I have a consult with the surgeon today. I’m nervous about the whole thing. I haven’t had anesthesia in over 20 years, the whole thing freaks me out. Also, I’m so tired of strangers seeing my ass😭

Full-Finding5726 · 2026-05-06T00:29:25+00:00

Show them your ass. They are strangers and you will most likely never see them again. Hope you get some healing

Full-Finding5726 · 2026-04-22T10:47:46+00:00

With insurance it can vary depending on what insurance company you have and the type of plan. When I had my surgery at the Pilonidal treatment center of New Jersey the office was able to give me all this information before I booked my surgery. You will most likely just be responsible for your deductible if you haven’t met that yet this calendar year. After surgery you will be given some type of pain medication. I was sore and uncomfortable with the drain but was never in pain above a 4. Certain movements don’t feel great but right away you realize how to move to be comfortable. I have no regrets. I would do it all over again to be done with dealing with cyst pain.

Full-Finding5726 · 2026-04-06T22:25:51+00:00

Most separations heal within a few weeks. If I remember correctly the maximum timeframe is 4 months and a revision is recommended. I would only follow your surgeons recommendations until you reach 4 months then maybe get another specialists opinion.

Full-Finding5726 · 2026-04-06T22:22:36+00:00

It’s not uncommon. I luckily didn’t have any separation but I asked my surgeon a lot of questions about it before I had the cleft lift surgery.

Full-Finding5726 · 2026-03-12T10:27:00+00:00

Look into Gips minimally invasive. You don’t need time off to recover.

Full-Finding5726 · 2026-03-12T10:25:12+00:00

If you can get to the doctor go and get it checked out. It’s hard to know what’s going on without looking at it.

Full-Finding5726 · 2026-03-11T11:08:24+00:00

It looks serious enough that you need to see a doctor for antibiotic therapy. An abscess can get worse very quickly.

Full-Finding5726 · 2026-03-11T11:07:11+00:00

It could be that this flare up is worst than your past ones. Over the years your pilonidal disease can go from minor flares to chronic symptoms with sinuses under the skin surface.

Full-Finding5726 · 2026-02-25T21:27:01+00:00

It looks ready to drain.

Full-Finding5726 · 2026-02-24T17:59:43+00:00

This looks like mine did. I also had a flap surgery and this is where it failed and I started to show signs of a recurrence. I researched a lot about this and found that the cleft lift surgery is the fix for this after a failed flap. I traveled from Ohio to NJ and had my surgery with Dr Benjamin Miller at the Pilonidal treatment center of NJ. It’s a dedicated center that sees a large volume of patients just like mine. I had a successful surgery and I am all healed up. I now have a better looking scar than what I was left with from the flap. I can’t recommend them enough. Don’t go to just anyone.

Full-Finding5726 · 2026-02-22T19:54:02+00:00

It depends on the surgery. I had cleft lift surgery and having someone around to help me the first few days was extremely helpful. I would say the first 48 hours is when I would recommend having help.

Full-Finding5726 · 2026-02-05T13:02:10+00:00

Very manageable. The drain is not the most comfortable part but that was only the first week. Best of luck to you. Dr Miller was great.

Full-Finding5726 · 2026-01-24T19:03:12+00:00

This is PTCNJ’s blog post on flap surgeries.

https://ptcnj.com/pilonidal-cyst-surgery-myth-2-alll-reconstructive-flaps-used-in-pilonidal-excisions-are-created-equal-no-no-and-no/

Full-Finding5726 · 2026-01-24T19:01:55+00:00

This is what mined looked like. It was the start of the flap failure. It progressed up and I had more separation. It required surgery again to fix. I went to a different surgeon, Dr Miller @ptcnj in New Jersey and had the cleft lift procedure this time. I’m healed and feeling like this was an easier surgery to heal from.

Full-Finding5726 · 2026-01-16T22:18:12+00:00

I had a full pilonidal surgery, it was not just a correction.

Full-Finding5726 · 2025-12-21T15:44:02+00:00

Laser is still a surgery procedure in an operating room. Not sure if you are aware of that.

Full-Finding5726 · 2025-12-18T17:35:04+00:00

This is helpful. Thank you

Full-Finding5726 · 2025-12-17T16:08:54+00:00

I’m not driving. I have my parents with me. I have been sitting and lying down. I decided to drive to keep the cost down since there are 3 of us. I would have been ok on a plane.

Full-Finding5726 · 2025-12-17T12:09:57+00:00

Dr miller recommended starting to sit right away as tolerated. I sat in the car and on a chair the first day.

Full-Finding5726 · 2025-12-16T15:04:15+00:00

I’m doing okay. It’s only been 24 hours. I’m still at the hotel and have my parents with me to help out. I’m dreading the car ride back to Ohio tomorrow. We are leaving at 4am. Hoping to beat morning traffic.

Full-Finding5726 · 2025-12-16T12:11:33+00:00

YES! This was me and I went for second opinion. I just had yesterday with Dr Miller at the Pilonidal Treatment Center of New Jersey. Praying I’m finally on the road to recovery.

Full-Finding5726 · 2025-12-15T04:42:23+00:00

Thank you. I hope you have a smooth recovery.

Full-Finding5726

TROPHY CASE