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pilonidal sinus?? HELP!! *UPDATE-I HAD OP UNDER GENERAL FRI*

yikes!
just back from docs after lump at base of my spine i've had for years got worse n worse since being pregnant and i can barely sit without discomfort!!
so plucked up courage n bared my bum n its a pilonidal sinus - treated with antibiotics but usually an OPERATION - under general anaesthetic - OMG!! i said yes but not when im pregnant no?? she said oh yes - you dont need this when you are pregnant!!

eeeekkkkkkk!!

so.... i googled it, as you do, and freaked myself out as to what they do and how long it takes it to heal!!
surely i cant go through this with being pregnant but then i cant do it when i have a little one surely??
so i'll take the tablets and hope and pray...

anyone with any experience of this ????????
help!!!

jane
15+2
xxxx

******************************************************************************************************
update tues 10 feb
i had just finished reading peoples replies below fri morning and was waiting to go back to docs as it had just got bigger and bigger and much more painful
went to docs and she sent me straight to a and eimage
i was officially bricking it
they were totally brill - gp and myself was expecting to get it lanced under local or at worst spinal
but no surgical team who assesed me in a and e said your comingin for an op under generalimageimageimage
i totally freaked - almost 4 months preg and a genral - didnt sound a good mix to me
anyways i was superbly looked after apart from all the official paperwork saying one of risks of op was miscarriage - great eh... but all team were so positive...apart from the eejoit bloke just efore they put me under reminded me that it may cause me to lose the baby - shocking!! meet him again and i'll biff him :\)
so the scary bit was over b4 i knew it and general was ok - i wasPETRIFIED never bn in hospital for even an apoointment befire 12 wkscan ever!!!
pain was ok and wasnt sick when i woke, blood pressure all night v low leading to me nearly fainting in the loo, home sat lunbch thank gdness and recovering with my lovely hubby at home - wound left open and packd which means it hurts and its icky ... redressed everyday an i cant sit - have to lie on one of 2 sides, then legs go dead...
i still get a bit upset when i think of it - but thats prob shock
one thing we did not like is that i had to fight to get a midwife up the next day to check see if they could hear babys heartbeat as my next scan isnt until another month - imagine worrrying for that long??!!
so i pushed and pushed for it and got the stroppiest midwife ever who clearly didnt think she was going to ind it and was so moody it was silly...anyways she did ... and bubba is a fighter afteralll - heartbeat even got louder and stronger after she said there it is, it will get stronger as it gets older - haha!!! dragon slayed!!

anyway enough of a rant i guess...back to feeling a bit sorry for myself!!

thanks for all your replies i didnt get chance torespond to ...it reassured me when i knew i was going to have to have this op!!

jane n bubba
16+2

xxxxxxxx

[Modified by: soon? on 10 February 2009 11:36:39 ]

Replies

  • Hiya,
    Im really sorry to hear you have this - Im a nurse and have looked after a lot of people both pre and post operatively who have had this and I know for one it is not nice at all! I really feel for you, particularly as you are pregnant.

    To be honest, I cant see how you can go through the next 25 weeks with it as it will probably get worse. Fingers crossed the antibiotics will do the trick, I really hope they do hun!

    All will be fine in the end though whatever happens, Im sure. The main thing is that it gets sorted one way or the other as I know how painful they can be.

    Good luck with it. Sorry if I haven't been much help but I can definately lend you my sympathies!!!

    x
    http://newtickers.bump-and-beyond.com/26/2695/269598.png

  • thankyou mrsS1258
    at least i know i am not freaking out abt nothing i guess!!
    could you give me a few bits of info pls? really hope you dont mind?!
    would they really knock me out to do it whilst preg?? wouldnt that b bad for baby?? and how long on average do they take to heal?? would i be kept in hospital??
    i have a bit of a stupid irrational fear of docs/ hospitals ec and have never had anything serious like this done before - which adds to my fears i guess - was even planin on having homebirth to alay my fears and be more relaxed
    would it have any effect when giving birth if i had op before birth do you think??
    i've scared myself with horror stories from the net now of scars not healing etc etc....argh

    thanks for your help
    xxxx
  • I dont know for sure whether they would give you a general anaesthetic as I haven't come across pregnant ladies being operated on before, other than for c-sections obviously! I would have thought that they would give you either a spinal or an epidural though if they were going to operate. You would normally be kept in hospital for a couple of days as you would need the wound packed (this is providing that you do actually need the op) and redressed prior to being discharged whereby the practice nurses would usually takeover the dressings. With regards to how long it will take to heal (again, if you do require the op) it depends on how deep the sinus is. I have known of ppl to require further ops at a later date but thats on an individual basis.

    Try not to freak out too much hun, its more uncomfortable than anything so long as it gets treated one way or the other. Take one day at a time and see how you go on the antibiotics before getting yourself too worked up about possible eventualities. There's no point getting upset about something that may or may not happen (easier said than done I know).

    All being well with your pregnancy, I dont see why it should affect your birthing choice - (Im planning on a homebirth too) so long as it heals effectively before then.

    Again, try not to get too worked up about it, its just unfortunately one of those things that can't be helped.

    Take care

  • thanks for your help
    v much appreciated and reassured now!!
    good luck with your homebirth!!

    xxxxxx
  • Hi Jane, I had one of these removed a few years ago. I just had a really simple, quick operation in hospital to remove it with just a local anaesthetic, and it didn't hurt. I didn't have to stay in hospital. I had no problems with it healing either - I didn't even know it could cause problems! I did have to keep it clean with salt water. I have a raised scar there now, that's all, but that doesn't matter because of where it is. I hope everything goes well for you xxx
  • My husband had one of these removed a couple of years ago. His wasnt a nice story but it was all his own bloody fault!

    His op was fine and he was given a choice of how to have it 'sealed' - either layer by layer (his was about an inch and a half deep) which would mean no moving and packing for 6 weeks daily by a nurse or stitched over the top and left to heal itself. He chose the latter and didnt then take any time off work (hes a chef so heat + sweat + a hairy back = not good!) Anyway, his got infected and he had to have the op again. Second time was much better. Basically, my advice is that it should all be fine as it is a simple op but go for the packing option and do what the drs tell you with regards to rest etc as they do know what they are talking about. Unfortunately, hubby thought he knew best and suffered for it. All he has now, after having it done a second time and following advice, is a slightly raised scar. This was 4 years or so ago and hes had no problems since.

    Dont know about being pg though. Hubby wasn't put out for his, just numbed from the waste down (epidural?)

    Hope I havent scared you, just wanted to give you some advice from someone who has experienced this!

    Gemma xxx
  • Im so glad all went well in the end; shame you had to have the op but better to get it sorted now than cause you more probs later on in pregnancy, or worse still LABOUR!!! Remember to take it easy and go careful with everything - you are so brave!!! LOL

    Take care, I hope it heals quickly for you....

  • Sounds like a scary experience, but I'm glad it's done now, and that your baby is doing well. I hope you get better very quickly, take care xx
  • thanks ladies
    just resting up and taking painkillers as advised
    doing exactly as told as dont want to go thru this again!! nurse last night said may be 3-4 weeks more, hmmmm, work are being fine so far - hope it stays that way!! rest is doing me world of good and wonderful hubby doin a marv job!!
    thanks for giving me the hope it will be ok in th end!!

    jane + bump
    16+3

    xxxxxxx
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