So a few things, I've healed really well and I can eat most things again, though I certainly will never go back to having a coke and cold pizza for breakfast again and washing that down with a lunch of ramen covered in siracha.
1. sitting too long. I definately notice an internal ache and a general soreness where the abscess and fistula tract used to be and the scar tissue does get sore, but I suspect that will go away over more time.
2. since my sphincter was cut, now it looks like it has a cleft, so sesame seeds and coarse ground herbs/black pepper scare me more than clowns and zombies. Or zombie clowns.
3. my butt is a terrific barometer. Will it rain?! I dunno! Is my scar tissue hard and swollen? Yep! Pack an umbrella!!
But I will never ever say this was a bad idea to have the surgery. Ever. It was life changing and because of Dr. Werling and his wonderful staff, I have my life back. And that is a thank you I can never say enough.

Jen, tht's great news! I too did the same surgery, Fistulotomy!
I'm 25 days post op.. Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated..
Also, wht was your pre-surgery story?!
If you don't mind!
=)

sure! I have mild ibs, just a few tummy troubles and I had had fissures before, but nothing serious and they had always healed themselves.
Last year around August I had a bout of food poisoning and I neglected to go to the dr. It looked like a murder scene with all the blood by the time it was over. I figured though, that I would heal and that would be the end of that.
In September I awoke with a horrible pain in my sphincter and upon checking, I had a very large, very hard bump on the inside of my buttock. So I went to the emergency room where they said it was an abscess and gave me two rounds of antibiotics.
The abscess seemed to retreat, but I was in constant pain and my GP decided to lance the spot anyway in October.
After it was lanced, I felt fine for maybe a week until I noticed what felt like an electrical cord running from the abscess to the inside of my sphincter and when I pushed on it, blood and pus would ooze out of both sides.
I went through a series of dr's, starting with my colon dr who said that if it was a fistula, it wasn't anything I couldn't live with.
Then I searched for someone with a definitive answer until I discovered my insurance wouldn't cover the surgery. It was a few more months before I had insurance that would.
My surgery was a success, though my abscess was much deeper and larger than he suspected and the tract ran deeper than he thought. My incision was 4" deep and ran from the visible part of my outside buttock through my spincter muscle. I had it harder than a lot of folks here with recovery and it took much longer for me to walk around.
Now, I'm able to do everything I could do before any of this happened. :)

Jen,
Can't believe I didn't spot your post sooner. I've kind of been looking for someone in your situation having been through a Fistulomy myself (now 3 months 2 weeks post op)....
It's great you are doing so well and I love your honest, positive and comical update!
I can see why your recovery has taken a bit longer with the surgery done. Did they actually cut into your sphincter muscle rather than place a seton? It's interesting because I kind of thought that was more of a last-resort process?....
Also reassuring for me was reading how you still suffer some post op discomfort, aching and soreness. I get that too now even though my surgery was more straightforward than yours. Has your CRS reassured you this is still normal? Mine wants me back in for a further EUA because they're telling me I shouldn't have any discomfort at this stage at all.....Really not sure what to believe there.........and finally, you talk about your scar tissue? Is this visible? Internal? I'm wondering if this is what's causing my discomfort but not sure?
So pleased you have your life back. I feel I do too now - SO much better but it's just this discomfort stuff after a BM that's bugging me, even though it's not a big deal compared to what I was going through pre-op!!!
Would be good to hear from you and all the very best in your continued healing :)
P.s. Really intrigued - What's Ramen covered in Siracha??? Sounds good!!!!

I used to buy ramen noodles at a local asian grocery shop and cooked them in a bit of seafood broth, then doused them with cilantro and a asian hot sauce called siracha. I still do the noodles and cilantro in broth, but not so much the hot sauce
My CRS basically told me that with any scar, there's some tenderness and pain from time to time. Like phantom pains that can last forever in some people. And when I say discomfort, it's usually when I do something silly. Like sit in a hard kitchen chair to play a video game for a few hours. I know better, but I still do it.
Yes, my sphincter was cut but since he felt I was capable of healing without a seton, he went ahead with his very bold plan of laying this massive wound open.
I won't tell you life is roses and moonbeams when it comes to having a BM. Sometimes it gets caught in the cleft and I have to shower it out, sometimes if I'm out and cant do that I have to go back multiple times with wipes to clean the area. Sometimes it's just a pain. But you know what was worse? The fistula itself. I can ride in the car now, I can sit comfortably. And I can have beer, wine and most of my favorite foods again.
And yes, my scar tissue is very visable. It's fading, but it's shiny, long and deep and I have a very clear indentation of where the tract was because it was so far in. But even that's ok.
I hope everyone has a great and speedy recovery! And if I could give any advice, it's to take a lot of hot baths with nothing in it, buy a lot of books to read in the bath and load up the ipods. You're going to be in there awhile. At least soak 20 minutes every day and see if that doesn't help the aching or soreness a little bit.

Jen,
Thanks for coming back to post your response and share your experience. Much appreciated :)
Wow that was a more complicated op but sounds like your CRS has done a great job considering your recovery. Hoping you get to that painless stage sometime soon!
Your answers have been really reassuring. Thanks. I'll get (hopefully) the final verdict on my healing process when I go back for a EUA beginning of Nov, so hopefully, they'll reassure me that everything is OK...
Completely understand that cleaning up process too. So much easier to be home and clean up with the shower head!...
It's really great you have your life back though and you're feeling back to normal. It really is putting things into perspective and thinking that a bit of discomfort now & again is SO much better than the way you felt pre op!
All the very best in your continuing healing :)

can u please chime in on drainage. when actual healing would be complete? im 2 months in still have some exudate/yellow drainage, and faint pink.

2 months is rather long, I think you would be better off asking a dr.