saddle "issue"

[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?