Gp suspects Bartholin's cyst, going through severe pain and swelling

[Bighugs88]

Hello,
Just hoping for some advice and support as I am in completely agony and shock. This has never happened before. I am 35 yrs old and going through secondary infertility. I have 1 daughter who is 6yrs old and has autism spectrum disorder. Me and DH have been referred via nhs to a gynaecology clinic, we had 2 recurrent miscarriages last year, the last miscarriage was in April 2022 and we have been trying since September 2022 and no bfp. I conceived my daughter in 2016 after getting the hsg test and fell pregnant the next month.

So, since the last 5 days we have been dtd every day as it was my predicted fertile window, on Tuesday I had to stop dtd as I was in so much pain down my private parts like something was really aching. I didn't take much notice and by the evening I could feel like a balloon structure on my left vaginal wall, it is quite a big bulge like a size of 2 grapes. The whole of my left lower vaginal wall feels very sore, tender, there is no discharge and no smell. However, I was just managing to walk and go to work as a Midday Assistant for 2 hours, however standing up for more than 10 minutes is causing a throbbing sensation down there, sitting down it hurts, I can no longer dtd as it is painful. I saw the gp on Wednesday evening, I thought probably dtd quite often and maybe I was very dry which has exacerbated my symptoms due to friction, she had a look and said it seems like a Bartholins cyst on my last side and said it's quite big and inflamed. She said intercourse may be a trigger, but this can happen to anyone. She has prescribed me antibiotics to take for 5 days 1 tablet 4 times a day and recommend that I take warm baths whenever I can during the day and apply a war compress. She said hopefully it may swell and burst or just reduce in size over time. She mentioned that if the pain gets worse, unable to work then I need to come back urgently and get referred to local emergency gynaecology department for it to be drained. So I have started taking the antibiotics, took a warm bath for 15 minutes which provided temporary relief and now I am awake with a hot water bottle between my legs. But now walking about it is so painful and I gently touched the area I can't feel any head yet so not ready to pop, but it has got bigger sliglty and is killing me with pain. I have no idea how I am going to work tomorrow as walking and bending down it really hurts, lying frontwards with my legs open is the best position, but I am really worried that it might not resolve and I may need to get it drained.
If anyone out there had this please let me know that there is light end of the tunnel, natural remedies are not working I don't know how I will manage over the next coming days. In so much pain, dh has been supportive, but just feeling helpless and very sad and anxious.

Please anyone going though or had this as well? 😭😣

Just bumping this for you. I might be talking rubbish, but all I see on here is people having surgery.

If you look on the sporners corner board there are lots of people talking about them. Incredibly painful and yes, some people need surgery to resolve them.

I've had this! In the end I couldn't walk without crying. I had four days of antibiotics that didn't help, an overnight stop in the gynae ward on a drip for some stronger antibiotics that didn't work either and then removal by marsupialisation a few days later under general anesthesia. The consultant did say it was extreme though, and that in most cases the antibiotics will clear it up or they can drain with a catheter balloon type thing with local anaesthetic.

I totally feel your pain and hope the antibiotics do what they're supposed to. It won't get a head to pop, it'll drain internally is what I was told so nothing to squeeze etc.

I have had this twice and IN both cases it resolved itself within a week. It's incredibly painful though and I sympathise with you!

Warm baths definitely helped and in the end they must have burst though I didn't feel it, just immediate relief from most of the pain.

I hope that you are better soon OP.

Morning everyone,
thank you for all your replies, ot is very painful when walking i will have to inform my HR manager & team leader today if I can sit down rather than standing up for 2 hrs. I work as a Midday Assistant. It just seems yesterday I was able to get things done in the morning, but towards the evening it has become very painful and sore. I am getting daughter ready for school, it seems like it is slightly getting bigger, honestly speaking like an egg, my whole left side is bulging down. I am going to get Epsom salts and try the hot bath as much as I can. Then if I am still in agony I will contact the gp tomorrow Friday morning. She did say before the antibiotics finish if you are in a lot of pain then she will send me to emergency gynaecology unit at local hospital.

It has started to feel really itcy, but I am not touching it. Oh my God you ladies have my full sympathy this is s*. I had many stye infections on my eye, but they always healed overtime the size would reduce quite prominently each day.
This feels like my whole lady part is on fire. I

I am walking like a penguin 🥺😰

I had mine surgically removed. The pain prior to removal was worse than childbirth. The euphoria after surgery as there was immediately no pain- was incredible. My surgery was in 2011 and it has not reoccurred since.

@Shadowboy Sorry that you went through this, a lot of people who have responded have said about surgery was the treatment. It's just that I started taking antibiotics yesterday evening, I was able to walk yesterday so I didn't tell my workplace, but this morning I just want to sit down as walking I am limping with pain. Husband has a work shift so I have to drop my daughter to school which is a 10 min walk to the bus station.

@lugeanjaam
Thank you for your message, sorry you went through this twice 😭. I am trying my best not to panic as this will make it worse. Once I have managed to drop my daughter to school will hopefully be able to do warm bath with epsom salts.

@caerdydd12
You went through an ordeal with this, oh my God 😢 sending you hugs. This is absolutely painful like I am about to give birth down below. Try to have a look from behind in the mirror but due to the angle only thing I can see is that my whole left side is much bigger than the right.
I did place a hot water bottle last night and applied sudocream.

Just pray, I feel really anxious at the moment as I can hardly do anything

It's one of those things that some women seem to get a milder version and then some feel they're ready to just chop off their entire lower half. You have my sympathy! I went to a walk-in centre who sent me to the gynaecological unit the same day so that might be an option for you.

Husband dropped daughter to school in the car as walking is painful. There is no way I will be able to walk at work for 2hrs, so informed my manager at the school, as initially was planning to walk and then sit down, but I am limping and the discomfort is very noticeable I only last less than 5 mins with walking I can't even sit down on a hard surface like a chair. I prefer a cushion or the mattress. Manager was understanding and said it's best to not come in as it will get worse. So I am lying down with a hot water bottle and contacted gp again, waiting for a reply

Have those baths whenever you can and whilst you are waiting to talk to GP. Sounds like such a little thing but they will help. Hope you get through soon.

@historyrepeatz thank you for your kind words, will have a warm bath in the next couple of minutes. I felt guilty about not going in to work as I work 2hrs a day during lunchtime, but going in would be silly as most likely I would have to come home as walking is near impossible. It is the start of the academic year, but anything can happen at anytime.
Having said that a person at school saw me limping this morning, I told her what is happening and she asked are you sure it's not hemmaroids 🙄🤔......I said the location are completely different

Baths and lots of them!

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor Thank u, will do that does help 👍

You have my sympathies for the cyst and people! Nothing you can do about the people though.
Sit in that tub as many times as you can. I know that's hard for some people as they hate baths or feel guilty for taking the time but don't, that warm (not hot) water is more powerful and soothing than you think. If you don't look after yourself you won't be able to look after anyone else x

Bung a good handful of salt in the bath too. A warm compress( wash cloth) on your nether regions will help too.

You need to get it checked out. I've had two and had surgery twice to get them drained. Once I was admitted I was give a pain relief suppository which really did help. The relief I felt after the surgery was unreal. Despite the fact I had stitches. Two days later I was back to normal. Compared to having the cyst I felt amazing. Was one of the most miserable and painful things I've ever endured

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor I don't have epsom salts, I can't use ordinary salt?

I stopped using the hot water bottle, it is making the swelling worse, eventough I have a hand towel covering the water bottle the pain is more horrendous. I am taking pain killers & sticking with warm bath.

The gp surgery have booked me in at 4pm today.
I think the water bottle has made it worse 😰 I went to pass urine and I can see the bulge on the left side the lambia is swollen as well.

@DJSteves I am so happy that you made a recovery because this is like hell. Oh the pain, I am hoping when the gp sees me today on the afternoon she will recommend the emergency walk-in to the gynaecology unit at local hospital as it's got so large it's equivalent to 3 grapes all on the left side that's why I am no longer able to walk whereas, yesterday walking and going to walk was not an issue. I am going to push the gp she mentioned that she can provide a letter or send a referral online to the hospital so I can get seen quicker, I will update u guys.

Sticking with antibiotics, painkillers and warm baths.
Hot compressions are making the size and swelling worse

You can use ordinary salt - I had a vulval abscess and was advised to take salt baths twice a day, but ordinary table salt was fine. Sea swimming also allowed, if you're near a beach (though not one with recent sewage discharges,) but swimming pool wasn't allowed.

I hope it eases soon.

@EBearhug
Thanks for your reply I will try with ordinary salt. Gp thinks its a bartholin cyst due to the location, symptoms described.
Gp checking again this afternoon. But I will no longer do hot compressions by pressing towel/flannel/water bottle as this was having the opposite effect and causing the swelling to increase and the pain even when lying down it started stinging and was sore I think the extra heat is not working. I am going now to ly down in the bathtub. I don't think I will be able to go work tomorrow I need rest

Sympathies and Hugs OP.
I think I have Hidradenitis Suppurativa - so no help with a Bartholins but plenty of practice with abscesses near my hooha.

The heat will make it more inflamed, it should encourage it to drain, you could use ice to take some of the inflammation down and an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen or something similar.

@Youthinkyoureuniqueyourejustastatistic
The heat is not helping I am tempted to think that all the heat has made the swelling worse now all the left side is huge. Just finished having a warm bath. People have mentioned that it may help to drain the build up, but for now it was just causing more discomfort and pain.
You have my sympathy, having any sort of condition in or around the genitals is the worst 😭😢
I can't imagine getting this again. I am trying to hold back my tears as I am tempted to cry my eyes out. It's so big. My daughter has realised that I am lying down a lot and she was asking me to get up and take her shopping yesterday after school 😷 wish I could, it's hard to explain to young 6yrs old that mamma is hurt. My mum said she will come over and help which is nice of her, she lives close by, for help with my daughter at bedtime i can manage as I am already in bed.
I am hoping the pain doesn't reach a level where even sitting down or lying becomes a problem then I will take myself to EGU at hospital.

Any positive outcomes in terms of duration, it's been 3 days for me- how long does it last if it doesn't pop, but drains internally and decrease in size?

I had a Bartholins cyst a few years ago but it wasn't horrendously painful; from reading this it seems I was very lucky! I was really worried as it was quite a big lump. It felt more like a bad bruise, but not crippling pain.

I'm not in the UK and surgical treatments are much quicker to be recommended here. The first doc I saw had a go at draining it right there in his office, which was horrific. I was shaking so badly that he promised if it didn't resolve and he had to drain it again, he would sedate me. It didn't help that I had to go directly from that experience to work. I do not recommend this! (And the lift at work was broken, I actually nearly cried when I realised I would have to tackle two flights of stairs with a freshly stitched vag!)

I had lots of baths etc (I don't recall antibiotics but maybe I was also taking those) but it didn't improve so I had it drained in theatre. Apparently once the doc got in there it was much bigger than he expected.

No advice, just my sympathy and reassurance that for me, surgery was quick and easy and absolutely offered immediate relief! I was very sore that day but improved quickly and it was totally worth it. Good luck with your situation and I hope you get whatever treatment you need promptly!