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Home treatments for abscesses

Location
UK
Hello all,

I have an abscess (intent on swiftly turning into a r-v fistula) which I'm pretty much stuck with for a couple of weeks as far as getting any treatment is concerned. My GP has no clue what an abscess is, tried to tell me it was a Bartholin's cyst (a huge perianal Bartholin's cyst that drains via the butt, really?) and gave me a week of antibiotics which took the swelling down temporarily, but not much else. My gastroenterologist won't do anything until he has the results back from a pelvic CT scan I had done, which will take a couple of weeks to come through.

In the meantime, however, it really hurts! I can't sit for long, etc (I'm sure you guys know the drill). I have given it a name (Gordon) so I can curse it more effectively, but am not sure what else to do to lessen the pain/reduce the chance of the darn thing developing into a fistula. Does anyone have any OTC remedies or tips that they've used successfully before? Sitz baths are a no-no because my little house only has a shower and I live with two guys who would look askance if I took the bathroom up for fifteen minutes in order to lurk with my butt in a basin...

Oh, and I'm on Prednisolone for everything else at the moment. Only been on it a few days, not sure if it will be any help with Gordon...?
 
I have Hidradenitis and fistulas so I understand your pain. Sitz baths (or regular bath) with Epsom salt helps soften it and bring it to a head (which you should allow to open on its own). Try not to squeeze it, even if it is white because the more you press it the more the tunnel (hole) grows, it pushes the fluid in another direction, swells, creates unhealable scar tissue, and takes 10X longer to heal if it is not a fistula.

Maybe your GP or GI could prescribe lidocaine ointment for pain.

Good luck.
 
Hello Weatherwax. It's good to meet you, though I am sorry it is because you are suffering. That song that goes ' Gordon is a Moron' is running through my head for some reason.
Did you check out the sticky at the head of this forum? It has some pretty good advice for coping with the symptoms of this type of fistula. That's a really awkward situation with your bathroom, though. Is there no quiet time when you could have it to yourself?
I've not had this type of fistula, but going by what other members of the forum have discussed, a heat pad or hot water bottle might give you some relief? Others have also mentioned a special cushion ( donut type? ) that might make it a bit more comfortable for you to sit.
Do you have an IBD nurse as part of your care team? I have found mine really helpful.
 
Location
UK
Hello Grumbletum, nice to meet you too. That song is why I called it Gordon! (That and I imagine if it was a person, it would look sort of like Gordon Brown)

I'll check out the sticky. Thank you. It's tricky because I'm not sure if it qualifies as a fistula yet (it only seems to have one...er...end)... There are times when I could nab the bathroom, but there's nowhere to keep a tub and I wouldn't want to have to explain why it's there! Shared houses are a bit of an inconvenience.

Any idea where you can get a doughnut cushion? I don't have an IBD nurse - just a gastroenterology consultant, who is the one that can't help until he has seen the CT scan results. I'm quite new to IBD (only been diagnosed for a month, after 18 months of symptoms, and only been on Prednisolone for four days) so I don't have much idea about care teams and so on :)
 
So sorry you are going through this weatherwax! My experience is with my son having abscess/fistula problems:yfaint: hate this wretched disease!
Although he could not tolerate either one, we were told over and over that cipro/flagyl combo therapy is the go to antibiotics for this. Not sure what your rx is for, and a week is probably not long enough. Maybe talk to your GI office?
My son ended up with 2 surgeries with seton placement:ymad:
Prayers & the best of luck to you!
 
Hey again! I just searched for ring cushion on Amazon and they have a fair rangr. Ebay probably will too. The waiting for appointments, results etc can be so frustrating and coping with disrade is a big lesrning curve. But we're here for you. Also check out the NACC website. It's great for beginnerd!
 
Location
UK
Thanks guys!

Gmama - Sorry to hear your son went through that :( Did surgery work for him? I am so terrified of surgery after reading some of the horror stories, lol.
 
hi weatherwax, can i recommend a treatment of tumeric, ghee, milk and honey. i have personally been able to heal myself from a 2 inch fistula and an abscess using home remedies. if you are interested, feel free to check out my blog on mylifestylejournal . c o m
 
All of this definitely sucks for him but he has handled the surgeries & setons really well. Our problem is that we need to get him into a remission & haven't made it there yet. He is now on Remi which hasn't been the magic bullet that I was hoping for, but I'm praying that since we are still early on(have only done the loading doses) we will be able to tweak the dose in the coming months to get him under control.
Thanks for asking about him!
 
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