For those of you following this discussion and have had fistulas would you mind taking a minute to explain your experience as I just was diagnosed as having mine. Thank You.

I had hemorrhoid surgery that didn't heal properly and there was a hole underneath the skin that was growing over the wound. It would exude when I pressed on it and healing was very, very slow that I knew something was wrong. I ended up needed to have the wound unroofed so that it could start over in healing.
I think if you do a search on fistulas on here you might find some topics from the past that go into further detail. Hope that helps!

Mr. Fissure i wanted to make one correction to my previous statement. Mine is in my rectum not the colon.
Yes if i were you i would get the second look from another GI. Make sure they do an lower GI. Like i said in my previous statement it is hard to detect...fistulas.
Thanks
Bernard

Good luck with everything Mr. Fissure. Butt girl had a fistula and surgery corrected hers just fine from what I remember.
I can not believe 2 different doctors can have 2 totally different diagnosis. I hate it when that happens to me. It almosts makes me want to get 3rd and 4th opinions.
Today at work, a girl was telling me that she had hemmies for years. She had a colonoscopy and it showed hemmies as well. Then a few months after the scope, at a routine check up, her doctor saw her hemmies and suggested she get them removed. Well, it turns out they were not hemmies at all. They were 2 malignant tumors on her anus. They were only stage one cancer, and she is doing great now with no further complications(a few years later). This story has nothing to so with you or fistulas, but when I heard of it today I thought of the forum and how we would all think that story was facinating. I just had no where else to really post it.
Jen

Jen,
I hope your studies are going well and still think you should go into the GI or colorectal surgery area. None of your classmates could know as much as you do about those areas!!

Thanks Cheryl - Yes the GI area totally facinates me and I would love to work in this area.
For all the fistula folks - What is the dainage like? Is it clear? What color is it? I was just asking because rarely on occassion I still have that mucus issue.

Good luck Mr. Fissure :)
Corsica

Jen,
Good! At least you are thinking about it!!
Corsi,
I LOVE the picture of the mountains!! Neat!!

Mine was kind of like blister contents with some bloody discharge. Let me see if I have a picture of it.....j/k!

Thanks Jen, your story is very relevant to my post as it amazes me how trained specialists can look at the same thing and have 2 different opinions. I went with my "gut" instinct and it may have saved me an unneeded surgery. I am giving this second doctor a try who thinks I don't need surgery. I am by no means a doctor but sometimes you have to trust your instinct as "some" doctors only have paying for their next vacation in mind. There are alot of great doctors out there so please don't take that the wrong way.