Anal Abscess? Need your advice....

Hello everyone. This is my first time posting here as I found it today trying to figure out what i going on down south. First a little background. I know this is the Crohns section but you guys tend to have issues with this more than the ulcerative colitis guys and gals. With that said I have had UC for about 13 years now with small flare ups off and on. Was able to finish my time in the Navy after finding out I had it. With that said this last 6 weeks have been hell. I have had the worse flare since I have had this junk and its got me all messed up.

Spent a week in the hospital due to kidney issues with me being so dehydrated from the diarrhea. While in I was in the hospital about 3 weeks ago I started to get this annoying pain towards the backside of the rectum facing the tailbone. I thought it might of been a fissure or something but the GI dock did a digital exam and said she did not see any signs and said it was probably just my colitis was causing me to be raw and irritated. Well I just said ok and went on with dealing with everything else. I was sent home and that pain started to go away as I wasnt having as runny type diarrhea etc. I still feel a small irritation at times with bowl movements but nothing that bad. So today I had a doctors appt with my GI at the VA center. I am being put on Imuran now because steroids are not doing the job. While waiting at the pharmacy I had to stand for about an hour. I havent stood this long in 6 weeks or so since ive been bed ridden most of this time. So my body is really weak and I could feel my legs start shaking etc. Well the pain I was having before started back in my backside since it was being irritated. I also started to get chills etc. I thought maybe it was just cold in the place since it was. When I got home I found out of had a fever of about 100.5 and after laying down a min I could feel a knot and swelling where ive been having this pain. You can actually feel it and its about the size of a walnut I would say but not sure how deep it goes. Its not very painful to touch and does not have any kind of head to it. You can see the roundness or swelling visually. It was really painful for about 10 mins after I got back up to get some food to take meds then it went away after laying back down. So after a few hours of resting its not near as big feeling as it was and not as painful but I can feel it.

My question is have you guys every had a abscess start out this way or feel this way? Most threads I read people are in so much pain etc. I plan on calling my GI doctor tomorrow to see what she wants to do just wanted to see what you guys had to say from experience. Also if it ends up being an abscess and needs to be drained what is the process to that? And how painful is it to have it done? I go to the VA hospital which isnt always the best place to go for surgery etc. I will get back on the Obama care next month hopefully and see my old GI doctor again. Any advice or info you guys could give me would be awesome.

Thanks so much,
Jason

My ex wife has Crohns disease. I know what are the odds of her getting it after we got married. She found out she had it from a fistula that caused her to almost bleed out.

So you are saying the most painful part was just getting the needle to numb the area? Its now not near as swollen as earlier. And I can put pressure on it and its not hurting that much. I guess i never thought it could be a fistula due to the fact I have colitis or like you said we think that is what I have. I never had any other issues though that would suggest something different.

What kind of tests do they do? Or do they just go in and cut and drain? Just curious if I call the doc in a few hours and she says come in that I should expect the knife or should I want a MRI or something else that people talk about. With all the meds im currently on I cant sleep worth a darn so spend most my time outside the bathroom laying in bed on the laptop reading. thanks for the response and advice.

Well until you can get to the doc,topical antibiotic cream and as many hot hot sitz baths as you can take a day. If you can bring it to a head,all the better it may burst and drain on its own,if so keep taking the stiz baths,this will help keep it open and drain completely. You don't really want it to seal up to fast while the bacteria are still alive. You can tell when it is getting ready to burst,the skin becomes real thin,almost see through on the surface,and pushes in easily. You might also get a mirror and take a look down there and see what is going on.

If it is the size of a walnut now,its pretty much out of control.

If it is more internal than external,more dangerous I had emergency surgery back in
1972 for a golf ball sized one,so if it gets too big get to the ER.

I have UC by the way.
Old Mike

Post Edited (Old Mike) : 10/7/2014 12:06:29 PM (GMT-6)

Well I called the doc and she called me back within a few hours. I already have an appt to see her in about 3 weeks and she didnt not seemed to worried. She said for me to take warm baths to relieve pain if needed and she would look at it when we had our appt. I just started Azathioprine today. The pain I have is not that bad at this moment but it does get irritated if I stand or strain to much. I currently have to go to the bathroom 10 plus times a day. It feels like its trying to make its way to the surface possibly. Its right next to the back side of the anus facing the tailbone. Just hoping the sepsis thing or other stuff I read about doesnt take place. She did say if I started to get a constant fever etc I was to call her and she would try and get me in or would have me go to ER if needed. So lets say it breaks through and begins to drain will she need to do anything. What should I do if that does happen?