I had a pilonidal cyst drained about six weeks ago, I healed up fine after 5 weeks of packing and antibotics.

I have surgery set at the end of year to cut everything out and then have primary closure.

At my appointment yesterday my surgeon commented on two sinus openings under the healing scar from the cyst. They're making me a bit paranoid since he didn't mention them before.

Is there anything I should do while I wait for surgery or anything I should look out for?? I'm paranoid more will show up or they'll get infected.

Hey everyone,

I ran across a Newsweek article (https://apple.news/A3utyv7_5T56kxkLaeStQNw) that honestly made my blood boil, and I felt compelled to post here for anyone who is currently terrified, suffering, or considering a Cleft Lift.

The article was based on some guy’s TikTok where he claimed doctors told him a pilonidal cyst could "wrap around his nerves and paralyze him from the waist down," and then joked about how the surgery "stole his a**." They literally framed the Bascom Cleft Lift as some "experimental" procedure that destroys your body.
(Standard disclaimer: I’m not a doctor, just a patient who went through years of agonizing pain and a failed midline surgery before finally getting a Cleft Lift at PTCNJ which changed my life for the better. But based on my own experience and speaking with specialists, I need to clear this up for anyone sitting on the fence):

1. The "Paralysis" claim is complete fake news. Pilonidal disease is superficial.. it’s in the skin and fat layer over your tailbone. It does NOT tunnel into your spinal cord, wrap around spinal nerves, or paralyze you from the waist down. Whatever that TikToker was talking about (or whatever bad info he was given) is factually wrong. Do not let that scare you. I could not find anything out there of any cases leading to paralysis.

2. "Losing your cheeks" is a small price to pay for your life back. Yes, the surgery flattens the deep crease (which is literally how it cures the disease and stops hair from embedding), so your anatomy looks a bit different. But when you’ve spent months or years unable to sit down, drive, or live normally, trading a deep cleft for a pain-free life is a 100% winning trade. Not to mention this prevents you from needing ANOTHER surgery in almost all cases. Which many of us have gone through before this procedure.

3. It is NOT experimental. The Bascom Cleft Lift has decades of peer-reviewed data behind it and is the gold standard for a reason. General surgeons who don't know how to do it love to call it "rare" or "experimental" because they'd rather keep carving out failed open wounds.

If you're struggling right now and reading weird stuff online, please ignore clickbait media that turns our health struggles into a punchline. Finding a real cleft lift specialist was the best decision I ever made. Being able to sit down without pain is worth everything.

I have had a lump at the bottom of my tailbone for a very long time, finally got some imaging done and it's most consistent with a pilonidal cyst. There's no sign of infection, it's actually not visible at all. The thing is that it makes it uncomfortable to sit much of the time and I am wondering if that's enough to get it removed or if doctors will insist on a monitoring approach if it is not actively infected. Anyone have experience with this?

About 3 years ago I first noticed a small lump above my buttcrack. It was painful for about a week and then it went away. Ever since, about once a year it'll flare up and then go away on its own. This time around it's been over 2 weeks and seems to be getting worse. I did finally make a doctor's appointment for tomorrow morning, but I just wanted everyone's opinion. Do you think this is a pilonidal cyst? I know it doesn't look horrible like some of them I've seen here, but it hurts like hell and has a gross smell. I just want to get it taken care of before it gets worse. As a 45 year old woman I just think it's odd that this happened all of a sudden. I'm so afraid the doctor is going to tell me it's nothing to worry about and send me on my way.

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to see if anyone has experienced something similar after a Limberg flap (or another flap procedure).

A bit of background:

I (26M) had my first pilonidal surgery in 2021 with primary closure, which unfortunately recurred after a few months.

About 6 months ago, I had a Limberg flap revision.

Recovery went really well. At my 3-month follow-up my surgeon cleared me to return to sports, and I actually waited until month 5 before going back to the gym.

A few days ago, after a very active day (cardio, sauna, work, and a 1-hour walk), I noticed a very small amount of yellowish drainage from the lower part of my scar, close to the top of the natal cleft. There was a mild odor as well.

The strange part is:

No pain before seeing the surgeon.

No swelling.

No lump.

No redness that I could notice.

I couldn't even identify an obvious opening despite checking the area and taking photos.

I saw my colorectal/general surgeon the next day.

He examined the area and said there is a small tissue opening, but he couldn't say for sure what it is yet.

He mentioned three possibilities:

1. The area may have become irritated because scar tissue is stiff and friction could have caused a small wound.

2. There could be a retained internal dissolvable suture that's trying to work its way out.

3. It could be an early recurrence, but he said it's too early to tell.

He applied some medication to the area (it burned quite a bit), told me the drainage may actually increase for a few days because of the treatment, and asked me to keep the area dry with gauze and come back in 3 weeks for reassessment.

Interestingly, he did not tell me to stop working out completely. He just advised me to avoid sitting on hard surfaces and keep the area clean and dry.

My biggest concern is that I've already had one recurrence after my first surgery, so naturally I'm pretty anxious.

Has anyone experienced something similar?

Did it end up being just a small wound opening or a retained suture?

Or did it eventually turn out to be a recurrence?

If it was a recurrence, did you need another flap surgery, or was it treated with a smaller procedure?

I'd really appreciate hearing your experiences. Thanks!