HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Anal abscess- please help!

Support Forums
>
Crohn's Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 7/4/2014 2:43 AM (GMT 0)
Hi,
I'm looking for help and guidance. I am a healthy 37 year old female. about 6 months ago I was diagnosed with a perianal abscess. I have been seeing a highly regarded colon rectal surgeon in NYC. I had it drained, cultured and started antibiotics. Once I stopped the antibiotics it came back within a week. I have had it drained at least 5 times in the doctors office. The cultures have varied with results- sometimes they showed nothing, once a gram negative bacteria and once E. coli. I had an MRI to look for a fistula and then a surgery to evaluate under anasthethia and possibly place a seton. They didn't find anything. Again, stopped antibiotics and the abscess was back.

This has been going on for 6 months. I just had another MRI and they thought they saw a fistula. I went in for surgery again two weeks ago. They didn't find a fistula but found some tunnel that they closed with an anal advancement flap. It was a very painful recovery. I stayed on my antibiotics (have been on flagyl, bactrim, cipro and doxycycline on a rotational basis while dealing with this) after the surgery and then stopped per the surgeon's guidance.

It has been a week since I stopped doxycycline and now my abscess is back with a vengeance. I am very uncomfortable and frustrated. I am considering seeing an infectious disease doctor.

Any help, insight or thoughts would be appreciated! Thank you! Have a happy 4th!
Posted 7/4/2014 1:29 PM (GMT 0)
Sounds like what I went through until I went to see this great colo rectal dr in hackensack, nj that deals alot with crohns. Mine turned out to be a fistula. Feel your pain, hope you get relief and answers soon.
Posted 7/4/2014 1:41 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you, fignewton. Last night while I w's sleeping my abscess exploded. I am in less pain now. Not sure if it is bad or good that it exploded.

Do you have Chrohn's? I am worried that because I am dealing with this it could be Chrohn's. I had a colonoscopy about 8 years ago and it was fine. I do suffer from irritable bowel syndrome.

Thanks for your kind words!
Posted 7/4/2014 2:57 PM (GMT 0)
Ouchie. The pain relief from explosion is because the pressure has let up and some of the infection has drained. Everyone on this forum has Crohn's pretty much, unless they're visiting from another forum.

I had an abscess that after it was cut and drained turned INTO a fistula and then the abscess recurred because it healed on one side. Have they done a barium x-ray? That's when they put barium fluid all throughout you and x-ray it to see where it goes. That way if it's a miniscule fistula that can't be seen by the eye during surgeries, they can tell because liquid goes into it.

I think it's definitely time to get another colonoscopy. Abscesses don't just happen for no reason.
Posted 7/4/2014 3:09 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you scifigal2k! I will request both when I see my surgeon Tuesday!
Posted 7/5/2014 10:52 AM (GMT 0)
Sorry that you have been through all this. I can relate. I had an abscess last night and my GI opted for not having it cut or drained. The abscess lasted for 2 months. Both my GI and the colorectal surgeon worked together and put me first on 1g antibiotic every 12 hrs for 3 weeks till the antibiotic side effects hit in and I started to suffer from delirium and hallucinations. They stoped the antibiotic but a week after I started complaining from the same pain. So, they put me then on antibiotic injections for a week. Afterwards, I had an MRI and was claimed to be free.
Still, my GI feels like I have a fistula that hasn't developed yet.
Agree w Scifigal. Have other tests done. There must be a reason that causes this abscess to get inflamed every now and then.
Keep us posted.
Take care :)
Posted 7/5/2014 1:39 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you minnietoty. I hope you feel better!!!
Posted 7/5/2014 1:57 PM (GMT 0)
You probably should be seen by a GI if you haven't already. It's not unusual for someone with Crohn's disease to be diagnosed with IBS (I know I was) if their symptoms are milder at first. Fistulas can happen after a vaginal delivery, but if that's not the case, your doctors should be suspecting Crohn's. Does your surgeon have some other hypothesis as to what's causing you to have an abscess? In my experience and according to my GI, fistulas are hard to trace even when they know it's there.

One indication of a fistula is that you will have gas and/or small amounts of liquid feces go through it.

I'm really sorry you're suffering through this as the anal area is a very sensitive area and I know it's really painfull. -Joy
Posted 7/5/2014 2:12 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks, JaSanne. I will consult with a GI. My colon rectal surgeon seems to think there is a fistula that is just hard to find. I didn't have a vaginal delivery (had two c-sections.) it's just shocking that the abscess immediately comes back a week after stopping antibiotics. I worry about being on antibiotics for so long and can't stand the pain the abscess causes when it swells!

I hope you are feeling well.
Posted 7/15/2014 7:14 AM (GMT 0)
I had a hugely painful abceyss a couple of months ago. When they got in there turned out to be a fistula. I didn't notice any drainage etc for a bit but now I feel a hard ball in my butt cheek and it drains almost daily big I push on the area around my 2nd butt hole (seton they left in me) I can expel some pus like stuff. It's not usually painful but won't seem to go away.
Posted 7/15/2014 12:00 PM (GMT 0)
In 2007 I  had two large anal abcesses that finally turned into fistulas and a diagnosis of crohns in the colon.  Abcesses just don't form for no reason.  More than likely you probably have the starting of crohns also.

After my diagnosis, GI told me that the only way to heal fistulas as large as I had was to go on remicade.  I refused to supress my immune system, so I did a lot of resaerch and found the SCD diet.  I  followed this diet with fanatical dedeication and in 3 months, the first fistula was hrealed up. In another two months the other fistula was also healed up.  That was 7 years ago and I have not had a symptom or problem from my crohns since.

This is not a simple diet to follow and take fanatical dedication for it to work, but it sure beats hard core drugs.

Read the book "breaking the vicious cycle" which goes into detail about the SCD diet.

Posted 7/16/2014 12:11 PM (GMT 0)
I had a perianal fistula years ago that did eventually close on its own with 6MP and antibiotics. Like others had said, I am very suspicious of Crohn's, since it is very unusual to have a fistula when otherwise healthy (unless, like someone said, you had a vaginal delivery with significant tearing). Can you GI do another colonoscopy? If it is Crohn's, there are meds out there for Crohn's that also help in healing fistulae, such as Humira, Remicade, or Cimzia. I think it's important to get to the bottom of this - and I suspect there is a fistula, you just can't see it on the MRI. I had 3 that were undetected on various MRIs but were later revealed during surgery. I am sorry you are going through this, I know they can be very painful and annoying. Good luck!
Posted 7/19/2014 11:00 PM (GMT 0)
Oh Pog, that is awful, I had a perianal abscess and it was extraordinarily painful. Also not the type of things you can easily talk about with others who don't understand (perianal abscess vs. migraine = both terrible, not the same level of comfort discussing, ha)
I would have your GI dr do another colonoscopy - NY-sooner is right, abscesses don't just happen for no reason. I had to have surgery for mine and was in pain for a long time.
I hope you feel better or have some relief soon!
Posted 8/9/2014 2:30 AM (GMT 0)
Fig newton 212 did u get ur fistula to heal up? If so, how did u do that?

Thanks :)
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply