Fistula Surgery yesterday - A few questions

I went in yesterday for my scheduled EUA. The surgeon told me that they were going to have a look, they might place a seton, which is what I was expecting. Or that they might cut it, but they don't usually like to do that, they usually only do it if it is fairly low down.
They told me after that they did cut it, cleaned out the area where the abscess was forming and sorted out a fissure. I don't know much about fissures.
This is what it says in my discharge notes: "laying open fistula-in-ano and fissurectomy"
Not a lot of information but I did call the surgeon up again to discuss with me what he did in detail. It made sense as he was explaining it but I don't think I could explain it to you.
I asked about dressings and they said when I go to the toilet, the dressing will come out and then I don't need to dress it anymore. But I have not been to the toilet yet today and it has been more than 24hours since surgery now. I'm a bit worried about how clean the dressing is as it feels very wet and I'm not sure what to do. I'm too scared to pull it out! I also want to look at the wound in the mirror but obviously haven't yet as the dressing is still in.
The have also prescribed me some cream to put around the anus, said something about my muscles being tight... and said to have daily baths to keep it clean.
Does anyone have any advice or experience with this sort of surgery? Would love to know anything you have to offer!
Also, do you think andrex washlets will be gentle enough to use on the wound? I checked on the packet and it didn't say anything about not using on broken skin.
Thanks in advance for any help and support!
I'm feeling generally ok, just a bit sore and a tiny bit stressed!
x x

My surgeon told me I could go to the bathroom as per normal and to sits bath after every BM. Other than that, he gave me very vague details. I didn't use anything special to wash it.

Wet wipes will be fine on it that's what I used, take the dressing off if you want and just recover with some clean gauze. It sounds like it was a good outcome when he was able to lay it open and clean it out, you will certainly feel the benefit.

Thanks
I managed to see a nurse yesterday afternoon, I thought it would be good to see one because I was too scared to touch the dressing and I thought it would be hard to see anyone at the weekend. So she pulled it out and just had a little look.
I've looked at it now, and its a bit strange because to me it looks fairly normal! I suppose the anus might look a bit of a bigger hole than normal.
I went to the toilet this morning for the first time and it wasn't too bad. I was a bit stressed but to be honest the pain was probably less than normal, and there wasn't as much blood as I feared.
But then I almost fainted which was a bit strange because that is the first time it has ever happened to me! I stood up thinking, shal I have a bath now or a shower? Then I felt sick and thought, oh am I going to be sick, then my ears and vision went funny and I thought, oh I think I might faint, I better get out of the bathroom! My dad was the only other person in the house and he was still in bed and I just went in there like, dad I feel strange I think I'm going to faint! And so I just laid down until I felt a lot more normal!
So I'm still feeling slightly stressed but I think everything is probably going as it should. I'll just carry on taking it easy over the next couple of days.
Does anyone who has had similar surgery before know anything about healing times? They didn't say anything to me about it. How long until I feel back to normal?

hi! i had surgery to have my fistula laid open, although i don't have crohn's disease so my my situation is a little different.

to be honest i can't remember how long exactly it took for everything to heal but it i think initially i healed quick quickly to the point where i was pretty much back to normal and then over the next few months everything continued to kind of keep slowly healing completely. (also it took me months to stop subconsciously favouring the other side of my bum when i sat down haha)

my post op instructions were similar to yours i showered after i went to the toilet and just covered the wound with a piece of plain gauze and it sounds like everything is going to plan for you too!

My first surgery I had just had them laid open, took about two weeks to "heal" up and about a week after that before they acted like fistulas again.

AlliRuns - what do you mean acted like fistulas again? Did the surgery not work properly for you?
To be honest I'm finding it a bit hard getting my head around what they have actually done! Like, I understand what a fistula is. I don't understand how cutting it open helps anything, do they assume the cut they make heals up and then so does the fistula? Why would that happen if a fistula wouldn't normally heal itself?
I didn't have any blood when I went to the toilet this morning so must be a good sign. I'm still feeling fairly sore though, but I can deal with that.

I think it allows them to heal from the bottom up, good your not bleeding, hopefully that will sort them out for you.

xX_LittleMissValentine_Xx said:

AlliRuns - what do you mean acted like fistulas again? Did the surgery not work properly for you?
To be honest I'm finding it a bit hard getting my head around what they have actually done! Like, I understand what a fistula is. I don't understand how cutting it open helps anything, do they assume the cut they make heals up and then so does the fistula? Why would that happen if a fistula wouldn't normally heal itself?
I didn't have any blood when I went to the toilet this morning so must be a good sign. I'm still feeling fairly sore though, but I can deal with that.

Click to expand...

I had two surgeries and neither were successful. I had setons placed during the second one, but that didn't work either. I wasn't diagnosed when I had the surgeries, so they were treating them like spontaneous fistulas.

AlliRuns said:

I had two surgeries and neither were successful. I had setons placed during the second one, but that didn't work either. I wasn't diagnosed when I had the surgeries, so they were treating them like spontaneous fistulas.

Click to expand...

I see, they are horrible tricky little things aren't they! Not fun!

xX_LittleMissValentine_Xx said:

I see, they are horrible tricky little things aren't they! Not fun!

Click to expand...

Yup, I don't wish a fistula on anybody.

I had a bit more pain and blood this morning during/after passing stools. I don't think there was any in the bowl but on the tissue and two small blood clots. I wouldn't normally worry too much if I saw that occasionally, but as everything is still healing around there I was wondering if I should be worried? I think the stools could have been a bit bigger today which could be why?
It will be a week post op tomorrow. Its still leaking small amounts throughout the day.
I know its going to be a while before I feel normal and recovery will go up and down, but the first few days after surgery seemed to be better and less pain than there has been the last couple of days. Is this normal do you think?

Yes I think everything sounds like its going pretty much s it should be, your going to have blood especially as you have a healing wound that requires a blood supply, keep doing as you are and I think you'll be fine. Good luck.

Thank you, I think because they stressed to me about keeping my stools soft and not straining too much it has made me worry that going to the toilet is going to damage what is there.

Hiya LMV. I've been debating whether or not to reply for a little while, as I wasn't sure how direct my experience was to your situation or not.

I had a seton and would get blood from time to time. It did seem to decrease over time, but also seemed to correlate to how much activity I was doing. I just wanted to chime in and echo bigtruck.

Hang in there LMV! :hug:

I agree sawdust my setons could be very good one day yet bleed and sore the next, there never seemed to be any pattern with it, though that's this bloody disease all over no pattern.

Thanks again guys
I thought it was probably all normal for it to be changeable, just needed some reassurance. One week post op today

Hi LMV!
Sorry to hear you've been poorly!
Would you be able to message me how you found it at Reading? I'm concerned that this is what I am going to need to have done. Going in to outpatients tomorrow to discuss with Dr. How long did you have to wait for your procedure?
How long is the recovery time? / before you can get back to normal life/self/work and all that?
Xxx

Its important to keep the fistula as clean as possible. What might help you is rinse off the wound with the showerhead. If you have a bath you can sit on the edge so you can youse the showerhead on your anus and wound. Also a sitbath might help. Hopefuly this will help you.

Thanks, I literally just bought a sitzbath.
I ordered it off amazon and the postman just knocked on the door to hand it to me and joked "Must be a hat?!?"
I have a question about the way that its healing - again probably completely normal!
Basically around the anus where they have cut is now going lumpy. About three fleshy lumps have formed. I'm supposing this is just the body making new flesh and it will all put itself back in the right place. Makes sense I suppose. But they r not very nice, I have to be careful with them when wiping because they move about a bit and feel very squidgy when I put the cream on them. They are a little bit uncomfortable.

xX_LittleMissValentine_Xx said:

Thanks, I literally just bought a sitzbath.
I ordered it off amazon and the postman just knocked on the door to hand it to me and joked "Must be a hat?!?"
I have a question about the way that its healing - again probably completely normal!
Basically around the anus where they have cut is now going lumpy. About three fleshy lumps have formed. I'm supposing this is just the body making new flesh and it will all put itself back in the right place. Makes sense I suppose. But they r not very nice, I have to be careful with them when wiping because they move about a bit and feel very squidgy when I put the cream on them. They are a little bit uncomfortable.

Click to expand...

I have a sitzbath too, I used it often post surgery. I still use it if I'm having a day where my fistulas are draining excessively. Relieves the pain.

I'm just about to go to my follow up appointment with the surgeon :S
I don't want to go! I don't want him to stick things up my bum...
Wish me luck!

Good luck! Going to the surgeon is far worse than going to the GI. My sugreon is not shy about.giving rectal exams. :-/ Also, he never remembers faces or names, just surgeries.

I know it is worse isn't it! I was so nervous!
Luckily he only had a look, and he said it was healing well but not healed yet. So I guess I have to keep up the sitz baths... I'm getting a bit sick of them!
Thats bad he doesn't remember you! My one remembered what degree I did and what uni I went to! Very good, I think he chats so he doesn't feel so bad about giving people horrible examinations!! He is nice but I bet people hate him!
My GI and GP speak very highly of him though.

xX_LittleMissValentine_Xx said:

So I guess I have to keep up the sitz baths... I'm getting a bit sick of them!

Click to expand...

I got tired of soaking to a degree too. I tried reading a book... I don't recommend that. I did find that listening to the radio worked well. I found a show I liked and tried to catch part of it each evening when I came home. This is much easier nowadays if there is a podcast you like?

Today is one week exactly post anal fistula surgery, honestly I feel like I am worse than before my surgery.. First off my surgeon cut in a completely different place than where my fistula was and left a bruise and open cut and I can still feel the lump where the fistula I went in for is so I am not sure if there was more than one or what happened.. But the issue I went in for is still there, I tried to get ahold of the surgeon and found out he isnt even from the area so to get a follow up to make sure things are okay is not possible
It hurts for me to sit, basically I lay with a pillow under my knees to help ease the pain, and when I stand or walk it feels like so much pressure is being put on the wound area
Often when passing gas the area fills with air (most painful ever) and it is still draining fluids
Does anyone have advice on how long the pain will last, average healing time, if this much pain is normal,
I am also a full time student in college and so I am stressing about healing time as I am scared about getting so far behind that I end up getting kicked out
Apparently for student loans as well, Crohn's is NOT a permanent disability.. I honestly dont get that at all! Because I look fine on the outside doesnt mean I am fine.. I feel like I am being slowly tortured and dying from the inside out