Hello internet, meet Hillary. Her TikTok story about how her thong sent her to the emergency room (yes, you read that correctly) has been viewed more than 5 million times.
Basically, Hillary's butt had been hurting for weeks. When her mom ~inspected~ her behind, she didn't see anything and suggested Hillary go to the ER. Once there, the doctor told Hillary she had an abscess on her rump, which he then had to squeeze the pus from to remove. Apparently, her thong had caused a microscopic cut on her behind that led to this happening.
But how did something as discreet as a thong cause Hillary so much pain?! I reached out to Hillary to get more information, and I also talked to Dr. Jennifer Lincoln to see if she could provide more insight about this less than ideal situation from a medical standpoint.
"If I ignored my abscess, it could have poisoned my blood and eventually killed me!" Hillary told BuzzFeed. "Luckily, my mom made me go to the ER, which led to the surgery and no long-lasting problems. I told the story to let people know that when you have strange symptoms and you have NO IDEA how they started, it's a good idea to get it checked out."
But how did Hillary's thong cause such a major pain in her butt? "The thong was too tight on me. I remember the exact moment it happened: I pulled up my pants and also pulled my thong, and I pulled it a little too hard/high," she explained. "I felt a small pinch, but the pain went away almost instantly. I didn't connect the incident to the thong until I went to the doctor and he asked me if I wore them. Then I remembered that moment."
"This type of cyst/abscess is common, but people don't talk about it because they think it's 'gross.' If you read the comments [in my video], the amount of people who can relate is INSANE. I did not expect that at all," Hillary continued. "I've also gotten tons of messages (from mostly girls) thanking me for sharing my story, and even women saying they set up a doctor's appointment to get checked out."
"Abscesses in the groin and anorectal area are not uncommon and can happen randomly to people who are more prone to infections," Dr. Lincoln said. "As for causing abscesses in the anorectal area, it could theoretically cause a small cut in the skin from friction, which can then get infected. So if you do want to wear one, opt for a loose-fitting, soft cotton version. This may be better than synthetic fibers that can be more irritating to the skin, potentially more abrasive, or more likely to trap moisture and bacteria."
"My suggestion is to not wear tight thongs," Hillary added. "I'm not sure my case had anything to do with the material, but I know the tightness is what did it for me."
When I asked Dr. Lincoln about the recovery process, she said, "What Hillary describes here is an incision and drainage. That means the abscess (aka a pocket of pus) was numbed, incised with a scalpel, and then drained. They then likely washed it out and packed the area with gauze, which will need to be changed frequently to help promote healthy healing of the drained area. Recovery depends on the depth and size of the abscess, but many of these heal without complication."
As for how Hillary felt about this whole experience? "I was humorous about the whole thing. I've told this story so many times and I always laugh about how a thong tried to kill me. But I am STRONG. There's no way in heck a pair of underwear can take this girl down!"
