Cutting Seton

Hi everyone,

I just thought id share my story with you.

I had a cutting seton inserted after finding the big old rubber one a bit embarrassing to live with. I had it in for 2 and a half years before i got another abscess. Luckily they caught this one well in time for me not to be off work for too long this time.

My consultant never warned me that these 'cutting' setons (like a fishing wire i am told) were not as effective as the white rubber ones and if he had i think i would have let things be. I ended up having another abscess plus two fitsulas conecting to it, not a nice state of affairs by any means.

I just wanted to warn anyone thinking of changing their rubber seton for a 'prettier one lol' as they are not all they seem to be !

Thanks

 

Hi there,

Thanks for the reply.

I was told that my abscess was a particularly large one which is why i had the seton in for two and a half years. Yours hopefully is not and they will remove it for you in time?The fact that they told you it would be out within a few weeks sounds promising!

I too found it hard to think about wearing a bikini etc but i did and it wasnt as bad as i thought, i fact half the time i forgot about it. Its just something you come to live with.

I have had my draining setons (3) since January and am already ready for them to be gone.  My surgeon says I will probably be able to get my flap surgery in May so they will be gone then.  He wants my fistulas to be a bit smaller before he does the procedure.

ArkAvenger ~ Yes.  I actually was scheduled for the flap surgery for my r/v fistula in January but when the surgeon went to do it, I had an infection (apparently it wasn't there when he did the exam in Nov.) and I also had another fistula (a large anal fistula).  So he cleaned out the infection and placed the setons so that the infection would drain and hopefully the fistulas would get smaller.  So hopefully I can get the planned flap surgery in April/May.  I have another appointment on Monday so he can look at the area and see how it's healing.  My last appointment was in February and he said it looks great so far!

i had a fistulotomy for my two fistulas about 4.5 weeks ago. one was small and the other was a little bigger. the bigger one, the surgeon almost put in a cutting set ton but decided not too. he did cut some of my external spinchter. so far so good, i'm almost healed. the small one is completely healed and the big one is about to closed up. i have absolutely no drainage as of right now. the first couple weeks after surgery, had to place gauze between my buttock to catch the drainage. i hope mine doesn't come back after it's healed (knock on wood).