Groin surgery advice please!!!

Skin, nail and hair health
1

Hi,

I've had HS since I was 16. I'm 22 now. I recently had bilateral surgery under both underarms in June. It took 4 months to heal but man they look good for the first time in years!

However! I have another cyst, well over 5cm in circumference that goes from between my thigh and my groin. I'm quite scared to get surgery there as obviously I don't want my lady bits to look... mangled and weird. I also am scared for how long recovery will take. (Underarm surgery took 4 months and I hit rock bottom during those months).

Has anyone had surgery 'down there'/on their thigh and has any advice or things I should know? How long did recovery take? How was walking/toileting and showering? Did you require a skin graft?

I'm seeing my doctor hopefully before the end of the week to see if I can get it removed under local anaesethic or if I need to have the full blown general anaesethic surgery. I guess I'd really appreciate being prepared mentally and emotionally for it if it needs to be a big procedure.

Thanks so much to anyone who can give me advice, and if anyone has any questions about underarm surgery (which seems to be the best thing I've done. I can sleep without towels under my arms for the first time in years!) I'm more than happy to answer them.

2

I had done four surgeries in my groin area so far . There is difference in surgeries . The right side the surgeon just peeled off my skin and the infected area and left it open , it healed from inside out and is doing pretty good now, no more outbreaks there . But on the left side she cut it and glued it back , it didn't worked well and the infection returned back , then again she cut it , glue it and sew it . This also didn't worked . Now two weeks before she cut it again for the third time and dig it deep all the way until the infection and left it open to heal by itself ! First thing you will need a general anesthesia , second tell your doctor not to cut and sew it back , clean it and leave it open , blv me , or else it would all be in vain , then they fill it with gauze and pads and dressing , first three days you won't feel any pain due the medicine in your body , then you will feel pain , but not too much and doctor will give you painkillers for that. It's hard to sit , but you would be able to walk and attend toilet . It will hurt a little bit , but I am feeling pain at night , coz don't know how to sleep , mean on what position and mostly it hurt in all the positions . It takes three to four months to heal but be aware when you leave the wound open and to heal from inside out , there would be a lot of drainage from the wound , having a bad odor but this is a good thing as it keeps the wound moist but you have to change the dressing daily or after two days depend upon the amount of drainage . But so far this is the best option for the infection to not come back again ! I just had this surgery two weeks back. You can ask anything you u want ! Hope this would helped you !

3

Surgery is expensive isn't?

4

Get well soon

5

My plastic surgeon said that he wouldn't do it because it most likely wouldn't heal properly if ever. Best of luck! I am dealing with the same. Hope you at least get some relief soon and get to enjoy the holidays

6

Surgery would be expensive but luckily my insurance covered it !

7

Hi Lily,

Surgery will work in some cases, but know that HS is an autoimmune defieciency, you might just get HS in other places, if you should get recurrance after surgery then it means that you should look at other avenues to handle HS. There is no cure for HS only management. You can have a fairly normal life if you manage HS correctly.

8

Thanks for the insight! The surgeon office doesn't open until the 9th of January so I'm going in for my consult then!

How long has it taken to heal for you so far?

Did you find any tricks to help you get comfortable to sleep?

I hope you're recovering okay!

9

I've had both of my underarm cysts and sweat glands removed- no reoccurances there since the surgery in June.

Yes, I have been trying to manage it, but there's only so much that antibiotics and dietary changes have been doing for me, which isn't much. Unfortunately, surgery seems to be the only definitive way so far that has had good results, although it is a daunting process.

10

Thanks! I would try to see another plastic surgeon for a second opinion there! I hope you get relief too and enjoyed the holidays!!

11

As I wrote on other posts, try 70mg zinc pill one every day, its safer than antibiotics, let me know if you see any changes after 2 weeks

12

I had groin surgery in November for H S. It was not on my labia but pretty close. Ibuprofen really helped with the pain. The worst part was just the uncomfortableness of having stitches there with wearing clothes and sitting. Not much different than the dealing with the infection itself. The stitches were removed after seven days in which I immediately felt better and had no more pain after that. I did not have to have a skin graft. Unfortunately 3 days ago I woke up to another infected sweat gland on the other side of my groin/leg. I'm on antibiotics now and hoping I will not need another surgery.

13

Hi lilyy1113,

I had surgery on my groins recently like 2 weeks ago or so, they removed all the damaged and diseased bit, so now I'm left with random multiple wounds but it's healing up quickly, the first week in hospital was the hardest using toilet was painful, showering was too and I couldn't walk around much it was too painful but the nurses helps with dressings and everything after a week and a bit it gets so much easier I promise... I have a bit in my chest and armpits and I have to be back in 5 weeks to speak to a plastic surgeon about those two, and you did you had bilateral surgeon how was that for you? What did they do exactly? Was it painful all through the 4 months?

14

Hey Sophie, really sorry for the delay in a reply. Just had surgery in my groin a week ago and have been in bed resting!

I had the bilateral surgery in June 2016. The wounds stitches under both arms began to split open two weeks later. I went into surgery again for debridement and for stitches again. It split open again in a week. I eventually had an open wound that needed packing daily by wound clinic nurses for a few months under both arms. Lots of draining of serous fluid. Majority of my sweat glands were also removed. The open wound looked scary- but healed up lovely! Just a line of scarring along my armpit.

Very hard to toilet. Couldn't pull my pants up by myself or dress myself for a while. My family had to help me do everything until my arm movement got better. Took about two months. They had to help toilet me, shower me, everything. I slept sitting upright for about 3 weeks as too painful to sleep laying down. I was on strong pain killers throughout the four months, 3 months on endone and Targin. 1 month on panadeine forte. Also ended up finding a tool that assisted in butt wiping, never knew they existed but I could finally toilet myself!!! Definitely invest in one. I'd lost most feeling under my arms, but it got more painful as it got infected and nerves reconnected. The whole process was long and at times very difficult BUT it Was entirely worth it.

I've had no reoccurrences. My arms move perfectly and my underarms look the best they've looked in years.

People's healing times may vary, I suffered from several infections which prolonged healing time as well as increased pain levels. I also did have the whole area of both underarms removed as the hidradenitis under my arms was really quite awful. Yours could go a lot more smoothly. I would do it again in a heart beat if I had to though, it was all worth it for how they are now.

Just make sure you look into those butt wiping tools from your local chemist, as well as make sure you stay in hospital as long as you need until you're self sufficient if you don't have someone at home to help you. Make sure you're vocal to your surgeon about pain levels. And sleeping sitting up the first few weeks really does help!

Hope this all helps! Let me know if you need any more advice on it and thanks so much for the encouragement with groin surgery! It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be!

15

My fingers are crossed for you that it improves for you. This disease can be such a pain! Keep kicking its butt! Tumeric and zinc supplements have actually improved my outbreaks. Might help to look into them for you too if you aren't taking them already

16

Hi lily,

thanks for the reply, omg that sounds awful im so scared now to get my done all that pain for four months and i thought the debridemnet on the groin was hell im still recovering from it but its healing up now and i coudl still sleep and use toilet and bathe on my own im getting bumps around the groin area now but i usually got flare up a lot when it was close to periods but the lumps are going down so not to much of an issue but i have been housebound since leaving hospital because of the pain... the next thing is me seeing a plastic surgeon when im well is that who you saw for your debridement for your armpit ? and why did the stiches fall out was  is it because of movements etc ? was it easier using toilet and sleeping and just being dependent when the stiches were in ? how long where you in hospital for after your surgery ? and apart from tumeric and zinc is there anything else youve taken that has really worked? sorry for bombarding you with all the questions lol im just so nervous about it 

17

Hey Sophie!!

Don't stress! Some people, from what I read before my surgery, recovered in 6 weeks. Recovery times vary. Debridement only happened for me because they were restitching it anyway! I think mine was just an unfortunate case with several times it got infected and I was on antibiotics. My healing time was prolonged by these things, they don't happen to everyone!

My first surgery was Day surgery. I went home as I had people who could look after me and I didn't realise how difficult certain things would be, such as toileting and getting dressed.

After my second surgery, I stayed in hospital for a week before I felt like I could toilet myself and dress myself.

I only saw a general surgeon, although he had experience with this sort of thing. No plastic surgeon for me. And I don't regret that, maybe on my groin it would've been nice as the scarring ain't pretty but my underarms are great!

I'm not sure why it split open. I think because so much skin and tissue were removed, and I didn't have a skin graft, that it was one of those situations where it needed to heal from the inside out. Each day, the wound got shallower and smaller in width. It turned out great! Maybe I was moving around too much, or maybe it just needed to heal inside out. It was a bit of a set back for me, but it was worth it for how it turned out.

It was definitely harder being independent with stitches in. You can't do much as you don't want the stitches to bust. Trust me when I say, don't push yourself!!

Keep in mind, debridement mightn't be needed, I figure mine was done as they were reoperating anyway. The pain was not nice, particularly the first week after the of the surgeries, but it did become bearable. Thank god for pain killers!!

You will be okay. It's so normal to be nervous, I sure was! Just know that you will get to the other side of it and I feel it will be better for it. It isn't four months of complete unbearable pain, it wasn't for me. If you have pain management plans with your doctor, you'll be more than okay.

I'm not too sure on what else helps. I think my flare ups are less worse when I smoke cigarettes less, if you smoke. Some people have found dietary links with their hidradenitis, I haven't. I don't wear deodorant as it would irritate it (I don't need deodorant now anyway, byebye sweat glands!!) and I use skin sensitive soaps. Heat and sweat definitely make mine worse, so I make sure to shower when I've been super sweaty or to try my best to keep cool in heat. I'm not too sure in what else helps.

Honestly, the surgery wasn't the best thing in the world and it was a long process of healing for me. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It was difficult to get through, but it is completely possible to get through. Just keep the thought in your head that this may lead to not a single cyst returning to those areas. Thats what got me through it. That, and strong pain killers. Seriously though, the pain was bearable. First few days are the hardest and then it starts to get better and better. Hang in there!

No worries on the questions, feel free to ask any others you think of. It sure helps knowing what things will be like, makes you more mentally prepared for it!