Recently diagnosed...
Hello, I'm a 30 year old dude who got diagnosed with a perianal fistula 2 weeks ago. I go to the gym 4 days a week since 2024, no other health issues aside from atopic eczema, I've never even had a broken bone. I had an abscess on my left buttcheek, maybe 2-3cm away from the anus (about 8-9 weeks ago) that drained on its own after maybe 2 days (it was painful but not extreme) I called a proctologist the day it ruptured and drained so he said I should go get a checkup. I got the checkup with him and he said it seemed to be a furuncle, he gave me antibiotics (metronidazole) and told me I should do bath sitz 2-3 times per day and clean the wound with microdacyn as well as gauzes. I did that and it seemed to be healing but the abscess reformed 3 more times during a 6 week period. I stopped going to the gym and mostly rested at home with the bath sitz, I began to feel a bit depressed.
I tried to be patient and positive but it began to feel very frustrating so I made another appointment with a Dr. who's considered one of the top proctologists in my city. I went with him and after examination he said he was 99% sure it's a perianal fistula, he felt the "tunnel" from the abscess to my anal opening, I could feel it too but I didn't know what it meant. He told me to get an endoanal ultrasound so he can map the thing and we can see how to proceed or schedule surgery. He also told me to get back in the gym, with obvious caution and avoiding heavy squats/leg presses/deadlifts for a while but he said I should do everything that feels comfortable. Overall, he was super nice and explained everything to me including different surgeries and testimony of other patients he's got with the same issue. I got the abscess reformed a week later bc I had to sit in a car in the middle of a very hot day but it was smaller this time, every time it reappeared it seemed a bit smaller and with less discharge (never with bad smell). I can feel the tunnel, some days less than others.
I'm waiting for my insurance company to tell me if they can cover the endoanal ultrasound, it's approximately $250 dollars so I can totally pay it off my own money but I'd rather have them pay for it lol.
I've been back to the gym since 3 days after my last appointment (2 weeks ago) but I've only done upper body workouts. I wear a gauze all the time, take a quick shower after every bowel movement, I work from home and I haven't had any kind of pain whatsoever apart from whenever the abscess returns but every time it drains on its own after a day or two tops. I was about to enlist in BJJ classes but that's postponed now until after surgery if everything goes well I think.
Has anyone had any similar experience? I know there are people who live with this thing and I could be one of those bc it's not painful to me, yet but I don't want this to get worse so I'll get surgery if it's a guaranteed victory and it lets me get back to my life before it.
What I find strange is I have got no pain whatsoever, it's mostly my mind that's suffering and possibly my pockets if insurance doesn't cover the surgery hahaha.