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Staple Just Came Out of Fistula

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Posted 2/25/2009 8:08 PM (GMT 0)
I posted the other day about my history and current fistula....about three weeks ago a piece of stitch came out it, which seemed somewhat normal...but today a piece of staple came out! I know for a fact that I haven't been eating staples...and from what I understand, they were only placed on the outside of the skin, and on the resectioned bowel (surgery was in October)...could this be from the bowel??? Maybe this is what caused the fistula? I just left a message for my doctor...but, has this every happened to anybody else?
Posted 2/25/2009 8:23 PM (GMT 0)
Boy I am glad you called your doctor. I have never heard of that happening. Would be interested in hearing what the doc says, keep us posted.

Good luck,
Gail *Nanners*
Posted 2/25/2009 9:48 PM (GMT 0)
*grimace* Ouch.

Please do tell us what your doctor says!
Posted 2/25/2009 9:52 PM (GMT 0)
I am feeling pretty well right now, and I would like to think that's all it is. I keep thinking back to the day I got home from surgery though, when I was taking Percocet for pain....I left the hospital on a Sunday morning and the Pharmacy wasn't open until later in the day, so the nurse gave me two pills for the road, but never told me how many to take and when, but the night before another nurse had given me two at once, so I figured that was the norm...Anyways, I took the one pill before I left and another later when I was home before I got my prescription....Later that night I was puking every half hour for a few hours and at the Emergency Room they pretty much made me feel like a drug addict! Whispering behind curtains and stuff....not wanting to give me the anti-nausea shot! They did when they saw my face as I tried to stand to leave, finally. I've just been wondering if all the puking may have caused a staple to tear or something. I guess we'll see what my doctor thinks, he's already supposed to be calling me back later today about setting up an appointment with a specialist down south this week.
Posted 2/25/2009 10:28 PM (GMT 0)

Hello Craizy_daizy,

I'm glad you are feeling OK!  If your doctor doesn't call back, call the ER and ask to speak to the surgeon on-call.

And check your supply of staples.  Maybe you sleep walk and feast on staples??  devil   

Posted 2/25/2009 10:47 PM (GMT 0)
Haha, I guess it's a good thing my office staples are teal colored, so I'd know the difference!
The one that came out was sort of just bent in half like a ribbon, and thick and silver colored....
It would be nice to live in a place that had more than one surgeon too! It's a small town on an island, so the only surgeon in town (who has been acting as my primary care physician for the last year also, since it seems all my problems are related to the surgeries/crohn's) is on call 24/7....does procedures in the morning and clinic in the afternoon. I just have to be patient, but sometimes it's hard.
Posted 2/25/2009 11:05 PM (GMT 0)
I'd save the staple and show it to the doc.  He should recognize it if it is his.  Its nice he is so available!  Many people in big cities wait to see their docs.  Yours is trapped on an island with you!!   smilewinkgrin    No more late night crunchy staple snacks for you!!  I wonder what else will come out of it?  Maybe something you've lost recently?  Socks?  Keys??  You never know.  Money would be nice.  Sorry.  Just getting silly.  tongue
Posted 2/25/2009 11:21 PM (GMT 0)
Yea, it's nice...as long as my problems trump everyone else...one man can only do so much. I am relieved to be seeing a specialist soon though.
Posted 2/25/2009 11:26 PM (GMT 0)
I'm glad you will be seeing a specialist. And I hope the rest of your healing goes smoothly!

Take care.
Posted 2/25/2009 11:30 PM (GMT 0)
craizy-daizy - Yes, it is possible that the staple is from one of your prior surgical sites in light of the fistula you have. It possible that the fistula is coming from an area close to the resection area. I am very glad they are getting you to a specialist soon. They really need to get a good picture of what is going on in your abdomen.

Let us know what the surgeon says about the staple!
Posted 2/26/2009 12:27 AM (GMT 0)
Holy moly!

Posted 2/26/2009 12:46 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Hope you have gotten some help with this by now. lol gail
Posted 2/27/2009 12:14 AM (GMT 0)
Okay, so it wasn't a staple...it was a "clip". Which the doctor said is for "bleeders" or something where they can't cauterize it so they put a clip on it...which means it's not from the actual point of resection...although they are supposed to stay put, not come out of fistulas...So, I'm still a bit confused, but it could be worse. Still waiting to hear about seeing a specialist...finally contacted someone in Seattle, but the soonest they could see me is March 10th! And I'm waiting for that before I get some fistula-healing medications! I'd like to get this thing closed before anything else comes out!!
Posted 2/27/2009 12:39 AM (GMT 0)

Hey Daizy!

Are you still feeling OK?  Any fever or new pain??  Maybe your doctor's office can help you get in sooner.  At least the clip was small.  Not like they left in a large sponge or scalpel.  shocked    Hopefully you will have no other problems.  On the bright side, you have a funny story to tell your friends!  tongue

Posted 2/27/2009 12:48 AM (GMT 0)
Well, the doctor in Seattle isn't even in the hospital all next week and my cell phone decided to act up today! Now I'm playing phone tag with my doctor trying to see if he's got a back up in mind....geeez. Although I am still feeling okay, 12 days out seems like forever to wait for medication.
Posted 2/27/2009 1:13 AM (GMT 0)
Waiting is so hard!! I'm sure your doc will help you if you really need something. Hopefully you can do something fun while you are in Seattle!
Posted 2/27/2009 7:29 PM (GMT 0)
Another inch of stitch came out last night!! My fistula is from the bowel to the skin....how is this other stuff making it's way through?? I thought the stitches were just on the muscle....I guess my body just doesn't like foreign objects inside of it. I put it on the counter until this morning and it crumbled, why wouldn't it just dissolve inside me like it was supposed to...
Posted 2/27/2009 9:25 PM (GMT 0)
craizy-daizy-
Please don't get alarmed by my story. I do want you to know this though because it might be relavent.

Six years ago I had a large, growing "lump" on my lower arm right below the elbow. My doctor thought it was a sebaceous cyst run amok. It was very bothersome and in a bad place so it was decided to remove it. A simple office procedure done one Saturday. It was deep so my doctor used internal sutures to close the underneath layer before closing the skin.

Two weeks later the incision was weeping and not healing in places. Four weeks, six weeks some spots continued to ooze. At the eight week mark I notice one morning that there is a "black thing" sticking out of one of the oozing holes. I pulled it out with tweezers. It looked like a suture to me. Fortunately, my daughter had a doctor appointment that AM so I took the black thing with me. My doctor verified that it was one of the internal sutures. Over the course of the next 5-6 days, five more sutures made their way to the surface.

The doctor had used vicryl sutures. He told me to never, ever allow anyone to use them on me. There are quite a few cases of people rejecting this specific type of suture. Vicryl sutures are used for internal suturing. I was lucky because my incision was close to the surface. Others that have had abdominal surgery have faced months, some more than a year, of suffering as these sutures made their way to the surface.

Did you have the fistula before your resection? If not, then I would ask your surgeon what type of sutures were used internally. It might be worth considering.

I live close to Seattle. Let me know if there is anything I can do from my end.
Posted 2/27/2009 9:55 PM (GMT 0)
Well, I know that the stitches were supposed to dissolve, this is the second one that has come out. Both times I have been on Flagyl, a few weeks ago, and right now. They aren't black though, just clear and sort of thick like fishing line. My doctor said they normally dissolve in about 6 weeks, but the surgery was October 20th...Before the resection I just had an abscess, and the bowel removed later revealed ulcers and fissures. I think I will ask about what kind of stitches they are, and how many there are...Thanks for sharing the story.
Posted 2/27/2009 11:43 PM (GMT 0)
I think it is fascinating that the body actively works to move things to the surface and push them out. How does it do that?! How does it know??? Amazing!
Posted 2/28/2009 3:14 AM (GMT 0)
hey craizy.. i used to have staples and stuff comer out all the time from my abdominal fistula. although obviously your fistula needs fixing, its normal for stuff to work its way out. any previously left stuff from other operations could be coming out now. it sounds like you had an abcess form after the surgery and this damaged some of the surrounding area. now that it has reached the skin the damaged parts will want to "flow "out of the cavity. are you flushing the hole with anything antibiotic? like Bacitracin? etc... are you having food matter come out? if yes then more likely a hookup to the bowel is present.. unfortunately i have had no luck fixing them unless they are surgically fixed. my biggest one was around my navel area. (only i dont have one ;0).. good luck and keep us posted.
Posted 2/28/2009 3:25 AM (GMT 0)
Yea, I have had food matter come out...I had a fistulogram a week ago that showed it was to the bowel. My doctor hasn't said anything about flushing it. Just waiting around for an appointment with a specialist and then I'll get to try out medication....and see if that will hopefully heal me up! Now I'm thinking maybe it's not so bad I have to wait another week, in case there's anything else in there that wants to get out first :)
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