I had my fistulotomy on 05/11/2018, and i’m not in any more pain but I do see a tiny external open wound which still bleeds a very small amount sometimes right after a bowel movement.

I was wondering how long it takes for the wound to heal and not be there anymore?

UPDATE: I am marking this thread as success seeing I have zero issues anymore. Please feel free to read through.

Checkdis I had my fistulotomy 05/18/2018. It's now almost 5 weeks for me and although the incision has gotten a lot smaller it is still open and healing.

I haven't notice much discharge lately although up to a week ago I still had a tad of white yellowish pus on occasion.

The area is still tender and painful especially a few hours after a bowel movement.

I haven't been able to work, sit, drive, or even get out much yet.

I can sprinkle with a shower head, take a sitz bath, then a shower but an hour later I notice I may need to wipe a tad bit of fecal matte away from the incision site. I believe it's slipping through and I'm hoping once it heals up I won't have this issue.

Depending on the nature and complexity of the fistulotomy I hear it may take 2-3 months and even up to a year for full recovery.

Thinking about it really depresses me as I'm trying to keep my sanity at this point.

Do you have any pain after bm's?

mike1971 wrote:Checkdis I had my fistulotomy 05/18/2018. It's now almost 5 weeks for me and although the incision has gotten a lot smaller it is still open and healing.

I haven't notice much discharge lately although up to a week ago I still had a tad of white yellowish pus on occasion.

The area is still tender and painful especially a few hours after a bowel movement.

I haven't been able to work, sit, drive, or even get out much yet.

I can sprinkle with a shower head, take a sitz bath, then a shower but an hour later I notice I may need to wipe a tad bit of fecal matte away from the incision site. I believe it's slipping through and I'm hoping once it heals up I won't have this issue.

Depending on the nature and complexity of the fistulotomy I hear it may take 2-3 months and even up to a year for full recovery.

Thinking about it really depresses me as I'm trying to keep my sanity at this point.

Do you have any pain after bm's?

I do not think it will take a year for us. I do have some pain depending on the bowel movements but it isn’t as painful as it used to be. I use calmoseptine I believe is how you spell it? And that cream works great. What is great about it, is that it has zinc in it which promotes healing. Also stay away from the creams which are suppose to relieve pain. Anything which has a numbing agent In it will slow down the healing process. Pain is a good thing which tells the body, “oh hey, you are hurt, we need to heal that area”.

But you will be okay, don’t let it take control of your life. Some tricks I learned is, after a bowel movement, take a shower and don’t use any wipes! After the shower, use a hair dryer to dry the area. Always keep gauss pads up there or a woman’s pad to keep the area dry. If it itches don’t itch it lol. Use that calmiseptine cream.

I never had any pain sitting, but take your Valium which is suppose to stop the muscle spasms (assuming the doctor prescribed it). Take 3-4 sits baths a day.

You will get through this. I had a LIS and that was not painful at all. Didn’t need to take my perks. Now the fistulotomy was more painful seeing the surgeon cut more nerve tissue. So I had to take my perks a little bit.

Thanks for the encouraging words and advice.

Dealing with this has been by far the most dibilitating, stressful and painful thing I've experienced in my lifetime. I often question if there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I really hope you're right and we recover quickly......the pain and stress has really worn me out. It sounds like you're in a better place than me.

I have been dealing with a frequent urination issue for over a year which may or may have not been a correlation with my Severe fissure or fistula. I have been through hell and I try my best every moment to keep pushing on for my family. Sometimes I have bad days but I just remember how much worse I was originally rather than now. It’s best to start focus on the present, rather than fixating on the past and future. The mind is very powerful and can amplify symptoms and pains more. You should only be worried if the bleeding is going through your boxers and pants. If blood is visible through your pants that is when you should worry. And a fever of 103 or greater.

Just eat healthy Whole Foods, increase your fiber a little bit, don’t over do it. And add goodbelly drinks (it’s a company with probiotics) and add lots of probiotics.

You're a trooper Checkdis. I only pray I somehow gain half the determination you do.

I see how my misfortune had affected those around me and my personal well being. I've even started on a round of antidepressants (much to my reluctance) as I feel I've lost control of my stress and anxiety.

Thanks for the helpful advice.

mike1971 wrote:You're a trooper Checkdis. I only pray I somehow gain half the determination you do.

I see how my misfortune had affected those around me and my personal well being. I've even started on a round of antidepressants (much to my reluctance) as I feel I've lost control of my stress and anxiety.

Thanks for the helpful advice.

You will get through this Mike, your love ones may not understand what you are feeling or going through, but stay strong and distract yourself with fun things. Get outside and do a 30 minute walk.

Just be sure to be consistent, and even if you are healed, stick with your protocol. Make sure you do healthy things and allow yourself to heal. The body will heal, but you need to heal the mind first. Antidepressants may help, but it’s only a patch. YouTube mindfulness meditation, it may be cheesy but it helped me. I find a time to relax and give myself a chance to reconnect with my body.

Just if you choose to come of the SSRI’s, make sure you taper off.

You are right. Family thinks it's as easy as simple hemorrhoids. Put some cream on it and you'll be good in a week . Or I should be sitting more even though my bottom is really hurting. I try tow explain but they dont understand these things take time. I try not to be confrontation on some their absurd suggestions as in the end I need their assistance.

I don't want to take the SSRIs but I need to get my stress under control. Thanks for the suggestions on meditation and exercise. Anyhing to get my mind off things helps.

I hope your urination issue has been resolved. I don't have that issue but been reading online a lot and come across some scary things like prostatitis, UTIS, and pelvis floor disfunction.

I believe a lot of my anxiety stems from reading things online. I doubt even half are true stories. Some of it can be outrageously haunting.

Just a quick update

I am not in any pain, but still healing. I have very little bleeding, sometimes none at all. The bleeding is as little as a water down pimple being popped. I am sure it will take a full year to heal but I am happy and still eating healthy.

Urination has subsided a little bit but it’s not every 15 minutes. I can go 2-3 hours maybe more.

Hope everyone is doing well too.

I had a fistulotomy ten days ago and still have the occasional discharge here and there. They have really been pushing for me to take sitz baths after every BM, I have found that if I start my day with a long epsom or Dr. Teals bath I will have little to no discharge throughout the day or night. They told me to taday the discharge will continue for a few weeks to a month after surgery. I was also informed and noticed that the new discharge doesn’t share the smell of the discharge prior to surgery and they said that’s a good thing. If it starts to smell again to let them know right away.