Cystectomy Puns

First off, I am truly grateful for this subreddit because over the years I have really learned a lot reading it, and since I have gone through what you all have, I feel like it is my duty to share my experience from beginning to end, so others can learn as I did.

Background

I have had pilonidal cysts flare-up in between the top of my crack for about 3 years (starting January 2019). After getting the cyst drained in urgent care the first time, I thought I was done with it for good. A year later it came back, and it hurt, but the lidocaine (local anesthetic) hurt ten times more than the actual cyst.... and the cyst hurt. 4 months later the cyst came back again in all its glory, however, it randomly popped on its own while I was taking a shower. This time, however, since I had done my research I did soak myself in a bath of warm water for around thirty (30) minutes the day before which definitely weakened it. I extended my shower until I barely saw pus and goo and light red blood. After the shower, I padded down the area with a paper towel and poured isopropyl alcohol before every pat down until the residue was minimal and then I applied the gauze and taped it up with medical tape that I had in the first aid kit. A month later I got it again and it popped on its own and went through the same procedure, except this time I went to my doctor and had him take a look, and he referred me to a surgeon.

Surgery Options

I meet with the surgeon and he said I have the pilonidal disease so I need to get it taken care of and gives me two options for the surgery. Option 1: Open Wound. Option 2: Coming through the side in a zig-zag shape. Option one was what he preferred because it has a much lower risk of infection (ironically) and they clear the entire area, completely removing the cyst, which means it really should not come back, but nothing is guaranteed in life. He also said open wound meant more freedom in moving and fast healing, but you just have to deal with the leaking and avoid sitting for the first few days. Option two was much riskier, because while there would be no leaking, and it would be all covered up, you would have to really take it easy for two weeks after the surgery, staying on your side most of the time and there is a high rate of infection, and also a higher chance of reoccurrence. So I went with an open wound surgery. Seeing all the pictures with people's chunks being taken out of them did not help my decision, but I decided that I real

Wish me luck? Lolol ❤️

I’m just happy to finally see wtf is going on in there. Endo is mostly confirmed through imaging (cyst characteristics are consistent with an endometrioma).

I’m a little nervous, since I’ve never had surgery.

Any tips for what to bring with me or have prepared at home? Going shopping this weekend.

Thanks ladies!

Hi guys got a strange question.

I had laparoscopy and cystectomy on the 10th December. Where I had 2 endometrioma cysts removed from my right ovary. 8cm and 3cm. I can’t imagine this being very heavy.

So before surgery I was around 80.5kg (177.4lbs or 12.6 stone) I am now 77kg (169.7lbs or 12.1 stone).

My bloating has gone down massively, I have been eating a bit less but moving a lot less too, i can’t imagine that causing 3.5kg weight loss. I believe I have now got my period which usually Im so bloated, I mean I’m only spotting atm but still.

I’m happy, not worried at all but just wondering can endo cause weight gain? Was i just holding on to more water weight because of the cysts? My whole family keep mentioning that they can see the weight loss too .

Any similar experience?

I had gotten a pilonidal cystectomy back in November 9th, in which the Dr told me that id be fully recovered in about 6 weeks. For reference, I was stiched up. Around December 20th,I noticed I was still bleeding from the lower area a lot, and in my follow up on Dec. 23rd, was told that the stiched had came undone a bit early. The dr told me that it wasn’t unusual for this sort of stuff to happen, and that as long I keep the area clean, it wouldn’t get infected and would close up. He then assured me that i would be fully healed in about 4 weeks. Welp, I had a follow up yesterday, and while he told me the wound look cleaned and “healthy” he sadly told me that it would probably need another 4 weeks to close.

This has been really hard for me, as I haven’t done any sort of exercise since my surgery, as I don’t want to prolong this any further. Is it actually “common” for the recovery time to take this long? As of now, I still drain blood every day, enough to leave my gauze in a nasty state. He says the area isn’t infected, and says I’m leaking a lot because of the amount of tissue he took out of that area, as he told me that he had removed a large portion of tissue. He tells me that it looks “good”, but come on man, I just wanna recover already 😔

is there a role for surgery in IC / BPS patients ?

A 66 old male patient with known h/o T2 Dm/ sys Htn / ckd (with cr of 1.7 and adequate u/o)) is posted for radical cystectomy with ileal conduit. Plan is to do the procedure under gA with ippv plus thoracic epidural at t10-11 . Intra arterial cath for iBp and triple lumen cvc in r ijv along with standard asa monitors. Fluid warmers and forced air warmers. How would u guide fluid management. ? How much maintenance fluid is required? How much blood products need to be transfused intra op for this procedure generally? Suggestions and recommendations sought. TIA

Hi All,

The title says it all mostly. I was originally diagnosed in 2011, the summer after my 1st year of college. After 3 infections/abscesses, I finally elected to have the "big surgery" after I was done with school.

The surgery was successful, my wound was left open and packed with gauze daily for about 4 months (the cyst had grown a lot in 4 years) until it fully healed. I have had zero infections or any real issues with it since.

However, at least once a month (sometimes more frequently) I will still have leakage of puss and blood, which still carries that awful, foul smell, and it occurs at the top of my butt cleft where the surgery occurred. Is this normal? Has anyone else experienced this?

My chief concern is that there is still a cyst down there simply growing with time.

Conversely, it may be this "draining" that is preventing the cyst from truly coming back.

I'm interested to hear what y'all think.

So far, I plan to prepare the guest room for me to recover when I get home. But what else would be smart?

I have control issues and one way I get relief is planning. This situation is so beyond control, and I’m searching for control comfort.

So what can I do / buy / prepare before I go in? Tips? Tricks? Sage advice?

Has anyone gotten to the point that they feel they would be better off without their bladder? I can't help but think that my quality of life would improve if I just removed my bladder completely...

Hi! I’m about to reach my two month recovery mark from my pilonidal cystectomy surgery. I had open wound recovery (no stitches) and it’s almost closed now! About three more weeks is the projected recovery. Anyways, if you have any questions, please shoot them my way!

My close friend has a lot going on. Her cat she had since childhood recently passed and then a week later she found out her dad has to get his bladder removed since the cancer has a high risk of spreading.

I don't celebrate xmas because my family is of different religion, and I myself is getting surgery in two weeks so I have a lot of prep for and won't be able to see her for a while after my surgery. But I wanted to possibly give something for my friends family since they are going through a rough time. Any ideas?

I had surgery back in mid august. I have been trying to get pregnant with no luck. In September became pregnant which ended in chemical. But since I found out I was pregnant and on I get sharp random pains around my right ovary that come and go. Is this normal after dermoid removal? Should I contact my doctor?

You’re friendly neighbour ostomate checking in for another update as a number of you wanted them.

So I’m now 6 months post op, phantom spasms whilst never really a problem have all but disappeared. I no longer have to think about where a toilet is 24/7 I actually need to remember I still need to empty my bag more often!

I’m slowly coming off the insane amount of opioids I was on and I’m happy.

Feel free to ask me anything

My father had a radical cystectomy in which they remove the urinary bladder and surrounding Lymph nodes along with prostate.

He is recovering slowly but I am sure he will be back to normal in a month or so.

What really bothers him is that he will always need someone to change the urostomy bag. He loves his independence and doesn't want to depend on someone to change his bag every 5 days. Nurses said that most of the patients require a caregiver to change the bag.

Do you think it is possible to change the bag all by oneself without support of another person? I know this may take a lot of practice but if it's not possible then I am really worried about his quality of life.

I had a laparoscopic cystectomy on the 21st and while they were in there they found I have some endometriosis in/on the left posterior cul-de-sac. I haven't gotten to talk to my obgyn about it yet (who was also my surgeon) but will at my post-op appointment soon.

I don't have particularly painful periods or serious pelvic pain usually, but have moderate pelvic pain on and off and 'lightning crotch' a few times a month. I also have pain when riding my bike especially and exercising has been difficult. I do however have pretty heavy periods and an oddly long cycle length (40-44 days)

We thought all that was due to the 3 inch cyst I had dangling from my ovary but maybe the Endo is also to blame. Though apparently it's a rather small amount. It's still not where it's supposed to be I guess!

I'm feeling very lucky because I know a lot of people don't get an official diagnosis until they have a lot and are in a lot of pain. But I was diagnosed in a happenstance of surgery for something else. Endometriosis wasn't even on the list of things my doctor suspected.

I just wanted to say hello to everyone in the community and here's to diagnosis.

Update: They did not remove it because they would have needed me to sign another consent form specifically for them to remove it, because I signed a consent form for only the cyst removal and repair of anything related specifically to that to be done. This did not include removal of endo unfortunately as it was not something any of us suspected.

At the moment I have no pain at all related to endo as far as I can tell, but am supposed to keep an eye on it over the next 6 months until my next appointment and then we will evaluate.

I still haven’t gotten back to normal life. I won’t exercise like I used to, I’m afraid of agitating it and going through this whole mess again. I’ve gained 40lbs. I don’t think I’m depressed - but I’m definitely living with some major anxiety and fear of having to go through two surgeries and a very long period of letting my open wound close again.

Anyone have any tricks, tips…anything to get over this mental hurdle? Seriously contemplating seeing a therapist but not keen on spending so much money.

Hi, all have a couple of questions been sleeping a lot and taking it easy I am off from work for 3 weeks since the doctor thinks the recovery time is going to take longer for cystectomy (10cm dermoid can't wait to see the pics lol) and ovary removal. I also found out I have endo too.

I am 4 days post-op recovery now. I feel very bloated my stomach is a size of a bowling ball and my husband swears my boobs got bigger. (URGH back pain). I do not want to gain weight during this so I am about to start low carb again because i feel so heavy.

I bought gas x and laxatives, but i feel sooo bloated still any relief ideas?

Am I able to at least go on the treadmill and just walk lightly? Its 100 degrees still here in Vegas..way too hot to go outside, I swim and lift weights for exercise but cannot do both. When can I lift weights again (powerlifter here who wants to compete sometime the end of this year)

How long does the sharp in your abdomen and back area last post op?

How do I know when my lone ovary is fully adjusted in terms of hormones?

TW: surgery/organ loss plus mention of previous pregnancies/living children --- TL;DR with min triggers of surgery at bottom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

At 20, during a normal routine pelvic exam, my doctor discovered a large mass that turned out to be a benign teratoma (dermoid cyst) on my left ovary. I had surgery, but unfortunately the cyst completely took over my left ovary and tube and they were surgically removed. During that surgery, they discovered much smaller dermoid cysts on my right ovary and removed all but a single 2 cm one. My right ovary and tube were otherwise healthy. So, I had a oophorectomy and a cystectomy.

Every year I had the last cyst monitored. No changes.

I went on to have two children via uncomplicated, normal pregnancies with no issues conceiving. Nothing changed cyst wise. At least that anyone could tell via ultrasound.

In early July of this year I noticed a bulge just under my stomach. I went to the doctor and was immediately sent for an ultrasound as the mass took up my entire pelvic cavity and was pressing into my umbilical area. The mass was another teratoma. I scheduled with a surgeon and I had another successful cystectomy 3 weeks ago except this tumor was almost 2.5 lbs and over 18 cm long. My right ovary was initially undistinguishable on the ultrasound but my surgeon was able to save it as 1.) I did not want to go into early, surgical menopause and 2.) I want one more child.

I had started my period the day before surgery and it continued as normal. My surgeon told me to watch for my next few periods because they might be off, but my period arrived as tracked yesterday. At my 2 week post op, I was told to grab OPKs to check for ovulation, but after some reading, I'm concerned about my ovarian reserve.

My right ovary, so far, has had two major surgeries, with this last one being very significant due to the size of the cyst removed and how the surgeon could not see any healthy ovarian tissue until the cyst was lifted out of me. Surgeon mentioned while she was not surprised that my periods have been textbook because the tissue is still producing adequate hormones, she doubts I was actually ovulating with a mass of that size.

Additionally, my surgeon mentioned I should look at freezing my eggs in case I get another teratoma. She was able to remove the teratoma in tact so that one will never come back and while I have no others, it doesn't mean I couldn't develop another in a future.

I feel like my ova

This was my fourth surgery so I’m well versed on the recovery process. Everything was going well… even too well, you could say, compared to previous recoveries. I stopped pain meds earlier than usual, and was feeling much better. On Monday, I started experiencing jolting pain here and there, for which I applied heat to feel more comfortable, but by that evening my heating pad could no longer subside the pain. The pain is so bad I cannot even stand straight, and moving around is difficult… which is a decline in how I was feeling just days before. I also started having severely painful urination as well as yellow discharge. I’ve gone back to my doctor three times this week: urine culture came back negative, blood tests didn’t show anything, and today I had an external/internal ultrasound (OUCH) that showed a dark mass of fluid around my uterus. I do not have a UTI or bladder infection as originally suspected, and am taking an antibiotic for. I am also taking pyridium to help with the painful urination. My doctor is in surgery today, so I am awaiting his call, but the NP and UT didn’t believe it was a hematoma. Has this ever happened to anyone? I’m freaking out right now, and I’m not medically literate enough to understand what I see on a Google search. Please help!!!

I have had one specific cyst that is about 2 inches all around, sticking with me for the last 6 years. It sometimes causes me 0 pain, sometimes causes me to scale 7/10 pain, and often makes it difficult to exercise at the level I'd like due to pain during below cardio and stretching. I finally found a doctor who didn't just tell me 'there's nothing anyone can do' and was appalled at this concept, and told me she wants to get it out A.S.A.P.

My laparoscopy is on July 21st, so I have a lot of time to mentally and emotionally prepare. However, I am feeling very anxious even now and could use some good tales about laparoscopic cystectomy and comfort.

The two things I am the most nervous about are:

1. the anesthesia. I struggle with sleep anxiety due to a fear of death, already, so this is a very unpleasant situation for me especially.

2. them having to do a laparotomy instead due to my weight. I'm about 80-100lbs overweight (uncertain entirely due to having some muscle mass as well), at a size US 18/20 (UK 20/22), I know laparoscopy has been done on people my size and bigger, but my brain is like 'but what if they can't for me for some reason' and I don't get a choice in the matter.
   The small insitions make me anxious enough, imagining them having to make a big one is terrifying.

So yeah, just needed to get this out there.

And I could not be happier. I’m exhausted all the time but despite this I am so so happy I had surgery my quality of life is so so much better

Hey, I’m getting my first laparoscopy done in a few weeks with an ovarian cystectomy. I have a 5.7 cm endometrioma on my right ovary that is going to be removed. Has anyone else had a cyst removal? Did it make recovery more difficult?

I am trying to figure out how much time to take off work. I’m a college student, and I work at a daycare. My room is full of toddlers, so I sometimes have to carry them.

Last week I received a pilonidal cystectomy after suffering through two infections that landed me in the ER. I had had this cyst for about a month and it at one point got severely infected and then separately, the surrounding skin developed a severe infection. The Urgent Care and ER visit were nothing compared to my actual surgery. The surgeon operating on me did not explain the method he was going to use, which okay- not a huge huge deal but he never once talked to my caretaker after the surgery and my aftercare instructions were for the anesthesia I had received, nothing about the open wound. We had no preparation on how to take care of it and had to google search how to pack the wound. Severely disappointed in the whole situation. The surgery itself went well! However it’s [the incision site] in such an awkward spot it’s really hard to do just about anything right now. Any advice? I could sure use some, seeing as my doctor and his team did not prepare me for any of this.

Hi friends. Longtime lurker, first time poster. I wanted to share my experience in case anyone else is lurking here with a pilonidal that doesn’t look like most of the cases shared here. It’s a little long, but hopefully someone finds it helpful. I am a mid-30s female.

• I’ve had a pilonidal for almost 15 months. It started pre-COVID, out of nowhere. I do have a desk job, but between running around between meetings all day, walking my dog, and exercising 3+ times weekly, not sure how this decided to find a home on my butt.

• My cyst has never been huge - about the size of a good-sized pea at it’s largest. It was not perfectly in the middle between the cheeks, but at the very very top of my crack, just off to one side. It had some hyperpigmentation (purple) near the cyst as well as (recently) a 4-inch trail of bruising leading away from the area. It would fill with blood, get SUPER sensitive, pop, bleed a ton, then scab over. Rinse repeat. Sometimes I’d go three weeks without it re-filling and I’d think maybe it went away, other times it was a two week marathon of filling and popping. I started wearing light period pads on the back of my underwear so I could at least go on living my life, rather than sitting on the toilet and listening to the blood drip into the bowl. The only major tell-tale sign I had was the crater in the middle of the cyst. It never smelled, there was never puss, and I never pulled anything out of it.

• A little over a year ago, I went to my dermatologist to have it looked at because, honestly, I didn’t know what other kind of doctor to go to. I thought thing bleeding on skin = dermatologist. I walked in having researched my symptoms and I suggested it might be pilonidal. The PA said “that’s not really where it’s located and it doesn’t look like one, but we’ll drain it, pack it, and then test what we drain.” Shrug emoji. They drained it, packed it, and sent me home. A week later they called to tell me “it was just blood,” and that it probably wouldn’t come back.

• Enter COVID-times. I’ve been working from home since March, and this thing keeps coming back and going away. I don’t want to make a big deal when I’ve been told it isn’t pilonidal, and I don’t want to go to a doctor during a pandemic if I’m just making a big deal out of nothing.

• A month ago, I hit my breaking point. This thing hurt when I walked the dog, I stopped working out, and I couldn’t sit on the couch comfortably or lay in bed without worrying that it was go

UPDATE: (August 8th)

I'm now a week after my surgery and things have definitely eased out a little bit. After getting the drain removed, I feel more free. Getting the drain removed was uncomfortable but nothing to be nervous about. As of right now, I am showering regularly and going to the restroom is no longer a problem. The pain is there but definitely bearable and nonexistent with painkillers. However, the painkillers give me a headache and I would rather deal with with pain than the headache. I'm just interested in two things regarding the future of my recovery. Firstly, how should I clean my wound when redressing? Are there any disinfectant wipes I should use to clean the wound? Secondly, how bad is the experience after removing stitches?

Thanks everyone. I appreciate all the help!

(August 1st, 2020)

Hi yall!!!

I had my pilonidal cystectomy just yesterday and I want to share my experience to any of those that haven't had any sort of surgery other than incision and drainage. If it weren't for the wonderful people of this community, I wouldn't have been so confident going in!

3 days before surgery: I had to get my blood drawn and test for covid. Honestly, I hated it. The covid test is extremely irritating, even though it's short. You shouldn't be nervous if you get one though because it is extremely quick and any discomfort afterwards goes away within 5 minutes. Anything irritating my nose makes me cry uncontrollably, so it was more annoying if anything. They basically stick a q tip thing into both nostrils and reach the back just to swivel it around in there for 3 seconds. After the first nostril, I was like oh no, but it was fine. Getting my blood drawn was as usual, but I experienced discomfort for around 2 hours afterwards. I took a nap and I forgot I had anything!

Surgery Day: I couldn't eat anything from 6am to when I was going to have surgery. I was actually not nervous and based off of my experience, there really isn't any reason to be! I left my house around 12 and got there at 12:30 because they said I had to be there at 12:45 and my actual surgery was supposed to be at 2. Well, after my dad and I finished the paper work, we were taken to my surgery bed at 1. After about 30 minutes (I had to take off all my clothes and wear a gown, my nurse asked me some questions and did her preparation), I was hooked up to an IV. For anyone that doesn't know what that is, they basically stick a needle in your arm near one of your veins and connect i

Feeling really awful post procedure, and wasn't given much advice on discharge. They gave me a blood transfusion and took the cyst out, as well as my right ovary (possibly), and the Percocets are giving me an awful migraine and not even touching the pain. Any advice on a speedy recovery, when I should clean the incisions, etc, would be greatly appreciated 🙏🤕

It’s been a week and two days since my procedure. I’m feeling Mia have better! The gas is mostly gone..but still some there. How long does it typically take for the belly to de-bloat? I look quite pregnant lol

No penetration but just want to mess with some toys. I’m on day 4 and feeling mostly fine, just slightly sore

After having recurring issues with my pilonidal cyst, I finally had it removed in mid July. The surgery went well, and I was stitched up afterwards. However, one of my stitches came loose, so I have been regularly seeing a nurse to keep the wound cleaned and packed. I shower every 1-2 days, making sure to keep the wound clean, and until recently I've been seeing a nurse at least twice a week to clean and pack the wound. About a month and a half ago, the nurse told me that the wound was too shallow to pack anything into, so I've just been putting gauze on it since then. The wound still has not healed and still drains. I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help speed up the healing.

Doctor found a dermoid cyst that is approximately 5cm on my right ovary. I’m having my first surgery scheduled two weeks from today for removal. It was misdiagnosed as a fibroid last year and at my current vaginal ultrasound they found it was a completely different situation and indeed a cyst. The surgery is 2 weeks from now. I can’t get over my fear of being put under. My fear over the fact that this thing will be sent to pathology. Everything about it is making me panic. I should say I have been diagnosed with anxiety too and do experience existential anxiety/panic attacks on a regular. I want this out because it is causing me so many on and off issues but my anxiety keeps giving me a “bad feeling” about the procedure. Help me put my mind at ease. Is a bad gut feeling just anxiety under these circumstances? Am I silly for being so afraid I want to cancel the entire surgery? Am I denying a real gut feeling here?

I had surgery back in mid august. I have been trying to get pregnant with no luck. In September became pregnant which ended in chemical. But since I found out I was pregnant and on I get sharp random pains around my right ovary that come and go. Is this normal after dermoid removal? Should I contact my doctor?

Hi, all have a couple of questions been sleeping a lot and taking it easy I am off from work for 3 weeks since the doctor thinks the recovery time is going to take longer for cystectomy (10cm dermoid can't wait to see the pics lol) and ovary removal. I am 4 days post-op recovery now. I feel very bloated my stomach is a size of a bowling ball and my husband swears my boobs got bigger. (URGH back pain). I do not want to gain weight during this so I am about to start low carb again because i feel so heavy.

I bought gas x and laxatives, but i feel sooo bloated still any relief ideas?

Am I able to at least go on the treadmill and just walk lightly? Its 100 degrees still here in Vegas..way too hot to go outside, I swim and lift weights for exercise but cannot do both. When can I lift weights again (powerlifter here who wants to compete sometime the end of this year)

How long does the sharp in your abdomen and back area last post op?

How do I know when my lone ovary is fully adjusted in terms of hormones?