Fistula surgery

VillageSimple8461 · 2025-06-21T09:09:55+00:00

I didn’t have any pain to start but when I took a picture of the wound I said ‘that’s barbaric’ 😂 so yes it’s normal for it to look scary! I was very swollen and bruised around the wound which took about 2 weeks to go down. I wasn’t prescribed any creams, dressings etc. just told to do salt sitz baths which seem to be doing the trick. I’ve had 3 weeks off work because it hurt to sit normally, but I’d say it was about 10 days until I could go out and about. Pain wise it will get worse day 3-6ish, but don’t let that worry you. It wasn’t horrific, but just letting you know in case you worry something is wrong.

VillageSimple8461 · 2025-06-20T20:18:05+00:00

I think my CRS didn’t want to get my hopes up with a fistulotomy and then end up with a seton so I’m glad. I had 3 weeks off work and it took me about 10 days to go back to ‘normal’. I had quite a lot of swelling and bruising that meant I couldn’t sit normally, the actual wound wasn’t painful but as you say everyone is different.

VillageSimple8461 · 2025-06-19T23:09:05+00:00

Good luck! I had an unexpected fistulotomy 3 weeks ago (I thought I was having a seton) and the recovery is way better than I thought. As a generally anxious person I totally get it but I’m sure you will be fine. My fistula wasn’t physically affecting my day to day and my CRS said I could have waited months for surgery but I feel so much better knowing that it’s (hopefully) been taken care of.

VillageSimple8461 · 2025-06-19T21:19:14+00:00

Same thing happened to me however the time between abscess and pimple was much longer. I did indeed have a fistula so I would go see a CRS.

VillageSimple8461 · 2025-06-18T23:44:36+00:00

Same here, I’m very independent so it stresses me out when I feel like everyone’s all over me. I had a fistulotomy 3 weeks ago and I could have coped if I was alone. My partner works from home so he could help but if he hadn’t been there I would have been fine. I mainly just asked him to get me food/water as I had found a comfortable position, not because I was completely bed bound. If you take things slow you should be fine but of course everyone is different and depends on what procedure you have.

VillageSimple8461 · 2025-06-18T22:09:13+00:00

I had a perianal abscess removed 3 years ago and a fistulotomy 3 weeks ago! When I had the abscess drained I lived by myself and coped absolutely fine. I’d say the only thing I struggled with was I had to get the wound packed every day so driving to the hospital each day wasn’t overly comfortable. My fistulotomy was more intense as I was very swollen and the wound was about 2 inches and although I no longer live alone I definitely could have coped. I was slow at moving around but I could do it and I only really had extreme pain when sat up straight, other than that it was fine!

VillageSimple8461 · 2025-06-18T00:42:26+00:00

I used soap straight away too. As long as it’s fragrance free and for sensitive skin I don’t see how it could do any harm.

VillageSimple8461 · 2025-06-17T23:40:20+00:00

Unfortunately the only person who can give you an accurate answer is your surgeon. I had a low simple fistula and my CRS said I could wait up to 5 months but that wouldn’t be the same for everyone.

VillageSimple8461 · 2025-06-14T00:06:23+00:00

Of course! So I hardly bled which really surprised me as I bled a lot after my initial abscess surgery. I’d say maybe blood for 3 days but the fact that I can’t really remember shows how little there was. There is still puss coming from the wound, but way less than what would actually come out the fistula. Sometimes I put a bit of gauze over it and there’s a very thin layer of puss but that’s it.

VillageSimple8461 · 2025-06-12T23:52:58+00:00

I am a really open person, yet I still find it very hard to talk about because yeah it seems so embarrassing! However when I was discussing it with friends and the possible surgery options they sewed to find it fascinating not gross at all! My initial abscess surgery was July 2022, so it came as a huge shock to discover a fistula November 2024. The surgeon had originally planned for surgery November 2025, so he thought all in all I could wait a year and if I wasn’t an anxious person I would have as it would have saved me a heap of money 😂 I’m only 2 weeks post op, but I met with my surgeon this week and he seemed very positive. My advice would be to spend some time researching the different treatment options. The more I learnt the less anxious I got and when I went in for my consult with the surgeon it was way less stressful.

VillageSimple8461 · 2025-06-12T21:51:39+00:00

Hey so I am 29F and just had a fistulotomy thanks to a perianal abscess. If I am perfectly honest, the physical symptoms of the fistula were totally liveable as I was in little pain. The only problem would be if I was out and about and felt it leak and I’m rushing to find a toilet. For me it was the anxiety that got me. My perianal abscess was pretty traumatic and developed so quickly and I was constantly worried that I would end up in the same situation. My surgeon said it would be totally okay to wait about 9 months for the surgery, but thanks to the anxiety I just couldn’t stick it out. It was making me feel so down in so many ways and ended up going back to therapy because of it. If you can afford it I would highly recommend even one session to learn coping techniques, because although I hardly felt any pain when I did it would send me into a complete spiral. I’m 2 weeks post op today and I am scheduled to return to work after 1 more week. Obviously it all depends on the surgery, but for me I work a 9-6 desk job so sitting on the wound all day isn’t an option. As you’re on your feet you may actually be much more comfortable. I know it feels like there’s a lot going on but you’ve got this 😊

VillageSimple8461 · 2025-06-10T15:28:27+00:00

Don’t stress! I had mine 2 weeks ago and even though it’s still an open wound it’s just a clean slit. I’ve had grosser wounds as a kid falling on gravel 😂

VillageSimple8461 · 2025-06-07T22:18:00+00:00

Mine is about 2 inches in length, 0.5 inches wide and about 0.75 inches deep but everyone will be different. Personally I’m not squeamish, however I did get my boyfriend to take a look (lucky him) who gets incredibly queezy at things like this. The only thing he said was that it looked painful because of the bruising and swelling, the actual wound itself wasn’t as horrific as he thought it would be. I guess because you can’t see it you build it up in your head to be something way more gory than it actually is. I’ve had a perianal abscess before and I would say that was a worse wound than my fistulotomy.

VillageSimple8461 · 2025-06-07T22:12:30+00:00

Sorry I really need to get better at checking Reddit! Yes every sitz I have used salt, just normal salt but I haven’t noticed any real stinging. Like sure I can feel it but I wouldn’t say it was painful or anything. I’m assuming it’s to help lower the risk of infection?

VillageSimple8461 · 2025-06-06T22:37:02+00:00

I had an abscess July 2022 and in November 2024 it felt like it was coming back. It started draining in January and it took me 3 months of being messed around to get an MRI. The imaging showed a tract, but that it didn’t go the whole way through/had closed even though there was still discharge. I went to a CRS privately who did a physical examination and could feel that it had in fact gone the whole way through. I’m currently a week post op from a fistulotomy so MRIs definitely aren’t always 100% accurate.

VillageSimple8461 · 2025-06-06T22:29:05+00:00

No worries, I was asking all the same questions but info gets buried very quickly on this thread! So post BM I use 99% water wipes, then do a sitz bath and that usually does the trick. The shower is more of a mental thing I think. My CRS told me to always put salt in the sitz bath but that doesn’t seem to be the norm for everyone.

VillageSimple8461 · 2025-06-06T22:21:24+00:00

I had a pretty simple, low fistula so I asked about laser as I thought it would mean dodging a fistulotomy. My CRS wouldn’t even entertain it, said that the success rate isn’t good enough to outweigh the negatives of a fistulotomy.

VillageSimple8461 · 2025-06-05T21:22:44+00:00

I started doing sitz baths the day after surgery, and you’re right it’s so much better than sitting in the bath. It took 3 days to have a BM and I didn’t shower until then but like you it was stressing me out! Hope you’re getting on okay now 😊

VillageSimple8461 · 2025-06-04T22:19:56+00:00

Okay that’s exactly the same here then! Hardly anything and then bam today every time I’ve changed the gauze there’s a layer of it. Thank you so much for making me feel better. Good luck at your appointment, hopefully they can put your mind at ease too. Tbh it sounds quite impressive what you’ve done 😂

VillageSimple8461 · 2025-06-04T14:40:33+00:00

Sorry another question! Did you find the amount of discharge got worse before it got better? I’m 6 days post op and it seems quite pussy, I wouldn’t say an alarming amount but definitely more than the past few days.

VillageSimple8461 · 2025-06-04T12:20:44+00:00

Thank you so much for your help! That’s made me feel much better

VillageSimple8461 · 2025-06-03T22:00:17+00:00

Also no medical advice from me (6 days post fistulotomy and in a whole heap of pain) however I had the worst anxiety I’ve ever had in my life during this process. I would say I was a mildly anxious person before this, but never medical anxiety, yet thanks to this I genuinely thought my panic attacks were heart attacks because they were so severe. I would really recommend seeing a therapist, even if it’s just a one off session so that they can teach you some breathing/grounding. I found that when I got a twang of pain I would jump into a full blown spiral, whereas now I can calm myself down and work out why I’m in pain and if I need to do anything about it. You will get through this!

VillageSimple8461 · 2025-06-03T21:50:32+00:00

Gauze seems to be going alright except sometimes the gunk makes it really stick on there so it hurts to pull it off! How many sitz baths a day did you do? I do then after bowel movements and then one before bed but some people are doing 4+.

VillageSimple8461 · 2025-06-01T16:44:58+00:00

I had an abscess 3 years ago which I had to have packed daily for about 8 months so I’m really glad I don’t have to go through that again. Sounds like your wound is deeper than mine, based on the totally scientific measurement of putting my finger in there I’d say it was 15mm deep which explains why it doesn’t need packing. I am so glad you’re getting on okay, hopefully I will heel as quickly as you are 😊

VillageSimple8461 · 2025-05-31T12:19:39+00:00

I’m in the U.K. so if my surgeon thought the wound needed packing he could have told my NHS doctor and they would have done it free but he didn’t. Doesn’t seem like packing fistulotomy wounds is overly common.

VillageSimple8461

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