★★★★★
Going back, my problem started on vacation. I had no idea what was wrong, but didn't want to see an island dr., so I toughed it out. The day after I got home I went in and was diagnosed. My Dr.offered to drain it at that time, but I wanted to try natural remedies first.
After almost a week of sitz baths, with and without Epsom salts, the swelling was going down a little. The area of swelling had gone down to the size of a largish cherry tomato. But I decided to up the ante with Serrapeptase and Cypress oil. I don't know for sure that they triggered anything, but the problem got much much worse--worse than it had been at the beginning. By the end of the 2nd week, I had swelling that extended all the way to the crease of my leg. The area of swelling was at least the size of an egg. It hurt to walk, sit, and lay down. So I called my doctor and had to wait another week to get in. I'm not exaggerating when I say it was excruciating.
I should mentioned that I talked to an OB-GYN of acquaintance and asked what SHE would do it if were her and her body. She said she'd get the procedure because the relief would be instantaneous. I also called another Dr.I see, who has more of an integrated / holistic approach to medical care. HE supported the surgical drainage. I was convinced--plus I couldn't take the pain anymore.
By the time I saw my dr., I was tired of being in pain and quite crabby. The procedure took 20 min. at most. She gathered the instruments, disinfected the area, numbed me up, and made a small incision. She did not put in the catheter; she holds that back for recurrence. The worst was that she had to push on it to try to get the yucky stuff out, because it turns out it was very abscessed. (That hurt like heck.) I hadn't run a fever and the area didn't feel hot, so I was surprised by the infection.
I was prescribed antibiotics, and she suggested continuing the sitz baths to encourage further drainage. It's too early to comment on recurrence, but my suggestion is that if you have insurance and a Dr.you trust, just get it drained. Save yourself a lot of time and discomfort. Plus, you could have an infection and not know it.
