a surgical-grade cord through the fistula tract so that the cord creates a loop that joins up outside the fistula. The cord provides a path that allows the fistula to drain continuously while it is healing, rather than allowing the exterior of the wound to close over.I just describe it like a medical grade zip tie that's red like the color of HELL and SATAN and SANTA that continuously allows my fistulas to leek foul smelling discharge that's either red, yellow, brown and has stained every pair of underwear that I own.
After the third surgery at the end of September, I now had two setons and a new open wound. There is something pretty barbaric about the treatment of anal fistula, you can't just cut it out because then I'll be incontinent, you can't use shortcuts like filling it with some wood glue and calling it a day, it's a long, painful and tedious treatment that requires open healing. WHY ARE WE IN 2017 AND HEALING WOUNDS FROM THE INSIDE OUT IS STILL THE BEST THING TO DO!!!??
After my surgery, I was petrified that I would have a drain but it turns out that the most horrifying thing about my third surgery was that Friends was on when I woke up from my twilight sleep and I was mad as hell that the first thing I saw was not Shrek, but Ross complaining about something. My CRS told me that I could resume "normal activity" within 2 days (impossible) and that the next surgery should be the definitive treatment, LIFT surgery (spoiler, it's not).
As I mentioned in the previous post, at this point, I am a pro at dealing with wound care. I spend a good week hobbling and laying around, avoiding chairs and wearing sweatpants. After a two week period, I'll usually go back into the office and bring around a hemorrhoid donut - at this point, I carry that thing like it's a purse. For the first three weeks after my third surgery, I was feeling alright, I figured this would be the end and I could finally get my last surgery before the end of the year. But then everything got fucked up.
My 6 week post-op appointment with my CRS was in the beginning of November and I knew something was wrong. For a few weeks, my fistula was draining like crazy - I would put weight on my lower back and liquid would squirt out (yes, this is as gross as it sounds). There was noticeable swelling and tenderness. I was hoping that it was just healing, but I knew something was wrong. My surgeon looked at the area and said that she was concerned about the swelling going up my left butt cheek and said that she would have to do an "aggressive" treatment. This means another open wound, but this time it would be so large and deep that it would require packing.
Up until this point, I've kept my shit together during the appointments with my CRS but I felt so crushed that I cried all the way home on the train, on my walk from the train and then sobbed/yelled for forty minutes at home. Not only did I need a pretty invasive fourth treatment surgery, but I needed to have money saved up to pay for another max out-of-pocket medical bill in 2018 for my other surgeries. Once again, money comes to mind first, but the real shit is thinking about how much longer I'm being held hostage by my ass. This has affected everything in my life - being active, going out, sociability, sex, my body, my physical and emotional well-being. Everything. I know that I'm fortunate to have a supportive and understanding partner (which after my fourth surgery, will also become my nurse... but that's next post!) and the means to be able to treat this; I'm not dying from this but it feels like it's killing me.
To make matters worse, my "little friend" the perianal abscess decided to make a raging come back approximately 5 days before my scheduled surgery. I thought I could wait it out until my next surgery, but the pain got so bad that I could barely walk. My CRS urged me to go to the ER and as I sat in the disgusting emergency room, the abscess decided to drain by itself and squirt infected pus all over my Adidas track pants. For the next 30 hours, I had at least 10 doctors and 4 nurses come look at my butt. I never knew that I would get this much attention from medical staff for having a complex anal fistula but I guess I am a total freak show.
I have never stayed overnight at the hospital before and it sucked. I was hooked up to an IV and given 4 rounds of antibiotics. I was treated like I was sick, but I wasn't sick, my ass is just fucked up. I waited around all day to see if I could get my surgery moved up, I was hungry and thirsty and had a raging caffeine headache and just wanted to go home. Because my surgeon was not able to find a time to do my surgery that day, the only beneficial thing that happened during my hospital stay was that I got into the Bravo show "Below Deck" and my abscess drained by itself and was no longer causing me pain.
I was discharged at 4pm and my surgery stayed scheduled for the same time, Tuesday, November 21st, 2017. Let me tell you, that surgery was a DOOZY.
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