Pilonidal Cyst Archives

Pilonidal Cyst

I'm a 44 year old woman & have had a lot of problems with Pilonidal Cysts. Over 15 years ago I have a Pilonidal Cyst every month for about 6 or 8 months. I was finally told the only way to get rid of it was by having it surgically removed. The next month when it developed again I was scheduled for surgery & had it removed. I went for years not having anymore cysts. Now out of the blue it has come back. I just recently had it lanced & it's still draining. I see my doctor every day. What I'd like to know is if I had it removed a long time ago, why did it return? It's in the exact same spot as before. I was told the first time that if I had it removed it would never bother me again. Sounds to me like someone goofed years ago & didn't get it all or I was lied to about it coming back. Sure hope you can help me. The doctor I'm seeing now says there is a lot of scar tissue from all the times I've had it worked on. That can't be good. Thanks

Follow Ups:

• Re: Pilonidal Cyst (Redux) Archive. Walt Stoll 06:04:03 11/10/03 (0)
• Re: Pilonidal Cyst Reader 01:56:49 11/10/03 (0)

In Reply to: Pilonidal Cyst posted by Nona Cook on November 09, 2003 at 00:40:49:

Hi, Nona:

Your story sounds very familiar. There is a lot of information on this site about the surgery success rate and all the questions you asked. If you go to the archives and articles, Dr. Stoll has helped many people and written many articles regarding this issue. You might want to read up on this. Also, there is a site called www.pilonidal.org that would help you too.

Sorry you are going through this -- I've been there. Hope this helps

In Reply to: Pilonidal Cyst posted by Nona Cook on November 09, 2003 at 00:40:49:

Hi, Nona.

As you may know, this is a birth defect. Once you understand it's embryological mechanism, you will understand why this is happening to you. 50% of definitive surgical approaches to a pilonidal problem are not permanently effective. This is not a fault of the surgeon since this is the % for even the most experienced. It is the fault of the surgeon not telling you like it is prior to the surgery, in my opinion, mostly because it might convince you to use alternatives as to how to live with it rather than have the surgery.

These facts are spelled out in the pilonidal archives and a few hours of reading will begin your education and give you alternatives--even though your surgery has limited them.

Let us know what you learn and how you do.

Walt