possible abscess/ fistula please help

may have this ~ MRI scheduled

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possible abscess/ fistula please help

Postby caf1988 » 27 Jun 2016, 23:15

anyone who has had LIS input appreciated!
I had LIS 2 months ago. The fissure healed nicely and the incision seemed to be healing nicely ~ but I then had increased discharge and pain at the incision suddenly 3 weeks after surgery. This happened after a hard BM and during severe menstrual cramps. The CRS examined me said it could just be some infection - no fistula or abscess, I took antibiotics, it went away. I have been OK since then and the pain in the actual incision site is low. However, the incision site is still slightly swollen and generally sore (not burning, etc) like muscle soreness. Digital rectal examination is no longer painful, but something I've been feeling is a deep lump inside my buttcheek. I have no fever, malaise, I don't feel sick. The lump only hurts if I sit weird or massage deep into the buttcheek - side of my incision. It is like hardness under my buttcheek but the skin isn't raised or red or sensitive or anything. if i press down I feel a hard ball like thing, but this is all inside. It is how I would imagine a tumor to feel. I doubt it is a tumor. Is it an abscess? The surgeon still didn't see anything or feel anything. He said there is a small chance and to shut me up my MRI is in 2 days. However, after reading about abscess and fistula, I don't even want the surgery. It doesn't really hurt at all. Can't I just leave it? Will leaving it for a while kill me? My insurance only is in state and I am trying to move out of state. I can't take off anymore work for more surgery. please help - is this an abscess, hard muscle or scar tissue? are abscesses fatal?

has anyone just left one be?
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Re: possible abscess/ fistula please help

Postby Healingthroughdiet » 28 Jun 2016, 09:28

Hello Caf, sorry to hear about this.If it's an abcess I think they are better drained but from what I have read here the drainage heals quite quickly.
However I have never had an abcess. Like you I had some issues after my LIS years ago and was told I needed an MRI which I did not finally land up having as I improved . But I think the MRI in 2 days will tell you whether it's scar , abscess or maybe a blood collection which my CRS refers to as hematoma. However since you have no symptoms of infection hoping it's all good and nothing needs to be done. Best wishes HTD
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Re: possible abscess/ fistula please help

Postby Uvall » 28 Jun 2016, 13:35

I had LIS surgery, almost two months ago, along with a hemorrhoidectomy. I wasn't feeling any pain until 1 week after surgery, when I started getting a noticeable pressure type pain in my butt cheek near the LIS incision. A week later my whole cheek is swollen and extremely sore. I see the doc and find out I have an infection/abscess. Since it was draining on it's own they gave me two choice, go in and have surgery or just take antibiotics. I chose antibiotics. The antibiotics got the swelling down and the pain went away for the most part. After a week on them the infection hadn't gone away completely so they scheduled a surgery and cut a chunk out of my butt cheek. They basically cut the area of skin that was still swollen off of my butt cheek. From what I understood, that area of flesh was dying because of the infection. So my surgeon cut that infected area out. He told me to leave the wound open with no dressing at all, no creams or ointments. He wanted it to heal from the inside out he said.

Well, it has now been 3 weeks since that last abscess surgery. I saw my doc last Wed. for a 2 week after surgery checkup. He said everything looked great. I was worried about a fistula but he told me he did not see any and that he doubted I would get one. However, he did say that once you get an abscess you still have that chance of getting one so he can't tell me with 100% certainty that I won't. He just doubts I will. The wound itself was not very painful at all. I posted some pics of it in another thread from the day of surgery. It looks gnarly for sure, but all in all the only pain was feeling a little burning from it being an open wound and that only hurt when I was pressing gauze into it after a bath to dry the area or if I were spraying water directly on it to clean myself. After 3-4 days that pain was gone. Now being almost 3 weeks since the surgery the wound has shrunk quite a bit and does not hurt at all. I do still get a mucus drainage but the doc said that would be normal until the wound completely heals over. Which it should be healed over in the next 3 weeks he said.

Main thing, try not to worry too much. If you do have to have surgery, it's not as bad as it might seem. Yes it sucks having to go through another surgery and a longer healing process, but it's not that bad at all. The worst part for me now is just going through the process of having a soaking bath after every BM then taking a shower after that (2 times a day). And that's only because I am absolutely tired of it. Just try not to worry too much though. I've found that worrying only takes away from the healing process.
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Re: possible abscess/ fistula please help

Postby caf1988 » 28 Jun 2016, 13:45

Is the area of the butt/ shape ruined? Mine was my best asset until now. I'm only 28 and currently trying to live my life and I can't. Sometimes I want it to kill me instead. I don't have fever or pain unless sitting weird I doubt the flesh is dying idk I can't see anything nothing is visible.
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Re: possible abscess/ fistula please help

Postby caf1988 » 28 Jun 2016, 13:58

How swollen was the abscess? My butt cheek looks normal just the left is a little bigger
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Re: possible abscess/ fistula please help

Postby Uvall » 28 Jun 2016, 14:38

My left cheek was a little bigger than the right. But it hurt really bad when any pressure was pushed on it. Right after surgery it looked like a zombie took a bite out of my cheek right next to my butthole. But over the last 2 1/2 weeks the chunk that was removed has significantly shrunk. I'm pretty sure I'll have a scar. But my cheek is back down to it's normal size and all that. If that's what you were asking. I was at that razors edge too, where I didn't want to go on because of pain. But that was all before the surgery. Now that the pain is gone and I am healing. I'm glad I went through all of it to get here.

Here were the pictures I posted in another thread. Just be warned, it is a graphic picture of my hairy butthole area and a gnarly wound. Was taken right after I got home from surgery and just after I showered. It looks nothing like this now. It looks like a clean wound maybe half the size it was. the bruising and all of that are gone now. The edges around the wound are pink like new skin color. And it seems to be healing nicely. I keep myself very clean and have to use panty liners in my underwear for now (no more boxers...I'm sad about that for now). But that's a minor discrepancy in my opinion.
https://1drv.ms/f/s!AgklGf-JI5fQjg_BW5BS-nxr1w5L

I think some people just have the abscess cut and drained though. Maybe not cut out like I had. So don't worry. It's no where near as bad as it looks. Seriously.
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Re: possible abscess/ fistula please help

Postby Uvall » 28 Jun 2016, 15:51

Also, after thinking about this post for a few while I was in the shower, I wanted to say.

I know it's easier said than done when someone says, not to worry. But I truly believe that getting my mind off of things is helping me to heal a lot. I'm pretty sure most of us go through the post surgery, "Was my Doctor good enough? Did he/she perform the surgery right? Will I have other issues now that the surgery might have caused?". And every other question/worry that comes along with this crazy roller coaster ride. I have high anxiety to begin with so I know all about the freaking out and worrying. Believe me when I say that. Being bed ridden for as long as I was pre-surgery didn't help either. But I've found that just doing anything to occupy my mind helps. Be it Gaming, TV, Movies, or just talking to people. Anything to side track the negative thinking that sometimes you just can't remove from your thoughts, helps.

That lump you feel could just be your insides simply healing. Maybe it will go away before long. I had a pretty bad infection it turned out and the swelling/pain were pretty significant. The day I went to the Doc. to have an emergency checkup from the pain and swelling I was having, ( 2 weeks after my LIS surgery, 1 week after the pain started), I could not even sit down because of the pressure pain I was feeling. It was like my whole left cheek was a giant pimple ready to explode. That's how it felt, anyways.

Just make sure to explain everything to your Doctor. Make sure they understand and acknowledge what you are telling them too. I had a long journey before having any surgery because the doctors I had seen just weren't listening to me. Took me 5 Doctors before I found one who actually listened and then fixed me. Sure, when I got this infection I had, I definitely questioned whether or not I made the right choice. But things happen. And now I believe I did make the right choice and if I had to do this all over again, I would. It's not fun, but it has been worth it. Just these last few weeks of relief I've felt has made all the medical bills and life adjustments I've had to make since surgery very worth it.

So hang in there. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and you will get better.
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Re: possible abscess/ fistula please help

Postby caf1988 » 28 Jun 2016, 20:27

Thanks a lot. I will keep you posted. The mental issues are worse than any pain IMO - the mental anguish this has caused me is the worst. Glad you're finally back to almost normal. Distraction is helpful- I also like gaming. With what I currently have in able to go about normal life so I don't really want to have to be bedridden again. Oh well if anything this has taught me to appreciate health so much more! None of my other qualms even matter anymore
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Re: possible abscess/ fistula please help

Postby Healingthroughdiet » 29 Jun 2016, 19:51

Wow Uvall rough course thanks for sharing and glad you are moving along . I second what you said about keeping the mind occupied and the body busy with things to do. Relaxing has got to relax those sphincter muscles too. Sometimes when I take a day to stay home and rest I am more miserable from worry of things . Being at work even if in pain keeps me feeling better overall. It truly is a mind game as even the kind of Procedure I have had this time ( Botox after 2 prior LIS surgeries in the past) has a slooooww healing process.
Good luck and wish you a fully healed behind.
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Re: possible abscess/ fistula please help

Postby caf1988 » 29 Jun 2016, 20:01

Have you all tried diet to fix these issues? I'm thinking of trying anti inflammatory for the rest of my life. I noticed breads and coffee as well as some alcohols make this flare up. Coffee is the worst but I need it mentally sometimes
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