u/Uneasy_comfort111

Hello,

I have a wound vac installed after an open wound pilonidal cyst surgery. Following a change of dressing I had today, I can hear an engine-like sound non-stop. The pressure is maintained at 125 mmHg with no error message, but the motor seems to be running non-stop. The liquid inside the tube is discrete droplets rather than small continuous sections, and I can see that the sucked in liquids go through iterations traveling toward the canister then dissipating in a continuous set of attempts.

I asked the nurse and she dismissed me saying as long as there's no alarm and the pressure reads 125 mmHg the device is doing its job, but I want to make sure that I am having it work properly and optimally.

Can anybody confirm if I should be worried or if I should tolerate this continuous sound until my next appointment? I feel there might be a small air leak in the dressing.

Hi All,

To be honest I need to get this off my chest and any advice is much appreciated.. I am currently frustrated and defeated, and I am seeking some support and grounding. I really appreciate the help from those of knowledge and experience.

I am a 28 year-old healthy male, and I noticed a painful pump around my tailbone about a year ago, never had discharge, and it flared up a few of times since (a few days at a time, painful whenever pressure was applied). Last year I saw a doctor who referred me to a surgeon who in turn described the procedure as a simple one with a quick recovery timeline of a couple of weeks. I did my procedure on 22 April, which went alright with the typical pain following the procedure. I had a wound vac system installed a few days after the procedure, removed for two days due to bleeding, and re-installed afterwards. The initial measurements on 27 April were 4.5 cm x 3 cm x 2 cm (LxWxD). On 8 May, I was told the depth has decreased to 1.3 cm but with a biofilm, so they switched to silver-containing foam to try control the bacterial outgrowth. Today is the following day.

I feel I can't take this anymore, I am tired of the vac therapy - it's continuous and very itchy. I spend the vast majority of my day lying on my stomach and eating lots of protein, I can't move around or work out. I don't even sit down unless I absolutely need to fearing that would slow down the healing or sabotage the process, but I am exhausted. I feel betrayed because the aftermath and recovery was not explained properly to me by the doctor, so I was effectively blindsided when electing for the surgery especially that it didn't feel necessary. He himself told me when he was explaining how simple the procedure is that I can live with the cyst and manage it whenever it flares up. It's just that it's so difficult for me now and the timing couldn't be worse. I don't want to sound like a kid throwing a tantrum, but I really can't contain my anger and frustration, everyone around me is going about their lives and I am stuck on my stomach.

When can I realistically expect full recovery? By that I mean go back to normal life, go out whenever I want, sleep on my back, go to the gym, sit whenever and for however long I want... It's crazy how we take these things for granted until they're lost. I also learned about the possibility of recurrence after the surgery, which is making me question my decision even more.. I guess it's too late now..

Thank you so much.

Edit: Yes, the pain every time I go for a dressing change is excruciating. When they take off the foam, it's like they're ripping off my flesh (literally, because the formed tissues get stuck to the foam).