u/No-amazing-111

Hi everyone,

I’m a 29-year-old female, and I’m looking for some reassurance because my recovery has been incredibly difficult, and my anxiety has been through the roof.

I was diagnosed with a simple intersphincteric anal fistula. My pre-operative MRI showed a linear fistula with an intersphincteric horseshoe abscess extending from the 2 to 5 o’clock position, but no secondary tracts or supralevator extension.

I underwent fistula fulguration. Unfortunately, about 40 hours after surgery, things took a very bad turn.

I developed:

High-grade fever up to 102°F

Chills and rigors

Severe pain

Weakness

Elevated white blood cell count and inflammatory markers

I was admitted to the hospital, where I was diagnosed with a post-operative perineal abscess with septicemia (as written on my discharge summary). I was treated with IV antibiotics and remained hospitalized for several days before I was stable enough to go home.

The infection has thankfully resolved, but recovery has been much slower than I expected.

About 2 weeks after surgery, because I was still having severe pain and drainage, my surgeon ordered another MRI. The report showed:

The fistula tract is still visible.

The internal opening is still seen.

No abscess anymore.

No secondary tracts.

No supralevator extension.

My surgeon explained that it is too early to judge whether the fulguration has worked because the tract can remain visible while it heals.

Right now, my main symptoms are:

Severe pain, especially after bowel movements

Some Yellow drainage from the wound ( not sure)

No new abscess on MRI

No fever currently

The hardest part has honestly been my health anxiety. After developing septicemia so soon after surgery, every pain or bit of drainage makes me worry that the infection is coming back or that the surgery has failed. I find myself overanalyzing every symptom and every MRI finding.

Has anyone else had:

A visible fistula tract on MRI just a couple of weeks after surgery?

Severe pain that lasted several weeks?

A complicated recovery after fulguration or another sphincter-preserving procedure but still eventually healed?

I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences because right now I’m finding it difficult to know what’s normal healing and what’s not.

Thank you so much for reading.