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535457 tn?1213457436

can anyone help?

Okay for the past two years i have been having bad anal fistuals. Im am only 24 years old and mind you its been a couple of years. I been threw three operations and none have worked. Im supposely seeing the best doctor in the state i live in. My last surgery was a skin graph with the flap on may 1 2008. At frist it seemed to be going good for me and things were looking positive. As of two and a half weeks ago i have been expericeing bad buring and itching problems. I also was put on .2% nitro and i couldnt use it for the reason of findingout i was illergic to it. Now my mother has chron's and colittis and the doctor says im to young for any of that, is this true? Im really loosing hope with this and dont know what to do. can anyone give me suggestions i go back to see the surgeon on the 17th of this month. Thanks dearly  


This discussion is related to 4th surgery for Anal fistula, may need 5th. help.
13 Responses
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Avatar universal
Have just read back my comment and thought it might help to give a bit of background...I had an infection develop after a routine op. After a mis-diagnosis my surgeon discovered I had developed a fistula. The first stage of the repair involved "laying open" the outer part of the tract and inserting a draining seton. At the time I was horrified at the thought of having this "rubber band" and was very sore and hated the draining. I felt dirty I couldn't wait to have it removed and went into hospital after Christmas for the second part of the repair. It become apparent before I left hospital that the repair hadn't worked and so they replaced the seton and sent me home. Having had the fistula cored out the wound was now so large that I could not manage; the pain was beyond belief and as I am a working mum and just could not cope with having to have so many baths a day. Within days I was back in hospital and given a temporary ileostomy. I have now had another repair and as I say am really worried it hasn't worked. I don't know what options are available to me, I have lost all faith as each time I have gone into hospital I have come out worse than I went in. I have now had 6 surgeries due to the fistula.
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Avatar universal
I am a 38 year old woman living in England. I have had an anal fistula for over a year now and currently have a temporary ileostomy. About 3 weeks ago I had my latest repair operation but have started to get wind coming through the wound, I am terrified that this means it has not worked and that I will be stuck with the ileostomy bag. I have had weeks off work with this condition and have been very depressed. Has anyone got any words of encouragent?
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Avatar universal
I know this sounds drastic, but I have heard of people getting a temporary colostomy to heal chronic rectal/anal issues such as fissures.  It allows the stool to be re-rooted to prevent constant irritation so the fissures are able to heal.  (Last resort I'm sure)  It would mean 2 major operations, one to get the colostomy & one to reverse it.  
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Avatar universal
hello all,
new here, i have had rectal pain for about 8 years now and i always thought it was piles but last week for first time my GP asked me if she could see it she saw and said they are fishers three small cut ..they are very painful i hope you all understand so the pain stays after bowel movement for about 6 hours and then it goes away for next morning ......she said i should see a surgeon so im waiting...she said he may have to drain it out...she gave me no medicine ...there is pus coming out as well sometimes....i am in my wits end!! any advice or help i am taking fibre in diet to help with my constipation
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Avatar universal
Soo fed up with this fistular problem!I'm lying here with a swelling on my bum the size of a saucer!!Doc has given me anti biotics and some other strange pills that give me the runs...also,cream like vasoline that seems to contridict the idea of  draining the swelling as surely that will form a seal?
Anyway..would really like some good news stories..anyone???Ouch!
On the verge of deciding to go for surgery as I can't see how this massive abscess will go away?
Boy are we a sorry crowd...why US???Bummer.
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Avatar universal
IF you have an IBD, and IF the inflammatory pattern is due to the types of chemicals (TNF-alpha) that are put out by the proliferation of immune cells that have run 'haywire' as happens with IBDs, the chance of healing correctly is not great. Push to get tested NOW, ASAP. If it comes back positive, you can get on meds to tamp down the inflammatory reaction - Remicade if necessary/and if it's right for you - so that you can get that to heal.

I know it's got to be opened somewhat to drain, probably. But re-doing and re-doing and re-doing IF you've got constant inflammation going on makes no sense to me - but that's MY opinion. I'm not a doc. You've got to have a trained person give you the best advice they can. So question, question and ask more questions.
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535457 tn?1213457436
thanks for responding i greatly appperciate it... Okay went to see the doc today and he says the outside where he took the graph from formed a cavity underneath it with a hole on each side where the blood keeps filling up and bursting after a few days when i have bowel movements. He also discovered where he graphed the inside of my anus formed an ulcer. Know he is not rulling out chrons or collits. He is going to get a second opinion from another senior doctor because im illergic from .2 nitro so he is stumped. On thrusday i will find out the next test's he want me to do. But im sure they will be testing me for IBD's now. He want to re-open the outside where he graphed from but what is the chances of it healing right, if it hasnt the past three time's???
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Avatar universal
I just want to follow-up on Jaybay's post by saying that kids under 5 can be diagnosed with IBDs. There is no age limit. So please get pushy. If it turns out you don't have an IBD that will be fantastic, but what you're doc is saying is NOT correct. None of us want you to end up with long-term problems or dysfunction because your doc was wrong - so get pushy with this fellow, or PLEASE find another doc to work with.
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82861 tn?1333453911
I'm getting a really bad vibe about what your doctor has to say.  He may well be the finest doc in your area, but he is doing you a major disservice by ignoring your symptoms.  To claim that your age has anything to do with a disease process is a cop-out at best.  Something is obviously going on, and it needs to be thoroughly investigated.  I don't care how young or old you are.  Age has nothing to do with it.  Honestly, if I were in your shoes I'd find a different doctor.  After all, his reputation means nothing if he isn't treating your problem.
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535457 tn?1213457436
   Frist of all i want to thank you for responding to my posted topic. I greatly greatly appericate it. I go on tuesday to see the sergeon and im going to bring up these tests and the topic of IBD's to see what he has to say. I also brought up a colonoscopy to him and he again said i was to young and he didnt think i needed to do that at a young age. But with the pain and bleeding im going thru a month and half after the skin graph he has to do something in further research on me to see what is going on. Thanks again for responding to me.. Ill post again on tuesday to update what is going on.
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Avatar universal
If the tissue is having a problem healing it could be due to on-going, low-level inflammatory patterns that could be the result of an IBD. If that's what is going on, you'll need to be on meds that are used for IBDs to hopefully help tamp down the inflammatory pattern. I know it sounds like I'm harping on a theme, but if this is coming from the 'inside-out,' nothing you put on topically is going to do a lot for you.

I know you're not sure about what's going on, no one would be. But it's important that you try to be aggressive about this so you can heal. And if that means asking specifically to be tested for IBDs, then please get pushy. Tell the doc you want testing to put you mind at ease because you're extremely worried and it may be afffecting your ability to heal (stress can affect a heck of a lot of stuff). There's a very good blood test put out by a lab in California that I believe is called the Serology 7 (although there may be an updated version), that is respected by many docs for detecting the antibodies that may show up in many with IBDs. It can sometimes pick up indications long before symptoms show up. It would get around the fact that your anus is too inflammed for his to do further checking that way - via colonoscopy or another test like that.

I wish I could help you with a suggestion about the tissue healing, but I'm not sure what can be done if you can't knock down the inflammatory pattern in the manner you've already tried. The only other thought that comes to mind is a form of steroid. Have you asked your doc if that would be applicable? Some like budesonide rectal foam?

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535457 tn?1213457436
He said that the anus is to inflamed for him to do further testing. This has been going on for quite some time now. I have been looking into finding a new doctor but when i metion my doctors name to them they all been saying stick with him cause he is good and knows what he is doing. Im starting to not belive what they are saying to me. What y doctor is telling me that the fistuals are not coming back, it just the skin is having a hard time healing itself but im not forsure. The pain is constant and the worst is after bowel movements. Please if anyone can help please do im running out of options and i dont want to live with this my hole life....

thanks to all
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Avatar universal
You are not too young for Crohn's or any form of IBD. If you've been experiencing fistulas, please ask the doc to test you for Crohn's and if he won't do it, pleaase consider finding another doc with more up-to-date information.
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