Anal Fistula Treatment #2 - Seton Time

After having the disgusting drain removed and going through a slightly traumatic anal sonogram; I had the joy of experiencing 12 beautiful, peaceful hours of drain-free/seton-free bliss. The bliss was short-lived, as I was scheduled to have my second surgery the next day. 

My second surgery was a lot easier to deal with than the first one. First, I woke up from surgery DRAIN FREE! The hole from the fistulotomy and seton was a lot smaller than the first time around and at that point, I felt like a pro at dealing with wound care. When it comes to learning how to deal with having open wounds in your ass, you have to learn how to take care of the area pretty quickly. I've started to place a reoccurring gauze order with a medical supplier on Amazon, I'm only using flushable wipes and I've installed a hose on my toilet that allows me to spray the area, like a bidet. 

For a while, everything is as good as it can get with an anal fistula. July goes by and I'm trying to live my life as normal as possible but I am always uncomfortable/itchy/draining from the seton. My 6 week post-op appointment goes by and I'm scheduled to see my CRS at the beginning of September. During this time, I feel so anxious to know when my next surgery is going to be. I just want this nightmare behind me so I can resume my life. 

The appointment with my surgeon is finally here and she is concerned that I am still feeling pain around the seton area and orders another MRI. This is not the news I was anticipating and I'm starting to realize that my 6-12 month treatment prediction may lean more towards 12 months. 

Having already met my maximum out-of-pocket for 2017, I did not hesitate to get a second MRI. However, I discovered that, as I was being wheeled in head-first into the MRI machine, I have claustrophobia! The tech was nice and allowed me to go in feet-first instead but I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that the claustrophobia caused (or triggered) for the next two weeks until I got my results. 

My results were posted online before my doctor called me, so I got to stew on this phrase for a whole weekend:

There is an additional new fluid tract extending left and posteriorly from the seton into the left gluteal subcutaneous soft tissues where there is a small 15 x 8 mm collection of fluid and air (17/28, 19/14).

You know when you fall down hard and it feels like the wind was knocked out of you? Or that super-zoom function on Instagram? That was me with these results, I kept on reading it over repeating "new fluid tract....collection of fluid and air.... collection... of...fluid...and...air.... COLLECTION OF FLUID AND AIR!!!!" I was mad as hell, at this point, I still hadn't talked to my doctor and it was a weekend. There's a moment in terrible Sex and the City movie where [SPOILER] Big leaves Carrie at the altar and she goes on their honeymoon with her girlfriends. She sits on this bed and stares out and says that she feels nothing and all she wants to do is sleep. This was my reaction and I didn't even have someone like Charlotte to shit their pants to make me laugh again. 

Finally, after four long days or being tormented by a collection of fluid and air, my doctor called me and said she wanted to do another surgery that Friday. Not definitive surgery that will end this nightmare, but another treatment to deal with this asshole fistula that just won't go away. Here we go again, getting ready for surgery #3 of the nightmare that will never end.