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Anal abscess / fisule: infections after surgery?

Tue, December 21, 2010 9:09 AM

my son had surgery over labor day weekend to drain an anal abscess / fistulae. (he was diagnosed 2 years ago with crohn's.) he has been on cipro, flagyl and started remicade in october (was on pentasa and methotrexate). he is doing 2 sitz baths per day and the area is still draining somewhat but is swollen to about the size of a blueberry. saw his doctor last week and he says there is about a 50% chance he'll need surgery to drain the infection again or to place a seton.

my question is, to any of you who have had surgery to drain an anal abscess / fistulae, how long did it take to heal and did the area ever swell up again and reinfect while draining? trying to determine if his response 3 months after the surgery is normal and can be knocked down with antibiotics or if surgery is again inevitable as ski / basketball season is about to begin for him.

b and c
Joined Aug 14, 2008

Wed, December 22, 2010 6:31 PM

Reply posted for B and C.

Don't be scared of the stons

I am a 35 year old Crohn's Patient. I have had since I was 15 and got my first anal fistula about 4 years later. My first surgery was just a lance and antibiotics, I missed a few months of school and the last half of football season.

then it got better, never really closed up but was not a bother, then about 5 years later after a few flares in between it swelled up pretty bad and I had a surgery to clean it out and some setons put in. You forget the Setons are even there and they allow it to drain if it needs to so it won;t swell up and be extremely painful again.

since then the setons have fallen out on their own and we never put them back in, I have had a few other swelling flares since but its back to normal again.

I seem to always be on antibiotics both for the fistula and for the Crohn's in general.

Good Luck!

antonyde
Joined Jan 11, 2009

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