New here, 22 y/o male, desperately want to be normal again

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Re: New here, 22 y/o male, desperately want to be normal again

Postby rustyelf » 30 Aug 2011, 13:16

Thank you Dawn and hopetoheal, you are very helpful. I don't think I will be having the LIS, he didn't mention anything about it. He did say it would take about 10 minutes and I would be back at work in a couple of days. I am still terrified of it though, as well as the colonoscopy. He said a cause could be Inflammatory Bowel Disease, which I don't really know anything about.
It's gonna be a rough few days. Thanks for all the help and support, you have really made me feel better.
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Re: New here, 22 y/o male, desperately want to be normal again

Postby val » 30 Aug 2011, 14:27

Hey Rustyelf,
I've had 2 fistula surgeries, and may have to have another one. As Hope says, they don't heal on their own, so you haven't really got much choice unless you live with the fistula forever - and that's no fun, you need your life back!
I'm not sure about being back at work in a couple of days! Jeez, I bet these surgeons who say that haven't had ass surgery! Take a couple of weeks off if you can, so that you feel better and stronger and can take it easy.
He is possibly thinking Crohns Disease as you have a fistula. But don't panic about that just yet, there are plenty of people who do have fistulas and don't have Crohns. And it's good that your doc is checking for reasons.
Best of luck!
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Re: New here, 22 y/o male, desperately want to be normal again

Postby Deleted User 579 » 30 Aug 2011, 14:46

There's no need to be terrified! The surgery and colonoscopy won't be fun, but they also won't be nearly as bad as you think. :D
Doctors do tend to significantly underestimate recovery time. I doubt very much that you will be back to work in a few days - more like two weeks. You won't be in a lot of pain those two weeks, but you won't be very comfortable either and two weeks is really much better for taking care of yourself and making sure that your recovery goes well. You will also want to keep the butt clean and soak in the bath quite a bit too, and it's hard to do those things at work! A lot depends on what you do, though. A desk job might be uncomfortable if you go back to work before two weeks are up, but I'd say manaul labour and heavy lifting are out of the question.
The colonoscopy won't be so bad. I had one in Feb. The worst part is drinking down that awful liquid they give you to make you go. It tastes terrible, but here's a very good trick: put it on ice and make it very cold before you drink it and it won't taste bad at all. It makes you go like you wouldn't believe, but it's surprisingly not very painful. I had a colonoscopy when I had my fissure and I was surprised that it didn't really hurt when I had poop blasting out of me at velocities approaching the speed of light!Image it was more alarming than anything else. I really didn't think it was humanly possible to poop like that! Image

It's a good thing that your doc wants to be thorough and test you for IBD. That's scary, I know. That's why I had my colonoscopy too. You doc is likely testing you for Ulcerative Colitis and Crohns Disease (two forms of IBD). Fistulas and fissures are sometimes caused by IBD, usually Crohns. Do you have digestive problems? IBD usually comes with abdominal cramps, bloating, diarrhea and other symptoms (very rarely, Crohns is confined to the anal area, like in the case of one boardie here, so it is good that your doc is checking you out). But unless you've got other symptoms, then I don't think you need to be too worried about IBD at this point.
A few boardies here have had their fissures try to heal, but form fistulas instead, so that may very well be what happened in your case. If that's so, then it's pretty easy to fix and you will be fine! I'm sorry you're facing a rough few days, but we are here to support you. There will be an end to this - hang in there!
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Re: New here, 22 y/o male, desperately want to be normal again

Postby Deleted User 579 » 30 Aug 2011, 14:49

Ha ha, Val! We posted at the same time and said pretty much the same thing - except you get to the point more quickly than I do! Image
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Re: New here, 22 y/o male, desperately want to be normal again

Postby val » 30 Aug 2011, 14:55

Oh, but your posts are waaaay more informative Image Image
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Re: New here, 22 y/o male, desperately want to be normal again

Postby Deleted User 579 » 31 Aug 2011, 09:18

Naw, Val - you always give great information! Image
Hey Rusty - how are you doing today? I hope you're feeling a little better. :)
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Re: New here, 22 y/o male, desperately want to be normal again

Postby rustyelf » 31 Aug 2011, 09:25

I feel fine so far, just scared! I'm about to start my prep for the colonoscopy... not gonna be fun.
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Re: New here, 22 y/o male, desperately want to be normal again

Postby Deleted User 579 » 31 Aug 2011, 10:26

Good luck, Rusty! It won't be so bad. Just keep the drink chilled and relax and go with it!
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Re: New here, 22 y/o male, desperately want to be normal again

Postby rustyelf » 02 Sep 2011, 14:10

Hey everybody, I just wanted to update you. The colonoscopy was a breeze, and the doc said he couldn't find anything wrong. I guess fistulas can just appear out of the blue.
I had the fistulotomy this morning, everything seemed to go well. I'm lying in bed and haven't had much pain yet. It's been about 6 hours since surgery and I haven't had to take paid meds. I just want this thing to heal. Any advice?
I didn't really get to talk to the doctor but I did get a sheet. It says to take Colace with pain meds, change dressing a couple times a day, and take sitz baths. I am not really sure what to eat though! I don't want to eat because I am scared of a BM.
Does anyone have any advice on diet, sitz baths, or changing my gauze? How long will it take until I'm back to normal? Thank you everyone for the support! It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
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Re: New here, 22 y/o male, desperately want to be normal again

Postby val » 02 Sep 2011, 14:28

Congratulations on getting it over and done with, that's great news there is nothing sinister going on!
Well, firstly - at the moment you have local anaesthetic in your butt - that's why you feel so good! TAKE SOME PAINKILLERS BEFORE IT WEARS OFF!! Dont let the pain set in, stay on top of it!
Take lots of warm salty baths,get lots of rest, and take stool softeners - dont let yourself get constipated. Drink lots, and just stick to bland food like soup.
Dont panic about the first bm, its not as bad as you imagine, but take painkillers before it. And dont wipe - wash off with a warm shower spray.
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