saddle "issue"

[dreadpirate]

Hi there, I'm new to this forum, I've been cycling for a couple years now. I train for triathlon, so I do ~100 miles a week, give or take.

I have a question, and I'm hoping someone out here can just reassure me that this is not too weird.

I have a lump that has been developing in my crotch. I joke that it's like an undescended testicle, but it's smaller than that - about 2 jellybean's worth. It's hard. It has been there for a couple of months, it isn't going away on its own. Longer rides seem to bruise all the tissue around it. It does seem to change size a little bit, it has gotten a little bigger since I first noticed it in July.

It appeared pretty suddenly - I first noticed it when I climbed onto the saddle for a race - it felt like there was something in my shorts.

I'm hoping it's a saddle issue gone horribly wrong, but I'm just wondering if there is someone else out there who has dealt with a similar issue?

I see the doc tomorrow, I just made an appointment with a GP because I thought this should be seen.

Has anyone had a similar issue? Is this common?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[CycleTherapy]

dreadpirate---

google bartholin's gland/cyst. Your situation sounds quite similar to my experience. Bartholin's cyst is a pretty common aflliction, but can be quite painful if it should abcess.

There have been many past threads regarding this issue. You can use the TE search function to pull the past threads.

Hope this kind of helps.

[dreadpirate]

Oh wow.

OK. so, will the doc just go in there and drain that puppy? there's no open sores, just a lump. An unfriendly lump. How is a sitzbath supposed to help a lump?

Could it be related to other issues I seem to be having (discharge, weight I can't shake)? Is it hormonal?

Gaa! I know I'm asking way too many questions...

[CycleTherapy]

I can only relay my experience. I went to my Ob/Gyn and he diagnosed the bartholin's cyst. We opted to do nothing unless it became a problem ie. painful or showed signs of infection/abcess. I had it for a REALLY long time. Last Dec. or so, without any new symptoms, I opted to have it drained. I was just tired of it being there and worrying what it would eventually do.

The draining procedure was no big deal, in-office and completed in just a few minutes. It did not require "numbing" or anything...there was an initial prick and then nothing. I did opt to have the fluid sent to the lab, just to make sure everything was a-okay.

I was very happy that I had it drained, it gave me back some "peace of mind". There is no guarantee that it will not return again, but so far so good.

If I were you, I'd just have it checked out to be certain that is what it is.

[dreadpirate]

Yes, I have a doc's appointment tomorrow to eliminate all scary things.

I think if that's what it is, I'm ready to have it drained myself. It's in an unfriendly spot, and it's not going away on its own.

I've tried a lot of things - new shorts help a little, chamois butter helps a little. Applying cold seems to help a little, heat does not. Long rides just bruise all the tissues around it. Not riding does not make it go away.

Thanks for sharing your experience with me. it's taken awhile for me to even talk about it, it's so weird and uh, personal.

[CycleTherapy]

Good for you for getting it checked out. I'd hate for you to use my experience as a diagnosis. And yes, I hear you, it is weird and personal and a bit scary. Anytime a lump appears where it once was not is concerning. I think you'll feel a ton better just getting the reassurance that all is okay. (not to mention, getting back on the saddle in comfort !).

[dreadpirate]

OK - so I just got back from the docs. i said, is this a bartholin's cyst? and he said why of course it is!

(is anyone surprised that I had to suggest it?)

So he's given me a scrip for antibiotics (in case there is an infection), and suggested sitzbaths. I'll go see an OB/GYN next week and see what they say too - probably everyone is going to be reluctant to drain it, since hole = wound = infection, bad.

Does anyone have a recommendation on a saddle I can try next - I currently ride a specialized Jett, but it's a tri bike (so I'm riding on the nose a lot - which could be the problem).

[CycleTherapy]

Hi Dreadpirate,

I've been checking on the thread to see if you would check in after your Dr. appointment.....I was glad to read that it was what you had suspected (the bartholin's cyst) and nothing more.

I'm not sure that I can help with any saddle advice....I ride a Terry Damselfly which has a cut-out. I can only say that the saddle has never aggravated the condition (bartholins's).

[dreadpirate]

Yeah, the Jett has a huge cutout - vast improvement from other saddles I have ridden, the lady parts are happier than they used to be.

The cyst, however, is to the side of the actual parts, and I suspect the poor gland gets blocked when I go aero. I'll pay more attention to this, but I think a padded nose may be in order.

The doc was unhelpful in this regard. He recommended a more upright riding position.

[Di bear]

Cysts are "normal" abnormalities. Does that make sense? They happen and they're usually nothing. If it doesn't bother the patient, then nothing needs to be done, however, this is causing you discomfort, and your OB/Gyn should drain it for that reason.

A cyst is a fluid filled sac (your bladder is a cyst, and your gallbladder is a "cyst," so if you have your gallbadder removed, it is a "cholecystectomy"). Cysts are generally no big deal. Some occur normally, like during your menstrual cycle (you grow a cyst, it pops and releases an egg; follicles are small, or functional, "cysts"). An abscess is not a cyst, but an infection.

With that said, I'll tell you what I've told some of my patients: it's kind of like my acne problem. It happens, is undesirable, and is not always comfortable, but it doesn't mean anything.

Good luck!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

If i were riding on a hard lump the size of two jelly beans, I'd want my gynocologist to drain it too! Ask them to see if it is safe to drain it.

[KnottedYet]

Can you borrow a Fizi'k or Brooks from someone, to see if being on a firmer saddle that keeps your sit bones weightbearing and your soft tissues hovering above the nose works for you?

I've never had a Bartholin's cyst, so I don't know nothin'. But I know I lent out my Fizi'k, and I sort of miss it....

[dreadpirate]

Fiz'ik you say. Hrm. I'll see about borrowing one. Thanks for that.

The Jett is pretty supportive of my sit bones, when I am sitting up. I noticed the first time I sat on it that it is exactly where my sit bones are.

My coach also suggested a gel pad - which is an interesting suggestion. I'll feel like a total grandma, but if it works in the interim, I'd rather ride than not ride.

I notice that the spin bike saddles are less of a problem, for whatever reason. I also note that after Tuesday's spin class, the lump is decreasing in size. Better it takes care of itself than I have to do something about it, right?

[ehirsch83]

Ahh Gel Pads! Louis Garneau makes a gel pad chamois that is heaven! I have LG bibs that have the gel chamois and I hate wearing anything else(but I often have to, since I normally ride in my kit).

Try a Fi'zik, I have the Vitesse HP and I really like it, I used to ride with a Fi'zik men's aliante sport(until it got stolen). I am a huge fan of Fi'ziks. But... I do still get cysts in the nether regions! I get mine when I am riding in the drops a lot(same as you getting them from being in aero), but when I bought my new saddle(the vitesse) I also tried a Specialized Jett, and I could not stand how the saddle felt. I took it out for a short hour spin and ended up trading saddles with my ex and riding the rest of the way back in his.
The Vitesse I tried on the trainer(we stuck it on the new bike while I was doing my fitting) and I fell in love with it.

So definitaly give it a try, and don't be afraid to try the men's saddles also! I feel that I am just as happy with the women's as I was with the mans.

[sundial]

A cyclist friend who rides on the aerobars for long distances swears by the Koobi saddle. Maybe this is another option?