I wasn’t going to write anything this week because, thanks to a rupturing cyst in my groin area, I have been extremely uncomfortable. Still am. But I thought the history of this particular ailment worthy of a post.
Back in 2019, as we were leaving Denmark and planning The Trip, we had visitors back-to-back. Dad came followed by our friend and her daughter. I spent a lot of time on bikes. Despite it being Copenhagen, which touts itself as one of the most bike friendly places in the world. I hadn’t spent a lot of time on bikes. For the most part, I walked. Typically, several miles a day. If I needed to go somewhere farther, I took the bus. Even then I often walked one way and took the bus, laden with groceries or whatever, back home. Bike were recreational for me and mostly used once upon a weekend.
Until the visitors. We spent several days in a row on bikes as biking is what everyone wants to do when visiting Copenhagen in the summer. That is the first time I had this issue. Me being me, I suffered quietly, and the pain went away except for this little bump on my bum that was in exactly the wrong place for my fancy panties. Before we left on The Trip I decided to get it checked out. The doctor told me:
1.He didn’t know what it was.
2.But he new it was nothing serious.
3.And if it was causing me problems, he could have it removed.
Then he promptly starting scheduling surgery. There are many things wrong with this picture.
Assured, kind of, that it was nothing serious, I went on The Trip with new, seam-free, underpants. There were no real issues and we made it back to the US just in time to lock down for the Global Pandemic which closed down social gatherings including the gym and all of my dad’s other connections. Because we are one extended household, we continued to see each other but I was concerned. Not only about my dad’s possible isolation but by the possibility of my own expanding waistline. After all, the gym was closed to me, too.
So, I suggested we ride bikes in the mornings. Five days a week for an hour or more for almost two months I rode bikes with Dad. Then Dad had to take a break and I had this odd pain in my groin. Swelling, itchiness, blood, and intense discomfort. Then it happened again. And again. Finally, I saw a dermatologist. (Always see a dermatologist for skin issues, if it’s an option. GP’s are ignorant to issues of the skin. And try to find a doctor who is familiar with your skin tone. Even darker doctors who only work with lighter patients may not recognize how symptoms present on more melaninated skin.)
The dermatologist is the one who informed me I had a cyst and that, until I had it surgically removed, it would continue to rupture and heal over and over and over again. We were still rather early in the Global Pandemic and I didn’t (and don’t) have a gynecologist which is what she suggested as a surgeon due to the placement of my cyst(s) so I decided to put it off until things got back to normal. That was six months ago. I did ask if she knew why this was happening. She shrugged and suggested Humira* .
Last week it happened again. Last Sunday, for the first time in a long time, I spent pretty much all day on a bicycle. It was a good day. My first good day in a long time. Because the initial flare ups started with bike rides I Googled “bike rides” and “cysts” and came up with saddle sores. Until this Google I thought that saddle sore referred to the soreness you feel after riding a horse all day using muscles in a different way. According to Total Women’s Cycling (and every other result of the search) “Sores mostly appear around the uppermost inner thighs, the “taint,” and that transitional ridge where leg becomes bottom. They can materialise as hard painful lumps, fluid filled cysts or even abrasions, a little like friction burn. The most common form of a saddle sore is likened to that of an infected hair follicle.” Exactly what was, is, happening to me.
So why did not one, but two, doctors fail to make this connection? Especially when I told both of them that these instances happened after I was bike riding? The sores are exactly where the bike seats hit. Saddle sores are varied but they are also super common. Why didn’t either one of these doctors make the obvious connection? Is it because they are incompetent? Because I am Black? Because I am female? Because I am fat?
There are things you can do to reduce the chance of saddle sores, the most extreme being stop bike riding. My current cyst is in a very delicate spot which makes things more painful, painfully embarrassing, difficult to treat. And it wouldn’t have happened at all if my first doctor had said, “Hey, that sounds like a saddle sore. Here’s what you can do.”
*From their website:
”Serious infections have happened in people taking HUMIRA. These serious infections include tuberculosis (TB) and infections caused by viruses, fungi, or bacteria that have spread throughout the body. Some people have died from these infections. Your doctor should test you for TB before starting HUMIRA, and check you closely for signs and symptoms of TB during treatment with HUMIRA, even if your TB test was negative. If your doctor feels you are at risk, you may be treated with medicine for TB.
Cancer. For children and adults taking TNF blockers, including HUMIRA, the chance of getting lymphoma or other cancers may increase. There have been cases of unusual cancers in children, teenagers, and young adults using TNF blockers. Some people have developed a rare type of cancer called hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma. This type of cancer often results in death. If using TNF blockers including HUMIRA, your chance of getting two types of skin cancer (basal cell and squamous cell) may increase. These types are generally not life-threatening if treated; tell your doctor if you have a bump or open sore that doesn’t heal.”