Seeking Advice for Chronic Abscesses & Pain

Hi everyone, I am looking to see if anyone out there has had numerous surgeries due to continuous infections. I have been off work now for 3 years battling this issue. I have had surgeries after surgery and always told this will be the last. I now have 2 pockets of infection; 1 in my rectum and 1 tucked up behind my uterus that is the size of a softball.

Does anyone else get these issues (and if so) what have you done to fix the issue? Any thoughts will be greatly appreciated.

Hi! I have had really bad abscesses when I was young! They are extremely painful and extremely dangerous! I would first tell your doctor about your concerns and fears! There are ways to drain the abscess without having surgery, depending on where they are in your gut! I had mine drained in radiology and a drainage tube left in for a week! I was on a lot of antibiotics for a long time until my body became healthy enough to fight it on its own! Make sure your doctor knows about your concerns and fears. You might want to ask him for a stronger course of action to make sure they are gone for good after this! Stay strong and follow your gut feelings. You know your body better than anyone else does!

This sounds very discouraging for you - three years is a lot of time. My husband had multiple complications after his surgery including ileus, septic shock, and multiple abscesses. His last fistula finally closed 2 1/2 years after the initial surgery. We felt powerless against the "forces" and to a large extent, we were.

The most important tool for us was knowing what potential problems could occur, how to recognize early symptoms, and how to intervene. I think knowing when to seek treatment (in his case, usually the ER) and how to present the problem to healthcare providers who weren't familiar with his history was crucial.

Find out as much as you can about your situation so you can make the most informed decisions possible. Good luck to you.

I have had multiple problems with fistulas, even had one burst through my abdominal wall which was constantly draining, and subsequently started draining stool. That was extremely painful. I would definitely suggest your doctor look into putting you on either Remicade or Humira. I first took Remicade as part of a year-long study, and at the time I had multiple complications with the fistulas; and within the first few weeks of having an infusion, my fistulas all dried up.....it was like a miracle after years of pain. Unfortunately, it took time for Remicade to be available for purchase in Canada and after a year of total remission, the fistulas came back and when I went for another infusion of Remicade, within 15 minutes I went into anaphylactic shock. The gastroenterologist said my body must have built up a resistance against the drug and now I am allergic; had my treatment not had to stop after the study, I probably wouldn't have developed this reaction. Anyways, since then it took a while and my fistulas came back and I had to have a permanent ileostomy because nothing else was available at the time. For the past year, I have been taking Humira by prefilled syringe on a weekly basis, and so far it has helped to heal my fistulas and keep my Crohn's disease in remission. Most people take Humira on a bi-weekly basis, but due to the severity of my disease, I take it weekly. Hope this helps. Take care.

Hi sfreitag
Have just read your post and although you are looking for answers, I'm hoping you will be able to give me some information. I've been searching for the last seven weeks for someone who could give me some insight about what an abscess feels like. I'll try and be as short as I can. Had a permanent colostomy done on 1st April and sphincter dissection, and the drain was still filling to the top after eight days. But it was decided to remove it. The wound became infected, and it's taken up until this week to heal. After fifteen days, I was allowed home. Before I left, I was given a CT scan which showed a small mass. And because I was on antibiotics, I was told it would disperse. Got a cancellation appointment last week with the surgeon because I am in real discomfort and pain. He examined me and didn't feel anything, but I can't be examined from the anus. I have another scan for 13th June. I'm frightened they won't see anything. Reading your post has me hoping it's an abscess (how sad is that? Must sound like a real loony). I can barely walk. There's a feeling of a lump and burning, and wondered what your abscesses felt like. Did you have a high temp? (I haven't) and how did it feel in the beginning? Sorry I can't help with your problem and hope you can get the help you need. And if anyone else reading this can input their thoughts and have any ideas on my predicament and what it could be, I would appreciate all comments. Sorry about the length of this, but it helps to get it off my chest. I know I'm lucky the colostomy wasn't about cancer. I would need to take over the whole site to tell about the last six years.

Hi Lara - I had an abscess which was the beginnings of my recto-vaginal fistula (see very long blog!)

The first abscess had to be lanced in theatre under anaesthetic, soooo painful, but the relief afterwards ..... arrrrrrh! But the subsequent ones made me feel awful although no temp if I recall, bits of pus trickled out of it and it felt like I was sitting on a growing cactus! And no - they could never feel mine either - very comforting eh?

Good luck with it

Rach xx

I was just recently hospitalized with a fistula on my abdomen. Nothing seemed to work, drug-wise. They sent me home on loads of drugs and after 2 months, it wasn't any better. So I stopped ALL meds and eliminated all grains and processed foods, most dairy from my diet. I noticed a change within a few days.

Sorry, wasn't done. So, yeah, now everything's great, no meds, Crohn's in remission and fistula healed. I haven't felt this great in a long while. I know everyone is different in how their bodies will respond to different methods but this one works wonders for me. I pretty much stick to a Paleo diet.