Two abcesses and told I need a bag.

Hey ive recently had one abcess and they put a sition in to keep it open but I've now developed a second one it has been drained but they want to do another EUA and put a sition I. I've read on here that other people have had two abcesses at the same time as well. But my dr told me there nothing left they can do and I was offered a drug trial or a colostomy bag. She said if I don't have the bag I'm just going to get more abcesses I really dnt want a bag please help Im only 20 and I've had crohns since I was 12 and I no many people have a bag but this was the last thing I wanted there must be more options. Anyone in the same situation or struggling with abcesses please help?

Get a 2nd and 3rd opinion. They should have put you on Cipro/Flagyl for abscesses. Most doctors suck. Get another opinion since your doctor is so dead set on the treatment and you are hesitant. My abscesses went away after several years of draining, closing, draining, and a course of cipro/flagyl. Be on the lookout for C diff when using antibiotics it can creep up 6 months later.

Have they talked to you about Remicade or Humira? They are often taken to help with fistulas.

I tried remicade it worked at first but stopped. I'm on humira methotrexate and asacol atm she going to up me to weekly humira but she doesn't seem to think it will work. She is insisting on the bag and things if I dnt im going to get loads of abcesses. I just feel this is a flare up and can be overcome. I haven't tried cipro or flagyl I didn't even get offered antibiotics for he abcess I have had to go to my gp to get them I feel they dnt care.

Wow. That's a mistake. Abscesses should be treated for the infection that they are. Mine went away when i went off 6mp. and did the cipro/flagyl combo.

Are you talking to your colorectal surgeon or a GI?

My surgeon only offered me the bag but I'm at ucl so I'm gonna see my gp and see if I can talk to someone at my local hospital and see what they offer. So do u think the humira is a bad move. For my first abcess they did take me off it but this time increasing it.

I am on bi-weekly humira and hope to have it changed to weekly soon as it seems to run out early. It is not uncommon to go to weekly doses. Will it help? Maybe. I sounds like it is worth a try.

Are your new abcesses connected to the fistula? My fistula was giving me terrible problems with not draining well enough and pooling puss up. This last time my surgeon drained it (4th time) he told me if things did not get better we would be talking about a temporary bag. That time he cut the opening to the size of an almond and it has only backed once since then - and it drained itself.

If it is connected to the fistula track perhaps they can open it up more so it drains better. It they are not connected maybe there is a second fistula...?

I wonder if you could try a liquid diet for bowel rest before going to the bag. I was thinking about trying it if it gets bad again.

The humira doesn't seem to work ATM I rarely have a good day so I think it's stopped rather than running out. Yeah the abcesses are from fistulas the first one has a sition in and doesn't bother me but I have only just got the second one so it's really sore it's been drained but they want to put another sition in this one. Ive done the liquid diet before and it didn't really help there must still be other options though?

Maybe the LIFT procedure? They seal the internal opening, but I think its success rate is not great and I don't know if they can do it if you have active crohns...?

There is nothing wrong with a second opinion.

I feel for you and will pray for you Jenny. At first Humira seemed to help my fistula, but now it doesn't seem to work. You really should see a colo-rectal surgeon. Maybe they can keep the seton's in there long term to keep the fistula's open.

Good Luck and take care.

Why not antibiotics for abscess (infection)? I've never heard of biological drugs being used for infections in fact they say to avoid them if you have infection.

i hve two peri rectal abscesses. They treated me with Clindamyacin and then Flagyl. Several rounds of each.

I have one seton in and one fistula has no seton in. I assume it must be a simple one as it doesnt seem to give me any trouble.

I have had the seton in for a year now. And i am always offered more antibiotics if i go in to say they are becoming bothersome again.

You should ask about anitbiotics. I would.

Mine went away after draining in and off for a few years and several rounds of flagyl and cipro. The immune suppressants for my crohns only made the abscesses a lot worse.
I would get a doctor who can hold more than one idea in their head at the same time and realize you have multiple conditions that require individual treatment, not this "one medication treats everything" mentality.

Im now on flagyl and amoxicillin I got them off my gp and I'm waiting to hear back for an appointment but I got in touch with a different hospital so I can get a second opinion. The abcesses still give me bother but I'm so glad I'm finally on antibiotics thank you for your advice.

JohnnyO......not trying to dis you or anyone else in anyway. I have been on flagyl and cipro, and clindamyacin....they haven't helped my fistula one bit. I guess everyone is different.

barkbbdog2 said:

JohnnyO......not trying to dis you or anyone else in anyway. I have been on flagyl and cipro, and clindamyacin....they haven't helped my fistula one bit. I guess everyone is different.

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No worries. No two patients and their diseases are the same so not all treatments are the same. Cipro/Flagyl have helped many people for abscesses and fistulas and since abscesses are infection, antibiotics such as cipro/flagyl are the first line of defense. Also, fistulas often get infected.

I know while i was on 6MP my immune system was too run down to heal the abscesses and fistulas and both went away once i came off. I now have an abscess and on day 2 of Cipro/Flagyl i feel much better.

What finally helped you?

Nothing....on Humira, helped at first, now it doesn't help at all. I know how Jenny feels. Still getting a lot of bleeding and pus from the fistula. They took the seton out hoping Humira would help the fistula...no such luck.

I got the bag back in April, my original chron's diagnosis was in 1991...
You will have to tie me down and force me to give it up. I LOVE MY BAG!!!

The bag is sposed to be temporary but there is a chance it is permanant. I went in the er with what I thought was a boil and found out it was a fistula, they couldnt do a colonoscopy because of the rectal stenosis so a CT SCAN was done which showed my colon was communicating with parts of the body it shouldnt have been.

I was given 60 mg of prednisone, pain meds, plus my psych meds, I was put on the magic two, (Cypro and Flagyl)

The surgery went fine untill they tried to wake me up in recovery.. I will share that in the my story section..

My point is, after 20 years of discomfort, diareeah, constipation, etc... this bag gives me freedom to do what I want, It is easy to maintain once you get the handle of it.
NO ONE knows you have it unless you tell them... when I empty it, I just kneel infront of the toliet and have everything within reach... the toliet is cleaner than if I had diareah or etc..

Changing the bag is even easier...

I had an appt today with my Gastroenterologist and he said in August he wants to do a colonoscopy to look at the colon and if everything is ok he said we can plan for the reversal...

I told him that I was keeping the bag.. he said that was fine, a lot of people decide to keep it once they have it.

Yes you are only 20, and having the bag now might not be permanant, but at least you will be giving your intestines a break and allowing them to heal.

I was diagnosed in 91, I was in my 20's, I had this negative image of the bag but now I wish I would have had to have it years ago...