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abscess with fistula?

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Posted 1/3/2009 1:09 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Tom I think I would wait till you have more info on it and until your Dr. mentions surgery I would not get too upset about it .We all have different problem area's or at least some of us have different area's and they are not treated in the same way. lol gail
Posted 1/3/2009 1:17 AM (GMT 0)

Thanks Gail,

I hope your right, I'll try to be positive about it. 

Tom.

Posted 1/3/2009 2:34 AM (GMT 0)
Please keep us posted.
Posted 1/3/2009 4:19 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for expanding crohniemom...i will mention this to my doc. It sounds like these abscesses/fistulas are a real pain in you know what. I guess the results are just different for all of us. I dont know what i should do. i just dont want to be stuck with this catheter for much longer. i am afraid that they will just keep filling up when the catheter is taken out. also, i would like to know other peoples experiences with remicade. doc thinks its good to continue, but some people seem to have bad reactions with joint pain. i had that knee pain and now the back pain, but how can i be sure it is the remicade and not the other meds. i am on asacol(9 per day),15mg prednisone(tapering off), flagyl and avelox for the antibiotics and then my third remicade is coming up on jan.12th.my abscess on the left side of my abdomen was the size of an orange they said when i came to the emergency room, it went away and then came back. i just dont know about the surgery. doc doesnt seem to want to do that yet...and he is one of the best GI docs in the country, so i just dont know what to do. i guess i never realized how unpredictable these abscesses can be. anyone, please share your stories....especially ones who have had success keeping them away. thanks  

 

Posted 1/4/2009 3:01 PM (GMT 0)
lostsoul36...I certainly hope that you can get rid of it without surgery! Me personally wouldn't give up on the remicade yet....the joint issues could be because of the pred....but that is just my 2 cents worth. I have been on remicade for over 4 years now. I had migrating joint pain while on pred...so bad that I would be screaming. So hopefully, you can continue on with the remicade. Yes, abscesses are nasty unpredictable painful buggers! Keep us updated.
Posted 1/8/2009 11:10 AM (GMT 0)
i had a perianal abscess which lead to a fistula (but did not break skin) and it was a waiting game for me for about 13 months then finally i told my surgeon i had had enough and he operated on it by completely draining it, cleaning it and blocking the connection in my bowel...that was the only way it completely healed...but for the 13 months he would just drain it and it would fill back up again and would be in terrible pain.....i would have to admit even though i was in a little pain for a few days after the surgery it was the best relief and decision
maybe wait a little while and if no relief the ask for the surgery
by the way my abcess/ fistula has never returned and i have had no problems so ever since
hope i helped
Posted 1/8/2009 4:29 PM (GMT 0)

Hi Patskin,

Thanks for sharing your experience. It seems there is quite a few dealing with perianal fistulas/abscesses. I'm not sure if abscesses are all the same or not. I'm quite confused about that. I have no idea what the surgery entails either. Hopefully, not too invasive. This waiting game we're enduring is getting tougher everyday.

Posted 1/8/2009 5:02 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Tom how much longer before Holly goes for the SBFT ? lol gail
Posted 1/8/2009 5:15 PM (GMT 0)
The doctor decided its time for surgery to get rid of the abscesses/fistula. we have tried everything, so monday i go in for the resection surgery. i will be continuing the remicade afterwards. i have had this drain catheter in for 36 days, so i am ready for the surgery. we are hoping this will do the trick...wish me luck. i will be in the hospital for a week they said, so i will let you know how it goes. thanks for the reply. 

 

Posted 1/8/2009 5:20 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Lostsoul wishing you all the best with your surgery .Keep in touch when you can. lol gail
Posted 1/8/2009 6:06 PM (GMT 0)

Hi Gail,

She goes in on Feb. 02nd. So we still have quite a wait to see what's happening with it. Thanks for asking.

Tom.

Posted 1/8/2009 6:40 PM (GMT 0)
I have had 2 continously draining anal fistula's for about 10 years.  I have worn a maxi pad every day since I was 21. They have closed with medication, but then the abcesses form(the original cause of the fistula's). My last surgery was in 2004 and was to correct the fistula's. I ended up having 3 strokes due to a blood clot...all at 26. My MD's and I have decided that I can live with the constant draining. I wish I had some good news to tell you, but this disease is different for everyone.

Posted 1/8/2009 7:10 PM (GMT 0)

Hi Allison,

You're the second person today, that I"ve responded to, that's had some unbelieveable experiences with this disease. 30 surgeries and 3 strokes, sounds pretty much intolerable. I don't know how anyone could get through that.

I couldn't imagine this disease doing this to my daughter. I hope and pray, that the worst is over for you, and that you won't have to endure any more adversity than this. 

Tom.

Posted 1/8/2009 8:32 PM (GMT 0)
73monte,
I am dealing with my second abdominal abcess right now. My first one I had a ct guided drain put in that I had to flush with saline 3 times a day. It healed up after a week with the drain and Flagyl and Cipro (both antibiotics). I have another one close to the same location right now that they are taking the wait and see approach with. I go to the surgeon for recheck on it in 4 days. Likely just antibiotics with this one as it is smaller. I am hoping this is my last one as it has caused SIGNIFICANT pain the first week I had it though it seems better pain wise now I can still feel it myself when I feel my stomach. This one is attached to the peritneum wall.
My drs won't put me back on Imuran (which I went off when I had surgery 10 weeks ago) until I get the abcesses totally gone as it suppresses the immune system which would keep me from healing. Though I am still on a high dose (30mg) of pred too which makes healing a bit hard too.

Keep your head up. The drain will hopefully work. It did for me. You really don't want to do abdominal surgery if you don't have to. Regardless of what route is taken with this disease it always seems to take forever, so patience is a definite virtue.
Posted 1/8/2009 10:38 PM (GMT 0)

Hi Westat,

Thank-You for relating your experience. Your the first one that has had something so similar to my daughter. I'm very curious, did you have a fistula leading to your abscess? It's very encouraging to hear that the same treatment has worked for you.

Tom.

Posted 1/9/2009 1:43 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Tom,

When I first joined the forum, a wise soul -- not sure who, they are so many here -- said to remember that forums like this tend to have people who are really ill and/or in distress. Most folks when they are well don't seek out support like this. So please remember you are probably hearing the worst here. More than likely your daughter will have many, many years of uninterrupted good health! So don't be dismayed!

Take care
Posted 1/9/2009 5:10 PM (GMT 0)

Hi FallColors,

Thank-You so much for reminding me of that!! Ironically, someone gave me that exact advise a couple of years ago when first coming here. I've kind of lost me perspective on that with the incessant reading I've done. 

I hope you're right and that there will be many good years ahead. For my daughter and you as well. 

Tom.

Posted 1/9/2009 5:24 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Tom I have found that Jan. is going pretty fast now and hopefully the longer it takes the better for Holly as it might give it more time to heal. Hope things are going good for her .Is she having any problems dealing with all this at 15 years she is young to have to deal with crohn's.lol gail
Posted 1/10/2009 2:50 AM (GMT 0)

Hi Gail,

So far she's feeling pretty good. Her next appt. is Feb 09th for SBFT. Hopefully good news. She's coping pretty well. She really trusts our GI, likes her alot. Too young to be skeptical I guess.

Thanks so much for inquiring about her. I appreciate you taking the time. 

Tom.

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