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Butt Wound Woes....

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Posted 3/10/2015 7:15 PM (GMT 0)
Hi y'all! I hope everyone is well. Here is a quick update and plea for advice regarding my recent perineal proctectomy (butt sewn shut!).

I saw my surgeon last Friday to get the penrose drain removed, and she said everything looked good. She suggested I hold off on going back to work until the middle of next week and I have an appt. to see her to day before I plan on going back to be sure that's a good plan. She is on vacation this week....of course! So last night (Monday) I noticed more blood than usual on my pad and it seemed to be coming from the area where the drain had been and a lot of it was vaginal. They did have to cut into and put a suture in my vagina, so having some drainage there was expected, but this was more blood than there had been so far. I also noticed that at least one stitch had come out. There was still a good bit of blood this morning, so I called the surgeon's office and they wanted me to come into the clinic to see the doc who is helping my surgeon's patients this week.

Of course, today was the day Mom flew out (very sad!), so I headed to the hospital after taking her to the airport. The first time I drove was yesterday for about 10 minutes, and sitting is still a little tricky...so yeah, fun day so far! I was seen by the nurse, resident surgeon, med student and the surgeon standing in for my own. Could be minor infection, or just fluid build up. Since there is a hole between my vagina and what used to be my anus, the fluid/blood comes out of whichever opening it can get to. Everything is moist, skin is kind of open, not condusive to quick healing.

Now he wants me to pack the wound twice a day. This could be interesting since I live alone and will have to do the packing myself. I go back Thursday morning to get it checked again. What makes me a little nervous is that he told me to come to the check up having been NPO since midnight....just in case I have to go in for more surgery to reopen the wound....EEK!!

Anyone have an experience like this at all. And PLEASE, any suggestions on how to pack this wound myself would be greatly appreciated! I was sad enough about Mom leaving, and this on top of it has really got me down and a bit worried....
Posted 3/11/2015 12:13 PM (GMT 0)
yikes is right! I did not have to pack my wound, but I believe it's fairly simple- you may need a strong stomach, though. Did they give you the packing material, gauze, etc? And are you supposed to keep it as dry as possible? Where do they think the stitch came from, the one that fell out? The one thing I don't get is the hole between your vagina & anus- didn't they close any hole that may have been there? So that's where the stitch came from? I had a hole too, an RV fistula- my surgeon stapled EVERYTHING shut, it looked like a horror movie. But it seemed to work ok- no leakage from one wound to the other, basically. I did have on & off leakage of fluids, some blood, what looked like pus, etc. I honestly couldn't tell where it was coming from... the surgeon said not to worry, those wounds tend to be messy. Just kept it clean, etc. I'd say it was around week 3-4 that I really felt like some good healing was going on, prior to that it was sort of sloppy & just... there. Good luck- keep us posted!!! This too shall pass! If they do have to reopen the wound- it may be the best thing, they could clean it up & re-suture/staple.
Posted 3/11/2015 12:54 PM (GMT 0)
So sorry this is happening at such a bad time for you! Know that you are in my thoughts and prayers and keep your head up. Things will get better, and we're all here for you as much as we can be.

I'm going to send you an email in a little bit….

Hugs!!
Posted 3/11/2015 2:09 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for you support and input, ladies!

@Sunny~ I hope things are getting better for you and I look forward to that email!! :)

@Eva~ From what I understand, my wound has several layers of sutures on the inside, but the two flaps of skin up on the surface were not stapled or sutured together. I think that is sometimes done so that the outside doesn't heal before the inside. The suture that fell out likely came from the cut in my vaginal area. The surgeon mentioned that all of my parts are very close together and they cut into the vaginal area slightly while doing what needed done on the back side. As far as reopening the wound, it is my understanding that it would be left open if they went that route, and I would need home health care to come in a couple times a day and pack it....which would be awful and a major setback. Let's all pray that none of that has to happen!!

The hospital did give me the supplies to do the wound packing, and I think I did pretty well packing the wound last night. It took a couple mirrors and some flexibility...and I'm sure my high pain threshold and strong stomach didn't hurt either! Guess I'll have to do it again in a couple hours....yippie!
Posted 3/11/2015 2:22 PM (GMT 0)
that sucks what :-(

buy me a plane ticket, and i'll come and be your designated Barbie butt wound packer - i'll bring my own puke bucket !

hope things get better soon :-)
Posted 3/12/2015 12:52 AM (GMT 0)
Oh...not good news! I sure hope they don't have to do more surgery! This is scary sounding stuff to me. As you know, I still have my anus. Ever since this new surgeon did biopsies in November, I have had a lot of mucus coming out my vagina. They can't figure out why...as far as they could tell, I have no fistula. I don't have any pain or discomfort...just that darn mucus...so much so that I have to wear panty liners!!!

Keep us posted!
Posted 3/12/2015 2:06 PM (GMT 0)
Just wanted you to know I am thinking of you and praying for good news today!!
Posted 3/12/2015 3:22 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks, Sunny!! :)

I got back from the doc a little while ago, and there will be no surgery....at least not today. My surgeon is back next week, and I have an appointment with her on Tuesday morning. The guy I saw today said it is still possible that she might want to go in and at least cut out one layer of stitches in hopes of getting more of the fluid to come on out.

His theory is that there could be some minor bacteria/infection causing excess fluid to be in the wound. He said this is very common after this surgery, due to the unsanitary nature of that area of the body. Even with some infection, the wound could eventually heal just fine, or it could greatly slow things down or become problematic. I guess the fact that I don't feel at all sick, feverish, chilled, extra sore, etc....assures him that any bacteria that might be there is staying put and not colonizing to the rest of my body. Hopefully it stays that way.

My one concern is that my surgeon might be more inclined to want to get the fluid out because she is more familiar with my history. I have been on prednisone (for a separate issue) since September, which can inhibit the healing process. Also having a few different autoimmune disorders makes it more likely that my immune system might not function well enough to deal with the bacteria in the wound. Maybe I'm just overthinking it all!

Anyway...that's where I am for now. I have to keep packing the wound, which is quite unpleasant, but I'm sure I'll survive. I am SO tired of laying around though!
Posted 3/12/2015 4:52 PM (GMT 0)
sounds like good news to me! and if it is a minor infection, hopefully it

ll be more cleared up by the time you see your own doctor. I swera that's what happened to me- after healing fine, staretd oozing yellowy pus stuff, tons of it. This went on for 2-3 days, then it just slowed down & stopped. Doctor swore it was ok, just draIning a lot... whatever! I don't knwo where you are in the world, but maybe you can get some R&R outside- it's finally getting to be more Spring-like here in the NorthEast.

Posted 3/12/2015 8:25 PM (GMT 0)
I am so sorry to hear that you are having such a hard time. I guess I got lucky and am thanking God for that. I also had to have my vagina repaired because the rectal stump had adhered to it and the whole area was a mess. I had blood coming out of my vagina in the hospital and at home, which scared me because I am post menopausal. I had no drains, but a lot of sutures in layers. I healed quickly and feel so bad that you are going through this. I willl pray that this gets easier for you and you start healing and feeling a lot better soon.
Posted 3/17/2015 2:01 PM (GMT 0)
hey what, just wondering how your visit went with the doc today - hope things are improving down there !
Posted 3/17/2015 2:16 PM (GMT 0)
hoping your appt. goes/went well today! you are in my thoughts and prayers!
Posted 3/17/2015 6:39 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Sunny and Stud, thanks for remembering about my appointment and checking in on me! It really means a lot :)

My appointment today went pretty well....at least she didn't have to do anymore work on me! The wound is looking better and slowly healing, but there is still a good bit of drainage. She said there is no way to know if the how many layers of stitches would have to be cut through to get to where the drainage is. I guess given that I'm not sick with infection, the fluid is draining and the wound is slowly healing...it's not worth the trouble to cut into it at this time. Hopefully it won't ever come to that!

Sparing a lot of gory details, she did something to help more of the fluid come out, told me to keep packing the wound (they are all quite impressed that I'm doing it on my own!) and had a couple other directives for me to follow to keep things on the right path.

I was supposed to go back to work tomorrow...but it's been pushed back again to next Tuesday. I still haven't sat upright for more than 20 minutes at a time and do have some pain. Hopefully one more week will give me what I need to get back to normal enough to work.

Thanks again for all the support!!
Posted 3/17/2015 8:25 PM (GMT 0)
:)
Posted 3/17/2015 11:54 PM (GMT 0)
:-) too !
Posted 3/18/2015 2:00 PM (GMT 0)
glad to hear things are moving in the right direction! Those stupid butt wounds are sloppy, slow... but as long as there's no infection, they seem to do their own thing, just heal so darn slow! Good luck with returning to work! You'll find yourself shifting around a lot in your chair- after 11 weeks out, I still had to lean, tilt, stand up, etc. for a while. It was 4 months before I went for my first post-op bike ride, & man, was it not so fun!
Posted 3/20/2015 2:22 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks, Eva! 11 weeks....geez! Could be very interesting for me at work for a while I guess. I can't even imagine what riding a bike would feel like any time in the near future....especially with the added pressure of having this wound packed....eek! I am pretty anxious to get back into a good exercise routine, but don't really know where to start.
Posted 3/21/2015 10:15 PM (GMT 0)
let the exercise go, seriously- next month it'll have been 1 year since my surgery, & finally, I've been itching to get back in the pool, swim some serious laps! I figured on being a total sloth for at least 6 months post-op. Then of course, winter hits, & I live in New England, which has been buried in snow for months. So...... it's hard to think of swimming! Also, let the butt woudn really heal- those first few bike rides I took did me no good, I can say that. My butt was sore & oozy afterwards. Nothing serious, but... should have waited!
Posted 3/23/2015 5:02 AM (GMT 0)
I will be very careful about what I do when....but I'm pretty sure I'll start some sort of exercise sooner than later. I was VERY sick going into my first surgery, and afterward I had to work on just gaining strength, wait, nutrition and just general health, while also healing. I don't remember how long I waited to really start exercising, but it was a while and took even longer to get into a good routine. I had been doing GREAT in the few months leading up to this surgery.

My surgeon told me that after 4 weeks I can do anything I want, and could be jogging already if I want to. 4 weeks is this coming Thursday, and I don't think I'll be ready to do ANYthing I want! I did do some light yard work over the weekend and took a brisk 1.5 mile walk today. I'll surely keep up the walking and just advance things as it feels right.

Other than that....healing continues slowly. I am still packing the wound twice a day, having drainage and a little bleeding and there is still some pain but it is definitely easing. Sitting is a bit of a problem, so going back to work on Tuesday should be very interesting!!
Posted 3/23/2015 12:27 PM (GMT 0)
good luck tomorrow! Lay on your side today, get the butt ready! If you have a cushion, or pillow, bring it with you- it helps. I use an old cat bed, seriously- it fits in my chair perfectly! Keep up with the walking- I found that was a great way to gauge how ready I was for other, more vigorous, activities.
Posted 4/8/2015 1:54 AM (GMT 0)
hey what ! howz it going ? did you make it back to work ? you're the head quality tester at the Whoopee Cushion factory, right ?

hope your butt is feeling better !
Posted 4/9/2015 1:28 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Stud! As always, thanks for thinking of me and checking in :) That ol' butt wound is healing up slowly but surely. I am still packing it twice a day, but it's getting smaller and smaller. The doc said to keep packing it until I couldn't fit anything in there anymore! She also said I win the award for most proactive patient for being so willing to do all this on my own....so good for me, I guess. I see her again in a couple weeks, so hopefully I'll get the all clear soon. I've started working out a bit again and that feels pretty good. Went back to work about 2 and a half weeks ago. Started with a 4 day week of half days, and this is now my 2nd full week. It is certainly uncomfortable to sit so much, but that is getting better too.

That Whoopee Cushion job sounds pretty cush! (sorry, couldn't resist) I should see if such a thing exists, the irony alone would be quite amusing :)

I hope you and the family are doing well!
Posted 4/9/2015 8:52 PM (GMT 0)
glad to hear work is going well! Seriously, those butt wounds are amazing- so slow to heal, yet they just keep on healing, in their own time! You should be all healed within a month- finally, going on just about 1 yar since my surgery, nothing is sensitive, I can sit for hours (unfortunately!), & it's 100% healed up. Good for you, being proactive! It'll pay off!
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