First time Perianal Abscess...very nervous/scared.

I don't have Crohn's, butI have just been diagnosed with a perianal abscess and I have to say I am a little...well actually a lot...nervous about the whole thing and there doesn't seem to be a forum anywhere for just that subject.

I noticed it about 3 weeks ago as a small marble sized nodule on my..for lack of a better term...bumhole. I waited a couple of weeks, thinking it was a hemorhoid. It didn't shrink with cream etc. so I went to my family doctor. He said he believed it was an abscess and prescribed 10 days of antibiotics. Cipracil (sp?) 500mg and Metronidazole (500mg) twice a day for 10 days. I took these, but it didn't get smaller it got larger (it's now about the size of an egg). After 7 days I went back to see him and he told me that he was going to continue the anitbiotics for another 10 days and added an anit-inflamatory to the mix. Much to my stomachs dismay! He has also referred me to a proctologist for yet another person to have a look.

My concern is this. How long is it safe to have these things in you before they get lanced or seen too. In Canada it can take weeks to get an appointment with specialists. Am I safe just leaving it? It's a tad uncomfortable, but no where near as painful as some of the stories I read on various forums. Would I be better to go to the hospial? Am concerned about this thing as I have never had anything like it before.

Any reassurance/advice on this matter would be really appreciated.

Hi--I had 3 abscesses lanced-more in the peri vaginal area than anal. Let me tell you that the relief from the lancing was amazing. However, avoiding the knife is a good thing. You'll wind up on antibiotics anyway and have a hole to heal. Have you been doing hot baths with salt?

I had my second abscess (first was drained) and it took a while to get into see my surgeon to get it drained. I was taking sitz baths 3-4 times each day and the abscess finally opened on its own. I still went to see the surgeon because I knew mine was connected to a fistula and needed a cleaning and a seton. But, they can open on their own in time. They will not be cured, especially not a large as you describe, with antiobiotics alone. However the antibiotcs should help keep the infection in control and fevers down.

Best of luck! Sorry you are going through this!

I have had a total of 6 abcesses as a complication of my CD.  I have seen a colo-rectal surgeon each time and he has lanced and drained the area.  I have had two sets of setons put in becuase there were fistulas that needed to heal.  I was always told to have the abcess taken care of immediately to prevent it from bursting . . . which can cause a whole nother array of issues.  So my advice would be to have it taken care of by a surgeon ASAP - you will be so glad you did.

Hi Matman

Not much to add to the other posts except that when I had one of those buggers I didn't have to wait long. ( I'm in Toronto ) A trip into the ER one Saturday morning, 30 mins later I'm out, albeit with a hole half the size of the average thumb. The hospital hooked me up with one of those home care nursing outfits; once a day the nurse came to me place and changed the packing; it has to heal from the inside out so infection is a concern.

As far as making Vegas it's anyone's guess. Thinking back I probably could have, but then again I did take 10 days off work and didn't aggravate the site.

That is good news!! I hope it heals rapidly and never returns!!!