Abscess formed after a sphincterotomy. Has anyone experienced this?

Posted , 4 users are following.

Much like most people who are going through a health related issue, I was desperate for a cure. My ailment; anal fissure.

Anyone with a fissure knows the pain can be so bad, you're life changes. Some people suffer for years before seeking help, but I had enough after 2 months. I tried sitz baths, creams, suppositories, gels and medication. My sphincter muscles just wouldnt stop with the spasms.

At my wits end I made a consultation with a surgeon who expressed all options to me first. It was my decision to do the sphincterotomy because it was the best odds to beat the fissure pain.

So, post surgery same day, I went balls to the wall with a meal I'd been craving for weeks. I claim temporary insanity for this. Took the stool softener and felt really good, probably because I was still under the effects of anesthesia and pain medication. Day 1 post op, scared as ever, I had my first bm. It wasn't as bad as I had expected, but there was absolutely no fissure pain. Only sore surgery type of pain. I was ecstatic... then after a 30 minute sitz bath, I was in a state of panic. I had been prescribed with Valium for night and percoset for pain. I took the both of them because it was late at night and I started to feel a Charlie horse type of pain in my sphincter.

Fast forward 1 week. I was on my bath floor, hot water soaking. Crying. I had just had a bowel movement and I knew what was coming because they hit like a train after every BM. A muscle spasm in the sphincter I just had surgery on. Having a BM was fine. No pain. No pressure. No constipation. No straining. In fact almost all my stools were soft or loose. Didn't matter though, a spasm would happen immediately after a BM. Have you ever had a person punch you so hard in the arm or leg that you got a Charlie horse? Imagine that feeling in your anus for 6 hours straight. After every single BM. I stopped eating. I drank only water. I lived in constant fear and I still had a BM every day. So back to the sitz bath thing. There was minor relief in a super hot, turn your skin lobster, sitz bath. And I mean minor. I called my surgeon, ended up speaking to his colleague and my husband, bless him, drove 20 miles 1 way in less than 10 minutes to get me a prescription for pain meds. He returned home with a teddy bear and oxycodone... I felt like this was the most awkward yet happiest valentine present ever. The pain meds helped, but only so little. Enough to sleep though, so I took it.

I saw my surgeon 10 days post op and explained to him about the pain. I had a bm a few hours prior to this appointment and I won't lie to you. I lost it. I cried. Not teary eyed cried. Scream, sob poring tears, snot running, couldn't speak, bawling cry. He was the one who explained the extra pain was muscle spasms. I ended up with double the dose of muscle relaxers and pain medication. The pain was manageable and I was off of work for 4 weeks. I was also given antibiotics because they could help with the pain and there was a just in case factor too. The antibiotics were for 5 days.

Now at this point, it's been 3 weeks post op. I'm still having the spasms, but they don't hurt as bad or as long as before. Very tolerable. And wouldn't you know it, another issue popped up. A ball. A hard tender ball near my incision. And now there was a beige and pink drainage coming from there. I didn't know if it was scare tissue or what. I had an appointment with the surgeon again and he said my incision hadn't fully healed because there was an abscess draining from it. More antibiotics, one more prescription of medication. 2 more weeks of this and it was expected that I would be good to go... well I guess that's not what is going to happen after all.

To recap: Sphincterotomy was on January 13th. Extremely pain was within the first 2 weeks from muscle spasms. At 4 weeks, a small abscess was noticed to be draining from the incision. Within the last week, the sphincterotomy itself seems to be all healed, but now I have a burning, tender pain and red swollen pressure about the size of an 8 year olds hand on my butt cheek starting from my incision and going out.

Last night, I couldn't get comfor table at all and when I finally threw my legirlfriend up on a pillow while laying on my stomach, I felt a pop and gush. My incision opened up and there was so much pus and blood (pink liquid, not full thick ted) that I had to keep changing gauze pads every minute. I pushed my cheek as muche as I could bare to help out and took a sitz bath after I stopped getting anything. There was so much relief last night, but today, the whole area is red, swollen and burns. And yes, I can still squeeze and get more pus, but it is mostly watered down blood.

Has this happened to you? Am I going to need surgery again? There's an odor, but not fowl. I see the surgeon again on monday, but what can I expect or should I go to the er?

0 likes, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi Mercy, how are you? what a time you've had. are you healing now?

  • Posted

    Hi mercy

    Im facing almost same issue. How it was healed. Eagerly waiting for u r reply

  • Posted

    I was so relieved to read your message from a few years ago! I have been going through the exact same thing the last few months. I had my procedure 11 days ago and now I have a lump and am in so much pain. I wanted to know how your story ended. What did you decide to do? My Dr. wants me to go back into surgery to " see what is going on".

    Thank you for sharing your journey as it helps me to know that I am not the only who really understands what I am going through!

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