My long experience with bartholin cysts. Started at 16 and I am now 23

Hello all,

I have had issues with bartholin cysts since I was 16 years old, my first cyst on the right hand side, came into my life after I started being sexually active. My doctor asked me if I was sexually active when she was looking at it when I was 16 (my mother was in the room at the time and I was so embarrassed to say yes). She explained what the glands do and how they basically help you stay lubricated during sex and that the glands can even start to produce the lubrication when being turned on. 

On that day she used a needle to drain it, I remember her not using any numbing cream or spray and it was horrible but the relief afterwards was like heaven!

It would have been about three weeks later my cyst went from being small and drained to the size of a large chicken egg again. She sent me to a gynaecologist who wanted to perform the bartholin cyst gland removal surgery. Within a week I was in theatre, now not knowing much about these as a child (neither did my mother) I had undergone the most serious surgery you can on these annoying things. The recovery (sorry to say) was absolutely horrible, I was waddling around and in bed with my legs spread for weeks. That being said as a child I was scared of pain killers so all I was taking was panadol. I remember peeing and having a shower was excruciating, I felt like someone was pouring salt on an open wound. NOW, after I had recovered and everything was back to normal, when I started having sex again it DIDN'T hurt! which was amazing and I was off to live my happy little life.... Until

Around eight months ago I got another bartholin cyst on my left hand side, I think I cried for a solid hour, how the hell was I meant to go through this again... I went to the doctor and asked her to drain it for me as I was in a lot of pain. This happened three times (over two months) then I had to go see a gynaecologist. She did an insertion on the cyst and basically scooped out anything she could get, She gave me a local before doing this and that was just like muscle memory from when I was 16. She then put some cotton wool in the hole she created so blood wouldn't come out on the way home, I instantly got the strongest over the counter pain killers that I could. I went home and had to try and have a salt water bath, where she had given me some syringes to try and flush salt water into the cyst to heal it... This was so so so painful, obviously I knew it was helping it but I nearly blacked out from the pain. I then had to try and get the cotton wool out that she had put in, slowly pulling on it was just as painful, it hurt every little time I tried and tried, then FINALLY I got it out. As I looked down into a bath filled with blood, I started to faint (which has never happened to me in my life). The advice I can give ladies going through this particular "helpful technique" GP's or specialists will put you through is IF you're going to get that done.. Have someone around when you're taking the bath, I was home alone and freaking the f**k out. I would recommend not bothering going through with this, I was off work for a week and within three weeks my cyst was back to the size of a ping pong ball. 

Now, I tried to handle this cyst for as long as I could, I then realised I would have to under go surgery, The gyno said a marsupulation would have to be done. I was terrified to go through something like this again but it had to be done... Now she started feeling around my cyst at this appointment and then noticed I had a cyst ON MY RIGHT HAND SIDE AGAIN. After I left the practice we had booked in the surgery for three weeks time... My cyst had another plan, within three days my cyst on the right hand side grew to the size of a small egg. I went back to her and she drained it for me just so I could last until the god dam surgery (which was now happening on my right hand side not the left, which was the one we were dealing with for the past few months). I was so upset and in pain.

Two weeks until the surgery now, now one week... I was now on antibiotics for the last week as the right hand cyst was turning into an abscess... I was using a heat back every five seconds and getting into hot showers (as I don't have a bath - but I would make a little make shift sitz bath). seven days before the surgery and I was crying my eyes out in pain, my dad wanted me to go to the hospital but I couldn't go into emergency when it wasn't that long until the surgery. The next day came and I rang my GP "I'm on the antibiotics and the strongest otc painkillers and I feel like I'm going to cut my lower part of my body off" She insisted on me going to hospital as I could have had an infection if I was in that much pain even on antibiotics.

Off to hospital I went, drip in, three hours later I was going into theatre. The gyno at the hospital was fantastic, got her boss on the phone and they were both in the operating room... Now my specialist said she would only do one marsupulisation on the right hand cyst and not the left. These specialists at the public hospital I went to did both! PLEASE make sure you have a specialist that is putting your actual needs first and not them making money off appointments and two lots of theatre opposed to one. 

Recovery was easier with this, I was up and walking within two days, I still needed to rest though... I was so so so happy my body FINALLY looked normal again and once everything was healed with in 3-4 weeks my partner and I had sex. It was a little uncomfortable but not painful at all, I was also really afraid of having an orgasim the first time back into it all, I was so scared it was going to hurt but it didn't.

Now I bet you're all thinking oh thank god, this poor women.. guess again. My cysts on both sides are coming back.. I had surgery not even two months ago now and the holes they created are closing/closed up... Looks like I will be having to get another opp. I had a little cry today about it all and decided to right this.. I'm not scared about getting another marsup opp or anything like that again because it is NOTHING on the recovery of the full gland removal. Now I am worried I am going to have to undergo that on both sides in the near future. We will see and I will keep you all updated.

Sorry mine doesn't end in happiness at the moment but it will, we just need to keep sharing what we have gone through and what helps!

I will be trying tumric and coconut oil if they start to turn into abscesses or if they get bigger in size. This apparently helps bring a head to the cyst like a pimple, then use salt and bicarb as a paste to "burn" the skin naturally. As some women can't use a needle because it's too painful and I am one of those women!

Please share any questions or stories xx

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