WOW, JUST FOUND OUT I HAD AN ABCESS AND FISTULA AND HAD SURG

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WOW, JUST FOUND OUT I HAD AN ABCESS AND FISTULA AND HAD SURG

Postby adam » 05 Jul 2011, 11:20

So I'm just walking to my car downtown after having a fistula surgery done and removed an abcess lump that was causing puss discharge. My crs (looked 60 years old and in a great mood and just a great person overall) took a 2 minute look at it to find that out and said he'd do surgery on me right away if I wanted, I obviously agreed.
He used an instrument to look inside me to see where he had to work on. This instrument is maybe the thickness of a sewing needle, he remarkably makes these instruments himself! It felt thinner than a needle in there!
He then gave me four needles to freeze the area, 3 outside, 1 inside and he did his magic, I still felt it all a bit but not enough to ask for more freeze.
It was all done in about 10-15 minutes (probably less it was scary and painful) and I sat down for 5 minutes, then went to the washroom to see if i was bleeding bad, I wasn't, and now I'm getting in my car.
I'm a bit painful but it's bearable knowing it's done - please be over!! And i hope the pain doesn't get worse.
I'm now instructed to clean it in the shower twice a day with soap, i have to stick my finger in my bottom a bit to stretch the skin to open it to clean it and rinse it, if it still gives me pain, i did not clean it well enough probably by not stretching it enough, and need to do it again until it doesn't hurt. I then have to dry it with a blowdryer on cold, and once it's bone dry, put corn starch on it to make it dry completely.
I was directed to take at least 3 days off work, but i'm taking the whole month off because I need to eat too much at work to do my work. My follow up is in 3 weeks I hope I do a great job of keeping it clean.
I still have to keep my bm's soft, but I will add more protein to my diet because I've already lost 20 lbs in two weeks (1.4 stones for my Brits) and am losing major swag.
Anyone had this surgery recently? Care to comment on mine? Thankkksss
P.s. Thanks to Dawn for getting it in my head to see the crs
It should be healed in a month
Last edited by adam on 05 Jul 2011, 14:37, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: WOW, JUST FOUND OUT I HAD AN ABCESS AND FISTULA AND HAD SURG

Postby Deleted User 579 » 05 Jul 2011, 12:43

OMG, Adam!!! You are seriously courageous and strong to have that surgery with only a local! Wow! I had my LIS done with only a local and I'm still getting over the trauma. Your surgeon sounds truly gifted. May I ask where you had the surgery done?
As you probably know, I developed an infection and a small fistula at the incision site of my LIS and had fistula surgery last week. The first week was a bit rough, painwise, so I really recommend that you take the painkillers if you need them. As long as you take a good stool softener, the painkillers won't cause constipation. You'll probably want somthing for when the local wears off. My CRS told me to try to stretch the area too, but not to stick my finger in there. I'm supposed to take lots of baths. I'm so impressed that you took those needles in the butt! Hats off to you!
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Re: WOW, JUST FOUND OUT I HAD AN ABCESS AND FISTULA AND HAD SURG

Postby Guest » 05 Jul 2011, 14:19

Wow Adam,
Guess we know what the lump was now. Please be very careful with your diet and as Hope said, take the pain meds and softeners. I would take the baths as hopetoheal does and forget the showers tomorrow, but that's just me. I'm not a doctor,Lol.
I'm happy you got this taken care of but holy cow- in the office!!
Please take care of yourself! We're here for you. Hopetoheal has been exactly where you are...
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Re: WOW, JUST FOUND OUT I HAD AN ABCESS AND FISTULA AND HAD SURG

Postby Guest » 05 Jul 2011, 14:21

ps...
Adam I lost 50 lbs with my fissure starving basically for 8 months. Eat all the safe food while it's healing. Believe me the weight will come back on... I'm living proof :roll:
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Re: WOW, JUST FOUND OUT I HAD AN ABCESS AND FISTULA AND HAD SURG

Postby adam » 05 Jul 2011, 15:02

Hope to heal:
Thanks :) . I'm also in ontario, namely toronto, and i went downtown to Rudd endoscopy clinic. It wasn't really an office to me because they had rooms just like hospitals do, and even had special equipment in every room and specialty power chairs to easily inspect and work on the bottom.
Unfortunately i wasn't given any pain meds, maybe he has faith in me it won't hurt considering that maybe my fistula was small, and also that i didn't have any other complications there. My bm's lately have been feeling better but could this new wound make them feel worse??
Hopetoheal, please tell me in detail how your first bm was, and how bad were the next couple? And how are they now? I am feeling zero pain right now and feel like whatever was there is gone. Is the pain after the bm or during the bm the most painful?
I'm scared i won't be able to keep this wound clean though, i have no one to help, but i will use a mirror and try my best to make sure. Hopetoheal did you need or get any help from anyone to clean it?
Dawn, thanks again for being the encouragement i needed to go. If it wasn't for that, I would have never gone until it got worse, and who knows what trouble i would've been in.
So yeah i'm a bit afraid that without meds, the pain will make me moan and scream, but i am also afraid of the constipation moreso, i refuse to take stool softeners right now because my bm's have been feeling slightly better everyday, and from the first day of bm pain, it's like night and day.
I will take a shower tomorrow morning after my bm just to clean it well (i hope it won't be too painful to), and right after i'll have a long bath too.
Just a question for those who use stool softeners: how long does it take your stools to exit completey from when they first stick themselves out into air? Mine have been taking minutes, as i don't push at all.
Dawn, wow, 50 lbs is alot. I was thinking women had it easy because it's a good thing to lose 10-20 lbs, but 50 is so much, you must have dealt with a lot of "you lost a lot of weight, what happened, are you okay"... I got enough of that from anyone who hasn't seen me in a month. I'm glad you're getting back to normal and hope that i can as well
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Re: WOW, JUST FOUND OUT I HAD AN ABCESS AND FISTULA AND HAD SURG

Postby adam » 05 Jul 2011, 15:06

P.s.: during the surgery, anything the nurses or doctor tried to have a conversation with me about to distract me from the pain only made it worse. The sound of the machines beeping, the tones, everything made it worse. Anything i thought of made it worse.
But the one thing i pictured in my head was the backround and messages of this forum, and it opened the idea in my head that you are all here with me, dealing with the same thing, and we're here to help eachother ( some more than others Image and it all literally took my pain away for a couple moments during the toughest part. It made a world of difference. As corny as it sounds, it's 100% true.
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Re: WOW, JUST FOUND OUT I HAD AN ABCESS AND FISTULA AND HAD SURG

Postby Deleted User 579 » 05 Jul 2011, 15:43

Wow, Adam! All I can say is Image
I had my LIS done at the Rudd Clinic and had an absolutely horrible experience. My surgeon was impatient and grumpy. I got three needles right inside the anus with no warning and when he started burning off skin tags before I was completely numb, he yelled at me because I was yelling! I’m so, so glad you’re experience was better than mine! Did you have Dr. Rudd himself?
Ok, as to your questions: The first BM didn’t hurt very much after the LIS and the fistulotomy. In fact, after the fistulotomy, it was a relief, because the packing came out. Also, they were very loose, so there wasn’t really any pain. The next BMs were more formed, and hurt a little bit more – I winced, but didn’t scream. For the first one, it was mostly anxiety rather than pain that made it unpleasant. It’s hard to relax and have a good poop when you’re scared! By day three post-op (both surgeries), the BMs were no big deal – I could feel a little bit of discomfort at the fissure/incision sites, but nothing that made me scream. The trick is to make sure they come out smoothly. Take deep breaths from your lower abdomen and don’t push – like yoga breathing.
I sometimes had some trouble when the stool would take a while to come out, so I keep paper plates in my bathroom and when things go too slowly, I squat and poop on a paper plate with some toilet paper on it. The stool and TP then get dumped in the toilet and the paper plate goes into a plastic bag. Sounds a bit gross, but the squatting position does help with those slower BMs (it is the natural pooping position, after all!). Just remember to breathe deeply!
It does seem impossible to keep the wound clean, but it actually isn’t too difficult. I soak 3-ply TP in warm water and dab my butt clean. A magnifying mirror comes in handy too. I use that with wet TP to dap away the little bits that I miss when I first wipe (very gently!). Stretching the wound will hurt a bit at first, so go carefully. I was told not to soak in a tub after my LIS, and just to shower. I ended up developing an infection at the incision site. My new CRS wants me to sit in a bath after every BM and even more to stay clean. So I take a bath about three times a day. I don’t stay in the tub a long time. Just long enough to feel clean. I spread my butt cheeks to make sure the water gets where it’s supposed to go. You can also shower after your bath to get rid of anything else that’s there. The shower won’t hurt – if the water is warm, it may even feel good.
After a bath, I carefully inspect the butt with my mirror again and then dry off with a clean tissue and let my butt air dry. I’m one day over a week op-fistulotomy and I’m able to gently spread the incision a bit and use a square of wet TP to gently dab the incision area and it doesn’t hurt very much – it’s just tender. I make sure the TP is very wet, because I don’t want to actually mechanically rub the area. And definitely make sure to dry the butt after each cleaning. (Don’t poke there too much though – you don’t want to cause an infection by handling the wound too much.)
I didn’t really need the Percocet I got after the second day post-LIS, but I was sure glad I had them after my fistulotomy! Your stools might change for a few days as a result of the surgery. In my case they got a bit watery, so painkillers weren’t a problem as far as constipation goes. I have used extra-strength Robaxecet and Ibuprofen for pain management when I’m not using the narcotics.
I hope some of this helps you. I am so happy that your experience at the Rudd went so well! I’m happy to know that they actually have compassionate people there.
Ps. I know what you mean about the comfort the people this forum give, even during surgery. I don’t know how I would have coped without the people here!
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Re: WOW, JUST FOUND OUT I HAD AN ABCESS AND FISTULA AND HAD SURG

Postby Guest » 05 Jul 2011, 16:29

Adam,
I forgot to ask, did he see your fissure and did he just do the surgery for the fistula or did he do LIS too?
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Re: WOW, JUST FOUND OUT I HAD AN ABCESS AND FISTULA AND HAD SURG

Postby adam » 05 Jul 2011, 17:03

Hopetoheal, thanks so much for all your information. I was reading your other posts ans dexterdudes and got a bit worried. But just reading your last post in this thread just gave me a sigh of relief. I wish I could give you a big hug right now for that :)
Also hopetoheal, which Rudd clinic did you visit? I believe there's 3 at least in Ontario. One downtown Toronto (the one I went to), one in Mississauga, and one somewhere else I think, but can't remember for sure. Yes, I did see Dr. Rudd himself! Such a pleasant man. He truly loves what he does, considering he even makes his own tools!!!
I'm really sorry you had to deal with a Dr. in a bad mood though. Dr. Rudd almost got mad at me when he began his inspection because I held my breathe to deal with the pain, so I then breathed properly out loud the whole time. Dr. Rudd then told me "You understand why I don't like it when people don't breathe, right?", and I took a huge breathe and exhaled a "Yes" lol... I think your doctor must have had a bad couple patients that day or week, causing his frustration, possible he had to revive someone who held their breathe for too long, and realized you're strong and atleast yelled for your pain and not passed out. But I'm sure the doctor was not proud of that moment.
Dawn, remember I said the secretary told me the appointment was only 15 minutes? Well as soon as the doctor walked in the room he started asking me questions of my symptoms and nothing else. I told him everything that happened and what might of caused it to happen. I didn't even have the chance to say what i thought it might be. He just wanted to look for himself. He said what I thought caused it didn't even start the fistula, and that the fistula looked like it was there for a long while!! So sooner or later it would've poised a problem for me! My stools have always been held in atleast once a week for 6-8 hours because i never went to the toilet at work (disgusting port-a-potties). Sometimes maybe 2 or 3 days a month after my usual hard huge bm's after work there would be tiny tiny blood for one wipe's worth. I was worried about it but just thought it was from smoking
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Re: WOW, JUST FOUND OUT I HAD AN ABCESS AND FISTULA AND HAD SURG

Postby Guest » 05 Jul 2011, 17:16

I wish I knew what he thinks caused the fistula,if there is no fissure. The tiny bit of blood now and then sounds like you could have had a tiny fissure. I know the first time that I saw blood with mine, it was kind of painless for a few weeks. I wonder if you had a fissure that healed and this happened?!
Anyway, did I read you have no RX for pain meds?
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