Diamond

So happy for u abt ur progress n so glad abt ur packing. I am very sorry to hear abt ur nitrate application hope u will be done with it soon. I am guessing u already started working. Don't stress urself we will get thr. Take care and eat lot fiber

Take care
Kathy

hey diamond
hope you doing ok

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't been online in a while.. just been busy with life and work again and things have been quite hectic.

I'm actually still healing - but given the size of my wound I'm not too surprised. I believe it's been 11 weeks post-surgery. I'm almost all healed up.. I have a tiny amount of discharge on the gauze that I have to tuck in but it's not an infection or anything like that - just wound exudate. The wound is at least half the size it previously was. I had a follow up yesterday and they said everything looks great. I'm still nervous that the LIFT may still fail, but I'm probably worrying for no reason at this point? I have been asked to have 3 more applications of silver nitrate. The challenge is that I'm travelling continents away next week - and I'll have to bring saline and gauze just in case. I've also been asked to pack antibiotics just in case something doesn't feel right. I have to see the doctor again in 4 weeks - fingers crossed everything is healed up by then. Things are almost back to normal at this point.. some days I feel rather sore but I guess that's to be expected given that there is still an open wound. It's wonderful to be able to go without worrying about drainage etc staining clothes or underwear, and not having to wear a pad.

Hoping I'll be all healed up for Christmas - I guess I will owe my surgeon's office a huge Christmas basket of goodies :)

Thanks for the update Diamond. Was wondering how you were...... Glad to hear you are healing up nicely!!!

Have a good trip!!

OMB x

Hi Diamond,
It's great to read your update.....You sound like you are doing brilliantly considering your history with the Fistulae!
Once the open wound heals, hopefully life will become a lot less uncomfortable again and yes, pretty much normal!....Ah, I so remember your first post a few months back when you were feeling so fed up that everything was so abnormal for you & now it really looks like things are coming together for you at last! That's truly great.
Yes, given the extent of your surgery, it's going to take a while longer to recover unlike someone with just a simple case, but you sound so much happier these days & you are so much more positive about it all too...You're absolutely right - no point worrying about tomorrow - just take each day as it comes........
I'm sure your trip will be OK. You will probably just need those bits & bobs as precautionary measures but hopefully, you can leave them in the bottom of your suitcase!!!
I'm sure you will be healed up for Christmas this year too if you continue to heal as well as you are!
Have a great trip (work or vacation?) & wishing you nothing but the best in your continuing recovery......Please update when you get back & good to hear from you again.

Thank you all for your kind words!

I definitely do feel so much better - yes, I still have to stick gauze there but it's really nothing compared to having setons and not knowing what surgery is next! The drainage is really just wound exudate and very minimal...which I am SO thankful for.

ETO - My trip is to visit family - I'm a little nervous as I won't have my sitz bath or my handheld shower.. but I'm bringing along lots of gauze, some saline squirt bottles and baby wipes so somehow I'm sure I will make do :) I did have to go on a work trip a few weeks ago for 4 days and it went okay. The wound was also slightly bigger then so hoping this time will be okay. I did soak in the hotel tub then but found it really didn't do much for me - my sitz bath is SO much better.

I will definitely update you all once I'm back - I see my doc during the last week in Nov and really hope that it'll all be closed up by then.. fingers crossed!

I am now almost 4 months post my last surgery. I am almost fully healed but not quite there - my last trip was good. I survived without the sitz bath and handheld shower! The gauze, saline bottles and baby wipes worked wonders! And I actually felt "normal" most of the time aside from the small fact of having gauze tucked up there. No fevers or infections so didn't have to take any meds. From what I understand the wound now looks like a scratch - probably about 0.2cm by 2cm maybe? I can't bring myself to look at it - but it's pretty much on the surface and just needs to form those final layers of healthy tissue and skin to close up but seems to want to take it's sweet time getting to that point!

I still have the silver nitrate applications scheduled - I had to miss about a week as my nurse was off sick and I couldn't trust anyone else to do it. I went to see my doc today for a follow up and she keeps saying it "looks great" - I try to believe her :) She did a major application of the silver nitrate today - I wanted to kick her and scream.. but tried to grin and bear it .. it was really hard to take the pain but she muttered something about "this should do it" - so I'm hoping her getting right in there with the damn caustic stick will work wonders. I do have a nurse coming again next week. I can't wait to hear either the doc or the nurse say "I can't find it"!

I booked a beach vacation over the holidays since it's been a rough year and all I need and want is some R&R and a break from reality even if it's only for a few days! I'm not nervous about travelling this time even though I know I'll need to bring a few supplies most likely. Then again I've heard these wounds can suddenly heal over within days so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this may still happen. I find I can go without the gauze tucked in and I sometimes do that at night to get back to being "normal" - but just in case, I like to keep it tucked in while I am out and about. It's been a LONG 4+ years of dealing with this nightmare so it feels great to be almost healed. I still sometimes wonder WHY this happened to me (as I'm sure you all do!) but I've become a "better" person this year - I find I appreciate a lot more in my life.. I don't take things as for granted as I'm sure I used to.. I am more positive that anything in life can be fixed with patience and lots of effort.

Hope you are all well! To all the newbies out there - feel free to msg me if you have any questions!

Sweet! Hope it all comes to an end soon!

Carmona - I do hope to so too :)

So today - I threw out all the dressing trays, old pot I was using to boil forceps, forceps for packing, etc - Who knows maybe I will have another surgery in my future and will need all of the above again. All these things have been sitting on an ottoman in our bedroom for over a year now.. and looking at them was depressing. As I was cleaning up topday I decided to throw them all out with the positive hope that I won't be needing them ever again! I still have the gauze, wipes and silver nitrate sticks ... hopefully I'll be ready to retire those soon as well - let's see :)

Just wanted to provide you all with an update before 2014 is upon us :)
I had a nurse visit today - first one in about 2 weeks.. so technically I am still healing. The wound has decreased further and is now 1.0cm x 0.4cm (I think she had measured it wrong last time). So it's technically a tiny raw surface scratch? But at the end of the day it's still an open wound. I assume it would have been closer to healed up if I'd had the silver nitrate applications over the past 2 weeks .. but between my trip and the holidays it wasn't possible. I will be seeing my doc in about 10 days - I may delay that checkup based on the progress this wound makes as when I see her she'll have nothing new to say if this wound is still open. I'm getting a little frustrated that it's still an open wound and it's been almost 5 months post-surgery now - but have to remind myself how far I've come. And overall, I'm almost back to normal - back to working out and even activities in the bedroom have resumed some what!

I wish you all happy healing - if anyone ever has any questions about fistulotomies, setons or the LIFT technique please reach out to me - I'm happy to help. Thank you all for your support over this long ordeal!

Happy New Year - hope 2014 is going to be a good year for everyone!