Fistula in sigmoid colon

[bigtruck]

Where do I start, well basically I have a history of Crohn's disease and fistulas, at the min I have a colostomy which has sunken meaning that 80% of my faeces is passed via my rectum. The fistula that is in my sigmoid connects to the skin on my groin has closed after 3 months of 6mp and has stayed closed now for 2weeks, my crp for the first time since the colostomy is remaining in single figures, previously it kept fluctuating, so at the min everything is pretty good except for having a "bag" now here is my question, my surgeon can't operate on my sigmoid as its all so badly scarred so the 6mp is my only hope, he doesn't want to close the colostomy as to do so he will have to open the midline again and he reckons at the min it's keeping pressure of the fistula, as you can imagine I feel very cheated as I am still dealing with a bag yet having normal bowel motions, for every full bowel motion I pass rectally I would have a tablespoon in the bag, my surgeon hopes where the loop of bowel is sutured to my abdominal wall will stretch further causing my colostomy to heal over without the need for surgery and enabling it to be re opened fairly easily if the occasion arises, has anyone ever heard of this happening? Sorry for such a long boring story but I am just struggling a bit with it all at the min. Also has anyone had success with 6mp closing fistulas. If you've got this far thanks for reading and any thoughts on any of this would be most welcome.

 

[2thFairy]

I'm not going to be any help here at all, but I am still amazed after all of this time that the doctors are leaving your stoma alone and letting it close up on its own. I truly hope they are right about what they are doing, because that just all sounds so bizarre.... like an internal leak waiting to happen.

 

[bigtruck]

It's impossible for it to leak the way it's stitched to the abdominal wall. Or so they say!

 

[annawato]

sorry Bigtruck, I'm no help either but like 2thy I think it sounds bizarre that they are leaving the stoma there hoping it will close over itself. I mean its a real bother having a stoma - you at least want it to be doing the job its meant to. Has the surgeon given you a time frame for when this might happen? If its not a long time then its probably worth hanging in there and saving having surgery. Also I was wondering what scarring would be occuring as it healed and if this would create future problems - I guess the surgeon thinks it owuld be less than surgically closing the stoma. Good luck with it all and my commiserations that you get the worst of both worlds!