by hikergirl » 22 Jan 2012, 20:12
Wow! Am I glad I found this group! I'm going to just jump right in... On my 40th birthday (whoo hoo! Demerol instead of birthday cake!) I had emergency incision & drainage of what my pcp had said a week before was a "thrombosed hemorrhoid." He was so wrong - the ER surgeon said I had an abscess and took out "about 2 cups" of fluid (pus). I'm lucky to be alive me thinks - my body did a very good job of containing that fluid. My heart rate when I got to the ER was 155 bpm. They put me in an isolation room and went to work, sans anesthesia, at the time I didn't care, the relief was phenomenal. The abscess was packed and I went home to heal. At my two week check up the "rear admiral" (surgeon humor) gave me a 50/50 chance of getting a fistula. I healed and forgot about it until a year and a half later when I had what I referred to my doctor as a "significant change" in my health related to my bottom. I had a painful thing that felt like a short piece of cord right under my I&D scar. My surgeon had me in surgery within two days and I had a fistulectomy. Not complicated nor deep, no seton or disturbance of my rectum, thank God. Healing commenced. It's been 10 years and I'm ok. My energy level isn't the same but I haven't had to stop any activities I love, or miss any work. I do worry about the scar and whether my body is fighting it like an infection but my doc says I'm fine and gives me Calmoseptine, an external ointment, but I don't know why - my external skin is healthy and intact. My scar feels crampy and sting-y, my doc has referred me to another surgeon who can give me botox injections but I'm chicken. I'm thinking I should leave well enough alone - I don't want anymore surgery if I can help it in that area of my body. How does anyone/everyone, 10 plus years post fistulectomy, feel? Thank you! :)