Fistula... Abscess and voids?

[Dazzafarr]

Hello,
I recently got diagnosed with a fistula, abcess and a void.
I have no idea what to expect.
I havent spoken to the specialist yet but after reading the MRI
Report, it says the fistula is 4.2cm and is connected to a void and abcess....
Is this bad?
I have had problems for 4 years but doctors kept saying it was in my head....
What should I exspect?

 

[Grumbletum]

Hey there. Sorry to hear you're having these problems :-( I had an internal fistula and abscess, but hadn't heard about the void part. I looked it up and it seems to be a cavity or space caused by the abscess, which is surrounded by inflamed tissue and can contain pus or air.
The abscess is the first thing they will want to tackle. They often do it with strong antibiotics or you might need surgery to drain it. When are you seeing your GI?

 

[Dazzafarr]

At GI office now. The infected abcess is getting worse.
Hoping they can help the problem a little.
Keeps me up at night by either - urinating or urge to urinate, heart beat and chest pain from the infection. My jewls have felt like its been dying for 4 years.
Hope I get somewhere with this

 

[stretch]

Hello
Fistulas abcesses are painful and can be very difficult to eradicate and heal, but you must stay positive. I had a very complex fistula for 7 years after quite a few EUA's MRI's and seton drains it healed up and I have been fistula free for over two years.

My experience of it and how it healed could be luck, but I put it down to:

1) Always take your medication no matter how well you feel.
2) Your disease needs to be in remission to stand any chance of it healing
3) IMHO it will not heal without a seton drain in place. ( I had three of them,
a loop of string or rubber through your fistula to always keep it draining therefore not allowing a build up of pus and muck, therefore keeping infection and inflamation at bay and then it may heal. draining blood is a good sign as it means its clean.
4) Listen to your doctor/ consultant. I was under a prof of colorectal surgery
he said be patient and it might heal. Now 7 years is a long time but it went
in the end, you will soon find a routine of coping with it and after a while
you get used to living with a fistula.

 

[Kelly2]

I agree with stretch. If I were in your shoes, I would talk to your doctor about having a seton stitch put in. It is just a little rubber band that they thread through the fistula to keep it draining, so it avoids filling up inside you causing an abscess. Once the inflammation is gone, it wont drain anymore, and you can have it taken out.

 

[Grumbletum]

Is it an internal fistula you have Dazz? I had one from my bowel to my bladder, with an abscess on the bladder and had a lot of problems with infections, urgency and gas in my urine. It took a while, but I was lucky enough to have them heal on a combination of Pred, Azathioprine and antibiotics, then a short course of Infliximab ( Remcaid ). Otherwise I would have had to have surgery to remove the part of the bowel where the fistula originated.
Let us know what the GI says.

 

[Dazzafarr]

Sadly I was informed from a offside doctor instead of the real doctor.
The lady had no idea... I corrected her as to where the fistula is from us reading the MRI.
I have an appointment with a GI on the 1st so hopefully he can help a little more.
Finding it hard to deal with ATM, finance, work, girlfriend.
All of the above put pressure on me which is bad enough web you're sick.
Found out I have some bacteria in my body too...
It's in the family of ecoli and salmonella.
Trying to get rid of all these things all at once is very difficult.
Harder to prioritize as they all suck atm