Just a quick question..

[jennyr]

Hi all, just a quick question about diagnosing Perianal abscesses. I have all the symptoms, and have been in ever-increasing pain for the last couple weeks. I went to the ER last night, and the doctor gave me a quick rectal examination, and said she couldn't feel any obvious abscesses, fissures or hemorrhoids, so she gave me some painkillers and sent me on my way.
Is this exam usually sufficient to find the problem? I'm still in pain, I have an appointment with a colorectal surgeon, but that's a week away. Any advice would be most welcome.
Thanks,
Jenny.

 

[GothamGirl]

Hi Jenny, Sorry to hear you are in so much pain...Is an abscess the same as a stricture? If so, I just went through the exact same thing. I could not go to the bathroom at all (despite the pain and pressure to go). I saw a rectal surgeon and he performed surgery (strictureplasty) and cut away a bunch of scar tissue as well. This was 2 weeks ago and I am doing so much better. No more pain and I can go to the bathroom with no problems now.

Hope this helps. Feel better

 

[CDDad]

More info please...What do you see down there? And what do you feel? Abscesses are usually formed from clogged fistulas. Mine was a painful, tender lump near the anus. I could feel the lump and any pressure on it hurt. A stricture is a narrowing - can be caused by excessive inflamation cauing scaring.

Was the ER doc a Colorectal surgeon? If not, you may want to visit one at his/her office. They will know exactly what to look for.

 

[jennyr]

Thanks for the replies. There's nothing visible from the outside that I can see. There's a severe, constant pain in my rectum, which radiates up to my lower back and through the whole genital area. I'm running a low grade temperature. I've had several bouts of this before, it seems to follow the pattern of ever-increasing pain and difficulty going to the toilet, until I have a particularly painful BM which results in a toilet bowl full of blood. Things then settle for a week or so before ramping up again. I had a colonoscopy last December, during a time when I had no symptoms, and they found granulation tissue in the rectum.
The ER doc wasn't a specialist, I have an appointment with a colorectal surgeon on Thursday.
I'm really new to all this stuff, so any advice is very welcome.

 

[roundtuit]

Hey Jennyr....
Just my experience.
I have had 3 perianal abcesses that needed surgical drainage. Discharge of various colors, blood, and discomfort were the constants for me.
The only one I could actually see was a double, one inside the other, the largest the size of a softball and it looked like a great big bruise right in the middle of my left bun...no where near my rectum. My lady bits were actually swollen shut. The first surgeon I saw said it was scar tissue and I ended up very ill by the time I had emergency surgery.
Danger signals are fever, vomiting, and feeling really ill.... and you should head directly to the ER if you start feeling any of those before you get see your surgeon...so your Dr needs to know you are running a fever...especially if he already knows you have an abcess. Abcesses can become septic very quickly. I did not get care soon enough for that one ( even though I was on a strong antibiotic) and I ended up very ill. I would at the very least call the surgeon and let him know you are running a fever.
Hope that helps and I hope you are feeling better real soon.