Pilonidal Sinus Excision - experiences?
Discussion
If anyone you know has had one of these done, you'll probably know what it involves. If you don't, I wouldn't Google it until after you've eaten!
I had one done on the 31st of May, they stitched the wound back up (nurses seemed quite surprised that they'd done this - I'd been told all along that the standard procedure was to leave it as an open wound and pack & dress it until healed)
Had the stitches removed Friday just gone, immediately felt loads better and felt that I may go back to work this week.
Carefully got in my car and drove round to see how things were progressing on our new house (it's being rewired and plastered etc) and when I got there the wound had opened right up and I was leaking blood and pus all over the place. So was back to square one. It's now being treated in the conventional way of having a nurse pack it every day.
Nurse said yesterday that it was healing well, so I asked if it'd be likely to be healed in the next couple of weeks. "Oh no, this'll be a while, it's quite a long-term thing"
Looking like I might miss RIAT and realistically, most of the summer
Birthday tomorrow as well, can't even go for a meal with the missus as I cant sit down comfortably.
Anyone who's had it done, what were your experiences - good and bad!
I had one done on the 31st of May, they stitched the wound back up (nurses seemed quite surprised that they'd done this - I'd been told all along that the standard procedure was to leave it as an open wound and pack & dress it until healed)
Had the stitches removed Friday just gone, immediately felt loads better and felt that I may go back to work this week.
Carefully got in my car and drove round to see how things were progressing on our new house (it's being rewired and plastered etc) and when I got there the wound had opened right up and I was leaking blood and pus all over the place. So was back to square one. It's now being treated in the conventional way of having a nurse pack it every day.
Nurse said yesterday that it was healing well, so I asked if it'd be likely to be healed in the next couple of weeks. "Oh no, this'll be a while, it's quite a long-term thing"
Looking like I might miss RIAT and realistically, most of the summer
Birthday tomorrow as well, can't even go for a meal with the missus as I cant sit down comfortably.
Anyone who's had it done, what were your experiences - good and bad!
Yep, went through that misery at 18 years of age just after finishing my A levels. Big hole in my butt crack, spent a week in hospital until they were happy it had healed enough for me to go home. Whilst in there one nurse made a right hash of dressing it one day so I spent the best part of an hour on the treatment table the next day while a nurse who did know what she was doing sorted it out. Load of clotted blood to remove and as I got up from the bed it was like a scene from a horror movie, loads of claret 
Italia '90 World Cup was in full swing and this was back in the day when they had TV rooms on hospital wards, fun to watch with the other mobile patients.
Took about 6 weeks to fully heal, regular visits from the district nurse to see how it was progressing. Before leaving hospital they filled it with this stuff that's a bit like expanding foam to make a new dressing, this I had to take out and wash daily. The district nurse made new ones every week or so as it healed from the bottom up.
Since then I've been a lot more careful with keeping that area clean, always give it a good blast with the shower head when I'm showering and luckily it hasn't reoccurred.
Good luck
Italia '90 World Cup was in full swing and this was back in the day when they had TV rooms on hospital wards, fun to watch with the other mobile patients.Took about 6 weeks to fully heal, regular visits from the district nurse to see how it was progressing. Before leaving hospital they filled it with this stuff that's a bit like expanding foam to make a new dressing, this I had to take out and wash daily. The district nurse made new ones every week or so as it healed from the bottom up.
Since then I've been a lot more careful with keeping that area clean, always give it a good blast with the shower head when I'm showering and luckily it hasn't reoccurred.
Good luck
That sounds pretty nasty!
I was lucky in that I only had to stay in overnight, and that was only due to using a CPAP machine etc so they wanted to keep an eye on me due to having had general anaesthetic.
One thing I wasn't prepared for was the stench when they remove the dressing! I've had the packing and dressing changed six times now and noticed the smell twice. They said they do tend to stink and a lot of it is down to the packing material being made from seaweed!
I was lucky in that I only had to stay in overnight, and that was only due to using a CPAP machine etc so they wanted to keep an eye on me due to having had general anaesthetic.
One thing I wasn't prepared for was the stench when they remove the dressing! I've had the packing and dressing changed six times now and noticed the smell twice. They said they do tend to stink and a lot of it is down to the packing material being made from seaweed!
In some cases, having it removed doesn't always solve the problem and sometimes just makes it worse and my doctor is normally against it.
Mine flares up occasionally and so far has been successfully dealt with using anti biotics.
I still haven't found out what actual purpose it serves to the human body.
Mine flares up occasionally and so far has been successfully dealt with using anti biotics.
I still haven't found out what actual purpose it serves to the human body.
Jack, your a lucky man. Youll be fine and ready to rock very shortly.
I'm due operation number 11, first in July 09, i've had various types, bascombes the last two times, and still no luck in it completing. I've had the current flare up since November last year, looking about tennis ball size at the top of the left cleft. Saw my specialist again three weeks ago, just waiting for another appt. I'm normally out of hospital within 24 hours, home for a week, then back to work, albeit sensitivly.
My main recommendation, cleaning. I clean it every hour during the day with baby wipes, to clear off the discharge and blood, and after the op its harder due to the daily packing I have to endure. But cleanliness, and lack of farting (seriously) will help. I've got plenty of advice if you want to PM me.
I'm due operation number 11, first in July 09, i've had various types, bascombes the last two times, and still no luck in it completing. I've had the current flare up since November last year, looking about tennis ball size at the top of the left cleft. Saw my specialist again three weeks ago, just waiting for another appt. I'm normally out of hospital within 24 hours, home for a week, then back to work, albeit sensitivly.
My main recommendation, cleaning. I clean it every hour during the day with baby wipes, to clear off the discharge and blood, and after the op its harder due to the daily packing I have to endure. But cleanliness, and lack of farting (seriously) will help. I've got plenty of advice if you want to PM me.
I had an excision about 20 years ago, same as the OP - stitches opened so had to have it packed every day, was unpleasant but hasn't flared up at all since.
One (mildly amusing - looking back now) incident during the initial diagnosis though - I was asked to attend hospital for a consultation appointment but no further details were given, apppointment was mid-afternoon. Arrived, male doc and a female nurse, doc decided he'd need to check if the sinus had made it's way into my bowel and asked me to lie sideways on the consultation table with my lower clothing pulled down and my knees up to my chest.
He then inserted some sort of device that he then used to pump up my bowel with air, I assume to check if any air was then leaking out of the sinus. All was fine so he pulled the device out and then - yes, you've probably guessed by now - all the air that was in my intestines had to come back out! The room absolutely STANK. Doc has to ask the nurse to open the window. I was SO embarrased.
So - if any of you are asked to attend a medical appointment during diagnosis/treatment - make sure you've had a BIG poo first!
One (mildly amusing - looking back now) incident during the initial diagnosis though - I was asked to attend hospital for a consultation appointment but no further details were given, apppointment was mid-afternoon. Arrived, male doc and a female nurse, doc decided he'd need to check if the sinus had made it's way into my bowel and asked me to lie sideways on the consultation table with my lower clothing pulled down and my knees up to my chest.
He then inserted some sort of device that he then used to pump up my bowel with air, I assume to check if any air was then leaking out of the sinus. All was fine so he pulled the device out and then - yes, you've probably guessed by now - all the air that was in my intestines had to come back out! The room absolutely STANK. Doc has to ask the nurse to open the window. I was SO embarrased.
So - if any of you are asked to attend a medical appointment during diagnosis/treatment - make sure you've had a BIG poo first!
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