Bartholin Gland Removal Experience (positive!)

Posting this because there is SOOOOOOO LITTLE information about this surgery available online and I read all of the old archived threads I could find on the entire internet while I was in bed recovering.

Anyway, I had recurring Bartholin's cysts/abscesses (always on my left side) over the course of about 7 years. Debilitatingly painful at times and by the time I had surgery I would get a cyst every time I had sex and it would become an abscess about once every 6 weeks. About 10-12 times it was lanced/drained (that lidocaine is the most painful thing I have ever experienced and hopefully ever will). Could often get the cyst to drain on its own, but abscesses always ended up having to be lanced. Fucking awful, if you're reading this you probably already know. Had a word catheter placed in Dec 2021, had another cyst the next month. When that didn't work we scheduled gland excision, my dr. had mentioned marsupialization once as an option, but pointed me to excision and I preferred that for its finality, especially after reading stories about recurrence after marsupialization. Scheduled surgery for April 22, 2022.

Had surgery on a Friday, all went well, took longer than anticipated because there was so much scar tissue from all the times it was lanced, but still only about a half hour. Woke up nauseous from the anesthesia and in some pain, but about the same as when I went under because it was an abscess at that point. Spent some time going in and out of sleep, then properly woke up, they said I needed to pee before they would discharge me, I did, and my mom took me home (bless her). Arrived at 5:15am, surgery at 7:30am, was home by about 12:30pm.

They prescribed me an antibiotic, high dose ibuprofen and acetaminophen, as well as a few oxycodone. My pain was totally manageable, I didn't even need the oxycodone. I slept most of the rest of Friday and napped a lot Saturday. Stayed in bed to rest as much as possible but got up to walk around some. By Sunday (about 48 hours out) I didn't even need the heavy duty ibuprofen and switched to over the counter. The anesthesia and pain meds did mess up my stomach, and that was unpleasant. Took a stool softener to help and it gave me a terrible salty taste in my mouth, but it did its job. The stomach issues resolved by Mondayish.

I was bleeding from the incision and wearing pads for about 3-4 days, then the bleeding became just a little "weeping" from the wound, still wore pads for a few more days, but tried to air it out when I could and overnight. Started doing epsom salt sitz baths a few times a day a few days after the surgery, still doing that. On Friday (one week out) I accidentally wiped myself (have been using a peri bottle - highly recommend - and then patting dry) and accidentally pulled off part of the scab. Bled for a few minutes and then it stopped, really freaked me out but resolved fairly quickly.

As of now it is the following Tuesday, 11 days out from surgery, and I am feeling almost 100%. Still using the peri bottle and not wiping, but besides that there is very little pain (a twinge every once in a while and today I was out in the Louisiana heat and it seems a little inflamed because of that), my energy is back to normal, and the incision is healing nicely. I have two roughly 1 inch incisions that seem like they will be barely noticeable once they heal. Had a follow up a few days ago and another scheduled for two weeks from now. At this point, very happy that I did this and hopeful that I will never have to deal with another Barothlin's cyst again (fingers crossed!!!!!).

Anyway, I just wanted to share my experience with this surgery as I know it is a not uncommon issue. I am very lucky and privileged to have health insurance, a doctor I trust, sick time at work, and family to help care for me so I could focus on healing in those first few days. Without any of those things this would have been much more difficult. I am glad I did it from where I sit right now.