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Help on fistula healing.

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 6/27/2013 3:19 PM (GMT 0)
Dear All,

I Just wanna check with you guys on signs of a healing fistula. If a fistula healed either via antibiotics, fistula plug or fistulotomy. Is there still significant amount of hard internal scar tissues around at the old fistula site? Because there is this hard cord like structure around the fistula. And I presume it will still exist even when the fistula hole is shut off. Or does it healed like normal skin before the fistula has surfaced? Flat, even and supple?

How do you guys know that your fistula has healed? Thanks.

Post Edited (jericho75) : 6/27/2013 9:43:19 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 6/28/2013 4:43 AM (GMT 0)
Hi,

I really think the amount of scar tissue will depend on severity of the fistula, location, if surgery was required, etc. It is always different for each person. I am imagine regardless of the things I mentioned there will always be some type of scar tissues because of it being a wound/tract that has now healed. Personally I have a draining seton in. I had a blind sided fistula and a abscess formed, the part where the abscess was has healed nicely with minimal scar tissue. I am not sure about when the seton is removed. I am hoping it will be out by the summer and fully healed by the end of the year, but with the surgery and seton I anticipate more scar tissue and perhaps that 'cord' like feeling if the 'tunnel' has closed with scar tissue. This may be less if it is healed with antibiotics, or less noticeable. I figure the only true way for them to know if it is healed all the way through is an MRI and that's not even a guarantee. I get check ups every three months to monitor the site, the dr then said when the seton comes out it should fully heal on its on. I am assuming if you don't have drainage or pain, it should be healed well.

Hopefully someone on here has one that has healed recently and can give you more advice. :)
Posted 6/28/2013 7:00 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks Friend for the reply.

So I presumed that with a healed fistula via lay open surgery or perhaps one with fistula plug or closed with antibiotics. A cord like scar will still exist underneath the skin. Unless the whole tract is being cut out which is quite impossible. So we will have to live with such a scar tissue under the skin forever? Or will it dissolve of soften over time?

I have what it seems like a fistula but does not have the usual symptoms mentioned commonly.

I have an abscess 1 inch away from the anus which was being treated wrongly by the doctor. I was given antibiotics and not drainage. In the end a hard painless lump remain and will not go away.

Until I tried to burst it last year with a tiny bit of pus and blood. I applied AB ointment for almost 5-6 months and the whole thing went flatten without any inflammation. Only a cord like internal scar underneath the skin. Externally it looks flatten and the cord like scar can only be felt when you press at it specically.

So long as I wash the anus with sitz bath after BM. It will simply remain like that. I dunno whether it is logical to keep washing the bum in sitz bath after a BM forever. Because I only wipe the anus with toilet paper previously like everyone else before I suffer from this abscess thing.

Recently I tried to press and feel the cord scar many times a day and it sort of swollen up. Stop it and it went back to normal within 3 days. Does constant pressure on scar tissue causes inflammation?

Post Edited (jericho75) : 6/28/2013 1:05:54 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 6/28/2013 9:05 AM (GMT 0)
I had mine opened up with a fistulotomy. I can feel a indented curve where it once was, but that's it. The skin feels soft, but a bit flattened out from it being a scar there now. I'd be concerned about feeling a cord I guess, to me that would seem like the tunnel is still there. But I suppose it depends on the fistula, and probably depends on the way it healed up too.

Sounds like you may have irritated it by pressing on it though. I wouldn't press on it if you can help it. Might need to have a doctor check it out to make sure it healed properly. My abscess lasted about a week before it drained on it's own. Then I was left with a very tiny hole, and the cord (tunnel aka fistula). This lasted until I had the surgery. I felt lucky that the small hole never closed up on it's own since the puss can come back and become another abscess! Hope you get it sorted out.

Post Edited (Jen77) : 6/28/2013 3:11:54 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 6/28/2013 10:46 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Jen.

Thanks for the reply. Maybe the lay open surgery did clear off most of the scar as well. I think those who have healed via plug or antibiotics will still have a cord scar around. Because they are being left there and not cut out at all.

I will stop pressing on that area unnecessarily.
Posted 6/29/2013 7:53 AM (GMT 0)
That is very probable I'm sure jericho. Probably just depends on how it heals. I wish mine had healed up without surgery, took mine a whole year for it to heal completely. Thankfully it wasn't painful during the whole time, but it was a lot of sitz baths and doctors appointments. I didn't know I had Crohn's at the time, and they were stumped as to why it was taking so long to heal up. Guess that is common in Crohn's, but never crossed their mind. My GI doctor is very annoyed by it all, says they just wanted to cut. Ah the fun we have!
Posted 6/29/2013 4:20 PM (GMT 0)
Dear Jen,

I feel for you. Glad that you are OK now. Although I do not have any IBS, I do understand the trouble that you guys are going through. Someone I wonder why God created so much illness for human beings.

I think it all depend on how the fistula is being healed. If it is healed via plug, fibrin glue or antibiotics. The tract is left un-touch so even when the tract is closed. The scar itself still remains. I am wondering whether is there cream to reduce or soften the internal scars?

For my case, I do not enough any drainage or pain at all. I just need to keep it extremely clean after BMs and it just remains as it is. Until now I still do not know whether is mine a fistula or just an abscess that did not heal well. There used to be this hard lump of abscess that remains there without inflammation. Just stayed there without pain or increase in size until I squeeze out abit of pus and flatten it using lots of sitz baths and antibiotic ointment. Right now it still remains flatten since feb 2013.

Posted 7/13/2013 11:38 AM (GMT 0)
Jericho, consider getting yourself a bidet. You can find an inexpensive one on Amazon that needs to electrical hook-up. Sitz baths are indeed comforting, and will help keep the abscess open, which is a good thing. However, the bidet will most definitely help with thoroughly cleansing the area after each BM. Sorry to hear you're going through this. I also have a fistula (3) with seton, have had the seton for a year. My surgeon does not seem to think that any surgical "fix" will take. Therefore, I am in a holding pattern for another couple years. It is so frustrating.
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