Nearly two years post-fistulotomy

Two years since fistulotomy

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Nearly two years post-fistulotomy

Postby Cporosus1 » 12 Jul 2016, 21:49

Hello everyone,

I had my abscess drained on Halloween day 2014 and then my fistutolomy on January 7th, 2015. It healed fully by April. Now it is mid-July 2016...still no recurrence and no complications. To this day I am still mildly traumatized. I've gone through every test imaginable to make sure I don't have Crohn's (IBD blood test, full blood panel, two fecal matter tests, colonoscopy with biopsies) and everything always comes back normal (in fact, quite healthy). So hang in there everyone with an abscess/fistula, you will get better with time and it doesn't mean you have a disease (it's actually quite a small percentage).
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Re: Nearly two years post-fistulotomy

Postby pinpin » 27 Jul 2016, 00:56

Thank you, sharing this!
07.02.2013 - got open hemorrhoidectomy, leaded to slow healing wound. Link to story
11.12.2013 - LIS surgery
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Re: Nearly two years post-fistulotomy

Postby Benny Lee » 05 Aug 2016, 06:41

Yes thank you.

About, the trauma...

I totally understand. It's obvious from this forum that many of us suffer psychologically from these prolonged episodes of pain and discomfort, and in my case my mental health deteriorated quite severely last winter owing not just to pain and all-round confusing symptoms, but to feeling I'd caused, by messily over-administering suppositories, old tubes of rectogesic etc. a) a fissure b) that fissure then becoming (much later diagnosed) a fistula.

By quitting all creams, carefully maintaining anal hygiene, and now just having one sachet of Movicol at breakfast each day, but MAINLY with time (and since June) my fistula is no problem now. I can sit for ages with no discomfort, but I am likely to have a fistulotomy by end of September, so to hear about healing is great (as I'm now nervous about the return to 'the system'!).

I think the main thing which troubles us is not knowing for sure 'what's going on' down there. Once we know, we can start to heal mentally too. A bit silly, but I almost love my fistula: it behaves itself, and I keep it clean. But credit where it's due - I absolutely love the anti-depressant I started back in January for eventually stabilising me, and lifting me out of all that pain and confusion. And my partner and extended family, who were like: what's happened to our man?! But supported me brilliantly while I recovered. Phew.
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Re: Nearly two years post-fistulotomy

Postby Cporosus1 » 05 Aug 2016, 06:50

Hi Benny,

I'm very happy that things are going much better for you! By all means get a fistulotomy....so long as you have no underlying health issues. The fistulotomy most of the time definitively cures the fistula (over 90-95% of the time). It might take a while to heal (mine took 3 months and I had a large wound)...but its fairly painless so long as yo have plenty of fiber and don't jab at the wound or anything. To be honest, there was almost no pain at all after the surgery and I had no drainage either (the drainage all occurred with the abscess I&D 2 months earlier).

One thing I should stress- it's important to get the fistulotomy done though, and not let the fistula sit there for years (complications do not always occur but they can...these include- abscess, complex fistula branches, etc.).
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Re: Nearly two years post-fistulotomy

Postby Katie » 19 Dec 2016, 15:47

I have had a tear for years after trying the creams and bottox I had to have a fissurectomy were they found the reason I was not healing was due to a skin tag up inside but from my op I developed a fistula which is more painful them the tear!! I'm having an MRI done on the 29th Dec seeing my surgeon on the 10th Jan to find out the results and what op she is going to do and then having my pre op 13th Jan and my op 19th Jan I am so scared and don't know what to expect when I wake up and what pain I will be in since the 10th Oct everyday has been so painful I think if I had healed right I would have been ok but this fistula is hell it takes over your life :( what did you do for the pain before your op and after any advice would be great and what did you do to not get any infections? X
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