Advice needed | Living with an anal fistula

Hi guys, I've got a fistula and awaiting surgery. I don't have pain much at the moment however, the fatigue is very severe. Is that side effect? It's stopping me from working

Hey moosecraftsman,

I came across your post while searching for others and to find any answers that may help me out. I'm 42 years old and a man. My story started the week before Easter last year. I had been having a pain beside my butt hole. I had been having this pain for about six months and thought I had pulled or strained a muscle or something. It was more annoying at first, but then over time it became severe, to the point I couldn't sit, walk, or be comfortable in any position without being in severe pain down there. I noticed a large swollen area just beside my butt hole. I had my wife take a look and she made me a doctors appointment with our family physician. I went to see him on a Thursday. After I explained to him about the pain I was in he took a look at it, he said it looked to him like I had an abscess. He told me he couldn't do anything about it, but called a colorectal doctor and made an appointment for me the following Monday. He suggested sitz bathes over the weekend and prescribed pain meds and antibiotics to help with the swelling and pain. By the time I got to the colorectal doctor Monday morning I was extremely sick. While in the waiting room I had a seizure, pooped my pants, and was unresponsive. This is according to my wife as I have no memory of much of anything from that morning. The doctor made the receptionist call 911 and they took me to a room and removed my pants. She immediately cut into the abscess to drain it. My wife said she couldn't believe how much drainage came out and how deep it was. The EMT's arrived shortly after that and rushed me to the hospital. In the ambulance I faintly remember one of the EMT's calling out my blood pressure, 47 over 21!!! I thought at that moment I was going to die, so I made my piece with God and was ready to accept my fate. Fortunately I made it. It turns out the abscess was far worse than anyone including my doctor thought it was. The infection got into my blood and began to shutdown my organs, the doctor called it being "septic". My colorectal doctor met me at the hospital and surgery was performed to take care of the fistula she discovered after draining the abscess at her office. I had no idea on that day I'd still be dealing with this 6 surgeries and 15 months later. I'm scheduled to have another surgery in two days. My doctor calls it a "complicated fistula" due to the fact the tract branches several times, is deep in the muscle tissue, and crosses my "taint". I know "taint" isn't the medical term, but I can't remember the proper term the doctor used. It's the area between my butt hole and my ball sack. The surgery I'm scheduled to have in a couple days I'm supposed to get another seton. It's not the cutting seton, but it's supposed to help dry out the tract and help it close off. At the moment I have a hole about an inch and a half to the left of my butt hole that connects to my butt hole. I also have to wear pads for drainage. What's worse is that every time I have to poop, it comes out that whole. So after going to the bathroom I have to get in the shower to clean myself and then my wife has to flush out that hole with saline solution to prevent any type of infection in the tract. I'm struggling with the fact that I'm stuck at my house unable to be very active. I'm now on long term disability, and any hobby that I love to to, I'm unable to do because of this. I absolutely hate it. I had no idea something like this could take such a hold on my life and control it the way it does. I'm very fortunate to have a wonderful wife who is very supportive of me and what I'm going through, not to mention being my wound care nurse. Which is not a very glamorous job as you can imagine. The research I've done isn't very inspiring either. It seem that most if not all of the people with this condition seem to have to deal with it for years. I came across a man on another fistula form site where he stated he'd been dealing with this for almost nine years and currently had six setons. I hope and pray that my upcoming surgery is my last and I can continue to push ahead. I'm glad I've found others on these forms I can talk to and relate with as this can be an embarrassing problem to dicuss or explain to family and friends. I wish you the best of luck with your recovery.