Ladies: HELP! Saddle injury question!

[Bike Mama]

Ladies, I don't have any women to ask about a serious problem that may keep me from riding if it's not resolved!! :( PLEASE HELP!!

Here's the deal: I just went to my family doc to show her a painful lump in my groin (between the labia majora & upper thigh) that developed while riding over the summer & won't go away. It's more or less right where the elastic/leg of my underwear goes. It's *killing* me every time I get on the bike. My doc has no idea what it is, only says it doesn't look infected. She gave me a referral to an OB/GYN out of desperation.

Apparently women's "saddle injuries" (euphemism for any bike injury in our genital area) aren't well documented (see article at http://gorp.away.com/gorp/gear/features/bikesadd.htm).

Has any other biker or runner experienced this? Can anyone suggest what on earth I should do? Which specialty to see?

[Eden]

I've had something that sounds like that and it turned out to be an infected hair follicle. It was better pretty much as soon as I lanced it - this sounds much worse than it feels, but would be difficult for the squeamish. Is your doc really sure thats not what it is? My lump didn't look like much -just a lump that wasn't red or hot or anything - but really really painful.

[Dianyla]

It could be an inflamed Bartholin's gland - these kinds of cysts are pretty painful from what I've heard. Any gynecologist should recognize this and be able to lance and drain it. Though, from what I understand these are usually right on the labia near the entrance, which might be different from your specific location.

Here are some links:
http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/DS/00667.html
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bartholin-cyst/DS00667

I've never had one of those, but I have had some serious ya-ya acne and ingrown hairs with deep cysts that lasted for months. :eek: Maybe you could switch underwear/pant styles for a while to avoid angering it further?

[Lise]

The bartholin's gland is just inside the vagina. When infected, it's a vaginal swelling, usually very dramatic and painful. Sounds like your lump is outside of the vagina. It's a good idea to have it checked by an ob/gyn. In the meantime, if it's an infected hair follicle, warm compresses several times a day should help it open and drain. I've read that frequent exfoliation, and washing with anti-bacterial soap helps prevent folliculitis. I'm going to try it when the weather warms up and I'm wearing bike shorts again.

[Beth-Ro]

(coming out of lurk mode because this hit so close to home) :)

I had a similar painful boo-boo in the same area last summer. I thought it was an infected hair folicle. Then I thought it was a saddle sore. Then I thought it was the batholin's gland...so I went to my ob-gyn. It turned out to be a blood clot/vericosed vein. She gave me the option of lancing it in the office (basically slicing it open, removing the clot, then letting it heal...6 weeks out of the saddle), or applying hot-as-I-can-stand-it wash cloths to the area, then using a sterlized needle to work the clot out myself at home. I opted for the home method. She checked it three weeks later and it was much better.

My doctor thinks it vericosed because of all my time in the saddle preparing for my first mountainous metric century. I have the bad habbit of leaning forward on my saddle when I climb, and there is a vein running between my saddle and a ligament/tendon/whatever right there at the panty line in front of my sit bone. Over time the ligament rubbed and compressed that vein against my saddle and created a monster, marble-sized boo-boo.

I have since traded seats on my bike. It is much firmer than the old one and I haven't had trouble with that area since.

Sorry this is so long, but perhaps it will help.

[Hell-uv-a-job]

Isn't it a fat cyst? I have seen them in CT scans sometimes and the patient don't even notice they have them. They are usually asymptomatic (unless of course you ride a bike). Is it painful only when you ride? Does it hurt if you touch it? I would visit the OB/GYN doctor and hopefully they'll order an ultrasound to see if it is just a fat deposit or even a vascular anomaly like Beth-Ro mentioned.

[alpinerabbit]

eek - I think I might be developing an inflamed follicle. Gonna keep a watch on it.

@Beth-Ro:
Why did that doctor give you the option of slicing it in the office or you poking a needle in it at home? couldn't she have done the poking, saved you some pain and NOT made you be off the bike for 6 weeks? doesn't soudn very logical to me?

[Beth-Ro]

@Beth-Ro:
Why did that doctor give you the option of slicing it in the office or you poking a needle in it at home? couldn't she have done the poking, saved you some pain and NOT made you be off the bike for 6 weeks? doesn't soudn very logical to me?

If you are squeamish, DON'T READ!

Good question...brace yourself...
The needle treatment took several sessions (read "days") soaking in a hot tub, then applying a hot-hot-hot washcloth to the clot area, then rolling it around between my fingers to massage it and loosen it up. After three or four days of this "treatment" I was then able to slide the needle into the vein, parallel to my skin, and gently work the needle in a tiny circle inside the vein to further loosen the clot. After all that I managed to pull the clot out. Once it came out I had instant relief. I used antibiotic cream for a week and rode my bike every day throughout the process.

The doctor couldn't do the needle thing in the office because it took days to work on the clot before it was loose enough to pull out. Had I opted to have it taken care of in the office, I would have gone home with a linear incison in a place that is "bendy" and therefore hard to heal. Oh, and it would have cost about $300.00 for that in-office "surgery".

In the end, it was my choice...:rolleyes: ...pun intended.

Now let me tell you about my childbirth experience without drugs :eek:

[Brandi]

Oh Man!:eek: That all sounds awful. But I understand not wanting to pay$300. for something the dr said you could do yourself. Besides you can spend that money on cute bike stuff instead!
I have had similar stuff down there and the hot compresses really help and patients. You must have a huge pain threshhold?

[Nanci]

You must be very flexxible- how could you even see down there???

Nanci

[Dianyla]

Beth-Ro - that totally kicks ***! :D

[Beth-Ro]

I'm not that flexible...I used a magnifying mirror. :p
(talk about up close and personal!)

[Rudie]

Beth-Ro,
You just PERFECTLY described my current problem, exact same spot, same medical response. I had an enormous bump over the summer and went to the gyno. I assumed it was an ingrown hair. the gyno was at a loss, positing that it may be a staph infection, a Bartholin's cyst, etc. She sent me to a specialist who said it was probably just an irritation due to my job and would get better over time(I am a bike messenger).
Using hot wash cloths along with a medication prescribed for the alleged staph infection the problem went away but my labia stayed swollen MONTHS later. (Did this happen to you? It is very distressing to see my body change and not know if it will go back to ever being symmetrical)
Now, once again the large bump has reappeared. I am going to try your method because I don't have health insurance and can't afford not to ride. but I have a few questions first:
You said you inserted the sterile needle into the vein. Could you actually see the vein or did you just insert into the bump?
What came out? When you used the needle was it simply a matter of draining a liquid (pus), or removing an actual clot?
I am so glad you posted your experiences. Although I know other female messengers I do not feel comfortable discussing this with them.

Thank you.
- rudie

[Brandi]

Do you have a health dept you could go to? Like family planning or something tey sould be able to see you. I am worried about you taking care of tis yourself.

[Bike Mama]

What an amazing series of responses to my plea for help. I am headed to a gyn specialist today much better armed, both w/info & w/a better and more hopeful attitude that there is a solution.

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH! Ya'll ROCK!

I'll let ya'll know what the doc says ...

[doc]

Beth-Ro,
You just PERFECTLY described my current problem, exact same spot, same medical response. ......
but I have a few questions first:
You said you inserted the sterile needle into the vein. Could you actually see the vein or did you just insert into the bump?

I am so glad you posted your experiences. Although I know other female messengers I do not feel comfortable discussing this with them.

Thank you.
- rudie

Please don't try this at home without a little professional help. Jamming a needle into a vein can cause thromboses (clots) and/or infection. Clots can then get infected and since they're already in your blood stream you become incredibly ill. These can also break off and travel. Travel to where you ask? Well they become lodged in the lung - called a pulmonary embolism (can be fatal) or if you have a not uncommon hole in your heart, they can travel to your brain giving you a stroke, or anywhere else in your body. Plus, having treated many a drug addict who jabbed stuff into his veins, the infection and other complications are too numerous to list.
Hot compresses and soaking sound great while you're waiting to see someone...

[Beth-Ro]

Beth-Ro,
You said you inserted the sterile needle into the vein. Could you actually see the vein or did you just insert into the bump?
What came out? When you used the needle was it simply a matter of draining a liquid (pus), or removing an actual clot?
- rudie


Yes, the vein was clearly visible, just under the skin. It was about an inch to an inch and a half long, and a bluish purple. The doc said the clot was close to the surface and it was a very benign situation. The "bump" was a visible lump in the vein...it was the clot. There was also some irritation just slightly "south" of the bump and a pore had opened up and was draining a small amount of clear fluid, much like a pimple might have. (that's why I thought it was a batholin's glan). I used that pore to insert the needle through the skin and into the vein. After I worked the needle around in the vein, a small amount of blood came out, but I had to try several times before I pulled out the clot with the needle. It was actually a small little thing to have caused so much trouble. It looked much like a clot I might have during my period...a dark clump.

The labia was never involved and no other part of my nether regions was swollen or irritated beyond the vein itself. It was a vertical vein that ran underneath my panty line.

Have you been to your ob/gyn? That is who diagnosed this for me. It took her less than two minutes to figure out what it was. I used the needle method because she recommended it, and because she said "here's what I would do if it were me". She's an active lady, and her husband is a cyclist. Perhaps she is familiar with cycling injuries. She said she had seen the batholins glan problem before, but had never seen a vericosed vein in that area. "I would not want that on my bottom" was what she told me.

I was also back in her office two weeks later to have it rechecked, along with having a physical, so I was under doctor's care the entire time.

Having a problem like this really took the joy out of my ride, but I am hard headed and hate going to the doctor, so I let it go on for a while before I relented and made the appointment. I regret that. I trained for, then rode a 63 mile, mountainous, hot, humid ride contending with soreness that got so bad I was riding out of my saddle to avoid the pain. I could have avoided that had I gone to the doctor earlier. If you are contending with a situation like this, I would encourage you to be to seek medical attention. Your problem may need an antibiotic again. If you've had a staph infection, that can be very hard to be rid of. My best wishes to you.

At the risk of turning this long post into something of tome proportions, I would like to insert here that I value this board for just this sort of thing. Where else could I be comfortable enough to share incredibly personal information like this? You ain't gonna find this stuff in regular cycling magazines. Thanks to all you ladies who have made this a comfortable place to share ALL of cycling's side effects...not just the good stuff.

-beth

[yellow]

I had an ingrown hair that turned into a nasty lump last year. Mine was not a vein like Beth-Ro's (Rudie: are you sure it's a vein and not a follicle?). I had mine surgically removed. I was only off the bike for 5 days, I think. I have a little scar but it doesn't bother me anymore.

I'm with doc. Better to have it done by a professional (that also requires follow up to make sure everything is OK). My health is too important to me. Even if you don't have insurance, I'll bet you could still find someone to work with you, as Brandi alluded to.

[Bike Mama]

I agree w/Beth-Ro. This is an amazing space. It's so hard to find women on bikes, much less folks w/whom one can ask personal questions. This has been hugely helpful.

I went to the OB/GYN yesterday who said "I've seen a lot of things, but nothing like this" (always reassuring). At any rate, it's *not* an infected hair follicle; it's *not* a Bartholin's gland (that's inside the vagina). He said it looks like a varicose vein, and feels "ropey" like a varicose vein. He wants me to see a dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon to see if they agree that it is indeed a varicose vein and (if so) for scelerotherapy or another intervention to block it. He though it made sense as a diagnosis considering the biking.

It's been helpful to have others chiming in. Thank you again. I'll send another post when the dermatologist has her/his say.

[doc]

My 2 cents: If it's most likely a varicose vein, why not see a vascular surgeon rather than a dermatologist? They do sclerotherapy of veins all the time. Seems more appropriate to me.

[Bike Mama]

That sounds like a great idea. I'll talk w/my family doc & see what she wants me to do. Thanks for the heads-up!

[Rudie]

Wow, thanks again everyone. I will definately be going to the free clinic this week to have this checked out again.

[Bike Mama]

Wow ... well here's where things came out. I saw both a vascular surgeon, who diagnosed it as a "vascular malformation" -- a vascular anomaly one is born with that can get blown out (it was diagnosed using an MRI and an ultrasound). She recommended sclerosing it (kind of like what's done to spider veins). They inject a solution (in this case, pure alcohol) into the vein which apparently burns & kills the tissue, then the area hardens and it's reabsorbed slowly (like an injury) into the body. She said it was going to be extremely painful (overnight-in-the-hospital-on-a-morphine-drip painful). My other option was plastic surgery, but they would've taken out a huge chunk of flesh & possibly mutilated (for lack of a better term) my labia. NO THANKS!

So the sclerosing went GREAT. I didn't need the morphine at all. Now, 5 days after the surgery, I have absolutely no pain for the first time in ... oh, 6 months?! How 'bout that! I'm going to get back on my bike this weekend (yes, the doc said that was okay "activity as I see fit") and see how it goes.

YIPPEE! Thank you to everyone who answered & for the advice/discussion. It really helped me out, and I hope it helps other women who might be suffering w/the same problem.:p THANK YOU!!!

[Blueberry]

OUCH!!!! That hurts just to read...

Glad you're back on the bike, though and that everything is resolved:)

Carrie Anne

[Nanci]

Glad to hear it went ok! Thanks for letting us know the outcome!

Nanci

[CorsairMac]

Thanks for the update mama - and I'm glad to hear you're going to be "back on the bike" - can we use that in place of "right as rain"?! LOL...anyway, good news and thanks for keeping us updated!

[bikerchick68]

UGH! OK.... clearly it's time for me to go to the doc...I'm going on three months with something similar that I have been dealing with...I assume it's an infected hair follicle, especially since it has ruptured a few times and then is almost flat for a while... but over time the bump is back and painful... riding definitely makes it worse. Mine is right where the leg creases as well... my panties irritate it when it's sore... sigh... OK. You've enlightened me. Time to get to the doc.:(

[KnottedYet]

I've got one "up there", too, but it's part of a looooong varicose vein that goes all the way down to my foot. Sometimes it's NOT FUN AT ALL, but the whole dang vein has to be taken care of at once. Not financially ready for that yet. So I wear UnderArmor compression shorts almost every day, along with my compression stockings, and that keeps it down to a dull roar.

[donnambr]

Ok, so now I am wondering if Rudy is ok. Are you ok, Rudy?

This is kind of gross, but Bikerchick68, the pattern of your lumpy reminds me of the pattern of how my hemorrhoid does its thing. The varicose veins on my legs can be like that, too. Hm, given my hereditary tendency towards weak veins, I guess it's good to know what to look out for.

[TinaP]

wow - I just joined this forum to search for answers to same issue. My gyn did say it looked like a varicose vein but didn't give me any treatment options. It just went away (this was two years ago) but it has RETURNED! Really worried because I'm training for my first century. Can't even stand the thought of poking at it myself and pulling a clot out - OMG. But all the comments were somewhat consoling in that there IS a treatment. My real question - what kind of saddle is best to avoid this? A cutout doesn't seem to address the area of concern and might even create more pressure there?