Mr. Fissure,
How wise you were to get a second opinion! I do not have any experience with a fistula, but others do and I am sure they will share their experiences.
Cheryl

Thank you,
The doctor seemed too ready to do surgery at the drop of a hat and I just felt that I needed a second opinion. Everything seems to be about money today and not enough about doing what is best for the patients.

I had a fistula and needed surgery to correct it. I thought that was pretty standard treatment for it. What does this doctor suggest you do?

He thinks that with sitz baths it may reduce in size. He doesn't seemed too concerned about it at this point, I read alot of people have discharge with it and i never have. I do have discomfort and occasional drop of blood but nothing too painful. The other doctor wanted to operate but thought it was something else. What were your symptoms and pain like? I don't know about these doctors.

i dont know about the doctors either. I had discharge and to this day i still do. Not as much as before but on a smaller scale. Fistulas are very hard to find physically per my GI. They saw mine on the lower GI scan but when they went in to remove it it wasnt there. They had to dig under organs and muscle tissue to find it. According to my GI its a high risk surgery. Again this is my experience others may have a different one. They do have a drug you can take to remove them but you have to have Chrons to respond to the drug. Did you get tested for Chrons?

No, I believe my fissure and possible fistula was the result of a "hemy" surgery that I had over a year ago. Before that I never had any problems with bm. Since the surgery I have had fissures and now this.

That's how my whole mess started. I am surprised he didn't at least give you a round of antibiotics. I would definitely keep an eye on it and get it rechecked.

i agree. I got a second opionion with another team of doctors. They had a different approach. Mine was to a point of bursting. As doctors tell me it could branch out to your stomach and other parts vital to your system. I would go get another GI thought on this. Are you in the US? Like i said previously they have a drug to disolve it but you have to have Chrons to respond to it. Thats why they had to remove it surgically. It went from the 6 to the 12 position in my colon in a horse shoe shape.

I am in California. I heard the horse shoe shape fistula was the worse and hardest to operate on. Mine is not in the colon, it is a couple inches inside the rectum. I read that the fistula tunnel runs into the muscle and can lead to incontinence because of cutting the muscle.If things don't work ot with this doctor I am not against getting yet another opinion.

Yes, please do. There are at least 5 of us here who have had fistulas and they all required surgery. I just don't want this thing to go on too long for you and cause more damage.