Multi-sinus 20 months. Cleft lift. Healed!

[Pratt]

Here is a gross story about a little friend I had for about 20 months. It started back in Jan 07 and there was a lump and it hurt to sit on. I don’t remember any trauma but I do snowboard a lot and im very active. I am pretty hairy and have a deep natal cleft. It started bleeding a little bit and halfway through February I was in the shower and I squeezed it. Lots of stuff came out. It put the pilo in pilonidal if you know what I mean. Then it would drain blood and puss on and off for a long time. It hurt to sit on stuff.

Then about 6 months later I decided whatever it was, it wasn't going to heal in the near future. So I checked out the symptoms on webmd and narrowed it down to a few things but when I looked into pilonidal cyst it sounded exactly right. Then I came across pilonidal.org a very good website (as you probably know, especially this forum). I did not want an open incision because I couldn’t do that long of a healing time. My cyst was pretty advanced and had 4 sinuses so I didn't think pit picking would work. The only thing that seemed like a good idea was the cleft lift aka bascom procedure. There were no doctors in my area that could perform the cleft lift according to the list.
Then the next summer, in june 2008 a doctor showed up on the list and he was nearby. (Dr. Brendan Brady of Canadaigua, NY. He was an great doctor. I def. recommend him.) So I talked to him and I got the surgery in sept 2008.

it was not a bad surgery. I went under general anesthesia and I woke up and my throat hurt more than my bum. I guess my throat hurt from the tube they put in there. I took it really easy the next couple days. I selpt on my stomach for a week or two. I was able to ride in cars and stuff after the first day. I just didn’t sit directly on it. I had one of those jp drain things plugged into my bum. It looks like a grenade. I Got the surgery on a Wednesday and got the drain out on Monday. The drain was very annoying and they took it out a little early so my incision site was kind of swollen. I just iced it and made sure not to be too hard on it. A week after the surgery I was moving around a lot. The main problem was sitting on it in cars and stuff. I would just sit off on my side kind of. i was back to lifting weights about 6 weeks after the procedure.
now more than a year later i am completely fine and normal except a scar that nobody sees. it really was a miracle and i am extremely thankful for dr bascom and dr brady and this forum. Im outta here!!!!


ps feel free to message me with questions. Ill try to answer them best i can.

[MaVeRiCk7]

Well done pratt, You chose the right surgery at the right time. It has really eased my mind again as I am going in for a cleft lift next year and I am really scared of the procedure.

I am happy for you as you have saved yourself from many complicated surgeries. This will be my 4 and final surgery and then I will be healed like yourself.

Congrats

[Pratt]

yeah you wont ever regret it. i feel totally normal. im really into parkour/freerunning type stuff and i land on my behind a LOT, and i have no problems haha.

[MaVeRiCk7]

Did you have 2 stitches at the bottom as I have just heard that 2 members on here had the cleft lift and the 2 bottom stitches failed to heal.

[DanielC]

I've just had a cleft lift yesterday and have noticed after going to the loo that I have what feels like a string, I'm guessing from the stitches hanging out. does anyone know if this is left long to help with the issue of the two bottom stitches not healing?

Also, I've been told not to sit for too long, but it's hard with being signed off of work for two weeks... I'm bored and have nothing to do other than PC, games, DVDs, books, etc., etc.

Any suggestions on how to carry on with 'light exercise' and other things to do to help the correct healing of the bottom two stitches? I've been watering the garden and kicking a ball around lightly. would Wii Fit be too intensive or a good idea?

I am surprisingly comfortable after having had the operation, even after just coming round, I was up and changed wanting to go home within half an hour. Is this normal?

any pointers much appreciated.

Dan

[itamar]

sometimes there's anesthetic that takes up to a couple days for you to feel what's happening down there. i'd take it easy for a couple days for sure man! lying down can be boring but it's worth it.