Bartholin Cyst

[ouchithurtsalot]

Name changed - I woke up on Sunday feeling uncomfortable, and could feel a lump near the entrance to the vagina. It got more painful and everything down there was red and swollen. I always have Clarithromycin in the house due to a leg problem, so started to take those just in case it was an infection. Weeing hurts but I am drinking lots of water so that I keep going.

I went to the GP yesterday as I can barely sit down, and he had a look and said it was a Bartholin Cyst. He said to keep taking the antibiotics. I asked if there was a cream I could apply as it's so sore and painful and he said no, but did prescribe syringes of local anaesthetic to apply.

He said it won't burst but will go away. How long might that take?

Is there anything else I can do to alleviate the pain? I don't have a bath and can't "borrow" one as I can't get in and out of them due to mobility issues.

Would it help to put a small round washing up bowl inside the toilet-bowl rim and bathe liberally with a salt solution?

Use the bowl filled with warm water and a soaking wet flannel, like a bidet. Cup your hand and splash the water upwards to irrigate.

Warm compresses help.(and they do burst sometimes, but if you're on abs it will likely go down first) Good luck, they are utter cunts.

I feel for you - try sitting in a warm shallow bath a couple of times a day to help with drainage, once it becomes less painful try gently massaging the area with clean fingers to encourage more drainage. Sounds gross but it worked for me (along with antibiotics)

Sorry just seen the bit about not having a bath - a warm shower to the area for a few minutes should have the same effect

You can buy a sitz bath insert that sits into your toilet bowl

When I had a cyst there (which did burst), I was advised to take a salt bath twice a day for two weeks. Also no swimming - but sea swims were okay, just not public pools.

If you don't have a bath, can you adapt a small paddling pool or something?

Meant to add a link to a sitz bat:
www.amazon.co.uk/Sitz-Bath-Toilet-Hemorrhoids-Pregnant-Women/dp/B0874VMFHS/

Thank you for all the great advice so far. I will order a sitz bath so that I can bathe the area better. I have been using cotton wool to clean down there because toilet paper is too rough and also coming off in bits which just makes me sorer.

If you have an empty and clean plastic bottle of water with a sports cap, you could fill that with a salt water solution and apply in a mini-shower fashion while sitting on the toilet.

So TMI warning,

I just wiped and there was a lot of cottage cheese type stuff right in the vagina entrance, is it likely to have burst?

it’s still very sore because all my bits are red and swollen , but I think the dull ache seems less?

Either that, or the antibiotics mean your microflora is mucked up and you've got thrush as a result. Red and swollen and sore could also be thrush as much as an infected cyst.

Hopefully that’s burst.

Might be a mirror between legs job to confirm.

Peri bottles are good for the toilet paper dodging. Available on Amazon. As pp said, sports water bottle is the sub.

it does sound as though it has burst - does it also smell like a decomposing dead rat is down there? Thats further evidence of a burst bartolins gland cyst.

Keep putting warm compresses. Also a magnesium paste applied to the area will help to draw out the remaining puss.

There was no smell, but there are white/brown bits every day, so I am now thinking that it was thrush. I have asked the GP for some more syringes, and also for some thrush cream (not to be used at the same time obviously...)

I have had a sitz bath this morning, couldn't sit in it for long due to work, but it was nice to have a little soothing soak . I also bought a doughnut cushion which is helping, and have bought some cooling gel pads from Amazon. I have a heat pad already as well, so can try that too.

The water bottle tip was great too to get water into the right area.

I just wish the damn thing would go away so that I can sit down pain free again..

Thank you everyone for your advice. It's good to get from people who have gone through it and not just google stuff

Poor you,I do sympathise as I had one several years ago and it hurt like hell! I found putting a hot compress on it,as hot as you can bear it,several times a day helped. Also (sorry if TMI!) straining a bit when having a poo made it burst! OMG the relief. Hope you feel better soon.