Hi everyone,

I'm glad that there's a forum like this!

Story

I'm 27 years old, Male. I got what I believe was an abscess in July. I have a lot of food allergies and stomach anxiety, I had a long out of town work week and suffice to say my hygiene wasn't the best coupled with a lot of restroom problems. I had a big red bump that grew and burst in the weeks ahead. I have eczema / dry skin issues too, so when it burst I got infected white little bumps around my outer butt too... not pretty...

I was originally told by primary care and surgeons it was just a hemorrhoid or an irritable bump. It sort of resolved, with some minor irritation here and there - but then it came back with a vengeance about 2 weeks ago after a night of drinking.

Misdiagnosed?

The new surgeon I saw inserted their finger into me and felt around and immediately said I have a fistula that needs surgery. They ran no other tests, should I trust them?

Schedule of Surgery / Travel Soon

My pre-op is set for Dec. 8th, surgery on 11th, and post-op on January 8th.

I was planning to visit my partner out of town on Dec. 26th, which is a brief flight from LA to SF.

I also happen to be moving to Japan on Feb 4th, which is about 12-13 hours of sitting. I'm a traveling musician, and I have a huge gig and can't push back any further : /

Basically I have 2 weeks to heal for SF, and about 7 weeks to heal for Japan...

Other Concerns / Questions

1. )Should I be worried about sitting for that long? Does air travel and pressure effect a fistula surgery?

2.) Re: being a musician, I jump and move around a lot and wondering if it may open the wound even 7-8 weeks after...

3.) Does anyone have eczema who has had a fistula? I'm hoping I won't get infected easily...

I've been having great fear and anxiety about the healing process, and if I was even misdiagnosed or not. There's so little info out there online...

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this : )

If your surgeon is recommending surgery and you don't feel comfortable about it, then a second opinion might be helpful. It makes a big difference when a patient goes into a procedure feeling confident about the diagnosis and the treatment. 2 weeks out from surgery is a pretty short time to be traveling, so maybe reconsider that as well and have your partner visit you? As for physical activity, you'll be the best judge of that by 7 weeks about whether your body can handle it.