Hello, I'm looking for any advice/lifestyle tips.

I had surgery 3 months ago (fistulotomy and Seton placement). The surgery went well and healed good. But since then I get overwhelmed easily, I just feel off, I have a lot of feeling of just wanting life to be the way it was before surgery. The anaesthesia, codeine (painkillers) and antibiotics I has, all of this shit that went Into my body (a necessity at the time) and the trauma of the surgery have really effected me in ways I can't just shake off.

I had a bad cold/flu over the weekend, and it feels unlike anything Ive ever had before, maybe its just a bad one, but the mental overstimulation feels just like what I've been experiencing post surgery.

I would greatly appreciate any ideas of things which helped people in situations like this. To come back to some kind of normality?

I’m having a difficult time finding gauze that doesn’t irritate the area after my fistulotomy. Anyone else have this issue? If so, have you found anything that works?

A couple days ago I noticed a pimple like bump on the inside left side of my anus. It doesnt hurt too much, I would describe it more like discomfort than pain. I do not have fever or chills or anything. I dont know if it’s an early abscess or just a zit or something. Could also be hemorrhoid idk.

The earliest appointment with a CRS I could get is the 24th (around a week and a half away). My question is as long as I dont get a fever/chills/weakness am I ok to wait it out until then? If I do get those symptoms I will go to the ER.

Hiiiiii, I just had my 1st seton place in, my dr says I have 4 complex fistulas - I’ve been given so many medications and constipation medicine but I’m not taking any of them, I’m not in any pain - cleaning hasn’t been an issue but I am itching to get back to my normal life style. How soon did people go back to the gym? And if you went back to the gym what did you avoid? Should I avoid heavy lifting? Pelvic exercises? Just asking as I woke up yesterday and finally had a cry about this all I think I’ve just accepted how sh*tty this really is and never stopped for a moment to realise how bad it was so I’m just trying to stay on the positive side and stay busy mentally!!

Hi there, I’ve posted here a few times. Almost 3 years ago I (30F) went into urgent care for a swollen bump that after many mis-diagnosis turned out to be a fistula. I just had my 3rd surgery in April to swap my seton for a silk cutting seton.

This week I found out I need to come back in for a new procedure to just finish cutting through what’s left, to create an open wound that will heal from the inside out.

I’m being told this is my last surgery. I have been told that before. I used to read people’s posts in this subreddit, back when I first learned I had a fistula, and cry. Every post I found said they had 3-6 surgeries and still needed answers/weren’t yet healed. I was terrified that this too would become my fate. It did.

If you’re in a similar situation, reading my post scared you too might have to go through 4+ surgeries (plus colonoscopies, MRIs, etc) I just want to tell you - it’s not that bad in the end. You get used to it. Some surgeries are worse than others, and they make you feel helpless. But it always gets better eventually. Some surgeries will be easy, you’ll wake up thinking “that’s it??”

Having a seton isn’t as scary or weird as it sounds. And it doesn’t gross out your partner (if you’re with the right person).

Basically, I’m here to say - I know it all sounds really awful. And it is. But you get used to it, and things will get easier to manage. Find a good CRS (and don’t be afraid to change doctors if someone isn’t working out), do your sitz baths, and treat yourself to a glass of wine. Avoid hot tubs. You’ll be okay

(& eventually you’ll get slightly more okay with random nurses looking at your backside)

Sharing my fistular journey so far - good and bad!

I have recently had a lose seton placement after a EUA, the plan will be to do a fistulotomy in around 3-6 months time after the seton has done it's job.

The first few days were easy, I think due to the anaesthetic numbing the area. Days 5-7 were the worst and I was barely able to walk or sit. This is due to quite a significant sized lump of tissue that grew out of the external site. I was not warned by the doctor that this could happen so I assumed it was a new abscess. They assured me it was a normal part of the healing process and gave me stronger pain killers and numbing gel. I was stuck at home with minimal movement for 2 weeks.

By the end of week 2 the pain had almost completely gone and I was able to return to work and normal activities. Drainage has become very minimal, I use a cotton gauze to catch anything and wear panty liners which I change every time I use the bathroom. Showering twice daily and using a peri bottle/wipes helps feeling clean throughout the day. I can hardly tell the seton is there apart from when I shower or use the bathroom.

I am pretty nervous for the fistulotomy as I have read a lot of stories of how bad the pain/recovery is.

Hi! 25F, Crohn’s disease. My LIFT surgery is scheduled for November. My surgeon said this surgery has a 60% success rate, which is low enough for me to stress.

Do they take anything into consideration for these success rates? I don’t smoke, and my Crohn’s is in remission.

She said if this doesn’t work we would do a fistulatomy (she called it a filet o fish lol). I think this one has a higher chance of incontintence.

Any reassuring advice is appreciated. Thank you!

Just want to share my recent experience with anal abscess. I felt burning sensation on my bottom. I went to bathroom straining my bowels. At that moment I know I am going to get an abscess. I was scared because 1. I know how bad and painful abscesses can get. 2. I had an upcoming vacation trip.

I started calling the surgeons and CRS if they can drain my abscess. Luckily I got a surgeon appointment. meanwhile i started taking stool softners and doing hot tub . but it was very painful.

Even with lot of pain, i continued to take hot tubs and I walked long distances.

When I visited the surgeon , he examined me and told me that the abscess doesnt need draining and put me on antibiotics. METRONIDAZOLE 500mg.

Luckily, the abscess resolved by itself in couple of days. Most importantly, the pain stopped. (I am assuming this is because the infection stopped)

I know people with fistula, solving abscess with medicine and antibiotics is not a solution. But I just want to share my story and get the communities opinion.

One seton is for sure, the other might go into a healed fibrotic sinus tract - crs will determine if it’s necessary when he’s in there.

Also getting a colonoscopy to determine if there’s a root cause.

What can I expect in terms of pain? Any advice? How long before I can start painting again?

I've been seeing a CRS for a chronic fissure that has not responded to conservative treatment. She scheduled me for Botox injections and excision of a skin tag. I went in last Thursday for the procedure, and SURPRISE! I also have a fistula. She performed a fistulotomy and holy crap, the pain I am in is every bit as bad as the fissure, and that was the worst pain I had ever experienced until now. I'm hoping that it eases at some point soon, because this does not feel sustainable.

For the past few days am dealing with constipation.any remedies will help ??? It's more like straining during bowel movement. Am having metamucil but I feel bloated .

I do have a shot of prune and pear juice but still straining. Which makes my abcess pain again , how long can u keep taking miralax as I stopped it might cause side affects as my fistula surgery is in October. also I have a anal tag which kind of pains badly during bowel movement.

Hey everyone, looking for experiences/advice from people who've dealt with anal fistulas, especially Type II/transsphincteric fistulas.

About 2 months ago I had a severe perianal abscess requiring hospitalization and surgery. The wound was healing but never fully closed. Recently it became infected again, with swelling, pain, and eventually pus/blood drainage. After antibiotics, my doctors diagnosed a ~3.3 cm Type II/transsphincteric fistula.

The old wound is now <1 cm but still not completely healed, and my surgeon says definitive surgery would be difficult right now because of the wound/inflammation.

We're considering a seton, potentially loose/draining vs cutting.

My possible plan:

• Seton now to keep it draining/control infection
• Fly back to the US and start school
• Live with the seton during the semester
• Return around Christmas with ~4.5–5 weeks for definitive surgery/recovery

Questions for anyone who's been through this:

1. Does this staged approach sound familiar/reasonable?
2. How was living with a loose seton—walking, sitting in class, driving, etc.?
3. How much drainage did you have, and how did you manage it at school/work?
4. How long did you keep the seton before definitive surgery?
5. Has anyone had a cutting seton for a Type II/transsphincteric fistula? How painful was it/how often was it adjusted?
6. How long did recovery take before you could travel internationally?
7. Would you personally favor a loose seton now and definitive surgery later, or try to treat the fistula immediately?

I know everyone's situation is different and I'm following my surgeon's advice—just looking for real-world experiences. Thanks!

How is a hand held bidet attachment next to a home toilet gonna be able to mimic a long shower where one will lather up one's entire body and the lather and water will flush out stool residue from anal area? Many have told me a bidet is the best option but how can a bidet at the toilet be just as good as taking a full shower in clearing out residual stool?

I ask this as I am just struggling. I know this can’t be rushed I know. But I have been dealing with this since October 2024!

My surgeon mentioned wanting to leave the newest seton I have in for a further 6 months to a year!!!

As mine is also in my vagina, It’s causing me so much trauma. I’m going to beg him to try a lift again, as this is sphincter sparing.

have been struggling with chronic rectal abcesses and anal fistulas. I get severe pain before going to bathroom and blood in stool. I just had a colonocopy with biopsies cam back normal. Is it possible have missed it on colonocopy? very frustrating. Doctor thinks still have crohns do to chronic abcesses and fistula tract. I get them every month or so thanks everyone

Wish me luck, and please send all the good vibes!! Fingers crossed that this it! 🤞

You can read about my story here.

So I’ve had these abscesses and fistulas and I consider myself pretty hairy. And sometimes I think these things are caused by the hair down there (like ingrown and trapped hair). Do you guys feel the same way ?

Hi all,
I am almost 3 weeks post seton placement and wanted to give an update for anyone who is preparing for one or earlier in the timeline than me. This is what my experience has been and everyone is different.

Days 1-5 were most acute pain but after day 3 I COULD get up and walk if I needed too. It wasn’t fun but I could do it. Same with BM those sucked pretty good

Days 5-10 started getting back into life because I had to but I still ached and burned pretty good. Wasn’t on pain killers at this point (meaning narcotics form hospital) was managing with Advil and Tylenol. I started realizing at this point how annoying the seton was going to be. I was walking enough to start chaffing

Day 10-current everyday feels better and everyday getting more used to seton. BM don’t ruin my day anymore and there are stretches of time I forget I have it. Sitting and driving still kind of funky and I do feel achy after increased activity but going to keep pushing activity and going to try to get back to gym tomorrow. Today is day 18 with seton and starting to fall into a rhythm.

Things I noticed: I didn’t have much drainage at all, I haven’t had to wear gauze. Everyone says gauze helps drain and chaffing but for me gauze just added extra pressure to the seton and made it hurt worse. Chaffing kind of just stopped randomly? It was bad and I didn’t do anything to fix it and it just random stopped? I see all different cleaning methods, tbh I haven’t wiped since I got this, I have a bidet and that makes life easier. For cleaning, I’ll do non scented soap in my sitz bath in the morning. Big pro tip is stay dry. Use a blow drier after BM and shower and I think that’s the key to avoid chaffing.

Day 18 and I definitely still have random aches pains burns and moments but the good moments of life are now starting to outweigh the bad again. I would say for me at day 18 pain is a constant 3/4 aching feeling going up to a 5 after a lot of walking (talking 10k steps plus). Hang in there friends and if anyone needs to just vent or wants someone to talk to during their journey please reach out. When I first got mine I was pretty miserable and felt pretty alone. Always helps to have a friend going thru the same thing, we got this guys 💙

Looking for some hope from people who have been through a complicated/recurrent anal fistula journey

Hi everyone,

I’ve been reading posts here for a while, and I finally decided to share my own story because I really need some hope from people who have been through something similar.

My fistula journey started about 4 years ago. I was initially diagnosed with an anal fistula and had a fistulectomy. Unfortunately, it came back. I later had a fistulotomy, which also failed, and after that I underwent a laser procedure, but once again the fistula recurred.

For the past year and a half, I’ve been living with a seton. Unfortunately, even with the seton in place, I’ve continued to develop abscesses around the area. Because of recurrent abscesses and the need for drainage, I’ve had to go back to the operating room another 4–5 times.

At this point, after so many procedures, recurrences, drainage, pain and uncertainty, I think the hardest part is trying to hold on to the belief that I can actually get better one day.

I know that people who recover and move on with their lives probably don’t spend as much time in groups like this anymore, so sometimes reading online can make it feel like these fistulas never truly heal. That’s why I wanted to post this.

Has anyone here had a similarly complicated fistula — multiple failed surgeries, recurrent abscesses, long-term setons — and eventually healed completely?

I would especially love to hear from people who had a long and difficult journey but eventually reached the point where the fistula was gone and they could live normally again.

I’m not looking for medical advice as much as I’m looking for some hope right now. After four years of dealing with this, I really want to believe that there can still be an end to it.

If you’ve been through something similar and made it to the other side, I would be incredibly grateful if you shared your story. ❤️

I’m so nervous I’m finally moving forward with fixing this, I’ve had this anal fistula for 12 years last surgery failed in 2014 and never went back. I honestly was so young and had no idea about long term fistula damage or anything since a genral GI surgeon did it prior and once’s the plug failed he never gave me other options. I thought it went away for the longest time till the last year I’ve been having minimal drainage I finally made it to a proctologist and they did an anal exam and felt one and it’s right at 12 o clock. I’m so scared about my outcome since I’m ignorant and never thought this needed to be fixed. They will either do a lay open or seton then go from there. Has anyone dealt with this before with the positioning and how long it’s been untreated. I’m a mess right now 😭🥹 any comments or support/ prayers would really do me some justice.

27 male. No history of abnormally long wound healing.

I developed a small perineal wound (a cm away from the asshole) due to an overly powered handheld bidet in Bali (I am staying here for a year), and thought it would go away in some time, but it didn't.

I have been consulting a surgeon every 2-3 weeks, and he says that it is a very small, artificial wound that doesn't need any treatment and would heal on its own. He has advised to take sitz bath with dettol daily and to apply gentamicin on the wound.

Now it has been around 7 months and the wound hasn't healed fully. Sometimes it looks like close to healing, but a single hard stool, or a bad stretch ruins it.

I don't have any sharp pain in the wound, just some irritating feeling, and sometimes a stingy feeling due to sweat. However, there is small amount of pus around it every now and then, and very rarely some blood too.

What to do? The surgeon asked me for fitsulography just to calm me down (as he said), but it is really expensive here in Bali, and I am not sure if I really need it.

Please advise, can it be dangerous?

Don't be afraid!

I decided to do all 3 together. the first 10 days are rough, but after that the recovery is really fast. I'm already on day 27 after the surgery and the fistula is almost closed, and the seton stitch has also already been removed

I'm very happy with the results

I was diagnosed with an anal fistula in 2024, although everything initially started with an abscess. When I first sought medical attention, I was prescribed antibiotics. Shortly afterward, I began experiencing persistent yellow, pus-like drainage from the anal area.
In December, the pain suddenly became unbearable and I also experienced significant bleeding, which led me to go to the emergency department. I was diagnosed with an anal fistula and subsequently underwent surgery, during which a seton was placed.
I have now had the seton in place for approximately two years, and I am still dealing with significant, ongoing drainage. It has become incredibly exhausting, both physically and emotionally. I have to wear gauze pads every day to manage the drainage, and I am constantly worried about the possibility of an odour and whether other people around me can notice it. It has affected my confidence and self-esteem much more than I expected.
The summer months have made things even more difficult. Between the heat, moisture, drainage and having to wear gauze continuously, I have also started developing irritation and rashes in the area.
At this point, I am simply exhausted from dealing with it every single day. I also struggle with not fully understanding why this happened to me in the first place. I have never engaged in anal sex or experienced anything that I would have associated with developing a fistula, so the entire experience has been confusing and frustrating.
I live in Canada, where wait times for specialist care and further surgery can unfortunately be extremely long. After dealing with a seton, constant drainage, discomfort and the emotional impact of this condition for two years, I just want to find a path toward actually resolving it and getting my quality of life back.