Hello. I am new here but have read a ton regarding Chron's. My story is pretty much maybe the norm or I am just weird.
First off, this month marks three years since my first peri anal abscess. Since I have had a total of 6 peri anal abscesses. The first time I had it 3 weeks after a colonoscopy to try and figure out why I lost 30 lbs in a 3 months span without trying....Currently still underweight.
I thought my first abscess was a hemmoroid. Not..cut & drain put on antibiotics. 8 months later another one, antibotics come back in 48hrs for a cut & drain, only I did not last that long it ruptured at home within 24hrs. Called the ER nurse, she said follow up with your PCP, PCP said looks like it drained all good.
Then I just started getting them out of the blue, but I knew what they were and in all honesty the cut & drain was to painful, so I would let them rupture at home. I did have them in the EXACT same spot everytime. When I went for a follow up to my GI dr. & I told him about the abscess which was very visible on CT scan & just examing the area all he said, was your on your own sorry can't help you there. Of course me being naive I believed him, that no one could stop them from appearing, so I would just let them rupture everytime I got one.
Well in Feb 2011 I went back to my regular PCP & asked for a GI referral to try & determine why I was getting them & could it possibly be a GI issue. The GI office calls and tells me they can't help me, it is not a GI issue sorry. I went back to my doctor because it was becoming very painful in the area. My PCP finally sent me to a general surgeon who said, you have a fistula, why have you waited so long for your abscess to turn into a fistula. :voodoo:
Short story, she cut & drained, it was back in 3 weeks, then she did a fistulatomy. I had nurse care for the wound for 3 weeks every day. Went back & there it was again. Nothing had changed..:stinks:
She tells me it is out of her expertise & passes me off to a corectal surgeon. He is a blessing...He sends me for another colonoscopy & ct scan, MRI. I was negative for chron's, but the fistula is very deep in the muscle he is very conservative to cut. He did however put in a seton (3 weeks ago tomorrow).
He did not tell my husband anything about tightening it or anything just keep it clean & we will follow up in three weeks to schedule another surgery. I have intermitten pain but not all the time. I get sharp pain in the vaginal area, rectum & surgical site. I have for the most part stopped draining, very little and I mean very little drainage if any comes out. Now sometimes the sharp stabbing pains make me jump or buckle. Do those pains mean the abscess is still there?
I do continue keeping the area clean & take sitz baths twice a day. I work so only during lunch & in the evening. I use wipes to make sure it stays clean.
I do not have chron's that I know of. I had constipation issues about 4 yrs ago & my regular PCP put me on Miralex for life once a day. I have had severe constipation to where I ended up in the ER twice for it. Severley impacted. But in the last 4 yrs since being on Miralex all runs normal, no bowels issues. I have had all my bowel tests done & all good. I have anywhere from 2-3 bowels movements a day, all regular ones.
I am lactose intolerant & really can't eat bread either. I don't eat a lot of junk food, for the most part all healthy stuff.
I guess I am just confused as to what other surgery could he possibly be doing again, too just remove the seton? Do the sharp stabbing pains mean the abscess is still there? Why pain in the vaginal area? The surgical site is far from it.
I get frustrated because my corectal surgeon said after the 2nd abscess I should had been sent to GI or Corectal surgeon & that is why it turned into a fistula.
Could I still have chron's and it not show up on colonoscopy or blood work. I don't feel like I do have it, other than 2-4 bowel movements a day.
Sorry so long...but other boards aren't as active as this one when it comes to fistula/abscess. I do have an appt. tomorrow for my follow up so if anyone is intrested I will send an update.
I feel the frustration of many of you here on this issue, although i don't have chron's so I am not feeling 60% of what you guys are and I can only imagine. I have not been on any antibiotics except when I had the active abscesses.
Glad I found you guys...
Embarrassing to say, but has this impacted your sex life? Or is it just me fearing at this time with seton in, it would hurt?
First off, this month marks three years since my first peri anal abscess. Since I have had a total of 6 peri anal abscesses. The first time I had it 3 weeks after a colonoscopy to try and figure out why I lost 30 lbs in a 3 months span without trying....Currently still underweight.
I thought my first abscess was a hemmoroid. Not..cut & drain put on antibiotics. 8 months later another one, antibotics come back in 48hrs for a cut & drain, only I did not last that long it ruptured at home within 24hrs. Called the ER nurse, she said follow up with your PCP, PCP said looks like it drained all good.
Then I just started getting them out of the blue, but I knew what they were and in all honesty the cut & drain was to painful, so I would let them rupture at home. I did have them in the EXACT same spot everytime. When I went for a follow up to my GI dr. & I told him about the abscess which was very visible on CT scan & just examing the area all he said, was your on your own sorry can't help you there. Of course me being naive I believed him, that no one could stop them from appearing, so I would just let them rupture everytime I got one.
Well in Feb 2011 I went back to my regular PCP & asked for a GI referral to try & determine why I was getting them & could it possibly be a GI issue. The GI office calls and tells me they can't help me, it is not a GI issue sorry. I went back to my doctor because it was becoming very painful in the area. My PCP finally sent me to a general surgeon who said, you have a fistula, why have you waited so long for your abscess to turn into a fistula. :voodoo:
Short story, she cut & drained, it was back in 3 weeks, then she did a fistulatomy. I had nurse care for the wound for 3 weeks every day. Went back & there it was again. Nothing had changed..:stinks:
She tells me it is out of her expertise & passes me off to a corectal surgeon. He is a blessing...He sends me for another colonoscopy & ct scan, MRI. I was negative for chron's, but the fistula is very deep in the muscle he is very conservative to cut. He did however put in a seton (3 weeks ago tomorrow).
He did not tell my husband anything about tightening it or anything just keep it clean & we will follow up in three weeks to schedule another surgery. I have intermitten pain but not all the time. I get sharp pain in the vaginal area, rectum & surgical site. I have for the most part stopped draining, very little and I mean very little drainage if any comes out. Now sometimes the sharp stabbing pains make me jump or buckle. Do those pains mean the abscess is still there?
I do continue keeping the area clean & take sitz baths twice a day. I work so only during lunch & in the evening. I use wipes to make sure it stays clean.
I do not have chron's that I know of. I had constipation issues about 4 yrs ago & my regular PCP put me on Miralex for life once a day. I have had severe constipation to where I ended up in the ER twice for it. Severley impacted. But in the last 4 yrs since being on Miralex all runs normal, no bowels issues. I have had all my bowel tests done & all good. I have anywhere from 2-3 bowels movements a day, all regular ones.
I am lactose intolerant & really can't eat bread either. I don't eat a lot of junk food, for the most part all healthy stuff.
I guess I am just confused as to what other surgery could he possibly be doing again, too just remove the seton? Do the sharp stabbing pains mean the abscess is still there? Why pain in the vaginal area? The surgical site is far from it.
I get frustrated because my corectal surgeon said after the 2nd abscess I should had been sent to GI or Corectal surgeon & that is why it turned into a fistula.
Could I still have chron's and it not show up on colonoscopy or blood work. I don't feel like I do have it, other than 2-4 bowel movements a day.
Sorry so long...but other boards aren't as active as this one when it comes to fistula/abscess. I do have an appt. tomorrow for my follow up so if anyone is intrested I will send an update.
I feel the frustration of many of you here on this issue, although i don't have chron's so I am not feeling 60% of what you guys are and I can only imagine. I have not been on any antibiotics except when I had the active abscesses.
Glad I found you guys...
Embarrassing to say, but has this impacted your sex life? Or is it just me fearing at this time with seton in, it would hurt?
