I just recovered from a Bartholin cyst. I found the lump about three weeks ago. It remained a lump for about four or five days without hurting, just a tiny bit of itching. Then one day it was swollen and very painful. Webmd said it would go away with hot baths. It continued to grow for nearly another week and got to be the size of a tall, red, painful almond. One day the size wasn't much different, but somehow it seemed like it was getting better. The swelling gradually went down and the lump got smaller. It started itching again as it healed. I still have a tiny lump but it's so small I believe it could be gone tomorrow. Here's what I did to help the healing process.
I took a hot bath 2 or 3 times a day and put 7 drops of lavender and 7 drops of Juniper Berry essential oils in the bath every time. Lavender helps with swelling and healing, and Juniper Berry smells really good with Lavender.
I also put an oil on directly on the cyst several times a day. The oil was 1 ounce vegetable oil, 5 drops Lavender, 5 drops Chamomile (Roman or German), and 5 drops Eucalyptus. I used Roman Chamomile because that's what I had available. This doesn't smell as good as the bath, but Lavender and Chamomile are good for the swelling and Eucalyptus helps heal and disinfect. You could use Tea Tree oil in place of the Eucalyptus but I can't guarantee it will smell any better.
I found it was really irritating to just walk while wearing any type of clothing, and when the cyst was at its largest it was even hard to walk without clothing because it would rub on my leg. I'm cringing just thinking about it. I used a small cotton round that you might use to put astringent on your face. I placed it over the cyst and let the edge stick outside of my underwear (hard to describe). It stopped my clothing from rubbing on the cyst and it just rubbed on the cotton instead. ahh relief! I usually put the oil on right before I put on the cotton round. It served almost as a bandage without having any adhesive in that sensitive area.
One more thing, NO SEXUAL STIMULATION WHILE HEALING. The gland that is blocked produces fluids when aroused. From what I've read, producing more fluids while the cyst is blocking the duct would only make it worse.
I hope my experience can help someone. The worst part about this cyst was the fear. I was afraid to go to the doctor, but worried that I couldn't handle it myself. It was scary and painful, but I got through it. Some of the other posts on this forum about Bartholin cysts really frightened me. My intention is to give you hope instead of fear.
-E