Coping With Fistulotomy

I developed a horseshoe fistula ( one internal opening, and two external) after having a rectal abscess in feb 07 . I thought I had hemmroids [hemorrhoids]. It was excruciating to use the bathroom, and I was feeling VERY sick so I finally went into the ER.

I was taken into surgery that night to have the abscess drained. A week later I went to my follow up exam and learned that I could possibly develop a fistula. I did, but like I said before it was a horseshoe fistula. It had one internal opening shared by two external openings around my anus. I went in for the operation in March of ‘07, but the surgeon was baffled because he could find no internal opening. He refered me to a specialist at one of the top hospitals in my state. He couldnt find it either.

I had to go in every couple of months for an exam under anesthesia and he couldnt find it after almost a year and a half. I was constantly draining and bleeding for a year and a half. I went in about a month ago for yet another exam, but this time I woke up and was told they had finally found it!! He had combined the two fistulas into 1, using a seton.I had an incision with a seton hanging out that had to be packed twice a day with sterile gauze strips.

I just stopped the packing a few days ago, and the seton will stay in place until my next surgery to repair the remainig fistula in about a month. According to the doctor I have been seeing I had the worse case he had ever seen. He was just as baffled as my doctors back home. He told me that on a scale of 1 to 100, 1 being common and 100 being extremely complex, my case was about a 99.

I am 21 years old and in good health. They still dont know what has caused any of this. It has been a rough year and a half, but I can finally see the end in sight! I am still uncomfortable because of the seton that is hanging out, but the pain really isnt that bad anymore. The packing changes at first were excruciating!! I would literally have to scream while my mother did it twice a day.

I am looking forward to having my second surgery and being one step closer to being normal again, but I dread the packing changes again. I would never wish that kind of torture on anyone….not even my worst enemies. please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about any of this. If I can help someone going through the same kind of thing, i would love to!