Coming to a head...? Good news...?
Posted , 3 users are following.
Forgive my posting again but this group has really provided a good outlet for me. I have no one else to talk to about it who understands and the last I spoke with my doc I was told it may take a few weeks to go away, to take more antibiotics and continue hot compresses.
As much as I didn't want to take another round of antibiotics (they messed with my birth control pill and caused me to get my period a week early..I'm now on day 6 of having it which isn't helping..) I decided to start them again as a precaution just so I. n say I did it.
I tried to do more hot compresses and aim my removable shower head at the area with hot water as I don't have a tub and I feel I've gotten more results than the antibiotics gave me.
I feel like the cyst might be coming to a head. Before the lump was far beneath my skin, it now feels harder and tender. It also feels like it's shifted its way closer to my vaginal opening, like it's closer to the surface. In my last post someone responded that it sounds like it might be close to bursting. Has anyone else had this experience? I would assume this is a good sign?
0 likes, 6 replies
ssahara JG0723
Posted
Hello!
I have now had 2 of these nasty things (one last year and one last week), the one that I had last year left me in bed for 6 days not being able to walk, sit, or lay down comfortably. I couldn't get in to a gyno soon enough to have it looked at so I had to wait about 4 days. I spent my days looking at forums like these for home remedies and nothing worked, I can't even remember everything I tried! The only thing that made me feel comfortable was hot Epsom baths and I would take about 6 a day. Unfortunately mine only continued to get bigger and never bursted (both times, this last week even though I knew how to treat them now it still wouldn't burst). I also had the same feeling as you, where it feels closer to the surface and bigger but mine just continued to get more painful. Has yours abscessed yet? One thing that I found worked after my first abscessed cyst that I had to have lanced by a gyno (had no catheter, no real after care instructions so the thing came back within a day) was Smile's PRID drawing salve. Idk if it worked because there was already an opening from it being lanced but I just put it on a gauze pad, left it on the cyst while I slept and when I woke up the pad was covered in nasty pus/blood and I was able to squeeze the rest. When I got another abscessed cyst last week I tried the PRID after my baths and sadly it did not work. I ended up being able to get into a gyno right away on Friday morning and she told me she could either just lance/drain again or have a marsupialization. Since I've already had one that never really went away I decided to do the marsupialization and so far I'm extremely happy with the outcome. It was a quick procedure (about 15 min) however it was not a pleasant one, the worst part was when she went in with a Q-tip to clean out and get all remnants out of what she called the "chambers" the novacaine was unable to penetrate that deep so I felt the whole thing! I'm still on antibiotics and I was instructed to take 3 warm baths a day. I had zero pain after the procedure, I could finally sleep through the night and the cyst has already gone down significantly. I honestly think the best solution right now to these things is find a good doctor who knows about them and knows how to perform the necessary procedures WELL.
Sorry this was long, but I hope it helped in some way!
JG0723 ssahara
Posted
Thanks for your reply. I've been dealing with this for about a month now when I first felt discomfort. It hurt a bit to walk or sit, nothing excruciating, and when I examined myself to find the source that's when I found the lump, which was sore, but that was the peak of my pain.
When I went to my doc two weeks ago the pain had subsided for the most part. She said it seemed like it was going away on its own and there wasn't anything to lance. She prescribed me a course of antibiotics which I finished last week, but the cyst was still present. I called the office last week and that's when I was prescribed another round.
I can't really get a good look down there, but from what I can feel it seems like just a small bump to the right of my vaginal opening, with a bit of tenderness beneath the surface. Overall the cyst is smaller, less squishy..def harder.
I don't think I have an abcess? I don't have a huge painful swelling or anything, it only feels tender when manipulated..I can feel it ever so slightly when I walk.
Overall the mental pain far surpasses any physical pain I've felt. I'm hoping it will continue to improve and that the second round of antibiotics will help to prevent infection.
ssahara JG0723
Posted
That sounds like how mine felt right before it abscessed, I would just be aware of it definitely let your doc know if anything changes and keep up the hot compresses. Unfortunately it won't burst unless it's abscessed
Hopefully yours will clear itself out before it gets to that point!
I definitely feel you on the mental pain, when I felt it come back last week I just cried because I knew what it meant and didn't want to deal with all that pain again. It also has really affected my self esteem as I'm constantly worrying about it when I'm with my boyfriend and always scared that it will come back
JG0723 ssahara
Posted
What does abcess actually mean? Like, it will pop..? That's a good thing right? Or is it just that it will swell and turn painful..? And is it possible for it to resolve itself without bursting..? It's definitely more tender than it's been recently. Not as bad as when it first popped up but still.
JG0723 ssahara
Posted
It's just gonna like...randomly turn really painful all of a sudden..? I'm scared!
ssahara JG0723
Posted
The way my gyno explained it to me is that there's the bartholin gland and there's the duct or little tube that leads to the gland when the duct gets clogged the fluid that the gland produces gets backed up and that's what causes a cyst. If bacteria gets in there then it gets infected and leads to abscess which is painful, red, tender, hard to the touch, and is full of pus/blood. Some people are able to resolve the abscess on their own and get it to "pop" or drain all of that nasty stuff out other people, like myself, couldn't get it to so I needed to see a doctor and have it cut open.
I'm not too sure if it can resolve itself if it's just a cyst, if you've been on antibiotics it's possible I would think. But like I said, just be mindful of it, stay in contact with your doctor if you notice any changes and are unsure, and hot compresses definitely wouldn't hurt. Another thing that my primary doctor had me do when I still had the cyst left from my first abscess was a hot/cold compress to get the fluid in there moving and hopefully resolve itself. I would take 2 wash cloths one for hot and cold. Starting with hot water, get the cloth wet and microwave it for about 45 sec (for the cold cloth get it wet and put in the freezer for later) or as long as it takes to get hot but not hot enough to burn the sensitive skin down there leave it on the area for 5 min, while you're letting that sit the cold cloth should still be in freezer. When the 5 min is up immediately take the cold cloth out of the freezer and put it on the area for 5 min. Repeat this cycle for a total of 3 times (hot/cold, hot/cold, hot/cold) and always end with cold. It helps if you have someone to help you so you don't have to keep getting up and prepare the wash cloths. You can also put castor oil on the cyst before you do the whole thing and that should help as well