it started in august 2025, in the back of a cab crawling through gurgaon traffic. a dull ache right at the top of my tailbone, like i'd sat on a coin for three hours. i did what any reasonable person does: blamed the seat, blamed the potholes, blamed my posture, and moved on.
except it didn't move on. over two weeks the ache became a tender spot, and the tender spot became a small lump i could feel through my jeans. sitting straight hurt. i developed a signature lean — one cheek, slightly rotated, like i was permanently about to get up. my coworkers definitely noticed. nobody said anything. bless them.
here's the thing nobody tells you: this area is deeply unglamorous, so we don't talk about it, so everyone who gets a pilonidal sinus thinks they're the only person on earth with a mystery lump above their butt. you're not. it's one of the most common surgical conditions in young adults — especially if you sit a lot, which, hello, all of us.
by week three there was occasional dampness on the spot — sorry, i promised minimal gore, that's as far as i'll go — and that was the moment denial stopped being a viable treatment plan. i told my flatmate, said the words out loud for the first time, and honestly? saying it out loud was 80% of the battle.