Hi all,
Wondering if anyone else has experienced this, and if not hopefully my experience can help you feel not so alone in the horrendous joy that are Bartholin's cyst.
In Aug 2020 I had this large marble sized lump appear on my left labia. The pain was awful and it was horrible to sit, stand, walk do anything! Saw GP asap and was put on antibiotics. Didn't really go after a week but was softening so they gave me another weeks course.
Long story short - it didn't go after the antibiotics and I was referred to Gyno but was told to go to A&E if it gets any worse before an appointment (32 week wait for appt at my local gyno). Couldn't wait that long and obviously it got worse so off to A&E as the pain had changed and it was making me miserable.
Turns out the antibiotics had in fact got rid of the "cyst" but left me with the big bulge swelling and the pain I was feeling was a bad case of thrush. They couldn't feel a mass in the swelling and said surgery intervention would change my anatomy. I was made to feel like a bit of an idiot as they couldn't see what the issue was as I'm literally pointing to a huge bulge on my vag that wasn't there before.....
Anyway, cleared the thrush and booked private GYNO a couple of weeks later as I still have this bulge, and the Dr said the same thing. All looks fine no issues here. I went away being so happy that I could finally have sex again but knew in the back of my mind its not the same as it was before but two docs saying its fine it must be fine.
Finally had sex after what felt like forever and it seemed okay but the bulge did swell and get a bit harder during and after. We had sex a couple more times and the thrush came back with a vengeance but at least I knew that it was that this time (literally never get it!). I'm just so fed up it feels like one thing after the other and its been going on for months. The cyst and antibiotics really knocked my vag all out of whack and I'm doing everything I can to make it right. No baths just showers, no perfumed soaps, loose trousers and pants, changed my diet, exercising. I've even been taking Probiotics for your vag!
The bulge has never really got smaller, it makes me really sad that that's just how its going to be now. I really hate it and its completely changed my relationship and how I feel about my vagina. It feels like its not mine. its massively affected my mental health, I've been really stressing about it and lost weight and not to mention affected the connection I have with my husband. We are extremely close and very sexual people, he is so caring and understanding and has been a complete angel through out all of this but I just feel to blame that we aren't as close as we used to be, which I know is silly as this is through no fault of my own.
I've booked a follow up with the gyno to tell them it changes after sex and mainly to try and get some peace of mind. I just worry I'll never been the same again or that I won't be able to be as free as I was before. We were trying for a baby before COVID and were having so much fun trying, this just feels like a literal kick in the crotch!!!
Has anyone else ever had a Bartholin's cyst and been left with swelling after?