Healing abscess - PUS???

[BoyMama2000]

Hi Everyone,

After 4 surgeries for a perianal abscess, the penrose drain finally worked. It was removed about 6 weeks ago and I packed it per directions from a wound care nurse that I work with. All along there is occasional pus. It is almost healed now and I was concerned because of this. I had the wound care nurse I work with look at him today. She said it looked like it was almost healed but could express a little pus when pushing around the wound. After a bit was expressed, she couldn't express any more.

She told me to pack it with iodosorb gel and then mepolex. I was using a ribbon dressing that she feels is not able to stay in the small wound. She hopes it will stop with this but also suggested a CT scan to make sure there are no pockets of infection still in there. He is no pain with palpation. They feel the fistula healed a long time ago and the drainage is very minimal and not continuous. She said usually with a fistula you can continue to get pus with pushing.

I was wondering if anyone had some pus in their wound as it healed from drainage once the fistula was healed. Can this happen because it is an open area in a nasty area?

Also, has anyone had CT scans done as they heal to make sure it is truly healing from the inside out?

Thanks.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

Are they prescribing antibiotics to try to destroy any residual infection before it closes up?

 

[BoyMama2000]

He was on them for a long time. He has been off for about 5 weeks. He was on them for 2.5 months throughout all 4 surgeries to drain this and for about 6 weeks after the final drainage. There is no apparent cellulits, pain with palpation or other signs of infection in or around the wound except this small amount of pus. We are hoping it is just a mild infection that is superficial and due to the fact that he has been open for so long so close to his anus. If so, she recommends I press around the opening to get any pus out, apply the iodine gel and cover it with a wound dressing a few times a day.

I just hope and pray this does it and that there is no underlying layer of infection that will turn into another abscess once it fully heals. This all began in late January. He missed about 4 weeks of school, had one simple drainage, 1 seton placement with drainage but the abscess filled again since the fistula was no longer causing the abscess and healed. His next surgery was done after he became setic. He was admitted with IV antibiotics, drained and packed and given a sigmoidoscopy revealing normal tissue in the anus and sigmoid colon. Then he had a penrose drain placed that finally gave him relief and did the trick. It was large and we tried to manage it well upon removal but the healing time is longer than we thought and now I am so concerned the pus is a sign of something that may send us back to the OR.

I am not sure my 15 year old can handle much more!

 

[nogutsnoglory]

I feel your pain I keep going for surgeries over my abscess and its only been a matter of weeks since it was discovered. It's awful and I have been on antibiotics for so long. I hope this will be the end of your kids abscess problems.