5 years ago, I had surgery to repair a fistula. Actually it was two surgeries about 6 months apart. All was well until about 4 months ago when I developed another abscess in the same area. I went to a colorectal surgeon who drained it and has had me come in for monthly follow-ups to see if it was going to develop into a tunneling fistula.
Just when it was looking like no further problems were going to occur, the abscess returned. So this time, the surgeon explained that because of my surgical history, he doesn't want to keep cutting the muscle and risk causing a problem with incontinence and instead wants to insert a seton drain.
I've seen other posts here referring to seton cords, or cutting setons. Are they all the same thing or are there differences. The way my doctor explained it, it sounds like they are different. Is post-op care easier with a seton? When I had the incisions, the bleeding seemed to last forever and I wore all types of bandages, pads, and even adult diapers at times. That usually passed quickly but complete healing took a long time.
Thanks for any insight!
Vince