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Gonna have my setons removed... thoughts

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 1/17/2019 4:05 PM (GMT 0)
Over 1 year ago, I had 3 setons placed for an anal abscess with related fistula. Since then, I've been put on Remicade and changed my diet up and have been doing pretty well. A few months ago I had one of the setons removed basically just because. Doctor said she thought it went along the same tract as the other seton so should be ok. It was ok. Recently I had an MRI that showed no discernible abscess and I have no drainage that I can detect. Unfortunately, occasionally the seton knots will migrate into the tract and that hurts, causes swelling and bleeding, and I just don't like it and I don't like having the setons. I'm going to have my doctor take them out. Thoughts?
Posted 1/18/2019 1:20 AM (GMT 0)
I had my seton actually removed twice. The first time was when I first started Remicade, and we were hoping the Remicade would heal it. After about 4 months of non-stop c. diff. and pancreatitis, we put it back in since it wasn't really closing up. It was left in for a couple of years, and then I had it removed again about the time I doubled my Remicade dose and shortened it to every 6 weeks. It never closed, and the plug surgery never held, but the skin itself around it is healed. At this point, it's like a pierced ear that doesn't have an earring in it, if that makes sense. So it will drain a bit sometimes, like with runny D or a colonoscopy prep, and occasionally it will ache, but that's it.

I figure, why not? And if you close up and re-abscess or something, then you can put another one in with better knots or something.
Posted 1/18/2019 10:58 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Stevo, great to hear you have no drainage, cause in my view that's 90% of the trouble. The seton by itself was only a minor disturbance when I had it.
Personally I would not rush to take out the seton because the possibility of another surgery (in case an abscess reappears) would concern me. I would probably wait based on what my CRS advised (just to be on the safe side). Best, Jim.
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