Admitted to hospital last night for emergency drainage surgery.

Hey guys. Bad news is that I'm in an extremely bad flare up. I developed a HUGE abscess in a matter of days. The size of a golf ball to be precise. I went to the doctor yesterday to get it checked out. He immediately sent me over to colorectal who then decided to admit me for the night. He preformed the surgery the same night and I left earlier today. Now, this is the first time that I had just an abscess and not a fistula. I know I have to pack it. I need some advice for those of you have done this before. Holy heck it hurts so bad to pack!!! I mean the pain resembles the pain the actually abscess was causing. I know many people here don't have fistulas/abscesses, I just need any advise. Is there any other way to do it? How long do you usually pack it for? How long until the pain went away. Thanks for the advice!

yiiiikes! ! I've never had any abscesses, but I sure hope get through this without any other problems.

q

I was told I had to pack mine, too, but the next day, when I pulled the gauze out, I discovered I wasn't going to be able to re-pack it, given where it was. I just couldn't see it well enough to do it, despite sitting on the floor with a mirror in front of me. I called the surgeon, saying that I was willing to go to the hospital every day to have the gauze changed, and they said to not worry about it.

Honestly, I was grossed out at the idea of having gauze up there, and having it so near my anus. I mean, there was NO way to avoid getting poop on the gauze when I had a BM, and then all that bacteria could wick up in the abscess cavity. Ick.

No, I didn't. Of course, I ended up with a fistula, but I think that the internal opening was there all along, and what happened post-abscess drainage had nothing to do with the development of the fistula.

uuuuugh that sucks!!! I had two abscesses in January and went to the hospital, they packed it for me there and I went back to the Dr's office and they repacked it for me, even made appts for me over the weekend daily for the next week. I took the saline/sodium chloride and some kind of thing to squirt it onto my absecces from the hosptial and bought some special type of non sticking gauze from the drugstore.

When the holes got too small for the packing I just wore a pad and the next day they stopped draining. How the F do they think you could pack those yourself. I could not have done mine. You need to make sure all that stuff gets out so you don't get a fistula, did you go for your follow up yet? Maybe get a new Doc.

So sorry it is the worst!!! Though my friend got an abscess in her throat about a month after me.....umm swallowing that nasty stuff, I could not even imagine. Good Luck!