Well, I'm going back under the knife. It was such an adventure the first time, I thought, heck, let's do that again! (NOT!)
I have surgery to deroof the fistula booked for Monday at 4pm. I go in for pre-op assessment on Friday (Hey NG - we'll be in the hospital getting tested the same day! I'm sure my tests will be easier than yours, but I'll be thinking about you!)
So, I'm happy and frightened at the same time. I'm so grateful to this surgeon for doing this surgery off-hours so I don't have to wait until September. I'm sure the surgery itself will go well - I'm really grateful I'll be under a general for this one! I'm also a bit worried that maybe my fistula is more complex than the surgeon originally thought - my imagination is taking me places I really shouldn't go right now! (I wish I could knock back some JD and stay drunk all weekend!)
I'm still nervous about the recovery, of course, but I'll cry and whine about that to you all when the time comes. Thank goodness for my anti-anxiety and anti-depression meds! (Those would go well with bourbon, right?)

Yes, HTH, a dop of JD would do it... Sorry that you're going back under the knife, but o glad you don't have to see Dr Dracula again. Pity you can't sue him. This surgeon is not going to say that another surgeon messed up, but with that guy's attitude and the way he operated on you in what seems such a calous way, who knows. I envy you finding such a good doc this time round with a caring way about him. Our butts are just about the most delicate part of our bods, and it seems difficult to find someone with the same attitude towards it. I have cone to the conclusion that I had a bit of a rough examination in Boston, in retrospect. I hope that I can find someone gentle to help me. It is a never ending saga of pain.
I wish you well on Monday. Will be thinking of you, at 4.pm. And looking for your words afterwards.

Thanks so much, Em. It is so difficult to find a good doctor - competent, yet also caring. I got very lucky after my run of very bad luck. My new surgeon doesn't seem to think very highly of the Rudd Clinic, so we share an opinion there!
I'm sorry that you've had such bad experiences too. I really hope you get to meet a good doctor soon yourself. It sounds like you are still suffering. I was hoping you were healing well and doing better now. How are you these days?
Thank you for you good wishes!

Hey Hope,
Good stuff!!! I'm glad they were able to get you in quickly. Definitely the right thing to do when there's an abscess, and gives me total confidence in your new surgeon. Doing it under general anesthesia is going to be a breeze after your first adventure LOL. Thank goodness you'll get to "experience ass surgery the right way" hahahaha. As if there were such a thing
And hey, I'm actually beating you into the surgery center by two days (my endoscopy is this Friday morning). So take that! I bet you're envious that I'll be getting a big long rod jammed down my throat on Friday morning an entire weekend before you get your ass sliced again! Ok that sounded wrong for all sorts of reasons but oh well haha.
BTW I would be worried about the fistula being more complex too. But that's because I'm a really paranoid dude :) In all honesty and objectivity, I doubt it's had enough time to develop into anything more complex, so I think you're going to be a-okay (or is that "eh okay"???) there. This surgeon sounds like he knows his stuff, and there are techniques with probes and dyes to identify exactly where the fistulous tract runs, so even in the very unlikely event there's more there than meets the eye, I'm sure he'll take care of you. I'll look forward to hearing all about it, hopefully with less cringe-worthy moments than your post-LIS thread
P.S. I'm kind of pissed that you got in so fast. Who's gonna be watching geeky space exploration shows with me after I get circumcised then? Sheesh, what a selfish move

Haha! |I guess I really did just want that REAL ass surgery experience! While you’re getting rods jammed down your throat, I’ll be getting blood tests – you definitely have me beat there! With the time difference, I’ll be done well before you, so I’ll be home waiting to hear how it went. (It’s a shame we missed out on the opportunity to banter bi-coastal double entendres there; but this is a clean forum, after all!)
I’m totally paranoid too. I do WAY too much research online. But you’re right, objectively speaking, there is no reason at this point to believe that my case is anything but very straightforward. And you are right that this surgeon is very good and if there is anything more sinister going on, then I’m in very good hands. I definitely expect to have a much less hair-raising tale to tell after this surgery. I’m sure I’ll be pretty grumpy and whiny for a while, but I expect to be “eh-okay” (you speak Canadian!).
You mentioned before that you were seeing your urologist Thursday to schedule your circumcision – does that mean you don’t have a date set yet? I’d offer to postpone my surgery, but the truth is, I’d sell my own mother to get my ass fixed right now. Sorry, pal! I’m cold and ruthless. But I still intend to watch lots of geeky space shows for as long as I can, so you’ll have company. :D
Are you nervous about your circumcision? Did the docs give you any idea of what recovery will involve and how long it might take? I’m sure they must give you some instructions for how to take care of the … er … tender parts post-op. I’m sure it will go brilliantly and you’ll be glad you did it – but it still takes a lot of [insert bodily metaphor for courage here] to get that done. :D :D

Alright you're on: my Friday endoscopy is 7 AM Pacific checkin, 8 AM procedure. I expect to be back home happily playing video games while still on residual anesthesia by 9 AM Pacific, yay! Race ya home from the hospital!!!
And yup, good memory! I'm indeed seeing the urologist tomorrow to schedule the adult circumcision (just kind of hurts to type it ). No date set yet, but by midday tomorrow, I'll have a date. Gonna schedule it for after July 4th if possible because I want to enjoy the long weekend first :) Also I have a Rihanna concert to attend next week lol (as you can tell by now I'm an unapologetic candy pop music lover).
And yeah I'm nervous about the circumcision. No, make that TOTALLY FRIGGIN OUT MMMMMAN!!! Haha. I looked up some videos of the procedure and the aftermath on Youtube and it didn't look nice at all :( The doc claims that I'll be able to return to work after just 2 days, but we all know how that one goes, don't we? Looking on the Internet, it seems that recovery times can vary a bit, but general consensus is that it swells and hurts pretty bad for a week or two, you stop waddling like a duck and needing to wear a sarong after maybe 2 weeks, and then things return to "usable status" after 6-8 weeks. It's mostly the first 1-2 weeks after the procedure that have me freaked out, because ... those videos ... yeah.
I know what you mean about researching stuff online. LOL. I could write a book about that. You end up reading a lot of people's crazy stories, other people who have never actually had the procedure in question will post totally random stupid things in places like Yahoo answers, and even the legitimate medical websites will cover all kinds of catastrophic corner case scenarios that could potentially occur, but almost never do in practice. It really drives the mind crazy. I try to force myself to not read too much before a procedure (same way I try not to read the doomsday warnings on the inserts that come with prescription drugs :)), but sometimes my fingers just can't resist clicking away. Thanks, Internet, for creating a generation of hypochondriacs!
In all seriousness, you're going to be fine. I had almost the exact same thing, sans the original LIS by your Dr. S&M A.K.A. Dr. "Anesthesia Is For Sissies". If the new doc ordered blood labs for you (maybe to check for things like blood clotting ability and liver/kidney function?) before the procedure, then that gives me even more confidence that this guy truly is as thorough as it gets. So far he has all the earmarks of being THE guy. Was he the one who originally didn't want to see you in the ER? I remember you saying third parties indicated that guy was really good. Sounds like they were right.
Cheers to us both having a happy hospital-filled Friday and a future filled with ummmm working private parts? (And I promise I won't drag your topic too far off topic again after this )

Good luck hope, as said before the surgery will be a breeze: you'll be so relieved after seeing how easy it went that you'll want to do it again...ok maybe not :)
NG: I've also had endoscopy done, without anesthesia (just a throat spray), and it wasn't bad at all. The most important thing is to relax and just accept that you have a tube down your throat and breathe normally. Once I did that I just enjoyed watching the monitor :)

good luck hope to heal!

Oh Hope, that's great news! You can get it over with before september - brilliant!
Don't worry over it being more complex - easier said than done , I fretted and googled myself to death about it too! But .. when I had a fistula before, my surgeon told me it was a low one. He said he would make sure when I was under GA, but he was pretty sure - and he was right. This time when he examined me he said it was a high one, gave me worst case scenario about having a seton, but said again he would make sure under GA, and he was right again. Your surgeon sounds like he knows his stuff - so believe in him that he knows what he is talking about. Mine had been tracking for well over a month, and it still was only laid open.
You will be fine - you've coped with worse, and at least you dont have to suffer and worry for another few months, it will be done and over with, and you will be healed very soon.

Thanks so much for the reassurance and good wishes, guys! :D I think a lot of what makes surgery so scarey is not knowing what to expect; but I have a good idea what to expect so the fear-of-the-unknown anxiety is very minimal right now. But after this, I think I will have gained enough first-hand knowledge about ass surgery, so I'll pass on any more, thanks anyway, Dexterdude!
You're right, Val. I shouldn't freak myself out. My surgeon is excellent and if he thinks the fistula is low, then it most likely is. I really trust this guy, so I'll try not to fret. I'm so glad you have a surgeon who knows what he's doing too. I hope you are having a good day today.
NG - I hope your cicumcision gets scheduled very soon. The waiting is the worst. That just gives you more time to google! I watched my surgeries in the internet too. I watched on LIS and recently I watched a fistulotomy. My husband thinks I'm insane, but I just have to know how it's done! But really, we both have to stop that - I will if you will.
One of the reasons I really love my surgeon is that he loves to share knowledge. During my visit with him, he drew diagrams, gave a short scholarly lecture on anal anatomy and surgical procedures, and even gave the historical origins of medical terms - how cool is that? You're right NG (good memory!), this is the guy who didn't want to see me. I'm so glad I had that "hissy fit". That was the most productive anxiety attach I've every had! :D
I definitely understand why you'd be totally freaking right now. Of course "back to work in 2 days" is likely total BS - really! surgeons should have to get their own surgeries so that they have a clue! Two weeks sounds reasonable - I'll be waddling like a duck too, but for different reasons, obviously.
You're going to be fine too, NG! Of coures, I can't say that I had the exact same thing, ya know, because being female has deprived me of that opportunity! But you have very good judgement about how to deal with recovery. Just focus on achieving "usable status" (I like that term!). And soon the status will be upgraded to "operating beyond normal parameters"