What stops the abscess infection? Fed UP!

With the exception of 2 days I've been heavily draining for 24 days now. I cannot keep up with the hygiene, pad changes etc etc. I'm in the bathroom every 2 hours and I'm still wet all the time, soaking through pads and undies. I cannot keep up with the financial cost of this drainage/disease. I've been chronically abscessing since Oct. I've cancelled plans and all my ballet classes because of this.

1) What actually kills the infection? It can't be the seton because my tract is always open.

2) If I do get the seton placed, how much drainage will there be? I can't imagine it will be less than this. Unless I'm missing something, the method to keep the tract open is inconsequential when it comes to drainage.

Please help. I feel so gross that I can't even look at myself in the mirror anymore. With the exception of HB/doctors I'm so darn isolated.

But how? My Gi's say that Humira etc won't kill the infection, until the seton is in.

There's nothing left. I'm gross, it smells, I'm reading posts from other people talking about seton pain and drainage for months and months....I'm terrified that's me because it already is, without the seton. I have a history of pyoderma and I'm also scared that will come back around the seton itself....just like I can't have an ostomy...PG will likely come back. Not that I would tolerate that either. Maybe it's best not to have the seton. It won't ever come out and will be just as humilating, painful etc. No one seems to get it out after 3 months. I have bad luck, I'm always the worst case...even my docs will say that.

I can't get on roids nor abx. How am I ever going to get through this?? I'm constantly in tears. I'm broke and I don't think I can live nor want to live like this anymore. I just don't see a way past this.

There's nothing left for me. Only other drug is stelara and it's efficacy for fistula healing is unknown. To be honest my GI is doing everything he can, including HB...theres nothing left. My bowel seems to be better since my dose was quadroupled. (I can't spell and dont' care right now.) Am going between 1-3 times down from 10. HB has helped urgency. I don't feel like I can go without diapers yet especially not in chamber. In my recent UC days, I would have been so happy, like there was hope, like I was coming out of a flare....life springs again....Now....these fistulas are a whole other ball game. The drainage is insane. I hate passing gas. I grab myself like an insane person to try and stop it from going into vag or farting through it. I constantly obsessing that I'll start pooping through vag....and farting through there is just plain gross.

Since my bowel is getting better does this mean fistulas are on it's way to healing? I'm in awe of you and others like you who have such instant success ....my fistuals healed in 2 days....I've read studies of 6 months....HB up to 60 sessions....I can't see beyond tonight. I'm so exhausted. I have to sit down...talk myself into each step today to treatment. I look pale....sick...I wish you guys could have known me...the real me...before these fistulas....

Can you have a fistula without an abscess?

Sorry for the rant and questions. I'm very afraid I will not surveive this. It's breaking me.

Do you think it would be helpful to be admitted to the hospital? Not just for the OB stuff going on, but also to keep an eye on your depression? I'm getting concerned about you.

If it helps, a seton is NOT necessarily forever. In my case, for example, I had a seton in for about two years. Then all of the skin healed around it and it became like a pierced ear. We took it out, and other than gas passing through or the occasional super liquid diarrhea (like when I'm doing a prep), there is no drainage, no pain, etc.

Also, just as a tip, the more that you try to hold the gas back when you have to pass gas, the more it'll come through the fistula because there's nowhere else for it to go. It sounds like you're home a lot, so if you have to pass gas, just let it go naturally and it'll be less likely to go through the fistula.

This may sound weird, but I actually get relieved when I feel gas go through vaginally. My surgeon said that it's the #1 sign that my fistula is still open instead of having closed off on one side, which would mean it's going to be abscessing again soon.

And as silly as this sounds, but you're really, really not the only one to go through this. My mom has a RVF from childbirth that she's had for 30 years. Her OB told her that pioneer women in the 1800s used to live with RVF fistulae that were literally the size of oranges that came from tearing during childbirth. Not sure if knowing that helps or not, but you'd be surprised at how many women have gas pass out their vaginas. It's really not uncommon for vaginal childbirth and tearing to result in a fistula, even nowadays. It's just not talked about a lot.

Hey, you doing ok? I hope I didn't offend you with anything that I said.

I am glad you weren't offended. I was just hoping that knowing a lot more women go through it than you think might help it feel less gross. And as I said, even my mom has one leftover from when she had me, which was only 30 years ago, not 200! And she knows several women who had the same problem, and none of them have Crohn's. I agree, we need to find better methods than what we have. Until then, however, please just know that you're not alone!

If you do have a yeast infection, call and ask for a prescription of oral Diflucan. Usually a couple of doses is enough to clear it up for me. If the yeast creams make it burn worse, then the dosage might be too high. They usually sell OTC creams that are 1 day, 3 day, and 7 day. They all add up to the same amount of medication, but the 7 day just spreads it out. It's less concentrated and less likely to burn. I can usually suffer through the 1 day ones, which amazed my OB. Most women can't even tolerate the 3 day concentrations.

That's wonderful news that the fistulae are getting smaller! And hopefully things go smoothly for the seton placement. You'll find things to be tender from the surgery, but over time it should help. It will stop the cycle of drainage then stopping, drainage then stopping. Most likely the stopping of drainage is the fistula gets blocked, then the pressure builds up and really hurts and then bursts through, causing tons of drainage.