I had the Marsupialization procedure 6 March 2013 in the evening under General Anaesthetic, the procedure itself takes very little time, however, I was out for 90 minutes, presumably because the Anaesthetic lasts longer.
I found this website which details the procedure, it has sketched images of each stage so if you are easily squeamish or feel it might alarm you, don't look. I found it quite reassuring and interesting:
http://www.atlasofpelvicsurgery.com/1VulvaandIntroitus/3bartholinsglandcyst/chap1sec3.html
I was kept in overnight, I believe this was because I didn't wake up until 9.30pm. I was in very little pain, I want this known as I have seen a lot of negative feedback from others after this operation. I was able to pass Urine without any sting and could walk (in an E.T like fashion), I wasn't ready to start doing gymnastics, obviously, but I was comfy. I was in a lot of pain pre-op so perhaps, in my case, the pain seems less as anything was better than the plum and blister.
Day ONE:
The following morning I was discharged and was able to exit the hospital to be picked up, I could walk but again slowly and in an ET fashion, standing got tiring quicker than usual.
I have been very careful with getting in and out of cars/sitting/getting up/laying down and tossing and turning during sleep as I believe any quick/sudden movement/impact might hurt a bit.
Only 18 hours after surgery, I was able to run a warm bath, I sat in this for approx. 30 minutes with no soap/bath foam.
During this operation they insert 'packing' which is gauze, some sort of netty surgical material, I don't know why but I guess it's to keep stuff in place or absorb drainage? Anyway, I was told that after a bath it will usually start to dissolve its way out. A few bits came out but not a lot. The warm bath did make walking feel comfier in the short term. It's VERY important to keep the area clean.
I spent most of the day laying down, ate well and drank a lot of fluids, I also took some Vitamin C supplements to help with the immune system side of things. I required no pain killers and found the occasional sting, tolerable.
In the evening I took a ten minute walk outdoors which left me a little exhausted but in little pain.
I spent the day in PJs/Joggers with no underwear to keep anything from rubbing against the area.
I should say at this point that nobody in the ward gave me any after care advice besides 'keep it clean', that was after me asking questions, requesting a leaflet and such. There was very little out-patient help. Everything above is guess work thus far but judging by the lack of pain or horror story, it may be working. Most of it is common sense.
I found your blog the night before my surgery. Thank you. Yours was the first I've seen outlining ones experience. It was helpful and put me at ease. Hope you're doing well :)
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DeleteI recently had a marsupialization last Wednesday on 6/12/13. I had this after two unsuccessful attempts at incision and drainage in the OBGYN office. One of those was followed by a word catheter, which was pretty uncomfortable (possibly because I still had a cyst hiding under it). When this second cyst was discovered, I was scheduled for the marsupialization in an OR with a spinal, as I was 31 weeks pregnant. They had to remove part of the gland, but all went well. I had packing and a penrose drain (which fell out) put in the site, but these were not as uncomfortable as the word catheter. I am 8 days out and still uncomfortable, but I am wearing pants today for the first time since the surgery without too much discomfort. I was on antibiotics for two weeks, which ended this past Monday and have been soaking regularly in both the bathtub and a sitz bath with Epsom salts. All in all, I wish I did not have to go through this, but my initial cyst was a bit larger than a golf ball and had a mild infection. I would recommend regular soaks as your treatment if your cyst is not infected. I read several horror stories about people's experiences, so I wanted to share mine. Although it has not been a pleasant experience, it has not been an awful one either. Good luck to all those dealing with this condition!
ReplyDelete-Meg
I had the largest bartholin cyst seen in the UK 7 by 8 cm so yes very large and was defiantly in a lot of pain I had my op on Wednesday (emergency) marsipulization which went well and was released from hospital 2 days later with pain relief and antibiotics
ReplyDeleteI had also had a previous cyst. Prior 2 years earlier
now 2 days later I'm totally pain free I get the odd twinge but nothing not manageable
I wanted to comment as I've read a lot of horror stories it really isn't as bad as you think we'll look at me 2 days later an I'm back to mild house work and looking after a 6 month old baby
one thing I will say there isn't much after care advice from the hospital as they don't really know too much about the problem as its rare but regular soaks in the bath is all you need keep area clean an ensue you take your antibiotics
Hope this helps you women out there I'm only 23 horrible to go though but the outcome so far is definitely worth it
Hi there, just had mine marsupialised yesterday and it was as big as yours!! Such a relief to come back after the procedure with very little pain.
DeleteOne question that I would like to ask how long after the surgery marsipulization was you able to enjoy intercourse again I know it's too soon at the moment but as I only had my op 2 days ago but what would you say is safe? Thanks in advance for your reply
ReplyDeleteI have read 4 weeks. But you should definitely check with your doctor.
DeleteI was told 2 weeks no sex. I basically waited till all the stitches had dissolved/come out which was 3 weeks and this was okay. It obviously feels sensitive to start with but thats because youre more aware of it all down there, but there wasnt any pain, it just felt uncomfortable abit after sex.
DeleteI am 16 years old & I am scheduled for marsupialization surgery this Thursday & I am very grateful for this to know not everyone who has had it done is forever in pain so thank you I feel much more confident
ReplyDeleteI had the marsupialization surgery this past Monday August 12th. I walked into the hospital at around 10am and was walking into my home at around 3pm the same day. I have been in little to no pain. I read a whole bunch of horror stories right before I went into surgery so I was very freaked out but this has not been a bad experience at all. My doctor suggested I ice the area for at least 24 hours. The nurses packed a diaper full of ice and put it between my legs and when I got home I did the same thing. I really think that helped me not be in so much pain. I did a sitz bath yesterday which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I wasn't told about it being packed with gauze so I don't know if that is done with all surgeries. Anyway, I'm walking slowly so I don't mess up the work that was done down there. I go in for a post op appointment this Monday and I should be back to work by Tuesday. I'm glad there is a place for people to go and see positive feedback about this surgery. Its a sucky thing but you can get through it with little to no pain :-)
ReplyDeletehi there im going in for a marsupialization and i was wondering how your recovery went? and whether it hurts when you have intercourse??
ReplyDeleteHad marsupialisation yesterday 18/1/14 after 2 weeks of agony and a 111 emergency doc totally ignoring my symptoms. Anyway had the surgery at 10.30 am Sat morn and was back in the ward at 12.30am. Up and about by 5 and home at 6 same day. Slight panic when I went to the loo discovered a dangling piece of material. Ward nurse told me it would be removed later that afternoon which it was....slight pain but not much. Slight discomfort occassionly when I try to do more than I should!!! Dont be afraid of the procedure. If you need it have it done!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this blog which is in the kind of detail I need to know. I am hoping to go for the surgery very soon as I am in a lot of pain and can do virtually nothing. The antibiotics have not helped - just made me poorly. I shall go to the doctor's tomorrow and hope he can get me admitted straight away. This has been very reassuring. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI got on this blog to see if anyone is having as much trouble as I have been. My surgery was march 6th. I could not urinate to leave hospital had to be cathed, I feel like mike tyson has beat me up down there, and my pain is extreme. Its been 9 days since and I am back to work( as a hairstylist) on light duty . I still have ripping, burning, thrombin pain and still sit on ice. I didn't realize they pack it. I dont take sit down baths, but maybe I need to. I took pics of my site every other day just to see the progress. In all im not doing as good as ya'll and im jealous.
ReplyDeletehope ur better now and hope u returned to docs coz post op u should never feel this bad after this amount of time.
Deletehope ur better now and hope u returned to docs coz post op u should never feel this bad after this amount of time.
DeleteAlso I did suffer with mine for 12 years prior. So maybe thats why my recovery is taking forever.
ReplyDeleteafter a small plum size one that was also an abscess that was a 9/10 pain yesterday with a visit to A&E admitted last night to gyne, op 9am out by 4.30pm with such little pain feel great compared to yesterday. Slight sting on peeing but nothing to write home about. Also discovering average age was 21-27 to develop on at 48 I am well pleased plus a week off work.
ReplyDeleteafter a small plum size one that was also an abscess that was a 9/10 pain yesterday with a visit to A&E admitted last night to gyne, op 9am out by 4.30pm with such little pain feel great compared to yesterday. Slight sting on peeing but nothing to write home about. Also discovering average age was 21-27 to develop on at 48 I am well pleased plus a week off work.
ReplyDeleteHello Ladies. I am 44 years old and am experiencing a Bartholins cyst for the first time. I can tell you it's the most painful excruciating snd unbearable thing ever. I was like why me? It started out very small. I read several blogs about it popping or dissolving on its on. I tried apple cider vinegar also tea tree oil. Sits baths with elain salt and no change. I read that the gland secretes mucus so I stopped having sex and stopped thinking about it and had my husband to not touch me. Well, through much effort the cyst continued to swell with fluid. I continued with the site baths. Then I tried witch hazel. The blogs stated that the cyst would pop immediately or within a couple of days. That didn't work for me either. Within two weeks the cyst was the size of a medium sized egg. It was painful to walk, sit, lay down or stand. I was miserable. I continued to go to work where I am constantly walking or I can sit at my desk. It was noticible to coworkers that something was wrong. I was moving slowly and walking with a waddle. I knew it was time to do something. I called my doctor when in he examined it and said. It needs to be marsupilisation. He said he would drain it and make a new hole and place a catheter. He also stated he had done only one other procedure in his entire career. I didn't have time to consult anyone elese as I needed some immediate help. I trusted him. Here I type this comment two days after. I am experiencing great relief. However the procedure to me was intense. It was in his office with a topical/local anesthetic. I could feel and was aware of every move that was made. He squeezed and pressed. I can feel the tugging of the skin as he sutured it up. It was mild pain. I am a big baby and I have to say I cried and boo-hoo'd. But I made it through. The day of and the day after I was alternating ibuprofen and acetaminophen and the antibiotic that's he gave in general principle. Today, 2.5 days later the bleeding has stopped and the suture is visible. My vagina looks normal again. However I still get tired easily and if I'm not careful. I feel dizzy at times. I figure it's from the meds. Considering I don't consume medication of any kind and haven't taken any type in over 15 plus years. Lastly, he sent me home with out any post procedural care. None! I had to ask what to do. He said just keep it clean is what he said. What does that mean? Thankfully we live in a digital age and I googled and learned from your experience as well as from other women. I am on the road to recovery. One more thing. I am afraid to have a bowel movement and hadn't had one since the procedure. I don't want to split anything. Well I hope this is helpful.
ReplyDeleteHello, thanks for your blog. I'm 28 and had a marsupialisation of a 4x4cm cyst just over 3 weeks ago. I had it for 4 years without pain but it was so big and ugly, I wanted to get it sorted. The post-op care advice was rubbish so I came to the internet for answers... a pretty scary place to look! There are horror stories everywhere, so I was grateful to find this.
ReplyDeleteBriefly, this was my experience.. Don't worry, it's a short story with a happy ending!
The op: under general anaesthetic, day surgery, about 20 mins procedure, went into hospital at 7:30 and home by 14:00. They make sure you pee, eat, drink and walk before letting you go. SO much blood in the toilet with the first wee! I was told this was totally normal but it was quite scary. For pain relief I was given a suppository in the bottom during the procedure (was told this would last 24 hours) and then codeine for 2 days. After that I just took a paracetamol/ibuprofen combo when needed. I didn't have much pain (that I could feel anyway!) but it did bleed quite a lot for the first few hours. THE WORST BIT for me was getting home in the taxi. Had to tell the driver to change his route to avoid speed bumps and held my body weight up on my arms the whole way home. If someone had told me this I would've gotten the bus and stood up - standing and laying were pain free for me but sitting was uncomfortable for about a week. When I got home I just put myself to bed and stayed there for the rest of the day and after that there was no more bleeding. I could walk about without pain but couldn't bend or sit comfortably for about a week.
For the next week, my labia on the side of the cyst was black with bruising and there was a hard lump where the cyst had been. After that, all was pink and hard lump had gone after about 10 days. The stitches took 17 days to remove themselves. After a couple of weeks, I wasn't in any pain and my boyfriend and I attempted sex. Alarmingly there was hot, stinging pain at the site of the slit so we stopped. The stitches were still in place at this point (probably a bit silly really) so we waited until they had gone. 22 days post-op, we tried again and there was no pain. Yay!
I wanted to share this as I was very worried that I wouldn't be normal again with all the horror stories on the internet - especially when it was so sore when we attempted sex for the first time. I will write again if I have recurrence, but fingers crossed, the bugger is gone for good!
I wish all a speedy recovery and healthy, happy cyst-free sex lives!
How are things now? Still cyst free (knock on wood)?
ReplyDeleteI've been having cysts since I started to be sexually active at 18. I've had re-occurring cysts almost every year. I have had them drained twice. I got another cyst 10 days ago. I went to the doctor yesterday and was prescribed antibiotics. The doctor will drain my cyst on Monday. Ugh! I am thinking about marsupialisation. I am a little worried about it though.
ReplyDeleteI had the sugery about 4 weeks ago I still feel a lump on the side where the cyst was. Is this normaI? I cant tell if its normal swelling. All my stiches are gone. Or could it be the cyst is trying to come back?
ReplyDeleteI'm a 20-year old from Philippines. I had the procedure 5 days ago and it was scary and relieving at the same time. I was given 2100mg of antibiotics the first day and 200mg more each day for the next two weeks. The swelling was gone on day 2 and I was able to walk properly by then. I was also given prescription for painkillers. I took 120mg of Arcoxia per day at the same time. On the 5th day, I had extreme chest pain that lasted for 24 hours. It was scary. So I think that's one thing women should worry about. Also on the third day, I started getting a lot of white, yellowish discharge but it didn't have a foul odor. I hope it's nothing serious. I'm gonna have my check up soon again.
ReplyDeleteHi! 45 year old from Canada and I have been dealing with these cysts for 6 years. After the last flare up my gyno decided to take it out completely so I had it removed 5 days ago. I experienced very little pain and pretty much walked out of the hospital like nothing happen. Rather than knocking me out they gave me spinal and something to make me a bit loopy. The surgery did not take very long, maybe 20 mins. I found there was also very little bleeding and the packing came out easily and pain free. It's a little tender but I haven't had to take any pain killers. So far I am happy with the surgery but I will have to wait another week before I can have sex. I guess we will have to see how that goes.
ReplyDeleteIve had a bartholin cyst for the past 7 years whivh turned into an abscess about 2 mths ago. It became hard and painful. Ive tried everything from tea tree oil to apple cider vinegar to antibiotics.
ReplyDeleteI opted for surgery even after reading the horror stories online.
Both my sisters have done the surgery and it has been successful this far.
My gyno said that my secretions are thick which casues the gland to be blocked. He has removed the cyst and made the duct bigger to prevent blockage.
I did the surgery 2 days ago. I have veryyyyy mild pain. I can move around. I'm on zinnat (antibiotic) and zerodol-p (painkiller).
The gauze was removed BEFORE I left the hospital.
With respect to sex i was advised to see him in 2 weeks and he would guide me.
My advice is to not read the stories online but to pray and choose a doc who has experience in this.
My sister had the surgery done before and it was unsuccessful and painful. Do your research first.
Goodluck ladies.
I have marsupialization of a 10cm cyst 2 days ago under local anathesia. Gauze pack was inserted on the site to absord blood etc.the pack was removed by the doctor a day after and I bleed. Was told to have silt bath with salt thrice daily and later reduce to twice a day when it heals. Been given antibiotics taken every 8hrs. So far so good. The area isn't swollen except for the stitches. Will be going for review in 5 days time. I feel so good after the salty silt bath. My step is improving
ReplyDeleteHow is this going now?
DeleteI wish i had seen this blog before my marsupialization, as the experiences I read had me scared to death prior to surgery. I am 31 years old and had an infected bartholin cyst lanced 10years ago. Since then, the cyst remained but was never painful again. I was unaware of the options to surgically treat it and never considered it because it seemed like "just a cosmetic issue" at this point. I had been seeing the same gyn since I was 15 years old and he had just kind of reassured me over the years that it was nothing to worry about. I never voiced my insecurities regarding how it looked. I finally decided to see a new gyn, closer to my house, and it's an all women's facility. I immediately felt comfortable telling the doctor how insecure I was about having, what I called, "a testicle" down there. She laughed and empathized with me and immediately went over the options with me for the catheter, marsupialization, or extraction. I decided to go with the marsupialization and had the prodecure done 26 days ago. I woke up from surgery in a lot of pain but was given pain meds with antibiotics and was sent home within a couple of hours. I bought a donut to sit on prior to surgery and i am so glad that i did! That helped tremendously and i used it for sitting and driving for about two weeks. The pain level went down daily and I have seemed to recover very quickly. I only bled for like 3 days and it was not even enough to cover a full pad each day. 26 days out though, my stitches have still not dissolved so this concerns me. The doctor advised me to continue sitz baths and it should help to dissolve the stitches. Like others, i was sent home from surgery with little to no advice on caring for the incision so google has been my best friend though this. The doctor had initially told my husband we should be able to have sex after 2 weeks from the procedure. Let me tell you, that is crazy talk! He has helped me take pictures of my progress daily and we both agree that we still should not even try to penetrate the area..i mean, the white sutures are still very visible and tender. I had read some women's experiences of pain during masturbation afterwards so on day 24 post op my husband stimulated my clitoris, still avoiding the surgery site. I had no problems at all except about 20minutes afterwards. The incision was sore and burning a bit. I am assuming it was because it was producing lubrication for the first time. The next day it was a bit sore as well and seemed to still be "producing". My husband and I have decided to stop "experimenting" and to just wait until my stitches are gone to do any more sexual activities. To sum it all up though, everyone is different and you never know how your body will react to surgery. If you're patient and abide by your body's restrictions, take pain meds and antibitoics, and keep the area clean, it really isn't a bad procedure at all! I have no pain even while continuing to heal at this point. Good luck!:)
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