perianal abcess/fistula/seton

Hey there im a new user to the forum but im amazed at how many of you guys have experienced the same embarassing procedure as myself and would just like to say big love to all of you

In March 1st this year i was took into hospital to have what the doctors "suspected" was an abcess removed from my backside...i had already had numerous courses of antibiotics to try and clear this painful lump under the tissue but alas no joy...the surgeon told me on the day of the op they would either drain it or cut it out depending on what they found..unfortunately it seems the abcess had caused a rather large cavity deep in the fatty tissue full of air and dead tissue where the abcess had came and then went so i woke up only to discover i'd had a wedge cut out of my bumcheek...distressing isnt the word lol...so i got let out of hospital the next day prescriped cocodomal to deal with the pain and also tramadol to be took an hour before i had my packing changed to numb me up a little (the idea was for the wound to heal from the inside out so as not to cause another cavity) ....needless to say having the packing done was excruciating to begin with but as the wound tightened up it became less painful which meant after 4 weeks i was able to walk without wincing so started going to my local treatment room to have the packing done there instead...the nurses decided i should start having it done every few days then only once or twice a week and then i was advised to just keep it clean and make sure i always wore a dressing over it to catch any discharge....

So!

Today is the 30th November...im STILL wearing a dressing over it although i was told i'd be good as new in 6wks!!!!...have been back to the doctors since and sent for another MRI scan however the radiologist couldnt be clear as to whether or not there is a fistula tracking off into my colon from the sight of the abcess infection from before..he has told me i will be examined under anaesthetic to find out exactly where the discharge is coming from and they will tackle it then and there... most likely with a cutting seton to allow it to drain. To say im scared would be an understatement! I've changed from being a confident sociable 26 year old to being anxious and more or less a recluse whos sick with worry about the possibility of a botched job and bowel incontenince.

the whole saga seems never ending and i think the most frustrating part of it all is they still cant tell me why this has happened

anyone else found it difficult to have faith in their surgeon when the first operation didnt do what it said on the tin??

Oh and just so you all know a lil more about me im 26..female and i dont have crohns or any other health issues that i know of that would cause this ...

Hi sala thank u so much for ur reply i really appreciate u taking the time out to comment on my post....

the abcess that started was treated with co amoxiclav and another antibiotic which i cant remember the name of now....but i suffered with the lump and not knowing what it was from the january until the august until my x partner finally coaxed me to see my gp who put me on antibiotics hoping it would clear the infection but as it was so deep in the fatty tissue she warned me right there and then i would possibly need surgery unfortunately the course didnt work so upon returning after 10days i was then tested for diabetes which came back clear ..
(apparently repeat infections can be a sign of the early onset of diabetes and my dads not long diagnosed) after 4courses on 2 different types of antibiotics and an awful lot of vomiting (seems my body didnt like them pills that much!) i was referred to the hospital for the first mri scan which then lead to me having what was left of the abcess removed by the March this year....
because theres no history of Crohns in my family they havent tested me for it...my gp wanted me to have a colonscopy however once id been referred back to the surgeon he decided it wasnt necessary.....when they went in to remove the abcess the last time apparently they didnt wanna route around looking for a fistula in case they brought one on but now the thought of having this seton stitch inside my colon is just worrying me so much.... gp put me on citalopram to try and ease my anxiety as im crying all the time and cant help but think the worst is gonna happen...its getting to me and getting me down and i have the feeling its gonna be a long road yet!

Ok so this is my specialty. I have perianal Crohn's disease as well as small bowel Crohn's thats in remission. My Perianal Crohn's disease is relentless in regards to abcess's and Fistula's. I have a reoccuring fistual drained multiple times. It developed into a deep long fistual about 2 years ago. My GI Dr. did not want to go ahead with the surgery and wanted to treat it with medicine. During that time period I had a drain put in. (Think of a rubber golf tee, sticking out the side of your butt.) Thats me! So anyway I developed a abcess this past April that put me over the top. i wanted the surgery and my GI dr. gave the go to the surgeon. In June I had my first Fistulonomy. The Surgeon sealed off both ends off the fistula in trying to have it heal inside out. the recovery was about 2-3 weeks and I felt healed afterwards. This past October i deveolped an Abcess that put me back in the ER in the same spot. Of course i went through the pain of being cut yet again to drain it. Guess what? the fistula is back. this past Wednesday 12-1-10 Another Abcess developed and popped on its own. This led me into the Surgeon's office and back to a scheduled January 4th 2011 secton Fistulonomy surgery, with another surgery 3-4 weeks later.

I was on Flagyll, Cipro, metronidozal, remicade, and Humira all in favor of trying to treat my fistula medically. Did not work. I am frustrated and would love to run, workout, and play sports without discomfort. it sucks.

I had an abscess, right next to my rectum drained back in september, they had operate twice because they had to go back and make the whole bigger, and i had a drain tube put in, that was in for about a week. The surgeron suspected a fistula but at the time they couldn't find one, but it still has healed so she referred me to a specialist that I'm seeing January 6th, she said that if it was an abcsess it would of healed by now. Bot my GI and surgeon are hoping that the humira will heal everything. I think the Humira is definitely helping, so that is a good sign. Its frusterating because health wise I feel the best I have felt all year, but I'm still dealing with drainage, and dressings, and it still gets sore when I walk to much or after a BM. I just want to know how much longer I'm going to have put up with this.

I had a second abscess on my right butt cheek that the surgeon drained just by numbing the area, that was the most painful thing I have experience. That was right after thanksgiving, and luckily I only had to wear a dressing for about a week, and it healed really fast. That gives me hope, knowing I healed well even though my immune system is compromised.

I only had packing in after the operation and had it pulled the next day, that was extremely painful so I can't imagine what you must of gone through having to deal with that multiple times.

Good luck with everything, I just wanted to share my experience and let you know that I know kinda of what your going through, its a long process, and I still don't know whats going on.

Aww thanks for such a nice response, my mom and I always joke that child birth will be a breeze when it comes to modesty and pain haha.
Yeah it's been hard because I've gone through a lot of things people my age will never have to deal with so it's hard to find people to talk to that can relate. I hope the Humira will heal everything to because I don't want to deal with surgery again, but I won't know until after I meet with the specialist.
I'll let you know how my appointment goes with the specialist :)

This may help. http://www.gicare.com/diseases/anal-fissure.aspx

Abcesses are a real pain in the ass . . . . . . I'm sorry I couldn't help myself lol. : - )

If you have CD and a fistula, then most surgeons won't touch you with a ten foot pole.

I've had a recurring fistula since September 2009.

To quote the surgeon I consulted, "If I cut it out, I'd just create 10 more."

3 rounds of Cipro/Flagyl in 3 years and Remicade have helped me, but it's still there and it's not going anywhere.

So I have no chance at surgery and I'm maxed out on the Remicade. Even my GI has told me that there's nothing more she can do for me medically.

Everything else with me is fine. According to my blood work, I'm not in active Crohn's and I can eat whatever I want. hahahaha

I'm at the point right now where I feel like I have to accept the fact that this is just something I must live with.

To those of you who were not diagnosed with CD, don't believe everything you hear about it. I have no diarrhea, joint pain, or abdominal pain, and yet I have CD and fistulas that won't heal. I've been told that anyone who has an abscess/fistula should be tested for CD before they have any type of surgery. If your surgeon or GI did not do this, then you have grounds for a serious lawsuit.

Don't expect to heal from your surgery anytime soon.