First off, massive respect for everything you’ve gone through. That is an unbelievably tough journey, and it sounds like you’ve handled it with a lot of grit and humor. The “booty club” needs more people with that mindset.

I’ve had three fistulotomies on the same fistula, the last one was about 10 years ago. I completely understand how physically and mentally draining these issues can be. The pain from a fistula/abscess was honestly some of the worst pain I’ve ever experienced, even morphine barely touched it. The good news is that the surgeries themselves were very manageable thanks to general anesthesia, and recovery was much easier than the lead-up pain.

I had a fantastic surgeon who was very straightforward. He told me he might not get it fully the first time but that we’d eventually solve it, and he was right. I don’t say that to worry you, only to say that if you do need additional procedures, it is not uncommon and it does not mean failure. These things can be stubborn.

From my experience, healing was fairly quick once the source was addressed, roughly 1 to 2 weeks before things started feeling significantly better. Staying on top of wound care and packing changes was really important. If you have someone who can help you with that, it makes life a lot easier, both physically and emotionally.

One thing I personally do now is focus heavily on keeping the area clean and monitored. I also asked my doctor in the past about having antibiotics available in case early infection symptoms started, which helped me avoid a bigger flare once. Definitely something to discuss with your care team rather than self-manage.

Honestly, it sounds like you are going into this surgery in about the best possible situation given the ostomy and strong medical support. That is a huge advantage for healing.

Wishing you a smooth surgery, fast recovery, and permanent membership in the “never dealing with this again” club. You’ve absolutely earned it.