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Could an anoscopy miss an abscess?

I'll give you some quick backstory.

Last Christmas I had some lower back pain and my doctor prescribed me a weeks worth of 1000mg Cipro. My digestive tract went nuts from it (huge stools + diarrhea) and my bowel movements felt like burning. Shortly after the rectal area felt sore/swollen, sitting down became extremely uncomfortable.

In April I got a colonoscopy done and the only thing the doctor found was a minor fissure. I thought for sure that's what was causing the rectal pain. Well last week I finally saw a surgeon and she used an anoscope to diagnose the area and to my surprise she said everything was fine. A minor hemmorhoid that she didn't seem worried about and NO fissure.

So now i'm left thinking, where is this soreness coming from? I haven't been able to sit down for the past 10 months! I start poking the surroundings of the anus in a circular motion and i come across a very small area right next to the anus which is very sore. If I even slightly poke/put pressure on it the pain is much worse.

What do I do about this? Should I pursue it further even though the doctor got an up close look from an anoscopy? I've even had a CT scan with nothing showing up. But this feels so much like an abscess I can't let it go.

(I should also mention I had a burst abscess about 7 years ago that I never saw a doctor for. The puss came flowing out of my anus for 24 hours and since the pain disappeared I was ecstatic and just left it at that. I'm wondering if leaving it untreated meant bad news for the future)
 
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canada
Hi, myself I also am feeling some pain by anal opening but can not feel any lump. Was given Cipro but scared to take it. How is your pain now.
 
Hi Volans,
Yes, an abscess can be missed by both a scope and CT scan. I have experience of this.
Antibiotics can/should help.
If you are experiencing pain that is untreated, and you suspect something is not quite right, I strongly suggest you get a 2nd or 3rd opinion until you are satisfied that the pain is being dealt with.
hope this helps...
 
When was your CT? Maybe a repeat of it or an MRI is in order? I have a lot of faith in my surgeon, but if you are not confident in what you are having a second opinion is the way to go.
 

nogutsnoglory

Moderator
I think it can miss an abscess if it's deep or in the butt cheek. MRI & CT is best for this but it's a pain to do those.
 
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