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seton, drainage questions

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Posted 12/17/2009 5:01 PM (GMT 0)
Hey everyone, sorry for always posting questions and the TMI!!

My rubberband seton was placed on Thursday, and in the beginning I had a lot of bloody drainage.
In the last few days it has turned much thicker, almost a yellowy brown, and looks similar to the pus I had draining before the surgery. I have the seton and also an open wound (about 2 inches long, teardrop shaped) that I think is the one doing most of the draining. I am also still feeling the "bump" that was the abscess, it feels the same or even harder than it did before... Some of the drainage seemed to have small "chunks" in it, they were a yellow green color.

I did call my doc, but the nurse just said that unless I am running a fever I should wait until my appointment on Monday. What do I expect for drainage? I'm worried that the big abscess is not draining, although like I said, I am having some drainage. I'm not running a fever, but the last two nights I've woken up with night sweats, and this does not usually happen to me.
Any ideas? Advice? What is "normal" seton drainage?

 

Posted 12/17/2009 11:42 PM (GMT 0)

Hello!  I'm not sure we can help too much.  sad   Every case seems a little different.  Drainage -- thick and thin -- is normal from a healing wound.  Especially one that has had a large infection.  The edges of my wounds were always red and hard -- again normal as the body floods the area with blood to heal it.  Pressing will hurt because it is a wound, after all, so stop pressing.  If you don't have pain that is getting progressively worse or a fever, I think you can wait until Monday.  But when in doubt, call your doctor or go to the ER.

I know what you are exeriencing.  One of the hardest things I had to do is train myself to stop looking at the wound every 5 seconds!  I had to force myself to leave it alone and not look (other than when I was spraying it clean with my shower sprayer and applying guaze).  The whole thing -- having a sucession of huge abscesses over 18 months -- really flipped me out and made me neurotic -- I felt I had no control.  I had to remind myself that the wound was going to do what it was going to do (like different color drainage) and heal at its own pace regardless of how much I fretted over it.  I finally realized that I actually could tell when I was re-abscessing because of new pain and inflammation.  It helped tremendously that I knew I could spot them early and my doctor would take care of them quickly.

I really feel for what you are going through!  This was the hardest thing I every endured!  Please try to relax and find something to distract you.  If the bump isn't rapidly growing, I think it can wait until Monday.  Of course, if you get a fever or develop new pain, just call your doc go to the ER.

Take care!  Praying for your healing and peace of mind!

Posted 12/18/2009 2:03 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for your kind words!! I'm actually able to work and even had to go out of town on a business trip this week- I find that getting on with life is distracting :) My abscess bump is actually a few inches above the wound itself, and I can usually feel it when I am sitting- like sitting on a small balloon is the best way I've described it. I just figured that would have gone down if the abscess was actually draining- I'm definitely not pressing directly the wound itself- I can hardly bring myself to look at it.
I think the worst part for me is I just don't know what to expect. My surgeon did not know what he would find, so he couldn't explain what he was going to do, and while he did talk to my husband right afterward, it was not a very detailed description. The information I got about setons was here and from internet searching, and his nurse has not really explained what he actually did in the surgery or what they did find. Just gotta wait till I can see him myself, I guess.

Thanks :)
Posted 12/18/2009 11:40 PM (GMT 0)

Hi Jesflr337,

What type of doctor are you seeing?  I hope he/she is an experienced colo-rectal surgeon.  As many on this Forum have experienced, abscesses and fistulae need a specialist -- especially if you have Crohns disease.  If you aren't getting the answers you need, don't hesitate one instant to go get a second opinion!!

Take care.

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