for those who have had a resection

Hello all,
I'm having my second bowel resection next week, I've had an abdominal fistula since my last one in October of 2008 and it's time to try and fix it! I've pretty much been told that this was a complication or side-effect FROM the surgery (I only had an abscess before), so are there any tips to avoid this happening again? or any general recommendation on what to do/what NOT to do before and soon after?

its a side effect if the surgeon didnt do something right! like left a small pinhole when they sew up the anastamosis, then as it leaked it formed a tunnel which went to your skin through the easy route of the cut muscles and inner layers of the mesentary etc.. but mostly due to the inflamation of the crohns ....;0)

Hi there,  I have exactly what you have--an abdominal fistula do to an anastomotic leak from my first resection surgery.  I've been dealing with mine since June 09 and will be having surgery again on April 6 to fix the problem.  My new surgeon will take down the original anastomosis by re-resecting the area and making a new anastomosis.  Unfortunately, she will be doing an "open" surgery this time to make sure everything is looking really good before she closes.  She also said they can wrap the anastomois with extra fatty tissue to ensure I don't "leak" again.  This surgeon told me that the main reasons you can leak are:  poor surgeon technique, Inflammatory bowel disease, pre-operative steroid use, cancer, or a foreign body.  I was on 60 mg of prednisone with my first surgery and almost completely obstructed.  I'm hoping and praying for a good result this time.  The last year has been hellish for me. 

Good luck!  If you have any questions, please feel free to seek me out!