Mucus Fistula - Does it heal or remain open?

When they removed my colon and created the ileostomy, they also created a small hole on the opposite side of my abdomen. This hole has some discharge each day and one physician told me it was a mucus fistula made to release gas buildup in the tiny portion of colon left behind. Another one told me she had no clue what it was, the next one said mucus fistula also but it would eventually heal closed, another one then said it would never close up. I'm not sure who is right/wrong....does anyone else have this little hole? Did it ever heal or is it still open?

Hi Juniper, sorry to hear you are having issues. I had an abscess removed (size of an orange) same time as my ileostomy surgery and there was a small hole near where my rectum once was that drained for a couple of years. The drainage has now stopped and the hole appeared to have healed over. I used to put some gauze or a pad in my underwear in that area to catch the drainage. Is the hole big enough that you could pack it with a small piece of gauze? The body is smart and will keep the track open for drainage until the fistula or abscess heals; otherwise, you would get an infection. How long has it been since your surgery? I hope you get some relief soon and it heals up.

Good luck and stay well. I hope this helps. Penguins7

Thanks Penguins7, the hole is small enough luckily for a small bandage. It looks like the hole has gotten smaller but not closed completely. I had my surgery beginning of June ..on my birthday (not exactly how anyone would want to celebrate) so I'm hoping in time it will close up. Again thanks, nice to know others have dealt with similar issues. Hope you are doing well and stay well too.

Hi, Juniper72! Probably best to get back in touch with your surgeon to ask about this and ask if it was a purpose-made mucous fistula or not. These answers will guide what you can do with the skin-level opening.

Hey Jups... Wow. Never heard of a "surgeon-created fistula" or drain hole. I got to tell you, we hear some pretty far-fetched stories on the forum but this one takes the cake for sure.

As an abscess and fistula person myself, I can tell you only one thing, my fistula needed surgery. My abscesses needed surgery. They do not heal on their own. Why a surgeon would even consider making a hole in the opposite side of the ileo puzzles me. We drain, we fart, we burp, everything goes through the pouch. You don't need a relief valve. For Pete's sake, where do these doctors get these ideas?

I feel for you as an experienced sufferer myself. These holes and drains are not fun and need to be fixed ASAP to avoid infections. Serious infections. I still get them "down there". Stay strong - Warrior

My Ostomy Journey: Bruce | Hollister

A mucous fistula is something a lot of people don't get to see. (Thankfully, because it's usually done where the ostomate is very unwell.) Here's general info on mucous fistulae from my experience of them.

Surgeons may make an ileostomy on the right side but also make another small flat stoma on the left side from the detached colon. This smaller stoma is called a mucous fistula. It can be done to promote healing (in a high-risk abdomen) and is often temporary. Sometimes a formerly active stoma becomes a mucous fistula when a new one is made higher up the GI tract.

As Warrior mentioned, there can be poor wound healing which leads to a fistula. That is considered a different type of fistula.

Only when you find out from the medical team exactly what you have can you manage it.

Thanks so much for explaining this more...you gave me more info than my doctors so far on this. I am waiting for the surgeon's office to call me to see what's up with it, seeing as now it has decided to ooze some nasty stuff out of it, more than usual.  

I hope you get clear answers soon. It's odd that one of the team said the possible mucus fistula would close on its own. A surgically created mucus fistula is usually reversed when the ileostomy is reversed.

I was referring to the abscess track that closed on its own. It took forever. Penguins7

Sorry, Penguins7! I didn't mean you or anyone on this site when I said team there...I meant Juniper72's medical team that she talked about in her original post. I tried to reply to one of her messages so they were linked but I either messed it up or my account is acting wonky. Sorry about the confusion.

Healing an abscess or fistula tract is incredibly difficult. Bravo to you for achieving that!

Thanks, Nurse. No worries, you have been a great addition to this site. Keep up the great work and stay well. Penguins7

Hello Juniper

During my first ileo, the surgeon sewed the top of my rectum (which was removed later) to the inside of the horizontal incision above my pelvic bone. I didn't know it was there, and it wasn't visible from the outside. After perhaps two to three weeks, a small hole opened up at the site and began to weep an unpleasant-looking substance. The surgeon told me they do this so any remaining infection can find its way out of my body if it needs to, which it did. I cleaned the site and changed a small dressing every day until it closed over and disappeared, which it will do. I am going to guess it took four to five months to heal and vanish, but I really can't remember other than it was a pain to clean and dress every day on top of everything else. I have never thought about this until you mentioned it in your post, and I was never given a medical terminology for it. Sounds like you have something very similar.

Take care