Success Story!
Hi friends!
28 M
I wanted to share my experience in hopes that it helps anyone currently dealing with the stress, anxiety, or uncertainty that comes with having a fistula.
What first seemed like a simple pimple eventually developed into a fistula over the course of about a year. In October 2025, I was referred to a specialist, and I had my first consultation in December 2025. The surgeon confirmed it was a fistula that would require surgery, either a fistulotomy or fistulectomy.
I was then placed on a waiting list until March 27, 2026, which was the date of my surgery.
To be honest, I was extremely nervous and scared leading up to it. It’s one of those procedures where you don’t fully know what needs to be done until the surgery actually happens. Thankfully, everything went smoothly. I arrived at the hospital early in the morning, and the surgery itself only took about 7 minutes!
In my case, I only required a fistulotomy, which was a huge relief. Once the surgery was done, a lot of the stress and anxiety immediately started fading away. I was able to go home later that same afternoon.
Thankfully, here in Canada, the aftercare was amazing. I had daily at-home nurse visits where they handled the wound packing and dressing changes. Around day 5, the wound stopped tunneling and really started healing well.
By day 9, I was back at work, and that was also when my care switched from at-home visits to appointments at a nurse treatment center. Around day 11, I no longer needed packing and switched to simple dressings using Acticoat (silver-lined gauze) and a Mepilex bandage.
My last dressing appointment was on May 1st, and by then the wound had healed and closed up very well. I had my follow-up appointment with my surgeon on May 7th and was officially cleared and declared fistula-free!
Finally having peace of mind after all of this felt incredible.
A few things I’d recommend during recovery:
• Diet is HUGE prioritize protein and nutrients. I ate a lot of chicken, eggs, and lentils, along with broccoli, carrots, pears, grapes, and melon.
• Drink lots of water.
• For the first few days, a fiber supplement like psyllium husk can really help. The first few bowel movements can be intimidating.
• I used a medicleanse sterile solution after every bowel movement to help keep the area clean.
• Avoid heavy lifting completely while healing.
• Walk around when you can as blood flow and movement really help recovery.
If anyone has questions or is anxious about the process, feel free to comment and I’ll do my best to help!