Please help, found a small hole near my rectum, what is it?

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Amaze

Amaze

Joined
Jun 12, 2013
Messages
249
Location
New York, NY
I found a small hole near my anus. Is it a fissure, fistula, or an abscess? I cant tell the difference and which one do I have?

Why do I have this and how do I make it go away? i noticed it thursday and today I have a burning sensation down there. I spoke to my GI and he said surgery is going to fix that up but I have to wait till monday to schedule an appointment for tuesday with a rectal surgeon. My GI said surgery is the way to go but the surgeon will ultimately decide.

Im not afraid of surgery but Im SUPER AFRAID of these setons I been hearing about. I do not want a bag attached to me where I have to remove and see my insides. Sorry if im insensitive about it but the thought of it makes me want to pass out. Im having a panic attack from this. My college semester starts in less than 2 weeks now it looks like my college days are numbered.

are there any alternatives to surgery?

also, if surgery is my only solution does it have to be seton?

sorry for all the questions im just having like an anxiety attack.
 
Amaze,
Hi there. I am sorry that you are stressed out. First off a seton is NOT a bag. You are thinking of an ostomy - there are many people with these issues that do not have an ostomy. A seton is a drain basically like a thread that is run through a fistula to stop it from closing and causing an abscess.

You have a hole. Ok, is anything coming out of it? If so, what is coming out. Puss? Blood? Fecal matter? Are you passing gas through it? You really need to have it looked at before you know for sure what it is.

Do you have Crohn's?

Unless he has looked at it I think it is very premature for the GI to say that you need surgery... I mean really??? You can not diagnose that over the phone.

I would keep it clean - nice hot baths maybe with epsom salts in there.
 
Hello, good you had it looked at. It sounds like a fistula tract without seeing it. It is going to burn, and drain fluids. Somewhere up above that something wanted out of your body, whether an abscess or cyst. Your body creates these to get rid of the problem, and they have many ways to deal with them. The doc probably means that they want to help it drain, which is a doctor visit, you go home right after. If you have a larger infection going on, then the surgery is to remove that so you can heal. A seton holds it open so it can drain, if not it would heal up and seal the poisons in, making you very sick. A seton is basically a little strap that looks like a piercing. You don't have to have Crohn's or any other disease. Most of the time the anal glands are just plugged up and then they back up and get infected, this is then opened up and drained. It is mentioned in ancient Egypt, so this has been an issue since the beginning of time.
A healthy diet can help, but some people seem to get them, some don't. Put a little hot water in the tub and sit in it for about 10 minutes, multiple times a day. The heat and moisture will open up those glands and let them drain properly.
Follow the doctor's instructions and get checked for other issues pronto.
If it itches or burns, the hot bath will help. The doctor can give you suppositories to fix that problem also. Good luck.
 
Sailorluna said:
Amaze,
Hi there. I am sorry that you are stressed out. First off a seton is NOT a bag. You are thinking of an ostomy - there are many people with these issues that do not have an ostomy. A seton is a drain basically like a thread that is run through a fistula to stop it from closing and causing an abscess.

You have a hole. Ok, is anything coming out of it? If so, what is coming out. Puss? Blood? Fecal matter? Are you passing gas through it? You really need to have it looked at before you know for sure what it is.

Do you have Crohn's?

Unless he has looked at it I think it is very premature for the GI to say that you need surgery... I mean really??? You can not diagnose that over the phone.

I would keep it clean - nice hot baths maybe with epsom salts in there.
Click to expand...

Thank you for correcting me, that part is a HUGE relief. So this is a thread thats put into my body so it can stop an abscess. How long till the threads are removed?

I dont think anything is coming out of it but I dont know. But recently I been noticing a discharge substance in my boxers and when I wipe my bottom its like mucus. I also notice that my boxers smell foul from this

Yes, I do have Crohns.

I completely agree, my GI is a money hungry jackass. He has a huge attitude and I really hate visiting him because of this. I have gone to MULTIPLE other Gi professionals about my issues and none were ever helpful, if you can believe they all recommended me back to him! unbelievable.

I took a shower today and it burnt like hell. Do I really need to do this?
 
durwardian said:
Hello, good you had it looked at. It sounds like a fistula tract without seeing it. It is going to burn, and drain fluids. Somewhere up above that something wanted out of your body, whether an abscess or cyst. Your body creates these to get rid of the problem, and they have many ways to deal with them. The doc probably means that they want to help it drain, which is a doctor visit, you go home right after. If you have a larger infection going on, then the surgery is to remove that so you can heal. A seton holds it open so it can drain, if not it would heal up and seal the poisons in, making you very sick. A seton is basically a little strap that looks like a piercing. You don't have to have Crohn's or any other disease. Most of the time the anal glands are just plugged up and then they back up and get infected, this is then opened up and drained. It is mentioned in ancient Egypt, so this has been an issue since the beginning of time.
A healthy diet can help, but some people seem to get them, some don't. Put a little hot water in the tub and sit in it for about 10 minutes, multiple times a day. The heat and moisture will open up those glands and let them drain properly.
Follow the doctor's instructions and get checked for other issues pronto.
If it itches or burns, the hot bath will help. The doctor can give you suppositories to fix that problem also. Good luck.
Click to expand...


when you say a healthy diet can help... do you have a diet plan to recommend?

Funny thing, when I eat healthy and organic I get very sick with multiple bathroom trips. But when I eat unhealthy such as Burger King, KFC and Pizza I feel fine.
 
You may want to fold up some toilet paper and put it between your buttcheeks for a while (maybe while you sleep) and see what if anything is coming out.

It sounds like a fistula (does not mean it is) but a hole near your rectum that leaks is pretty standard fistula. I am on my phone or I would send you some links. The forum has a wiki though you could look at that or google it, there is a lot of info on the web.

Calmoseptine cream (I get it at Walgreens but the keep it behind the pharmacy counter) helps me with the skin issues from my fistula.
 
@sailorluna

my butt has been so moist every couple of hours I have to go to the bathroom to wipe and its full of possible mucus mixed with brown water like substance.

if I were going to put the toilet paper it most likely will become soaked , but if I did put the toilet paper what would I be looking for?

for the past couple of days I been taking Amoxicillin 500mg that was prescribed to me 2 months ago for a flu I caught. Is it stupid that im taking this without a doctors permission for my current situation?


Thanks, even though it doesnt mean its a fistula at least now I can research one topic with out jumping. Im going to order the cream online if its possible.
 
Hey, me again. To the diet. Everyone is different. Some are better with high fiber, but that makes me worse. A nutritionist, or an allergy doc, or livestrong.com advice. Just listen to your body and realize yesterdays food is todays intestines.
Don't take antibiotics without the doc's orders, and when you do, try to replace the good bacteria. Yogurts are so-so, probiotics are best.
What you want is as much drainage as possible, color and consistency are then reported to your doc. It is not unusual to get mucous, blood, tissue, puss or stool coming out of a tract.
 
My diet during these is fasting, plenty of water, and a can or two of Ensure every day. Most of my problems are food sensitivity related, and it gives it a break down below. Also helps to keep it clean, at times I use triple antibiotic cream to cut the sting
 
I took a pic of my behind today. I cant see in it because I didnt get a good enough pic but its a red circle with purple around it.

Not sure if its worth mentioning but the hole is below my anus.
 
Last edited:
when do you see the doc?

I use a pantyliner all the time and a folded makeup pad between my cheeks to absorb the drainage. I am a woman so it is easy for me but there are guys on here who talk about using them in their boxers.

If there is lots coming out you can use a foam wound covering or gauze to help absorb it. The drainage is tough on your skin and can cause a lot of discomfort.

Its not a great idea to self prescribe meds. Plus I dont think that targets the right area. Generally they will give you Cipro and Flagyl as antibiotics for fistula.
 
@SailorLuna and Durwardian

thank you guys for your responses, I feel more at ease than before.

It seems like a millions years till monday so I can call the surgeon and make that appointment for tuesday
 
I wanted to ask you guys since I probably wont see a surgeon till tuesday... since the hole is purple around it and has nothing coming out does that mean its infected and the infection is going to create a new hole which it can drain from?
 
It doesn't have to find a new tract. It could just be done and trying to heal. Red to purple is the usual color. If it stays painful and does not drain, it will need to be opened up for drainage. This is an outpatient visit to the surgeon's office, and usually quick. Leaving it untreated is not a good idea. Most colorectal surgeon's have an emergency or urgent care service to for those of us that need a quick drain. However, if you keep sitting in a few inches of hot water in the tub, multiple times a day, you may be able to get it to drain and open up without the surgeon. Just be persistent and keep it clean.
 
For me the biggest sign of infection is a fever. I have never been able to see mine so I am not sure about color.
 
I just came back from the surgeon and he said I have ulcers and 2 fistulas, he noted I probably have more fistulas. He said he doesn't want to do surgery since I have crohns and it will just come back. He said he will talk to my GI and I have to see my GI this thursday. He also mentioned putting in setons but he didn't elaborate
 
durwardian said:
Hey, me again. To the diet. Everyone is different. Some are better with high fiber, but that makes me worse. A nutritionist, or an allergy doc, or livestrong.com advice. Just listen to your body and realize yesterdays food is todays intestines.
Don't take antibiotics without the doc's orders, and when you do, try to replace the good bacteria. Yogurts are so-so, probiotics are best.
What you want is as much drainage as possible, color and consistency are then reported to your doc. It is not unusual to get mucous, blood, tissue, puss or stool coming out of a tract.
Click to expand...

when you say probiotics are best, what do you mean by this?

Im really concerned that maybe my 2 fistulas (or possibly more) are due to my poor diet. I spoke to two nutritionist and they both told me eat what ever doesn't bother which isn't much help. I know Im asking to much but do you have a list of good foods I can eat to maybe get these fistulas to disappear. My college semester starts in 7 days and im not psychically or mentally ready to go. This will be the 3rd semester I mis due to crohns related crap.
 
Hey quick question I just realized for months I have had this pressure on my right butt check when I sit down on it. It starts to hurt when I stay on it for long. Is this an abscess?

I never thought about, with crohns Iv learned to make pain pain feel normal.
 
Hubby had setons, then had his fistulas drained then finally had them removed( came back a year later) he currently has two fistulas he's been taking sit baths and that has helped him.
 
just came back from my GI.... he made me feel like I am soooo screwed. thanks doc :/

I go in for a colonoscopy this wed. He said we'll go from there.
 
Never is a good idea to drink in excess with Crohn's, some say at all. I personally think it is up to you to figure that out. Watch medication instructions, ask your pharmacist.
 
Just whatever you do - do not drink while taking flagyl. I understand it will cause horrible vomiting. It usually is written all over the bottle when they give you the meds. Also - at my pharmacy the pharmicist will make sure that you know before they will give it to you. It must be terrible for as much trouble as they go to making sure you are aware.
 
It is true, you don't need an abscess for a tract, it could just be a lesion that leaked and the fluid created an exit
 
Amaze, I stared eating healthy, and when i say healthy, I mean salads everyday, kale, flaxseed, hemp seeds, no processed food. Then all of a sudden I had all these butt problems which led to two abscesses and needing two setons. After the second seton, my surgeon suggested that I was too skinny and I stop with all the healthy crap (since this clearly wasnt working for me) and since then I have been eating junk like you said . Burger King, pizza, chips, any and all junk I could find. And I feel a whole lot better and I only have to use the bathroom one time a day and barely have any gas. Which is the opposite of when I was eati g healthy. This is just my experience but I thought if share since you mentioned it. I have also been taking a probiotic for about 2 months which seems to help too. I saw a naturopathic doctor and she suggested it and I have yet to find a negative review about it so its worth checking out... It's made by klaire labs and is call ther-biotic complete.
 
I just came home from my scope. The doctor couldnt find a good vein and they pricked me 4 times till they got one going. Adding insult to injury after the scope my GI didnt talk to me nor did anyone tell me what to do. I had it with the medical world. Now I'm home and clueless what to do. All I have is my scope report that says "Anal Fistulas, Sigmoid ulceration and inflammation, and Normal TI"

No medications were prescribed, No mention of when my next follow up should be, no nothing. I feel so helpless. Only some doctor I dont know said Im going to need suppositories
 
I'm so sorry the doctor did not go over what he found with you while at the hospital. You could put a call into his GI nurse and schedule the follow up but it seems with your last post he is wanting you to see a colorectal surgeon or surgery department.
 
Sigmoid is the last stretch of your intestine before it reaches the colon/rectal portion. It sounds like you have open sores that are then draining into the lower areas and finding a passage to the surface, thus fistulas. These pockets of leaking fluids need to be drained so they can heal. Usually they will also be trying to help with any lesions/ulcers that are still open and leaking bowel into those areas. The pressure in that section of your body is always positive, so things tend to be forced to the surface, following natural soft tissues as they go. This is the tunnel, or fistula that forms as the body tries to rid itself of the problem. The treatments are many, but usually medications and light surgeries to assist in this process are used. I have also had the surgeons seal areas. Then the suppositories have been medications and sometimes cortisone that helps to reduce swelling, pain, and keep the infection or other issues to a minimum. Surgeons are notoriously bad at communicating. None of it so far sounds like it will be anything that would require serious hospital time. Be very careful to stick to a good diet, and do take hot sit baths as often as you can. Right now you just don't want to aggravate the situation, healing and draining are number one.
Take care of yourself.
 
durwardian, thank you very much for the thorough response. I wish you can be my GI!

I will start taking the sitz bath tomorrow. Would luke warm water be fine enough? I was told it really doesnt matter if I include anything in the water but I think the doc who told me that is wrong
 
It can help to have an additive. Just mild and moderate. Increase the temp of the bath as you can, and more often, but 10 to 15 minutes at a time.
 
I've been doing sitz baths a out 4 times a day for the past 4 months and I've found that hot water pulls the most "stuff" out. Like sit in there for like 10 min then replenish the hit water works well. My surgeon told me plain water, but everyone is different. Sitz baths right after a BM helps alot.
 
I called my Gi and even though I couldnt speak to him directly I was prescribed Mesalamine 4gm/60 ML Enema. Can anyone shed some light on this?

I have great difficulty and fear putting anything in my arse.
 
It should help very quickly. Use as prescribed. Mesalamine helps restore tissue in addition to a few other great things. Praise the chemicals!
 
Mesalamine enema is a 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA). It works by preventing the production of substances that cause the inflammation of the colon.
 
Please read that for proper use, careful... it stains. You may want to use a barrier in your bed in case your fistula leaks
 
Hot sit baths, change the diet, exercises, cleaning regularly with colonics, and staying positive. The pain and suffering is the tough part. You have a good support network?
 
So you were given the mesalamine to help the swelling go down. The fistula will go away when it is done draining. If it closes too soon it will get swollen and irritated. The sit bath keeps it open and draining.
 
Surgery cleans the fistula tract so it can heal, and cleans out the pocket of stuff feeding it. So it is sometimes super helpful. But i have discovered that they can't always tell the source, so it could be filling up again. Be patient. If there is a leak in your intestines, you need to get that addressed as well. Eating right is most of that. And do what you can to not irritate it further with new leak spots.
 
If nothing else works, they can remove or cauterize damaged zones. Don't hesitate to get 2nd and third opinions before that point. See an allergy doctor as soon as you can, see an immunologist also.
 
Also, a nutritionist should be a great help. I always recommend bone broth daily if you can have that. It will thicken the walls and make it harder to spring a leak. :)
 
For now, eat very bland, avoid all spices, avoid foods that give you gas, loose stool, or hard stool. This is not the time for alcohol or trying strange supplements either. Be very aware of what you eat and drink, low acid content, no glutens, no additives, no sweeteners.
 
durwardian, thank you. I will take all your advice very seriously. I will also schedule an appointment for monday with my GI to see what our next step shall be.

I just had a BM and noticed a lot of rectal bleeding when I wiped my arse with toilet paper. I did not start the enema yet, I plan so around 11:30PM so that gives me nearly 3 hours to start the enema, im so nervous and a little scared to be honest.

I dont have a good support network to be honest with you
 
Look up the procedure for the enema. Main thing is to relax, don't force the fluids. Take the proper position and let it work.
 
Are there exams to determine if I am gluten intolerant?

Ill try to relax and take the proper position. Im in my early 20's, real early. Im getting scared just thinking about giving myself an enema. I hardly let docs do rectal exams because it hurts. *sigh
 
I'm not sure if I am doing it right but it took me forever to get like 75 percent of the bottle used up. When I stood up I seen some drip so Im assuming I was doing it wrong?

When I went to the toilet after a few minutes of tossing the rest of the bottle I went to the toilet and released gas along with the medicine. It still feels like there is some in there as my tummy feels weird. If I went to the toilet and I released the medicine does that mean Im doing it right?

I just want to make sure Im doing it right
 
Yes, sounds fine. That much in is great. Yes to it coming back out. Like fill, hold, expel. And a bit of dribble is great. I end with a towel doing bleach mop most of the time. Finally moved to the tub, easier clean up.
 
Horrible illness, put a towel where you sit or lay. It will still dribble, and come thru that fistula if it is an open path. No way to stop that, just be aware in case :) Great job
 
The emptier the bowels, and more relaxed you are, the easier it works. So with time you can spend a little more time reclining and leaving the medicine in place. I sure wish you had somebody there to hold your hand through the beginning of all of this. Cyber hug
 
i still feel a burning sensation down there. I woke up and my butt feels moist.

Today I'm going to do it in the tub. You are right, the clean up is crazy.

How long does it take you to get the entire medication into place?
 
You may never get the whole treatment in. It is a general amount, made for average sizes and it could be you don't have space until the swelling goes down.
 
I was getting flustered last night when I couldn't finish the bottle but now I'm glad to know its not my fault.

For some reason it took me nearly an hour to get the 75percent in. Does it usually take this long? if not what is the average time for doing so? of course I stopped and took breaks because I wasn't sure what the heck I was doing
 
wow...10 minutes sounds like a great number to me. Im not sure why it took me so long last night. Im just assuming its very inflamed in there
 
Today was much easier. It took me nearly 5 mins to get the medication in. I think I was having difficulty yesterday because I didn't shake the bottle
 
I took enemas for 3 days straight and my sides and penis was hurting. I took a day off from it yesterday and I spoke to my GI today and he told me to take it every other day and that I should start it up today. I took a BM before a enema and my poop was solid and half covered in red, when I wiped I was just wiping blood from my butt instead of poop. I didnt take the enema because of the blood. Did I do the right thing in taking it today? any suggestions?
 
Let that calm down and drain a bit. Perfect time for a sit bath, it appears the abscess may have opened. Watch to be sure it doesn't keep bleeding, ER if it does
 

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