Advancement Flap Surgery - My experience

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Advancement Flap Surgery - My experience

Postby Elfkin » 28 May 2010, 12:49

Hi all
I thought I post my experience of advancement flap surgery as I could only find really scary stories on the web before my surgery. Hopefully I will have a positive experience overall and this will help someone who is going to have a similar procedure.
I went to hospital yesterday for this procedure and being in the UK it was on the NHS. Now the NHS is great institution but sometimes it does make you feel a bit like a piece of meat on a conveyor belt thru the hospital.
I hadn't met my surgeon before yesterday and he gave me precisely 2 mins of his time before the surgery and I didn't get to talk to him afterwards and there is no follow up appointment! He met me on the ward and described the procedure to me in front of about 10 other people who were in the room. He asked me to sit whilst he stood over me and just said that's what I'm going to do sign the consent form here! I know surgeons aren't necessarily judged on their communication skills but wow! Anyway the nurses were excellent.
When I came around after the surgery I must have had local anaesethic because I felt no pain in my bum at all. In fact the needle in the back of my hand was the most painful thing at this stage.
So they sent me home (eventually about 3-4 hours after I woke up) with a supply of ibuprofen and paracetemol. Plus some really attractive mesh underwear and linen pad thingys (a bit like muslin squares). There is quite a bit of bleeding (hence the pads) and I can feel (I don't want to look!) stitches which start about 1-2 inches from my anus and disappear up my bum!
So far the pain is manageble and not as bad a fissure when it's really going for it.
Now the real tester is gonna be a BM. I thought I was going to have one last night but it turned out to be just water (I assume they flushed out my bowel in some way). Anyway that didn't actually hurt at all but the anticipation was agony!
I am sure I'll have a BM tomorrow so I'll post again about any changes in pain etc then.
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Re: Advancement Flap Surgery - My experience

Postby Fissulyna » 28 May 2010, 13:08

OH boy - that is just great to hear Image !!!!!
You did great so far , I am so happy to hear that Image Image Image !!!!!! Couple of our members had that procedure and also had great result !!!!! KTW
Yes - your guts are empty at this point so it will take a day or 2 for anything to come down ; ). Just keep it soft and nice and you will have nothing to worry about Image !!!!! Even that water could make you feel the burn - you remember fissure days ??? So , it is a great sign that things are mending pretty well Image Image
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Re: Advancement Flap Surgery - My experience

Postby Elfkin » 28 May 2010, 13:17

Thanks for your encouraging words Fissulyna. I really wish I had found this site earlier because it is a great comfort to 'talk' other people in similar situations.
I have been nervous of surgery and put it off for so long. In fact I nearly talked myself out of again as my fissure had 'healed' itself. This would only have been temporary of course.
No regrets at the moment but I am still cautious and we'll wait and see how it goes long term. Fingers (and everything else) crossed.
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Re: Advancement Flap Surgery - My experience

Postby StevePain » 28 May 2010, 13:27

Elf, that's fantastic that your doing so well, it's great to see positive feedback after invasive treatment, please keep us posted.
Wishing you a speedy recovery.
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Re: Advancement Flap Surgery - My experience

Postby Fissulyna » 28 May 2010, 13:28

Yes : ))) - you still will need time to heal and some soreness will be there for short time - but the biggest hurdle is out of the way Image and you can concentrate now on real and forever healing Image !!!!
Keeping fingers crossed for you Image
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Re: Advancement Flap Surgery - My experience

Postby Elfkin » 30 May 2010, 06:34

Day 3 and the dreaded BM (in fact 2)
I had two BMs today (a small one and normal sized one if you are interested!). Neither hurt particularly which is big relief. It did sting a bit afterwards for a minute or two but it was nowhere near as painful as a fissure.
In terms of the general pain that I have experienced so far, it is quite superficial really. Having said that I am taking paracetemol and ibuprofen regularly. The pain isn't like fissure pain. I found fissure pain very 'deep' the pain seem to radiate from inside my body. The post op pain is basically soreness and feels very much like surface pain, like a cut in your skin (which of course it is!).
The bleeding had slowed down quite a bit but going to toilet has started it up again to a small extent ( the nurse said this could happen for up to 2-3 weeks). There was no blood on the toliet paper though and it isn't like blood from a fissure (i.e. bright red). I now have a brownish bloody discharge (the sort you get from weeping wounds) again the nurse warned me this would be the case.
The doctor has told me to wash myself in the shower after BMs and at least twice a day. He recommended using aqueous cream and then drying my bum with a hairdryer (the first casualty of a fissure really is your dignity!)
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Re: Advancement Flap Surgery - My experience

Postby Fissulyna » 31 May 2010, 00:35

MAYOR CONGRATS Image Image Image Image
This just fantastic news , oh my , you have no idea how happy I am to read that you "survived" TWO BMs with no "casualties" whatsoever Image !!!!
From this day on - you will be having steady and great healing path Image !!!!
May you heal with ULTRASONIC fastness : ))) and stay pain-free forever Image Image
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Re: Advancement Flap Surgery - My experience

Postby Elfkin » 04 Jun 2010, 12:53

OK. Quick update just over a week from surgery and everything seems to be going fine. Pain is reducing (although I am taking quite a lot of painkillers) and blood/discharge also getting less but it is still there.
I plucked up courage today to get a mirror and have a look at the area. I now wish I didn't! It looks a bit like Frankensteins butt! I have a V shaped bit of skin with sutures all around it about the size of 2 postage stamps. Worryingly there is a small hole at the end of the flap close to the outside (i.e. not a the business end). This is the bit that I assume is weeping/bleeding and it also hurts to the touch. Should I be worried by a hole? Or will this heal up by itself?
Also sorry in advance for this bit and don't read on if you a bit squeamish!
Since the bleeding has slowed down when I change my dressing (twice a day) it is quite smelly. I have no increase in pain or anything so I assume this isn't a sign of infection but is this normal? Any advice from post-op people would be appreciated. Thanks
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Re: Advancement Flap Surgery - My experience

Postby Fissulyna » 04 Jun 2010, 13:00

You should see your CRS so he can check the tiny hole and the discharge.
My best guess would be that he actually left tiny hole unsutured so that wound can drain and prevent infection !
But - whenever in doubt, it is always better to check with a doctor !!!!
Best of luck and thanks for posting : ))) !!!!! We do not have many people here having done a "flap" and it is extremely useful for all people who might have it done in the future Image
PS: There is absolutely nothing gross about describing any of your symptoms here on this forum - nothing that we already did not read or experienced ourselves , so please feel free to write about any concern you might have !!!!
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Re: Advancement Flap Surgery - My experience

Postby Elfkin » 06 Jun 2010, 08:20

Well after worrying about it/ignoring it for 2 days I went to A&E to have the surgical wound checked out. The hole has got a bit bigger and this was playing on my mind to say the least.
Anyway the A&E doctor had a look and agreed that the sutures hadn't worked on this part of the wound. However he thinks it will heal just fine (by secondary intention technical term which I googled!). He did say that the inside of the wound looks a bit macerated so he is going to treat it as infected. So he gave me some anti-biotics and told me to see my GP in couple of days to make sure everything is going as planned.
I'm really relieved TBH as he said it is healing ok. My main concern was the flap breaking away.
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