definately not SMALL. I've been given loads of different reasons of why I get them, first was that it's stress related then it was that I'm too sexual active and then one doctor (out of the millions I have seen) asked me if I had been tested for diabetes because that's the number 1 reason (what a load of crap) anyways in the end I got so mad with the NHS system that I demanded an appointment with a consultant, when I finally got to see him, I demanded that the gland was to be removed, he tried to shrug me off and showed me different ways it can be fixed next time one occurs but I stood my ground and told him that it's getting removed. He put me on the waiting list and that was that.
It's now been a week since my surgery and you will never guess what, the consultant comes and see you before you surgery to go through the operation with you, asked me if it was swollen (which it wasn't) and then told me that the best thing to do is come back when it's swollen. NO was my answer, you're doing it today.
For the first 3 days after surgery it was great, they had put that much numbing stuff in it I could feel a thing, had to pee with my hand touching the floor in front of me because it stung.
Then the numbing started wear off and I had to find different position to sit it, I found it most easiest to lie down, stand or anything where you can get your legs wide apart as possible. It's quite painful now, I'm going back to work in a couple of days and I'm dreading it, TAKE AS LONG AS POSSIBLE OFF WORK, I only went out for my dinner today and it's killing me, too much walking and siting in a car, also I'm very very dry which is really uncomfortable, not really sure how to cure this, if anybody has any suggestions? I've just finished my TWO courses of antibiotics that I was given at the hospital to stop infections.
Also, everyone that's had the operation, I've had a look down there, I can see the lump just inside of the hole where they have taken the gland away, which as I can imagine is normal but I also have another lump just outside the hole not entirely sure if that's normal or not and does the side you had it done on feel really really tight? I'm asking all these because my doctors told me NOTHING, I've had to look for it all online, which I can hardly find anything about it apart from on here, even the NHS website just said, no tampon and no sex for 4 weeks that's it! I'm thinking I'm going to make an appointment with my doctor just to make sure everything it as it should be but I've not even been told to do that, pretty hopeless really, I know it's not a life or death situation but my god they are annoying, uncomfortable and embarrassing you would think that the health care professionals would at least take time to help us out!
Anyways thanks for listening and thankyou guys for telling your stories because they have helped me so much, lots of love xoxoxox
Lauraalicetom
Posted
I was also told that this would be it now until menopause... I'm 23 and I wasn't waiting that long, all I did was just push and push and push the NHS, I saw loads of different gynaecologist, until I was referred for the operation, go in there with the facts and they can't turn you down 💞
megan38992 Lauraalicetom
Posted
Hi!
I'm actually the original poster and still try to reply as often as possible because I know what a difference having an active community of those who share similar experiences can make.
Props to you for taking a stand and doing what you felt was best for your health and well being. You may have some scar tissue. Has your doctor scheduled a follow up? If not, go ahead and call. The dryness is a side effect of the procedure, but it can also be related to the antibiotics that you've been on. Maybe start taking a probiotic to help promote good bacteria. Since you're only one week post-op, I would imagine you'll still be uncomfortable for another week or two.
jennifer_14469 megan38992
Posted
Hey Megan I'm going through the same thing. I had a terrible abscess about 20 years ago on the left side and over the summer one developed on the right side. I had the balloon catheter put in the first time and had a great outcome so I figured I would have a great result on the right side. I couldn't have been more wrong. It has been a night mare. The catheter came out the next day, which was 4th of July weekend so none of the doctors were in. I waited a few days to see my doctor. It had already filled up and was infected. I had it lanced, drained, sewn open and that silver nitrate treatment, which hurt like hell but did the trick. I was free from a cyst for a month! I was so happy until a few days ago when I noticed it was coming back with full force. It was huge and so very painful. Yesterday I went back to my dr who put the word catheter back in. I literally couldn't walk and I have a very high tolerance for pain. This morning as I was wiping some blood off the catherer fell out. I guess it had deflated over night :-( my dr is advising that I have the gland removed. I am just so afraid for some reason. My biggest concern being my sex life afterwards. I know this gland is what keeps the fluid moving down there during intercourse. Hope I'm not being too personal but is sex a lot different now, is arousal more difficult, do you feel like you need to use lube? I'm 39 and have a great sex life with my husband and I don't want to change that.
harriet2015 jennifer_14469
Posted
If I can add detail regarding my below post by replying to you Jennifer - surgery to remove the gland was the best thing that could have happened to me. discomfort for 1-2 weeks but only minor. I have to say sex is absolutely fine, I experience no difference in reduction of natural lube but if slightly concerned, I do use a little shop bought help! The benefit of not having to worry it will come back (see post about recurrence on other side), completely outweighs the need to add to the lube situation! I am even considering asking to have the other out - god knows where that will leave me but I'll take it!
harriet2015 megan38992
Posted
Megan sorry if you have been through the houses to get to the excision, I have a fairly similar story but wondered if any advice can be given in addition.
First cyst RHS 7 years ago, hurt and burst naturally. Nothing for 5 years then non painful large swelling on LHS (occurred during pregnancy and no bursting in birth!). My GP referred me directly for surgery to investigate with the intention of carrying out the best solution there and then - in the end they removed entire gland on LHS and drained very small build up on RHS. 2 week recovery, a little painful but no more so than post baby.
Now in pregnancy 2, the RHS swelling has started, I am unable to drain myself through squeezing and with FT work and toddler no way I can bath in epsom salts 5 times a day!
I know they won't operate during pregnancy but my question to anyone is have they had both glands excised/will they remove both glands? (I would be totally go through the op again for such relief of these irritating issues)
Any advice would be greatly received. I have a consultant appt for other reasons pre birth so I will mention and discuss but I know they wont touch it while p.
megan38992 harriet2015
Posted
MaryR24 megan38992
Posted
Megan,
Your story is so similar to mine. This is my 5th cyst. I've exhausted so many options and remedies and none seem to work. I even had the marsup done and this cyst still came back. I'm 23 and I'm really considering getting my glands removed. I am hesitant but hopeful after reading your story. I do have a question for you about it though. After your glands were removed, is it difficult to have sex? Do the glands being removed prevent you from getting wet for sex? I know it's a very personal question, but it honestly is a concern for me and my future with being married. I don't want to have to use alternative methods like lube all the time every time I want to have sex with my husband.
Thanks for sharing your experience
Mary
megan38992 MaryR24
Posted