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How soon for swelling to decrease after perianal abscess incision and drainage?

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efoin19523
efoin19523

Here is my first thread, for background info:

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/early-signs-of-an-anal-abscess-hard-swelling--653170

The colorectal surgeon took one look at my butt and said she wanted to drain my abscess. We went through with it, but no pus came out. Is this weird? I didn't have time to talk to her afterward. The same day of the operation, I had some drainage when I took off the dressing after getting home. In the past two days, I've only seen tiny amounts of yellow in the gauze. I'm taking baths 3-4 times a day. I'm also continuing the antibiotics (5 days in, 5 days left).

The swelling hasn't gone down, is this abnormal? How long should it take for the swelling to go down?

The pain is increasing a little bit, similar to how I was before the operation. Does this all mean the infection isn't healing, or is 2 days too soon to tell?

0 likes, 2 replies

2 Replies

  • efoin19523
    efoin19523

    Posted

    So I guess the hot baths have been working, because since last night I've been having a decent amount of drainage. How long does this usually go on for? Does the swelling decrease as more pus is drained?

  • efoin19523
    efoin19523

    Posted

    So 7 days ago the colorectal surgeon incised my 3 abscesses. They drained 2 of them but the last one was just beginning and so it didn’t have any pus yet.

    I’m on vacation from May 3 to May 28 - the doctor said I shouldn’t cancel my trip. They gave me antibiotics for 14 days.

    For the past 7 days, I’ve had some discomfort. I believe it isn’t from the wounds themselves, but from the infection. Laying down and walking is usually fine. I sometimes get a pinching feeling down there. Sitting gets uncomfortable after some time, but soft surfaces are better. What really seems to get me is when I stand still - it feels like the pressure in the area increases and walking around seems to relieve (or maybe just distract) me from the discomfort. Sitting or laying down also relieves the discomfort from standing still.

    I had a good amount of drainage in the first several days following the surgery, but it seems to have reduced a bit in the past couple days. The discomfort from standing still also seems to have reduced.

    I guess this means that things are improving, however I still have one worry: there is still swelling in the areas. Does this mean that the abscesses are still there? Is the abscess only healed when the swelling is completely gone? I’m worried that if I didn’t drain enough, the wounds will close in the next week and I’ll have to redo the operation when I get back. It’s really hard to find information about this online so I just really want opinions of other people who’ve been in a similar situation..

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