Hiii, so, I just discover yesterday that I have one, been feeling weird down there for a while but only yesterday I discover the exit and what is called sooo, can I may recover by myself?
I don't know how I get one, I'm 19 with no autonomy and I'm kinda embarrassed to tell it to anyone
Hello, fellow bum buddies :-D! I have a question... mixed with just chatting.
So im 2 weeks post op I had a seton placement. Although the surgeon said 3 weeks to heal. I was curious. Do people like go about they everyday lives with a seton placement? I'm eager to sit , just because im tired if standing and eating. I tried to sit this past Saturday on my bed... I lasted 3 minutes before tremendous pain. Does anyone have any insight? Either way thank you in advance
Hey, I hope you all are doing fine & big hugs if you're suffering 🫂
I wanted to give an update of the simple fistulotomy I had on April 15th
Today was my 4th followup, I was scared because they intervened on the 1st and 3rd followup (day 3 & 18) & then it used to hurt for the following day but today they just looked at my wound and said smooth healing
I don't need to go for another followup if there's no new pain or swelling. I still need to take stool softener + ointment + gauze + sitz baths but nothing else
I'm feeling very relieved tbh and hopeful because the last 4 months were hell (abscess happened on 16 January)
That's it.
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!
Hello everyone. I was booked for a fistulotomy on a transphincteric fistula with what appeared to have very tiny amount of external sphincter involvement. I woke up having had a LIFT done instead as when the CRS looked there was too much muscle and he didn’t feel comfortable doing the lay open (clearly a good decision). All of my research and recovery prep was on a lay open so far, so would really appreciate any advice for a LIFT recovery and what to expect. Any positive stories very welcome too as I feel pretty despondent - I only recall seeing LIFT failure stories. Thank you.
I just wanted to say, thanks all for being amazing here. This is the kindest, nicest sub I’ve seen. Definitely has helped me feel less alone in the fresh hell that is fistula life. But yeah. Thank you.
Thats all. 💜
Hey folks!
I’m 5 weeks out from my operation where I had a partial fistulotomy and a seton placement for my perianal fistula.
So far, it’s been OK. Tough but not terrible. But recently I’ve noticed that there is blood coming from the place where the seton enters (is there a term for this??), that there’s a bit of a lump there now (not like the fistula was but.. it’s raised?), it’s quite sore and it’s draining LOADS like much more than during previous weeks. It feels like a back step? But maybe I’m being hyper vigilant and this is normal…
My CRS last time I saw him a couple of weeks ago said i should try and “relax and live my life” lololol but having suffered with a misdiagnosed fistula and 4 abscesses while fighting to get a correct diagnosis for over a year, it’s quite hard to remember how to relax and not worry about changes and pain being signals of something else.
Thanks so much for everyone’s generous advice and moral support so far during this process!
Hi, my CRS says I am healed but I doubt it because I feel like my vibrating farts make me leak.
I am 7 weeks post-fistulotomy. My CRS recently checked me and said the fistula is healed, but I have a concern about how I am healing.
Since the operation, I never fart the same way. I always get many variation in my farts—no quiet or normal ones. Every single fart is now extremely loud and vibrates a lot. My theory is that these loud, vibrating farts are actually causing me to leak. It feels like the vibration is so intense that it forces a tiny bit of feces or moisture out of my anus itself, not through the surgery wound.
My CRS insists I am already good, but I doubt it because I am still dealing with these leaks but I am not completely sure if they are because of the gas or my wound is just not healed at all.
I want to know:
• Has anyone else who is already fully healed experienced this where your farts are just loud and vibrating with no variation?
• Did anyone else have the theory that these loud farts were the specific reason for their leak but thru the anal opening and not on their wound?
• Did your farts ever go back to being quiet or normal?
I am just trying to figure out if this is a common thing for people who are supposedly healed. BTW I am seeking another opinion from another doctor I just want to ask first if there are other people who have the same experience with me. Thanks!
I wanted to share my story, only to give people encouragement that there are varying stories on the healing timeline and straightforward cases; but, you won't know until you get it looked at and get it taken care of.
35 year old male, relatively healthy with no underlying conditions.
TL;DR only took me 2 weeks to recover after a mostly superficial fistulotomy, and having a surgeon you're comfortable and confident in is important if you are fortunate to have the choice.
My timeline:
August 2025: Felt a bump grow, which I thought was just a pimple at first, around my taint area and superficial. I went to get it checked at Kaiser, and my doctor had noted that I had an anal fissure back in 2019 so he recommended that I go see a colorectal specialist. I am not shy about bringing things up with my doctor when I notice things, so I think this may have helped to catch this earlier than much later, rather than to ignore any off things.
Sept 2025: Did an incision in the hopes that it was just an external abscess that would just clear when poked and heal. Didn't have the best interaction with the specialist at Kaiser, bedside manner was very odd and seemed all over the place with thoughts and not able to explain to me my options. The incision was also cut in the wrong place at first, and two cuts had to be made. This resulted in a longer healing period for this time, which was frustrating.
November 2025: Confirmed that it was a fistula, as it was not healing over and still bleeding. Anal fistulotomy recommended and I read a lot on this thread being a bit scared of the long healing process. I requested a different colorectal surgeon after my negative interactions, and was brushed off with the comment that "they will just tell you the same thing". I insisted though, since I didn't feel comfortable with this surgeon, and then got rescheduled to a different surgeon, but I wouldn't be able to see him until 4 months later to talk about my options again and get a second opinion.
January 2026: I got a new job, so luckily my open enrollment period started again and I did some research that there was a doctor in my city who specializes in anal fistulotomy procedures. I switched insurances to be able to go to UCSF and see Dr. Varma after researching specialists online.
February 2026: Visit to Dr. Varma and her team, they explained everything very well to me and why the fistulotomy is the best option, and also what all the different possibilities would be once I go through with the surgery, and how they will determine what path to go down when I'm on the operating table. It was nice that she had a team that was able to share their experiences helping many others before me through it. They said if my fistula goes through the muscle, they will insert a seton, and I will have to go back another time for a follow-up procedure. If not, they will move forward with a fistulotomy and I will begin the healing process.
April 2026: Procedure day was VERY straightforward. I tried to have a bowel movement that morning in order to buy some healing time post-surgury, but I was too anxious to go. Looking back on it, I should've had more fiber and hydrate a LOT leading up to the surgery. I was nervous, since I hadn't had surgery since I got my tonsils out as a kid. My body handled the anesthesia well, and I was out for 30-45 minutes and apparently, the procedure only took 20 minutes or so. Don't remember a thing other than being face down and ass up in the operating room with pillows before waking up in the recovery area. The team told me that my fistula was all superficial (meaning within 30% of the outside of the anal area), so it was very straightforward and they were able to do the fistulotomy.
Day of surgery healing: Lots of time in bed and rest, felt pretty good with operation pain meds still sort of working + the advanced tylonol. Took Tylenol PM to sleep. No bowel movement.
Day after surgery: Still too nervous to have a bowel movement. Had lots of water non-stop to make sure stools would not be hard.
2-3 days after surgery: finally had a my first bowel movement with some Miralax, and it was not nearly as painful as I thought it would be (I timed it so I was still taking extra strength Tylenol an hour or 2 before doing sits baths and attempting to go). Partly because my fistulotomy was mostly superfical, but there was still blood.
~3-6 days after: I kept taking Tylonol PM for a few more days and then decided to stop since it was starting to affect my overall mood and not getting the best sleep. I still used gauze at night consistently and also did sits baths with epsom salt for 10 minutes+ a few times a day. Just played Switch to keep myself entertained and be good about sitting for the recommended time and then showering after. Minimal blood in bowel movements.
6 days later: I was back working from home and took my first walk around the neighborhood. I think I pushed myself a bit more than I needed to but it made me understand where my limits were. No more blood in bowel movements.
1.5 weeks post surgery: I'm able to go out to dinner, walk around okay and go to work in the office, still with gauze, but no longer taking tylonol for pain.
2 weeks post-surgery (pretty much back to normal day to day): still healing, but its not affecting my day-to-day. Long walks around the city is no problem. Went to a few concerts even, and live is pretty much back to normal for me. Still sleeping with a bit gauze at night, with less and less discharge each day.
3-weeks surgery: today as I'm writing this, I had my follow-up video appointment. Basically, only a tiny bit of discharge at night, and I just regularly clean the area when I use the restroom when I'm out and about. Team told me the chances of infection after a fistolotomy is .5% (5 years of doing this as a PA, she said she's only seen one infection and the person had other unerlying conditions that may have contributed).
Hope this gives people hope to just go check out your options and get the procedure done sooner than later if you're able to. I don't know if that contributed to my case, but I'm glad I got it done because I was ready to just live with the fistula for a couple of years and see if it would get worse just out of being nervous or scared.
Tips: hydrate a lot leading up to the surgery (but NOT the day of, since you want to de-risk any throwing up of liquids due to the anesthesia), get into the routine of psyllium husk fiber (I put them in smoothies), find a way to entertain yourself so you look forward to long sit baths.
2weeks post fistulotomy and getting aggravated by constantly having to replace the gauze, when replacing it after every Sitz bath and every time it gets dirty is staring to really effect my budget as I have limited income due to disability, just need to rant.
I wanted to ask about your experience with having a portion of the sphincter muscle removed. I’ve had four surgeries so far, including a seton and laser treatment. My surgeon said the issue is now close to the skin, and that removing a very small part of the muscle would be the best option. However, he did warn that I may struggle with control in my 70s or 80s, especially with holding stool.
Has anyone here had part of the muscle cut? Did it resolve the problem, and how has life been afterward? I’m currently on the waiting list for my fifth surgery, so I thought I should ask.
Wondering what everyone’s timelines look like? This has taken a huge emotional toll on me. Does it get better? How soon did you get this resolved?
Here’s my timeline:
April 5th: Started to feel discomfort after a pool day
April 12th: Went to urgent care I was misdiagnosed with a bartholin cyst I was sent home with pain meds and antibiotics
April 19th: I went to the ER where they conducted a CT scan and found nothing. I was sent home again with pain meds and antibiotics.
April 28th: 2nd ER visit. I pushed for answers and finally I had a physical test where the doctor felt the lump they requested an ultrasound in my groin area (wrong area). Once the ultrasound tech was in the room I begged her to check the perianal area, not my groin. She did and found the issue. It was drained and packed.
I am now 12 days out from drainage, I’m still draining but as it’s closing I’ve been feeling pressure and It almost feels like a “tunnel” under the skin. I’m pretty sure this will result in a fistula.
I found a specialist in my city and I’m hoping she takes my insurance. Out of pocket with her is 18k-30k and I’m not willing to spend that amount if I can find a specialist out of the country.
Hello everyone,
I had a fistulotomy a month ago, and the surgical wound is still as fresh as the day I was done. The CRS saw it and told me that the healing seemed very slow. I've been washing the wound with antiseptic foaming lotion morning and night since the surgery (as prescribed by the surgeon), and I'm wondering if this could be hindering the healing process? Or is there another reason I'm missing? Thank you, and best of luck to you all!
Hi all. I underwent a surgery (perianal abscess removed), 2 cuts, so 2 gauzes. I need to go to the clinic and change them every day. Problem is: it’s 1 day after surgery. I want to go to toilet (BM) but, the cut is on the anal fold and I'm afraid of having a BM because Im worried like I’d make the area infected with fecal material. I'm also afraid of taking a sitz bath (with few drops of Potassium permanganate) because I think soaking the gauze (thingy that is inside of the wound) will make it a damp and prone to infection. I don’t know what to do :( am I overreacting? I can’t change the gauze myself (was told to go to clinic to change it every day)
Sorry for bad EN, it’s not my first language
Hey around the 26-27th of April I woke up with a bump on my bum right around my rectum maybe 2 inches away and then for almost a week i sat and let it get bigger and bigger because i didn’t know what it was it was causing excruciating pain i couldn’t sleep, walk, or sit without it hurting so i was in a butterfly position or in doggy style with blankets or pillows piled up so my stomach wasnt fully on the bed or i layed on my right side for hours around on Monday i went in because i could not walk and i was getting a fever and more ended up going in as soon as the head of developed my heart rate was 150 i was hot and then cold and my everything was hurting i could not walk it all just hurt very very bad i ended up having a sepsis alert and was automatically put on a lot of iv and got blood drawn to see if anything was in my blood i sat there in a butterfly position for over 10 hours and during that time i messed with a nerve because of all the uncomfortable positions i was in and i am flexible so i was most definitely in not normal positions, i finally got a surgeon to numb and drain the abscess around like 11 when i got in there at like 2pm. It drained A LOT the nurse had to change the bedding 3 times the first after the drainage and the other two hours after the surgeon drained it, i had a ct and xray and mri to see if it was traveling and it was so it was a confirmation that i would have surgery the next day so tuesday morning around like 6:45 i got moved to a room and was told i would have surgery around like 5 i had surgery and the relief i felt was amazing just sore and stinging but was told it was normal but right after one of my nerves was like shocked or inflamed on my left leg and it was a slight numbness and i was released wednesday didnt really think anything of it until that night i tried to sleep and anytime i moved my right arm trying to adjust myself it would hurt and shock my nerve to the point i would hold that leg before moving to kinda ease my pain, my days are blended now and it has just been hurting me and my leg is now sore, my surgeon is not responding and my check up appointment is Tuesday at 11am im just kinda freaking out because i dont want permanent nerve damage due to me being in uncomfortable positions and more im young only 18 and i have no parents or family so im just spiraling has anyone else dealt with this after surgery? my back and everything is hurting me so bad but i cant sit on my butt like that you know? im just going thru it and would like advice…. i have been changing my gauze and taking a bath as directed this nerve in my leg is just really bothering me
Hello,
I’m new to this community. I’m 31yo male from UK.
I’m new to this as a health issue and feeling very confused and alone.
At start of May my bum started to hurt and I developed a temperature of 40 degrees. I was rushed to hospital with a perianal abscess, put on an antibiotic iv, and then drained under general anaesthetic.
When I woke up they said it wasn’t very big but has been drained. They then took me for a ct scan and just said nothing alarming was seen.
It’s now 10 days later and I’m lying horizontally trying to have it heals as quickly as possible so I can get back to work. I am a freelancer so I’m not working and not making any money.
From people who have had similar I wanted to ask some questions?
What are the chances this will develop into a fistula, seeing different stuff online and it’s really worrying me.
What are the warning signs that this may develop into a fistula?
haven’t ever suffered with this before but I am a gay man and wondered if that’s the likely cause?
They have been packing the wound, and for the last few days the packing keeps coming out which means contacting the gp and getting it re packed. Been in every single day as a result.
How long will this need to be packed? And if it’s falling out is that a sign it’s closing up?
Thank you,
Any advice I’d appreciate.
With all these fistula, different surgeries, anyone experience like a weird sensation of pressure at your bottoms? It's a difficult to explain feeling. Almost like something is stuck in your bottom, and you think it's poop but it's not. I don't feel it all the time throughout the day, but only sometimes more towards the end of the day. It's not pain but just a weird feeling. Other than this, I don't have any pain with bowel movements. I can poop everyday 1-2 times a day. I've had 2 surgeries in the last 6 months. One I&D and one fistulotomy and probably going for a 3rd surgery soon. Chatgpt says it may be due to inflammation and muslcle tightening. Pls share if you had experience a similar feeling.
About 10 days ago I had a fissurectomy, a skin tag removed, and a superficial fistula removed.
I'm sharing to try and help anyone who is going through this as it took the biggest toll on my mental health.
In July 2025 I started having bleeding following a BM which persisted for a couple weeks, the only other symptom was some intense itching periodically. I was in the process of planning my wedding and figured maybe it was a hemorrhoid which I had developed due to stress, constipation and a little bit of stress-induced over exercising.
Flash forward to September 2025 - wedding had passed and the symptoms persisted. I could clearly feel and see a medium sized lump in my rectum which I still believed to be a hemorrhoid. If I drank 2 liters or more water, took Metamucil, ate 35 grams of fiber and stayed as stress free as possible the symptoms were manageable but if strayed from the plan at all - i.e. traveled - I was in for a week or more of bleeding, pain and the WORST, MOST INTENSE, CONSTANT itching.
I made an appointment with my GP in October 2025 and they agreed it was a hemorrhoid. I was told to use Preparation - H and continue the high fluid and fiber diet. If anything things got worse. I went back to my GP twice before she referred me to a dermatologist for the intense itching. I couldn't get in to the derm for about 3 months during which I virtually isolated myself outside of going to work. My sex life became nonexistent, I couldn't exercise or socialize, all I could think about was my pain and embarrassment.
I saw the dermatologist in January of this year. They did not have any idea what was going on with my anus but they diagnosed me with Lichen Sclerosus which apparently was wrecking havoc on my labia. I think that due to the pain in my butt the infrequent itching of my vagina due to the Lichen really was going unnoticed. The dermatologist suggested that this could be affecting my anal area too so I started using the prescribed steroid cream on both areas. Needless to say, the Lichen Sclerosus improved drastically in a couple weeks but my ass was still in as much discomfort as ever.
I tried to be patient and hope that maybe the two things had aggravated each other and I would get some relief soon, but then, after what was supposed to be a relaxing vacation to London with my new husband I had an episode (on the plane ride home) of the most intense itching and burning ever. The next morning when I had a bowel movement the bowl was once again, full of blood.
I called my GP sobbing as soon as the office opened and she told me to come on in. Once again, she couldn't find anything except that skin tag which she still believed to be a hemorrhoid. I had some painful cracking and thinning of the skin in the anal area due to overuse of the steroid cream. (I stopped using this in the anal area and I now only use it infrequently when things flare up a bit in the vulva area.) My doctor had no idea what to do but she referred me to a colon and rectal specialist. When I called to make the appointment I was told the next opening was over 2 months later. I totally broke down and cried to the receptionist and she took pity on me and squeezed me in about a month later.
I waited in cautious hope but major trepidation for this appointment as I was now convinced I had some sort of horrible disease. At this appointment I finally felt validated. I was assured that hundreds of people suffer from anal issues and embarrassment was something I needed to let go of. After an exam with an endoscope as well as some general poking and prodding the PA I saw said she was 100% sure it was a fissure with an accompanying skin tag. She started me on a course of nifedipine ointment (used to relax the sphincter muscle allowing healing) which I was to apply to my anus 3 times daily.
Flash forward one month from this appointment - things were 90% improved. Pain was almost nonexistent, bleeding after bowel movements was rare and only if I had a bout of constipation. Itching was still ongoing but greatly less than before and healing skin also itches so I didn't think much of it. I was ecstatic. I starting have sex again, seeing friends and going to yoga and pilates classes.
I had my 1 month follow up via TeleHealth with the Rectal Doctor and she was thrilled to hear these results as well. She told me to continue with the ointment for another month and we would touch base again.
About two weeks after this phone consult I got the flu. I was constipated and dehydrated and then had a bout of diarrhea and I was right back to where I had started. I tried not to freak out, I had another follow-up in two weeks and I tried to get things back under control during that time, but nothing worked. I took medical leave from work because the pain, itching and my mental health were almost unbearable.
When the time for my phone consult came and I shared the bad news the doctor suggested waiting another month and then if things had not resolved having an in-person visit. I told her I couldn't wait, I needed to be seen right away, my life was falling apart. She got me in the next day and after a brief exam said surgery would be the best option, unfortunately the more conservative method had failed.
This appointment happened on March 18th and the surgery was scheduled for April 14th. This month was extremely challenging. I was in constant discomfort but needed to return to work to keep my health benefits. I cried on the way to work, sometimes at work, on the way home and all evening. I avoided seeing people unless absolutely necessary, I took loads of antihistamines to help with the itching and ibuprofen to help with the pain. My poor husband felt so bad for me but there was nothing he could do except try and distract me or just hold me while I sobbed. It felt like this was my new existence and surgery seemed so scary.
My body was so tired of being in pain that everyday was a massive struggle.
The surgery happened, and it was extremely quick. I was put under General Anesthesia and when I woke up I obviously couldn't remember anything.
The surgeon told me that they had performed a fissurectomy, removed the skin tag and also removed a superficial fistula which they had not picked up on previously. I was so hopped up on pain meds and so happy that day, needless to say the area was painless for the next 12ish hours.
When I woke up in the morning I still felt ok. I removed the dressing, had a pretty painful BM and soaked in a sitz bath about 5 times throughout the day.
The real pain came on day 2, although it really wasn't as bad as what I had experienced previously.
Day 3 was worse, though mostly because my anal area was sore/bruised from the surgery. I upped my water intake, started taking MiraLAX and tried to eat healthy, high fiber meals and get plenty of sleep.
Day 4 was a bit better, I spent time in the yard with the dogs and my BM was much less painful. I had a decent amount of bloody drainage and some light itching, also the area was swollen as hell.
Days 5 and 6 showed more improvement, continued light bloody drainage, less pain.
Day 7 was a minor setback as I had forgotten to take MiraLAX. No tearing or anything just increased discomfort during a DM and a little extra blood.
Day 8 was better, swelling had gone down, pain was much less, still light bloody discharge but they said this could persist for several weeks.
Day 9 I went back to work, it was tough but I work in an office so I can sit/stand as needed and don't need to do anything strenuous.
Today is day 10, I feel better than I have in months, but I am still cautious to admit this as setbacks happened so many times before surgery. I am walking with almost no pain (short distances) Sitting is fine (I try to move often to increase circulation) and I sit on a regular pillow - don't sit on a donut it will pull your butt cheeks apart and hinder healing. I am drinking a lot of water, eating balanced meals and taking Metamucil and MiraLAX just to be safe. (I'm often constipated so this is not overkill for me)
If you are dealing with something similar I'd be glad to talk with you. This has been the worst 9ish months of my life (well, almost) and it hurts to feel alone and unheard.
These things are highly treatable but sometimes it seems so out of reach.
Things that helped me during the months of waiting were: Therapy, Audio Books, baking, knitting, TV shows, hugging my dogs, limiting contact with toxic family members, TONS of weed - edibles, tinctures, joints, bowls, bongs, doesn't matter, it helped, talking to people I know who deal with chronic pain, it puts things into perspective, also as mentioned before antihistamines (Zyrtec was my go to) and ibuprofen.
Sending you love if you're struggling. Better times ARE coming.
Hi everyone! I’ve been lurking on this community for the past 10 months and always told myself once I was finally healed I would come back to write my success story! It has been a longgg ten months but I feel so blessed to finally be at the end of this!
In August, I first noticed a large lump like the size of a baby carrot and it took about two weeks for it to become painful. I went to the ER where they drained it and it was diagnosed as a perianal abscess. This was honestly the WORST pain I’ve ever had! And that night was even worse and I had to make an emergency visit with a local colon rectal doctor the next day.
I was told to give it about a month in order to see if it was a fistula or not since it’s a 50/50 chance. During that month there was still a lot of drainage so things weren’t looking too good. I went back and it was diagnosed as a fistula. The whole thing was really scary and emotional. Earlyish October I went in for surgery and they didn’t know what surgery they were going to do until they got in there. I ended up getting a seton placement and having that in for the next two months. I took a few days off work for this but overall the pain wasn’t that bad. I just took things super easy for the first month.
I was finally able to have a modified LIFT surgery on December 30th! Goodbye Sally the Seton forever!!! Apparently the modified LIFT has a higher success rate so I was really happy that’s what I was able to have. The pan was pretty awful for the first week and I spent most of the time in bed reading, watching TV or sleeping. My Fiance was my rock during this time and did everything for me and I’m so blessed to have him. After about 2 weeks I could move a little more but took it really easy for the first month as I didn’t want to risk anything. Even month two I took it really easy and didn’t start returning somewhat to normal until about 8 weeks. My doctor started doing silver nitrate treatments every two weeks and I think I had that four times.
Today I am about little over 5 months post surgery and finally for the news that I am 99% better and don’t need to come back for anymore follow-ups and can resume all normal activity! I started crying tears of joy right there in the office!
If you made it this far you may be feeling like there is no light at the end of the tunnel but I’m here to say there is!! This has been the hardest year but it’s made me stronger and I am finally through it! God is so good and I’m so thankful for my support system and AMAZING surgeon who got me through this!