surgery= fistula cure?

hi everyone- so I've had an RV fistula since November- it was not found via CAT scan or Gyn. exam, but let me tell you- it is alive & well! Currently, I have the beginnings of an abscess, right in the spot where the fistula is- lately my UC symptoms have been acting up, going to the bathroom a lot, which promotes the fistula to get infected all over again. So anyway- will the removal of my colon & rectum cure this thing for good? And also- worst case scenario with this abscess- it'll either go away on it's own or become terribly painful....right? and then what? It's Friday morning & I don't want to wind up at the ER this weekend which vaginal pain! Darn it......  

thanks- I feel like what with the upcoming proctocolectomy, i want to get thru that & see if it goes away, the fistula. I have an scrip for ciprofloxacin that I haven't taken- I will call my GI today to see if I can use that in the hopes it'll make the abscess get better. It's always something....

It took care of itself! I was at the YMCA with my doughter for her swim class...it burst open! Good thing I always wear a maxi-pad! So i ran home & got right into a hot sitz bath, to clean it out. My GI is supposed to be calling me this afternoon. Now my isue is- what do
i do with it now? i can see the hole if I look in a mirror. How do you keep one of these things from becoming infected? I'd like to hold off 'til my surgery (6 weeks) & take care of all this nonsense then.

scary stuff, huh? I talked with my GI- he was glad to hear that the abscess had burst- basically, he said if you come into the office with an abscess, they lance it, drain it, then put you on antibiotics for about 10 days. So, he called in a couple scrips for Flagyl & cipro, told me that if I wanted a Bloody Mary on Sunday to wait 'til monday to start the meds, to take sitz baths 2x day, & that's about it. He also thinks my upcoming surgery (proctocolectomy) will cure the fistula. If i was opting for a jpouch, it could mean trouble since I'd still have a rectum. But I"m not going that route, so hopefully things will be fine. I of course plan to tell my srugeon, since I did not have this the last time we spoke. Jeez....what a day though. Now that the fistula is visible, it drains a lot... Good luck, Ohio- it sound absolutely awful, your experience! My fistula is where my episiotomy was too.

I thought they kept the rectum in???? So you would use the rectal muscles to expel the pouch contents? In any event, both my GI & surgeon recommend the total proctocolectomy, so I ought to be ok.

I had my ileum perforate in feb 07so i had emergency Sx for that then 1 week later I suffered ileus where my colon didnt wake up so more emergency surgery which I woke with an ostomy. I had the ostomy reversed in june 07, the stoma healed wrong, moron resident got feces from the stoma in my incision and refused to flush it out with sterile saline etc so each Sx I have had since then I have wound infections. I was stopped on all of my CD meds after the 1st Sx in February 07 and was placed on preventative meds (just pentasa) 1 month after the ostomy was reversed. I ws sufferieng from pain and both my GI and surgeon figured it was me just healing.

The stomach pain continued a few days after seeing the docs and I had staples which had been removed 2 weeks prior but a few days before while at the surgeon he removed the nylon sutures and part of 2 of them remained in since they were in me 4 weeks. I removed 1 part that night then a few days later my belly popped like a zit it became infected where the suture piece was, the MD said it would make its way out.

Then about 1 month later my joint pain assoc with my CD returned and my GI called in a 3 month supply of entocort to use if I felt it got severe enough. I used it for about 1 month with no help and the abd pain continued even after the wound infection completely healed by Sept 4th. Around Sept 19th the same area reopened (it was flush against my belly button ) it was a Sunday and my doc was on vacation for the whole week I was instructed to see one of the other MDs there the following day (which was a monday). At that point just pus was coming out, later that day feces began draining from there too. once it had begun to drain that pesky pain I had had for a few months was finally somewhat relieved.

I used Cipro, and other methods to try and let it heal by itself. I went in to the hospital in November had a picc line placed so I could give myself TPN nightly and have minimal clear liquids to see if bowel rest would heal it. The picc line became septic and finally my MD saw that the mucosa came out (it wasnt the first time but the 1st time he saw it) so he knew surgery was my last option. My fistula was enterocutaneous and feces would go through bandages like crazy where I would soil my clothes within a few hours I would wear a facecloth over a bandage which I would also use tegaderm over to help from seeping.

I had a fistulagram to determine what intestine the fistula was connected to as well as a colonoscopy prior to Sx then I had to postpone Sx since I ended up with a cold. I can tell you Humira helped greatly but I had to go to dbl the dose of the traditional dosing and I feel had I gone on the higher dose sooner that may have helped without Sx. I was actually going on humira for my joints and while awaiting insurance approval the fistula came through.

I had my fistula surgery January 11th again I ended up with ileus but it was cought in time to where I had an NG tube for 5 days but that beats an emergency ostomy again. Unfortunatly the pathology showed the fistula was my CD that remanifested so soon after Sx and it was not just a complication of ABD Sx. I had a wound infection again therefore I had to postpone my humira shots. I went almost 2 months without it. When I began it again my GI had me try the traditional dose but I have already been suffereing from pain at the anastamosis site and joint pain again.

I have seen my GI since and have gone back up to 1 shot per week again and if things arent better pain wise come mid april I will be going for another MRI Enterography.

I hope things work out well for you

YOU take care! I'm glad you're home...