Hi Friends,
Yesterday morning I had my fistulotomy surgery. The doc knew it was quite superficial given an MRI that I took. He was surprised, however, that the fistula actually ran from a congenital cleft in my crack to the bloody/pussy pimple thing. Surgery was not that bad -- it's always the beginning that's the worst part, but the anesthesia worked well and I woke up in recovery as if nothing had happened. No severe pain yet, knock on wood. And he said no risk of incontinence as he did not need to deal with the actual anal hole/area.
Anyway, today, I could not have a BM, but still took a sitz bath. Looking at a mirror for the first time, I see I have a piece of gauze wedged between my butt cheeks.
It does not come out easily and I am scared to remove it :( Any tips -- should I sit in the bath tub and then try and pull it out? I'm pretty sure the doc wanted all dressing/gauze removed within 24 hours...and that is now...
Thanks for any advice...

Well done great news that I did nf enter the anus keep it all soft loads of water 'rest take it easy for a week 'dont strain ''if you can and are allowed to bath take if will relax the area and 'the gauze may come out

Thanks, Rich.
The gauze came out relatively easily yesterday after I soaked in a sitz bath and applied some saline solution. It didn't fall out, but I had to gently removed it.
This morning, after a while of waiting on the toilet, I finally had a quite comfortable BM. I did, however, have blood when I just tried to wipe very gently with moist toilet paper.
Can any other people who have had this surgery tell me when I should expect the blood after stools to stop?
Many thanks!

N Its an open wound so can be a while '
I did no have blood for 2 weeks then on boxing day the Christmas diet cought up with me ,then it stopped then last saterday I had a messy bm and it started again
Nice fresh red blood when I clean up hope it gets better soon watch diet loads of water

Ah, ok. What type of fistulotomy did you have?

I had my fistula layed open like you but mine went into.
my anus and through the internal sphincter muscle
It was higher than first thought but ,but I have good muscle down there so should be all OK '
Still feel it get some acking now and then and some blood on clean up but hope its all OK

Yes, I'm sure it will end with time :) Be well!
Any healing tips you might be able to offer? I'm sitz bathing four times/day and trying to avoid wiping, even with the moist tp.

Yes I'm seeing my nurse tommorow just to have a quick look 'i hope all's OK think IV just opened the wound a bit
Keep the area as clean as you can then dry it well '
Eat soft foods loads of water ,I use movicol stool softner'but my crs said it may be causing a little drainage I get after a bm
'I use wet wips in warm water them hand held shower to clean then sometimes into my porta bidet
Good luck
Here's to great healing
Health and happiness

It is now the third day after the day of my fistulotomy surgery (on Tuesday). I am trying to stay very hydrated, taking two colace before bed, keeping a high fiber diet with supplements and eating more high-fiber foods. Today, I've had a couple BMs -- and no blood. When I looked at my wound, I felt that I did see some signs of healing (unless I was imagining things), but I did see some of the clear-white-ish-milkish fluid that I was exerting before the surgery. I have heard that such drainage is normal. I hope eventually it will go away. I'm still not doing any real sitting in order to help the wound not be crushed/moved around. It's at the bottom of my cleft.
I recommend this saline wound care spray -- available at any pharmacy. It is kind of a rip off as it is just salt water in a bottle, but the bottle is a special kind of spray bottle that allows for spraying upside down, which is good, as I try to spray the area whilst looking at the wound in a mirror underneath my butt.
In terms of pain, I would put myself at a 0.0 to a 0.5. (Knock on wood.) Bowel movements, too, have not really been painful, although I am taking the stool softener.

Your doing great aj
Keep it up
I'm still the same 'a little blood on clean up
Hope it starts to heal again soon
The nurse I sore yesterday said I had a couple of skin tags in the area as well