About to have fourth perianal abscess drainage

Well I am past my wits end with my butt issues over the past 12 months.

I am still experiencing recurrent perianal abscesses - going into hospital next week to have another incision and drainage under GA and also my colo surgeon is going to look for a fistula - for the second time.

It seems to flare up every 12 weeks literally to the day, and it flares up really badly within a matter of days. I am fine one day then within a few days BOOM it's back with vengeance. I know my body well and I don't think it has ever 100% gone away/healed, Ive communicated this to my surgeon, despite 3 previous drainages and constant follow up every 2 weeks with my colo surgeon.

I saw my colo surgeon about two weeks ago and I had a small lump at the site of where my abscess scar was and no inflammation so was told all was good. 4 days later I was in the hospital seeing my colo surgeon and being booked in for another operation. The abscess itself manifests like a blister now (im assuming because the skin is thin where ive had my previous surgeries) and it burst in my sleep the other night so the pain/pressure is relieved but obviously it needs my surgeons attention..hence why Im getting operated on in a few days.

My surgeon is great however I dont undertsand why he hasnt found the fistula yet?? He has drained 3 of my abscesses and I've had 2 x flexi sig under GA and both times he's not been able to find anything on the way of a tract or tunnel. WHY?!

In the past he seems to think that it may be healing over too quickly and the infection isn't clearing up properly. He tells me the infection is superficial , doesnt involve any muscles and is not very deep anymore.

This is driving me insane! I've had copious amount of time off work and it has affected my relationship and my life in so many ways - I used to be a gym junkie and loved playing sport but since all this started in June last yr I've been knocked back every few months and I'm becoming very frustrated.

I spoke with my GP about the matter and she questioned why the wound has never been packed - every time I am left with a small open hole near my butt about the size of 2 almonds next to each other, and it drains for a couple of weeks then it is pretty much healed over.
Will packing the wound help keep it open?

I just need some support and reassurance - I feel like Im the only one who this is happening to, and it's happening over and over. Is it normal to have recurrent abscesses? Obviously not but when does it become chronic? Ripping my hair out over this. *sigh*

I'm going thru this too... Exactly.
I feel your pain.

I need some support too from some one who is gong thru this as well.
If anyone just wants to just talk about it. Contact me. I sure could use an ear too.

email: [email protected]

Sorry to hear you are having so many problems with the same area eebs086. It does seem from what you are writing that the abscess is in the same spot.

I currently have an abscess found this picuture that shows muliple issues, but mine is pretty much the perianal abscess with the tract at the top there, i dont have any drains right now. I do have crohns however and they believe the abscess formed off the fistula tract which formed because of the crohns. I am suppose to be going in to get a fistulectomy with a draining seaton put in (not sure how they actually do this) but it is suppose to keep the inside open so a new abscess doesnt form and promotes better healing. Maybe that could be something to consider? I am new to this myself, having only been examined multiple times but not surgery yet. Lucky, or unlucky for me I can push on the side and it will drain up into the tract and out the regular hole, so no doctor seems over concerned.

I know the surgeon said that sometimes the fistula tract is so small it makes it hard to detect. I had an MRI done before hand so they have a general idea where to look but he said sometime they just cant find the things. Frustrating for sure on both ends.

not sure if this helps at all, but on this forum I find there is always some one else going throgh the same thing, or quite similiar and even if its completly not related we are all good at venting and listening cause we all get fed up some times. I really hope you and the surgeon can make something work successfully and long term :)

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Additon note:

scifigal- sounds like I am a few feet behin you on the same kinda trail (just different abscess development) could you provide me info on how you felt after having the draining seton in? Do you find it hard to keep clear or out of the way? I am going in Oct 24 have been waiting forever for this to clear so I can start remicade and hopefully get my life going full speed ahead, just wondering how much pain/ recoup time and how well activities after can be tolerated, like running.

I am so happy I saw your post on here :) Its really nice to hear a story from someone who has gone through this and get first hand feedback. I already have wipes ready to go and my aunt picked me up some of the bottle things they give to women after they give birth to help clean. So I hope this all will help. I know it will be different in terms of the location and such as my tract goes off the rectum and in to the middle of no where pretty much where the abscess formed. I am a bit concerned about recovery time as i know they have to make a decent sized incision to get to the problem, but it is nice to know after its all healed that the ends they have out dont interfere too much!

They cant start me on the remicade until its fixed because of the abscess that developed off the fistula, it keeps filling with infection (which i can push on the skin and it must travel up the fistula tract and into the anal canal) which i drain manually each day. The surgery is needed to keep it drained and allow it to start to heal, remicade has huge warning about potential fatalities from infections that occur so you cant have an active one when you start, even though the remicade will help heal the fistula. Its a catch 22. super frustrating lol!

Thanks again for the info, hope your having a great weekend.

Christine

oh forgot to say doctor said the drainage caniles the abcess uses can close overnight until the next time one forms..or reopens, thats way I`m letting mine alone unless it gets bad, if they close one.. a worse one could open up then i could have worse problems ?..

I need help too! I have been dealing with these abscess for over 8+ years. I have had lots of surgery on these abscess and hemorrhoids too. When I ask my current surgeon why is this happening!! He just says "I don't know". You would think a surgeon at the #1 in the US, might have an idea as to what to do...

I had 5 perianal abscess & 2 fistulas 25 years ago over an 18 month period
All of them required seperate operations to remove them.I was in & out of hospital countless times back then.
Despite having all these operations i was never given many tests to find out why i had these problems.
None of the Dr's ever gave me any reasons.As a nieve young man i never questioned their judgement.

It was 8 years later i Finally got diagnosed with Crohn's at the same hospital.
I'd been going to my GP countless times before i went to A&E in intense pain.When i was asked about previous history they finally took me seriously I underwent right sided hemi colectomy to remove the section of bowel Crohn's had savaged.
Over the next decade i took steroids & 5asa drugs but this did not stop the nightmare.
A decade on from right side hemi i underwent another resection to remove another section of my bowel Crohn's had savaged.
I was then put on the immunosuppresants ( Azathioprine & then 6mp) to try to control the Crohn's.
Those two drugs gave me the most horrendous side affects i'd suffered in 2 decades.

If you are not satisfied with the answers you get KEEP asking until you find out what is going on in your body.I was fobbed off countless times by arrogant consultants.

Best Wishes

Hi Kiwiwoman68

Many thanks for your response.

Can you tell me a bit about your experience please?

I am looking for 10 individuals who have a perianal abscess who would be willing to make the same small change to their diet as I did and would be willing to stick to it for 3 months to find out if it has a similar effect.

I have continued with the change to my diet for over two years now and so far, touch wood, have had no re-occurrence.

Kind Regards
Kiwi68

Well Kiwi68 my experience has been this:

Apart from childbirth I had never been in hospital til I was 30 and now I have had 5 I think surgeries for perianal absesses in the last 5 years. I am 35.

The first two were extremely painful and I was put under general to drain them. As I have got more they don't seem as painful but they grow very fast. I am figuring the skin is dead from the surgeries down there so not as sensitive and painful. Sometimes I have been put on antibiotics to try and stop them forming before they need draining but never seem to work or works for a little while.

Just this week I went in for a colonoscopy and seton operation. They said they found no crohns but some fistulas. I have a followup with my surgeon in 5 weeks so haven't been told much about the op yet. They stitched a seton in.

I am keen to hear more about your dietary changes. Starting tomorrow I plan to do a 30 day sugar-free stint as I do eat a bit of sugar and I feel it is responsible for a lot of todays illnesses or expansion of an illness.

So I think I have covered my experience lightly. If you have any questions please do ask.

Hi there. I had a perianal abscess in May this year. At the beginning, the colorectal surgeon told me that it is a hematoma and did not prescribe any antibiotics; only creams. Two weeks after, my GI referred me to have an MRI to rule out a fistula. During the test, they found a perianal abscess. My GI was away then and I went back to the surgeon who prescribed an antibiotic but warned me that if I didn't get better, he would cut it open. My GI returned and insisted I don't have a surgery and increased the antibiotics as the abscess started to shrink (based on the surgeon's examination). After being on high doses of antibtiotics, the abscess was declared to have resolved. However, a week after I developed fever and so I was put on antibiotoc injections. Almost 2 months later, I had another MRI and there was no abscess; it was cleared.
Now, after less than 2 months, I have a new anal fissure that has got inflammation and might become an abscess again. Both surgeon and GI agreed on putting me on another round of antibiotics which I finished but I feel that a new abscess is forming.
As for my diet: I had cut off all types of fruits and veggies except for potatoes and bananas more than 2 years ago. I eat proteins: poultry and fish and sometimes red meat; cheese; bread; rice, tea; skimmed milk (some drops on tea); homemade pies and cakes and that's it.

For healing do you guys just use water sitz baths or salt ones ??? How many per day? I have been using about 1/2 cup of epsom salts in one bath daily at night. I am working full time so aren't able to have more really and if I have more epsom salts I think it would be too detoxing for my system. What are people experiences and thoughts?

Hi minnietoty

Why did you cut off all types of fruits and veggies?

Thanks
Kiwi68

In 2007 , I had two massive perianal abscess and rectal fistuals and was diagnosed with CD in the colon.  I immediatley went on the SCD diet and followed it with fanatic dedication.  In 7 months, without any hard core drugs like remacade or humira,  both my rectal fistulas where healed to the point where the colo surgeon had to remove the setons so they would completely heal up. 

To this day ,I still follow the SCD diet, not as strick as before, and I am still completely symptom free from CD.  The only drug I take now is pentassa as a maintanance drug.  I suggest reading the book "Breaking the Vicious Cycle" which goes into detail about the SCD diet.  You have nothing to loose and all to gain if it works for you like it worked for me.